Introduction to the Pagan Tarot

By Rev. Gina M. Pace

This entirely new tarot deck is illustrated with scenes from the life of a modern pagan or Wiccan. Neopaganism and Wicca/Witchcraft are growing spiritual influences in America as well as the rest of the world and while there are differences in how it is practiced as a religious path, there is a basic universal feeling that joins the American pagan with his or her European counterpart. The meanings in this deck, therefore, tend to be more traditional in nature; however, in many cases, the scene is completely different from the standard imagery, yet the underlying meaning remains the same. Several new energy variations have been included to bring a sense of consistency with the Major and Minor Arcana. Overall, you, the reader, are asked to look at each scene, not with eyes accustomed to traditional imagery, but in each case to ask yourself, “What is happening here? What is s/he feeling here? How does this work with the other cards around it?” The flow of energy from one card to the next will help to guide you.

I was asked to create this tarot deck because of the growing awareness in the world of the ancient modern religion, in its revived state, known as Wicca. I have myself been a practicing Wiccan since 1993, but my entire life has revolved around the set of beliefs which up until that point I thought I shared with no one else in the world. Many, if not most, newcomers to the religion of Wicca share a common experience in that there is usually a sense of “coming home” upon reading their first piece of Wiccan literature. Most of us did not know there was even a name for what we believed, until we came across it in a bookstore or through a friend, etc. Moresoever, there is a serious underestimation of the number of pagans and pagan-friendly people in the United States, the United Kingdom, and around the world. I am blessed to work in a new age bookstore, where I encounter most of the local pagans on a fairly regular basis. A large portion of them work as solitaries, and do not know that there are covens in town; much less how to find one, join one, learn from one, etc.

As I am quick to point out in the Wiccan study class which I teach, it is not necessary to join a coven in order to be made a Wiccan. It is not necessary to the learning experience to become part of a group. However, there are parts of the growing experience which can only be felt and shared with a group. This is why I teach a study group rather than organize and run a coven.

There are many good covens to be found in the world. There are just as many, if not more, covens which are riddled with politics and egos. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and we as pagans are not immune to this. Too many times I have seen covens which started out with the best of intentions but when the High Priestess and/or High Priest gets too much of a taste of the ruling power that is possible, they become dictatorial in their coven laws, or worse, they set themselves up as gurus. I have seen High Priestesses that literally have their covenors telephone them to ask what clothing they should wear to work on certain days. That, to me, is an abuse of power.

Likewise, for some reason, there are many covenors who, probably stemming from an upbringing in a patriarchal, domineering mainstream religion such as some Christian traditions or even Orthodox Judaism, require a leader instead of doing their own spiritual thinking and working. It is for this reason, more than any other, that I teach a study class rather than a coven. I won’t be responsible for enabling anyone to rely upon another for their thoughts and understanding. Instead I work towards helping everyone find their own way. If, when they have learned enough to practice on their own, they still choose to join a coven, they will do so with a sense of their own identity and their own purpose.

This tarot deck is naturally based upon my own experiences in Wicca; not all of the cards are totally anecdotal, but most of them portray situations which I have either personally encountered or have witnessed secondhand in my years as a Wiccan priestess. I have chosen a unique new format for the deck; that is, one central character which remains the same throughout the entire deck. This has been done so as to show how each card’s meaning represents a situation or an experience which personally affects the character in a certain way. It is my hope that everyone will be able to look beyond the necessary choice of a female character (I could not have used both genders and there are many more decks out there already with male characters in profusion) and find a way instead to identify with the main character as she travels through the course of spiritual growth and study of life that is the tarot. In essence, it is the Fool’s Journey, only this time the Fool is a woman on a specifically pagan path.

I chose to call this deck Pagan Tarot rather than Wiccan Tarot because there are a lot of varied traditions of Wicca and Witchcraft and I did not want to exclude any one of them, because all have validity for someone. Every path is correct for someone, and for each person there is a correct path. However, whether you call yourself a witch, a Wiccan, or just plain Green, all are pagan and therefore the term is inclusive rather than exclusive. Please do note, however, that since my experience has been mostly with what we call Wicca in America, rather than a world sense of witchcraft, people in other parts of the world may find little to no resemblance to their local pagan spiritual practices. Of particular note is the practice of Stregheria, or Italian family traditional witchcraft. These tend often to fall into the categories of folk magic and have a lot to teach us, as our roots are taken from their long histories of learning and especially herblore.

I find it is best, when studying with the Pagan Tarot for the first time, to work through the entire deck one card at a time, in order. Beginning with the Fool, for after all, the Wiccan lead character is also working through the deck, in a way. Each experience, and each card, builds upon the last, so that if you follow their fable through the entire deck from beginning to end, you will gain a greater understanding of the energy flow that results. Once familiarity with the storyline is established, it will be much easier to be flexible in using the deck for readings. I designed it, and even I was surprised at the accuracy with which it read, once I re-familiarized myself with the cards, in order.

I also find that every time someone else interprets a card in their way, it enhances my understanding of the card. I want you to be able to feel that even though I describe the card itself, talk about its meaning, and its Wiccan symbolism, that if you get something different from the card, you should not throw out your understanding of that card in favor of my own. Rather, if you can compare the two meanings, and find any similar or common ground between the two, you will realize that the meanings of the cards are indeed flexible to any situation. A good pack of cards, and indeed, a good tarot book, will always encourage you to create your own set of meanings and analogies for each card and create an amalgam of your meanings with the deck’s originally intended meanings. File these away in your mental filing cabinet. I’ve always joked that over the eighteen years I’ve been working with tarot, my filing cabinet has been filled over and over again, as I save each meaning from each reading in my head for the next time. Fifty years from now I will be drawing on SO MUCH material for each card!

I believe we are now ready to begin working on each card individually now. It is my sincerest wish that you enjoy my Pagan Tarot, perhaps first for the artwork, but ultimately because I fervently hope each card will eventually resonate for everyone in a different, personal, and powerful way. Blessed be!

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