A divination deck and guidebook rooted in the American Hoodoo tradition
• 2021 Coalition of Visionary Resources Silver Award
• Includes 78 full-color Tarot cards that depict legendary rootworkers past and present as well as important Hoodoo archetypes and symbols
• Provides in-depth card meanings for each card in the Major Arcana and the four suits of the Minor Arcana, including the history of the rootworker or symbol featured, any associated magical plants, and guidance based on the card’s meaning
• Offers a history of Hoodoo and its complex heritage, including its roots in multiple African and Native American ethnic groups as well as its European influences
Between the 17th and 19th centuries, many Indigenous Americans and people of African descent intermarried and socialized more often than is acknowledged by mainstream history books and scholars. These interactions produced not only a multicultural people but also a body of knowledge that is known today as Hoodoo or Rootwork.
Celebrating the complex American Rootwork tradition, The Hoodoo Tarot integrates esoteric and botanical knowledge from Hoodoo with the divination system of the Tarot. Structured like a traditional Tarot deck, each of the 78 cards features full-color paintings by magical-realist artist Katelan Foisy and elegantly interprets the classical Tarot imagery through depictions of legendary rootworkers past and present as well as important Hoodoo symbolism.
In the accompanying guidebook, Tayannah Lee McQuillar provides a history of Hoodoo and its complex heritage, including its roots in multiple African and Indigenous American ethnic groups as well as its European influences. She explores the traditional forms of divination used by rootworkers, including cartomancy, explaining how pairing the Tarot with Hoodoo is a natural fit. For each card in the Major Arcana and the four suits of the Minor Arcana (sticks, baskets, needles, and knives), McQuillar provides an in-depth card meaning that draws on both Tarot and Hoodoo tradition. She shares the history of the rootworker or symbol featured, any associated magical plants, a related scriptural quote, and guidance and advice based on the card’s meaning. She also offers instructions on card spreads and shares sample card readings.
Offering a divination system rooted in the Indigenous and African experience in North America, The Hoodoo Tarot provides a hands-on way to honor and explore the magic of Hoodoo for personal growth and spiritual inspiration.
From the Publisher
The Hoodo Tarot 78-Card Deck and Book for Rootworkers
Father of Knives
The Image
The Father of Knives is standing outside of a circle of cornmeal with a knife stuck in the center. There are broken timepieces in the circle, with the big hands pointing to the numerical value of a person’s name. Their time annoying him is up.
Meaning
The Father of Knives is the quintessential dominant male. On the positive side, he is assertive. intellectual, ethical, analytical, mature, and sive, stoic, tyrannical, and stubborn. In a reading, of he doesn’t represent a literal person with these qualities, then he represents these attributes.
Mother of Sticks
The Image
The Mother of Sticks is shown with a crown of leaves that is reminiscent of early colonial era “Black Virginian” advertisements. She is wearing a tartan fastened with a grouse foot brooch as a good luck charm. The Mother of Sticks’s pipe is lit by a kite. There are five types of kites living in the southern United States, and like the Mother of Sticks, these beautiful raptors are determined to keep moving forward–so much so that they never take a break. They ear, drink, and even bathe in flight!
Meaning
The Mother of Sticks is one of the most uplifting cards in the deck. On the positive side, she is optimistic, fiery, confident, courageous, focused, and powerful. On the negative side, she is malicious, overbearing, arrogant, two-faced, a workaholic, or a major drama queen. In a reading, if she doesn’t represent a literal person with these qualities, then she represents these attributes.
Railroad Bill
The Image
Railroad Bill is waving at the people cheering for him in the distance.
Railroad Bill (?-1896) was a laborer with no clear past as his name, place of birth, and many other details about his life remain a mystery. What we do know is that the authorities claimed he was a man named Morris Slater, and we know the hell he put them through.
Meaning
When Railroad Bill turns up, you are being encouraged to increase your efforts to ensure victory. It’s a reminder of the characteristics that are required to win: confidence, determination, discipline, persistence, and assertiveness. Now is the time to adopt a take-no-prisoners attitude toward anybody or anything that attempts to get in your way. If you are not aggressive or ambitious by nature, then this card is a warning that you must toughen up or risk the loss of what you’ve worked so hard for.
Publisher : Destiny Books
Publication date : February 18, 2020
Language : English
Print length : 160 pages
ISBN-10 : 1620558734
ISBN-13 : 978-1620558737
Item Weight : 1.6 pounds
Dimensions : 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches
Customers say
Customers love this tarot deck for its fantastic art and beautiful illustrations, with detailed explanations of the cards and rich historical context. The cards are well-crafted with sturdy construction, and one customer notes how the artist put in tremendous details. Customers appreciate the language, with one mentioning how it translates meanings well, and they find the deck powerful and speak to them on multiple levels.
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