Steampunk Tarot

I love the Steampunk Tarot.  The lens of steampunk is one of wistfulness and hopefulness and this blend of technology and possibility.  With its fanciful worldview where machinery and magic intersect, it is a perfect social lens through which to conceptualize the Tarot.  As a social subculture, I find steampunk’s focus on design and aesthetic to be very appealing.  I’ve featured four cards from the deck below because I think they are characteristic of the whole….

Queen of Cups — I love this card because it expresses that feeling of limitlessness for me.  She stands before a portal that must be on an airship, much like the ones that are intermixed with clouds beyond her.  She is dressed for travel and command.  The airship may be her own command.  The oxygen tank strapped to her back speaks of preparedness for any eventuality, and her raised cup speaks of grand intention.

Two of Pentacles — The big wheeled bicycle, or penny-farthing, is a classic symbol of the Victorian time period.  The fact that she is racing on it across water under threatening clouds is a masterful image, and then the bike chain made up of a glowing infinity symbol just makes this one of my favorite images in the entire deck.

The High Priestess — This is one of the only smiling characters in the deck, and therefore a little disconcerting in itself.  I like the orb on the table that speaks of wonder, but also the gears connected with infinity cables that speak to a world of order and predictability.  Her delicate hands encased in leather gloves like a second skin with the shine of her jacket that becomes a corset and hints of constrained sexuality is a way of reading magic as physicality or magic as love.  Either way, I adore this image of the high priestess.

Eight of Wands — This is an essential image in this deck, as well.  I adore the idea of this technology crafted of steel or bronze or some sort of cast metal, but the ammunition is wands, some cast, some natural.  This speaks of the perfect intersection of magic and metal and I just want to capture the feeling of this technocannon firing into the distance for who knows what purpose.  It is an inviting, fanciful and imaginative image that beckons to me.

More to come as we look at the Major Arcana and each suit to discover more about the images in this deck, and the ways that inform my understanding of myself and my world.  I hope you journey with us!