The rise of independently published decks in the past few years has seen a huge rise in the number of different voices represented in modern tarot and oracle decks. While most Indie deck creators rely on their own websites and Etsy stores and the like for distribution, there are a few people out there who are focusing on giving LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC artists a specialised distribution channel.
Enter Indie Tarot.
Skylar and Trish have opened this online shop from their home in the Netherlands and are now able to offer some of the best and newest decks from some of the most interesting and talented tarot artists today.
From their webpage:
OUR MISSION IS...
To support a more expansive and nuanced collective consciousness and vision of the tarot through centering and honouring queer, trans and BIPOC creators. We aim to make their independently produced tarot decks, oracle decks, and related creations accessible to EU customers.
I had a chance to chat with Skyler recently about what they are doing and they also shared some valuable insight into the current market and trends for the decks they carry.
JM: Let’s start with the “Who” question: Who is Indie Tarot?
Skylar: First, thanks so much for taking the time to interview us. It’s really an honour. Indie Tarot is a small scale online indie tarot shop started by me (Skylar) and my wife (Trish).
Who are you is such a difficult question! I typically answer with my identities and what I do.
I identify as queer and trans non-binary. I’m passionate about supporting others in thriving – mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. This drive has led me to my ongoing work as a yoga therapist and holistic embodiment coach as well as to the use of tarot. I’m also a parent, a partner and a pet lover!
JM: Can you share a bit of your “Tarot Story?” How did you get into it, what’s your journey been like?
Skylar: It’s funny, growing up tarot was presented to be a tool of evil. I think I was scared of it for a long time. It’s only been in the past 5 years or so that I discovered it and began a daily practice.
In coaching, I started working with imagery and visualisations as ways to tap into deeper wisdom, as a way to access the unconscious, subconscious and intuition. I sometimes think of it as tuning into the Field – a place where individual and collective awareness is available.
This work led me to begin to explore tarot in similar ways. Initially, very much from a rational place of tarot as a tool for accessing intuitive knowledge.
As I’ve worked more with tarot, I’ve explored it in ever increasing ways, sensing an interplay between the personality of the deck, Source, particular guides I might be working with and my own unconscious mind and intuition.
Now, I include it in work with clients when it feels useful and I offer readings via Indie Tarot.
JM: Your shop focuses on decks that reflect LGBTQIA + BIPOC voices.
Are you at all surprised by the sheer number of decks that fit this criteria today?
Skylar: You know, I’ve been so grateful to see the number of decks created by LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC people. It’s so wonderful to see a thriving indie tarot scene and successful funding campaigns for these decks. At the same time, I think there’s still so much space for considering aspects of inclusion and representation in tarot AND for more high-quality decks from voices which have traditionally been underrepresented in tarot.
I also don’t think we have a clear picture of things. How many Indie Tarot decks are there? And of those, how many were created by queer, trans or BIPOC people? Or how many are truly diverse and inclusive?
That’s one reason why it’s so useful to have libraries of these projects. The Cult of Tarot Library of Decks, Aeclectic Tarot’s list of decks, Asali’s QTPOC deck listing and the Indie Deck Review posts which often aim to highlight the different ways decks may be inclusive. On Aeclectic Tarot there’s close to 1900 decks listed. On Asali’s QTPOC deck listing, there’s around 200 decks described as especially inclusive.
*editor’s note: Aeclectic Tarot Forum closed in 2018, additions to its library have been very limited since.
The Cult of Tarot Library of Decks is always accepting submissions to add decks. See this link for details
JM: Do you find the overall surge in Indie Decks is being fuelled significantly by these artists?
Skylar: I can’t imagine it’s not having an impact. What I know is that these artists are fuelling an expanding awareness of what tarot can be, who has access to it, and who resonates with it.
JM: What does that mean for the overall Tarot audience?
Skylar: I don’t know about you but for every tarot deck I have, I feel like I learn something new about tarot from the voice of the artist and the personality of the deck. The deck always influences the interpretation of the situation and reading to some extent. My readings with a traditional RWS deck and the Next World Tarot will always have fundamental differences that come through. Personally, I love this.
Rachel Pollack talks about how the "unconscious... draws its material from the cultural background of the individual dreamer”. She goes on to talk about how archetypal imagery is always shaped by cultural background. Tarot imagery and language has been rooted in White European, Americentric, cis-heteronormative and patriarchal cultures.
As LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC voices reinterpret tarot imagery and language, it not only lets queer, trans and people of colour see themselves in new ways in the tarot. I believe it enriches tarot for everyone. It enables a rich diversity of human experience, cultures and ways of being to be seen and heard. It expands the vocabulary available. It increases nuance and understanding.
JM: What are your feelings on the changing/broadening tastes in today’s tarot market and how is that fueling an interest in the decks your shop handles?
Skylar: We see a resonance for both the artists that choose to work with us and the customers who buy from us. It’s about more than tastes, it’s about making conscious decisions to shop and collaborate with people who’s values resonate with you.
JM: As long as there have been Tarot decks, there have been LGBTQIA + BIPOC deck creators. Can you tell us anything about the history of their contributions, maybe some of the early decks that started to open these doors to artists and tarot readers alike?
Skylar: I must say I don’t have a deep knowledge around the history of queer tarot. From the little bit of research I‘ve done, Oliver Pickle’s “She is sitting in the night” published in 2015 mentions that in the 70s there was a self-published pamphlet called “A New Women’s Tarot” which became an inspiration in Thea’s Tarot which explored an interpretation of the imagery from a lesbian feminist perspective.
What I’ve noticed though as I research decks from the 90s and beyond is that there were varying steps as artists explored reinterpreting tarot imagery to match their experience and communities.
More recently self-publishing has made it far more accessible for artists to create decks that will be published rather than hidden away because they don’t appeal to a white cis-heteronormative audience that many publishers are catering towards.
Some of these artists are examining more critically the representation, values, beliefs and power systems that are represented in the imagery of tarot and looking to reinterpret this.
There has been an explosion of decks representing very specific communities and lived experiences. At the same time there’s been a general push for more decks which are broadly inclusive of the whole range of body types, skin colors, genders and sexualities.
Many people have been censored by prevailing systems that elevate and normalize white cisgender heterosexual skinny bodies. This makes a shift in representation that normalizes the beautiful range of normal diversity in human bodies and experiences critical.
In a way each of these decks adds to an expanding knowledge base that other artists and readers can learn from, build on and engage in critical dialogue with.
JM: Please tell us more about your shop.
Skylar: We currently run the shop out of our home. It’s just the two of us with the support of two curious cats.
Alongside Indie Tarot, I run Collaborative Motion which supports people all over the world in living authentically and dealing with stress, its causes and symptoms - whether that’s sleep problems, pain, health challenges or the pressures and complexities of personal and professional life.
I often picture daily life as the 2 of pentacles. A dynamic daily process of shifting back and forth. Shifting from interactions with the customers and artists, packaging and shipping orders to yoga therapy appointments online and in person in the Netherlands.
JM: What are the advantages for artists and buyers to sell or buy with Indie Tarot?
Skylar: Indie Tarot was never about making a quick profit or capitalizing on a niche. It is an outpouring of a passion for indie tarot, social justice and a reflection of my own queer identity. We place relationships and values first. We actively work with the artists to find ways to support their latest work and we do everything we can to ensure our customers have a good experience.
We regularly get requests from customers about new decks, or new shipping locations and we take each one of them into account and whenever feasible, we try to honour these requests.
Further, we donate a portion of all profits to non-profit organisations run by LGBTQIA+ / BIPOC people supporting human rights across Europe.
We’re very grateful for the reception we’ve received from both artists and customers!
JM: How do you reach out to artists or how do artists contact you to get their decks into your shop?
Skyler: We regularly send emails to artists that cross our paths and artists often contact us via Instagram or the website.
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There is a ton of information at the Indie Tarot website. You can learn more about Skyler and Trish (and their cats) as well as see all the decks. There are also some really great interviews with the artists featured in their shop.
You can also learn more about Skylar’s other project, Collaborative Motion which supports health, wellbeing and personal growth through Somatic Coaching, Yoga Therapy and various trainings.
Contact info for artists or buyers: contact@indietarot.co
Websites: www.indietarot.co | www.collaborativemotion.com
Instagram: @indie.tarot
Facebook: @indietarot
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