Tarot cards today have the same setup as did those early decks. Somewhere in the late 1700s, the first tarot deck was produced for the purposes of divination (AKA using the cards intuitively to find meaning). Many were hand painted, and it was through the development of the printing press that they were able to be mass produced. Tarot cards began their lives akin to playing cards, and few historical decks still remain. Despite not necessarily being - or including - books with them, tarot and oracle card decks are absolutely bookish creations: they ask users to read the cards, through the words on the cards, the images on the cards, and the combination of both.
Maggie Stiefvater developed The Raven’s Prophecy Tarot deck in 2015, and later in 2020, her second deck, Scorpio Sea Tarot. Bestselling poet amanda lovelace made Believe In Your Own Magic, a 45-card oracle deck illustrated by fairy tale artist Janaina Medeiros. More and more authors have been creating and publishing tarot and oracle card decks. Follow her on Instagram All posts by Kelly Jensen
Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED.
