Tarot, Magic, and Racism: A Brief Directory

A quick look at racism & other forms of oppression happening in my own spiritual communities.

Painting above: Manfred and the Alpine Witch (c. 1837) by John Martin 

 In times such as these, I am not at all surprised to see folks of all creeds re/turning to spiritual or religious practices for strength, support, and community. Some might find that a sense of faith is a welcome refuge when we are witnessing and/or experiencing such multitudinous acts of violence and discrimination.

Over the summer (amid everything) I have been busy reading some books on improving your career and work practices, etc. Many of the books encourage a reflexive approach to what you hold dear, including your habits, behaviours, beliefs, etc. This has caused me to examine not only my own work and career, but some of the other aspects of my life, including my spiritual/religious practices.  

 The question I want to examine here is: what if your religious/spiritual community is the one being racist? How can you worship, pray, and participate in sacred space alongside folks who you know to hold less-than-okay beliefs outside the church/temple/coven/mosque doors?
Above: the one and only Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service

One of my own biases is that I find discrimination and violence in religious/spiritual spaces particularly egregious. While the dynamics of privilege and oppression are always on my mind, I had a rather rude awakening at a spiritual event/gathering in October 2018 where some racist happenings (thankfully not directed explicitly at me) rather soured what is usually a very important/sacred worship experience for me.
Above: Yuko from The Terror: Infamy (Season Two)

 It was no dark night of the soul, still, I was hurt and troubled by what I saw. Rather than bury my head in the sand, I wanted to explore discrimination and oppression within my spiritual community further. After all, I find it reprehensible that there are some churches in Canada who have yet to apologize for their role in residential schools; I have to be able to hold myself accountable for what oppressive systems I contribute to and uphold in my own spiritual beliefs and practices. 

 After this experience in October 2018 I found myself thinking: what else was lurking under the surface? How could I continue to find support in a community that seemed to have an intolerant underbelly?

 With regards to tarot in particular, Liz Worth reminds us in her book The Power of Tarot: To Know Tarot, Read Tarot, and Live Tarot:
But whose knowledge does tarot contain? If we want to put faith in tarot, to pull wisdom from it, we should spend some time thinking about our own beliefs, ideals, and views of the world--and be willing to shape, challenge, and define our own belief systems in the process.
Above: The Weird Sisters from Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Indeed, I didn't have to look far or long to learn more. In June earlier this summer, one of the tarot experts I follow, Benebell Wen, made a quick study of the racism that actively exists within spiritual, pagan, and tarot communities. I don't have much to add to her words, and they have given me much to ponder; 
Above: Sophie and the Witch of the Waste in Howl's Moving Castle

 So, in the spirit of introspection and confronting one's own shadow, I offer a quick directory below of articles, books, and videos focusing on the intersections between magic, spirituality, and race.

Examining oppression x tarot/magic/spirituality elsewhere:

 The Pagan and Occult Fascist Connection and How to Fix It by Amy Hale

 Castle of Wewelsburg: Magical Nazi castle of the SS (Büren, Germany) on Atlas Obscura 

 Heidelberg Thingstatte: Nazi edifice built on a sacred mountain site used by various German cults (Heidelberg, Germany) on Atlas Obscura 

 The Nazis as occult masters? It’s a good story but not history by Peter Staudenmaier on Aeon (note this piece explicitly discusses the Castle of Wewelsburg above as well)

 The Occult Influences on Lovecraft Country (And Their Racist Legacy) by Jessica Mason on The Mary Sue

 VIDEO - Black Lives Matter in Tarot and Pagan Spaces by Benebell Wen

 VIDEO - Hey Spirituality, Pagan, Tarot Community: We Need to Talk About This Shadow by Benebell Wen 

 VIDEO - Diversity in Tarot and Oracle Deck Art by Benebell Wen 

 VIDEO - People of Color in Spiritual Spaces | Bell Chimes In #30 by Benebell Wen 

 Tarot Deck Piracy and Anti-Chinese Sentiments by Benebell Wen 

 Non-Indigenous healers asked to stop appropriating and selling Indigenous ceremony
Social Sharing by Rhiannon Johnson

 How to become an Indigenous healer for $1,111 by Lenard Monkman


Asali Earthwork's incredible Tarot of the QTPOC Series. Please support her work on Patreon here.


BOOK - Tarot for Troubled Times: confront your shadow, heal yourself, transform the world by Shaheen Miro and Theresa Reed

 BOOK - Queering the Tarot by Cassandra Snow 

 BOOK - Jailbreaking the Goddess: A Radical Revisioning of Feminist Spirituality by Lasara Firefox Allen

 PODCAST - Popaganda Magic Episode on the Bitch Media Blog

 Break the Spell: Witchcraft Is Capitalism’s New Trick by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal

 The High Priestess: 5 Tarot Readers on the Legacy of Pamela Colman Smith by Dianca London Potts

 The Witchy Feminism of Modern Music Videos by Emma Raults 

 Binding Harm: Generations of Witches Intertwine Rituals and Activism by Jessica Jernigan

 30 Years Later, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” Is Still Inspiring Young Feminists by Christine Jean-Baptiste

 Uneasy Spirits: Black Vengeance in Supernatural Pop Culture by Sela Gebre

 Undivided State: A Conversation on Feminism and Spirituality over on the Bitch Media Blog

 The Heart of Whiteness: On Spiritual Tourism and the Colonization of Ayahuasca by Bani Amor

 Multi-Hyphenate Healer Dori Midnight on Magic for the Resistance by the Bitch Media HQ

 This Instagram post by Lisa Marie Basile on poverty x tarot & magic

 Rebecca Artemisa Blends Magic into Resistance by Bitch Media HQ

 The Politics of White Sage by Jessica Mahon on The Mary Sue

When Did Everyone Become a Witch by Jessica Bennett at The New York Times

17 Witch Podcasts That’ll Completely Enchant You by Sarah Potter at Cosmopolitan 


This post was updated September 5, 9, and 27 and October 17 to include more relevant links and quotes for this directory.

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