Maria Minnis, Tarot for the Hard Work: an Archetypal Journey to Confront Racism and Inspire Collective Healing. Newbury, MA: Weiser Books, 2023. ISBN: 978-1-57863-807-9.
The book is arranged as follows:
- A foreword by Rashunda Tramble, author of Numinous Tarot and founder of staywoketarot.com.
- Introduction. Here the book's author explains their approach and presents the book's overall structure.
- 21 chapters, one for each Major Arcana card.
- References and resources. This is a bibliography and works cited list.
In essence, this books looks at the 22 Major Arcana cards in Tarot and their archetypes as resources and tools of liberation and dismantling systemic racism and oppression. The guidance goes from working on yourself individually to working outwards to implement positive social change. For a cartomancer this can be a new and radical way to look at the cards. As I read it, I learned new insights into the cards, and I will be adding some of those lessons to my card reading experience. However, the book offers much more.
Every chapter features readings and exercises to help you learn more and do the work. We get an opening text about the card and its archetype, keywords, the archetype in liberation work, correspondences, and other concepts related to a card. You want to keep a journal or notebook handy because the author includes writing prompts and other small reflection exercises throughout every chapter. In addition, every chapter ends with "Building a Toolkit." This is a prompt and/or exercise to help you expand your social justice work. Each card has its own unique toolkit prompts connected to the card's archetype. For example, The Hermit's toolkit is "Protect Unhoused People." This is because of the Hermit's search for a safe space.
I read the book cover to cover for this review, but this is really a book to read, write, reflect, and do the exercises a bit at a time. I will say that trying to do everything suggested in the book is seriously ambitious. It is called "hard work" for a reason. If so moved, work with the book at your best speed. For some folks, their talents, skills, and temperament may mean that you focus your work on one archetype or a few. Don't try to get through the work all at once. Take care of yourself and pace yourself.
The book is very easy to read. Pretty much anyone can read this. The author keeps the heavy esoterica to a minimum. As I wrote earlier, you don't have to read the cards to get benefit from the book. You can use the Tarot archetypes as inspiration for your own work. For cartomancers, this can open new possibilities to do the work as well as understand the cards in a new way.
Overall, this is a great book. It can be a bit intense at times, as social justice work can be, but it is well worth reading. Cartomancers with an interest in social justice need this on their shelves. Even cartomancers not as interested may want to read it for the learning experience.
I recommend it for public and academic libraries, especially if they collect pagan and esoteric materials and/or social justice works. I ordered it for our library, and I hope it finds readers.
5 out of 5 stars.
Additional reading notes:
Tramble in the foreword on Tarot as a catalyst:
"Both you and I believe that tarot isn't just fortune telling. It can also help us discover what influences our thoughts and actions. Which archetypes, numbers, symbols activate something deep in the core of our being? We believe that tarot helps us access and analyze hidden messages, imprints, and signals we've picked up by living in this society. Tarot allows us to address these issues. Tarot is a catalyst for change" (xii-xiii)
The book's author on this book as a tool:
"Tarot for the Hard Work is a tool for passionately demolishing structural oppression. It is a tool for white people who want to use their privilege for mass liberation. It is a tool for Black and Brown people living in a structurally racist society intent on selling self-hatred and shame to marginalized people and capitalizing on their pain. It is a tool for both tarot newbies and tarot experts. It is a tool for action. It is a tool for going beyond baby steps. It is a tool that can offer great satisfaction, as well as great difficulty. It is a tool to expand your comfort zone. It is a tool that requires your presence for it to work" (2).
Another reason you need a journal to write along as you read the book:
"A journal will give you unlimited space to explore and do a deep dive: in your journal you are writing your own antiracism manifesto" (4).
A reminder:
"All liberation work is creative work because our job is to create the world to come. And in waltzes the Empress" (36).
This book qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenge:
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