Lane Smith, 78 Acts of Liberation: Tarot to Transform Our World. Boulder, CO: Sounds True, 2024. ISBN: 9781649632203.
Before I go further, let me get this out of the way. This is a heavily political book, and the author lays out their left politics clear and thick. If that is not your jam, this may or not be the book for you. For me, reading this broke with my personal moratorium on reading any material on politics, social issues, and activism. By the time I finished reading the book I felt it was worth it as I did find some useful elements to explore more. Still, I felt a need to advise readers, including librarians doing collection development.
The book is arranged into two major parts.
Part One is Foundations. This provides a critical study of Tarot history looking at topics such as privilege, capitalism, discrimination, and appropriation. For me, this was like going back to my graduate work in critical theory including feminist and postcolonial studies. I do not mean that in a good way. This is a big segment in the book, and it is some seriously heavy reading at times. For readers aligned with the author, this may be a bit of preaching to the choir. Like other historians, the author does pick and choose parts of history to discuss and interpret, including speculation to fill a historical gap here or there. As we read along, we get a look at history, with a detour or two, to ask "what if?" Readers can decide how viable or not some answers may be. The questions are often compelling. We are looking at Tarot here beyond the usual narratives and texts most everyone knows. . .or think they know. Speaking of the usual narratives, the author does refer to various classics including authors such as Rachel Pollack and Mary K. Greer. Author does strive to cover the bases as they strike out to new ground.
The rest of Part One looks at Tarot structure and card reading as the author lays them out. While the author does acknowledge traditional ways of reading, they are presenting their own structure to view Tarot. Their vision of Tarot as a sphere is intriguing, and I know I will need to reread that part to improve my understanding. Still, considering the Tarot sphere vision is a good reason to pick up the book. Finally, the first part also has a somewhat lengthy section of the author presenting their credentials and bona fides. They clearly wanted to hammer the point of how much an experienced activist who has done a lot. It could've been condensed or left for the "about the author" part.
Part Two: The Cards. This is where the real strength of the book lies. Here we find the card interpretations and meanings, often connected to important social and historical events. For example, The Chariot-10, grouped in the ones (1+0=1) is about organizations and joining them. It uses the Asian American political alliance as a way to illustrate the lessons of The Wheel. So in addition to learning the basics of a card, you get some history and social lessons to help expand your vision of the cards. As the author points out, their choices are examples. Over time, as you do your own cartomancy and activist work, you may come to associate other events and circumstances for a specific card, and that is part of the growth and learning process.
In the book, cards are grouped numerically. Each card entry includes card name and number, an action, and astrological association. We then get an overview of the card meaning and how it has been shaped an interpretation over time. Next we get the specific event or action the author uses to illustrate the card and it basic principles. To wrap up the entry you get a few reflection questions for each card. I found those questions very useful; you can use them for reflection, journal prompts, and as part of your card reading.
The author then offers a succinct summary of what they presented in the conclusion. We do get a pretty broad bibliography that is definitely worth a look for further reading. I'll be picking out some titles from the bibliography to read down the road.
Overall I liked the book, but I did not really like it. The strength really lies in the second part after they present their Tarot structure in Part One then get to the card entries. I found the practical elements more useful. For the whole book there are some parts that I liked more than others, but this is still a useful resource overall.
Having said that, I can see how this book may be useful and appeal to some of our activist students here who may also read Tarot and do cartomancy. This is a book that I would order for our library, especially if a patron requests it. This book can also be good for those who do the work who also want to expand their vision for Tarot.
I suggest you read this book a bit at a time. Do the questions and gradually work your way through the book. This is not really a book to read straight through, unless you are reviewing it as as I am now. I will at some point go back, read a bit at a time, and work through it at a slower and more thoughtful pace.
I do recommend it for public and academic libraries that collect pagan and esoterica materials. Also recommended for libraries that collect social justice materials, which we do here by the way.
3 out of 5 stars.
Additional reading notes:
In terms of appeal factors, the book Tarot for the Hard Work may be similar. I personally liked Tarot for the Hard Work better.
Author's key question for Tarot:
". . .what would happen if we asked the Tarot about practical actions we can take in response in response to larger social concerns?" (1).
How author uses the word "politics":
"When I use the word politics, what I mean is simply one's understanding of how power operates in society, and how one believes that power should be used. This is something we all know intimately through our lived experience" (4).
Author's intention for the book:
"I intend for this book to be a guide to reading the Tarot politically, with an eye toward justice and liberation, to complement Pollack's guide to reading the Tarot spiritually and psychologically, with an eye toward self-awareness" (8).
That reminds me I need to read Pollack's book sooner rather than later.
What the author asks of the reader:
"With this book, I am asking you to look at the structure, history, and components of Tarot through the lens of power, and translate social meanings into social actions. Behind every story about Tarot-- and about the world-- are power relationships which are often invisible. My goal is to help you to better read the power dynamics that are at play in Tarot, and then in turn to use Tarot to help you read the power dynamics that are at play in the world" (18).
The book qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenges:
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