I have yet to illustrate a tarot deck, but I imagine the process as a combination of divinely inspired creativity, meditation and channeling. When it comes to spiritual messages, I’ve always believed that they come to us in a language we intuitively understand - symbols that mean something to us.
...years of flipping through tarot and oracle decks has raised the question - "Where are the Black angels?"
Keeping all this in mind, my expectations with regards to tarot illustrations have been flexible, allowing room for artistic freedom and ultimately how the artist “receives” their illustration. So I have often defended decks that portray the majority (often all) characters as white. My way of explaining this was, well, when people of colour create decks, it will reflect messages delivered to them, which are communicated using symbols that are meaningful to them - including beings created in their image.
Having been raised Roman Catholic, I’m reminded of a bible verse that states “God created man in his own image”...now, I haven’t picked up a bible in years, but years of flipping through tarot and oracle decks has raised the question - "Where are the Black angels?"
Building on my rational thought process, my answer was, if you want decks with people of colour, people of colour simply have to create decks. Yet, the question still lingered in the back of my mind, “why in a community of spiritually and energetically aware individuals is representation still an issue?”
...as spiritual seekers and forward thinking individuals on the leading edge of change, examining our own thoughts and behaviours is key to our collective evolution.
As I’m writing this article, I realize that tarot and oracle decks have come a long way since my interest in the practice first began in 2009 or so. I am encouraged by decks that have come out in the past years that include more diverse imagery - in terms of skin colour, age, body type and sexual orientation. Nevertheless, as spiritual seekers and forward thinking individuals on the leading edge of change, examining our own thoughts and behaviours is key to our collective evolution.
Images that evoke a particular unrest in my spirit are those based in African systems of belief yet illustrated as Caucasian - Yemaja (or Yemanja or Yemaya and the many other names attributed to the Orisha) has appeared with white skin and straight flowing hair in two decks that I have seen. Some decks prefer Greco-Roman interpretations of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses as opposed to reflecting the deeper African origins of the belief system in their imagery.
This is not an accusation - rather a nudge to dig deeper into the constructs that cause divinity not to be expressed in the image of a person of colour.
Is a lack of diversity in a deck reflective of the illustrator’s lack of awareness? A comfort level that they have enjoyed because they have never had to scour decks (or magazines, movies or TV ads) looking for images that speak to them and reflect them? As a child, I rarely drew pictures of people with brown skin. Until I met that day when a child realizes, that for some obscure reason, the colour of my skin matters to some people - a lot of people. And pretending that it doesn’t matter won’t make it go away. And one day with my first tarot deck, it hit me again, like a stone dragging me down into a sea of 3D reality - my likeness, the image of God that I was created in, is not in this deck, and no matter how I rationalize it, that truth won’t go away.
I am encouraged by the marked increase in the creation of decks that depict people of colour, the increased visibility of tarot and oracle creators of colour who are tapping into spirit and ancestral energy to send messages, to foster healing - and I’m encouraged by the allies who are helping make this happen.
This is not an accusation - rather a nudge to dig deeper into the constructs that cause divinity not to be expressed in the image of a person of colour. The division between us is deeply embedded in our subconscious, and it is up to us to deconstruct our habitual patterns. I believe these conversations, this work, as uncomfortable as it may be, is essential - and if we are walking the walk of leading with love, we should be able to speak openly, listen fully and welcome deep, meaningful changes that alter us at our core.
After all, as we accompany each other on this great journey, are we not each called to challenge anything inside of us that is not an expression of love?
With love & light,
Samara
Sunday, August 30th, 2020
Do you have a favorite Tarot or Oracle Deck with BIPOC or Diverse imagery? Let me know!
Here are some of my favourites:
Moonchild Tarot - https://www.themoonchildtarot.com/
Light Seer’s Tarot - https://lightseerstarot.com/
Afro-Brazilian Tarot - https://www.amazon.com/Afro-Brazilian-Tarot-English-Spanish-Scarabeo/dp/0738709603
Starseed Oracle - https://starseedoracle.me/
Amenti Oracle - https://amenti-oracle.com/
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