No Straight Answers
A Queer Tarot Intensive
A live, introductory tarot course for reading tarot queerly, confidently, and clearly, from foundations to interpretation and beyond.
7 weeks / 14 hours
Sundays starting October 11th, 12:30-2:30pm PT
$299 earlybird through September 20th
$349 thereafter
Live on Zoom
Recorded for replay
Tarot beyond memorization, beyond the guidebook, beyond binaries.
So you want to read tarot but feel dismayed by the gender-normativity that seems entrenched in the cards. You feel personally attacked by the Empress, the Emperor, or the Hierophant. Maybe you fear the fatalism of each reading. Your stomach clenches with dread and your mind leaps to worst-case scenarios. Or maybe you’re just overwhelmed by the sheer number of cards to memorize.
Then this class is for you!
The great news is that the tarot is queer as fuck. The Major Arcana guides us on a path of transformation from dualistic (binary) thinking and conditioned (straight) roles into nondualistic transcendence and radical authenticity. The cards that are so often categorized into strict and stereotypical gender roles, such as the Empress and Emperor, can actually offer us keys to busting out of those very boxes. The act of interpreting a tarot spread is intrinsically queer in that it offers a way of examining ourselves and the world from a decentralized, liminal vantage, a queer perspective on the margins. Through the portals of the 78 cards, we can perceive from new angles, explore unknown possibilities, and claim agency in steering the future we need.
That's right: Tarot doesn't just tell the future; it helps us co-create it.
Tarot readings are information, not fate. What we do with that information is up to us. Every tarot spread is a nexus of possibility, where the past and future meet in the present moment, the instant of maximum potential for change. By the sheer act of participating in a reading, we are already shifting the course of the future by broadening our awareness. From here, we can make conscious, empowered decisions to direct the futures we desire.
"But 78 cards are so much to memorize!," you say. Don't memorize card meanings! A better way to learn tarot is to understand the foundational structure and underlying system of the cards. The Minor Arcana can be understood as a grid of elements and numbers. The Court Cards are expressions of two elements synthesizing. The Major Arcana combines number, element, and cultural archetype to tell a story that some have called the story of life and others the journey of the soul to enlightenment.
By understanding the underlying system, you’ll not only be able to read any deck you come across, you’ll also understand tarot on a deeper, foundational level that will enable you to read far more meaning in the cards than rote memorization will ever achieve.
Long story short: There’s still a lot to learn, otherwise this course wouldn’t be 14 hours long! But there’s an easier way to learn than memorization, a better (and queerer) way that facilitates a deep understanding and a personal relationship with the cards that can grow and change with you into the future.
And it will grow and change, because tarot isn’t a static object. It’s a living book of archetypes that evolve as we do and shift depending on who’s looking at them. It’s inherently relational. It’s a method of communicating with ourselves and whatever is beyond ourselves, a conversation that only ends when we do. (And maybe not even then.) Once you learn to read the cards, they can become a trusted, life-long companion, offering guidance, support, and illumination through whatever life throws at you.
This course is for anyone who wants an introductory yet in-depth, explicitly queer exploration of tarot that will provide a deep foundational knowledge of the deck and support you in feeling comfortable reading tarot for yourself (and maybe others too!). More experienced readers who want to queer their tarot practice will also be well-served.
We’ll learn the system of tarot through:
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Queering the archetypes
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The Western classical elements of fire, water, air, earth, and aether
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Tarot numerology
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Astrological correspondence
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Visual symbolism
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Hands-on practice
And we’ll cover:
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How to get out of your own way and listen to the cards (a.k.a. developing intuition)
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The origins and history of tarot
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Functionality of tarot (psychological, predictive, magical, divinatory)
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Interpreting tarot spreads
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Ethical considerations of tarot readings
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Cultivating your unique, personal relationship with the tarot
Class Schedule
OCT.
11
Tarot Foundations: History, System, Structure
OCT.
18
The Fool's Journey Beyond Binaries
OCT.
25
The Wands and the Spark of Life
NOV.
01
The Cups of the Heart Overfloweth
NOV.
08
The Swords of the Two-Edged Mind
NOV.
15
The Pentacles and the Seeds of Matter
NOV.
22
Reading Radically: Spreads, Practice, Putting It All Together
What you'll get:
- 14 hours of live instruction
- Recorded replays for 1 year
- PDFs of correspondences, spreads, prompts, and exercises
- An opportunity to practice reading for one another
- Me answering all your questions :)
Meet your teacher
Hi, I’m Charlie (they/he). I’m a queer, transmasculine, non-binary silly little guy living in the Pacific Northwest with my spouse and a one-eyed pug named after the god of prophecy and twinks (Apollo). I’m the author-illustrator of two tarot decks, Fifth Spirit Tarot and The Gay Marseille Tarot (the latter of which is pictured all over this page!), and the author of two books, Radical Tarot and Queer Devotion. This photo of me was taken after the release party for Queer Devotion, where I was trying to strike a benefic saintly pose and couldn’t keep a straight face (pun intended).
I’ve been reading tarot for ten years, ever since a tarot reading from a friend changed my life in 2016. I bought myself a tarot deck the next day (yes, you can buy your own first deck!). Learning to read tarot for myself set me on a radical path of self-discovery, self-actualization, and healing. It helped me come out to myself as queer and trans, supported me through a divorce, and guided me through a move across the country and a life change that ultimately led to more happiness and fulfillment than I ever thought possible. That’s why I’m so enthusiastic about sharing tarot with others, especially teaching people to read tarot for themselves. Because I know first-hand the power it has to change a life for the better.
Nice Words from Past Students
"Utterly fabulous… I really appreciate the care you put into all of your coursework, you are so generous with information and teaching tools and I appreciate all of it so much."
Jules
"Your insights were very resonant. Although I’ve been reading for years there is always so much to learn from one another and I’m so grateful for your voice!!!"
Fern
"I almost had to log off because the concepts being taught were showing me the non-binary within me more clearly than ever, and I was trying hard to compose myself and stay present in the class! I had to come off camera for a bit."
Rianne
"The class was phenomenal-- well-designed, fun, thoughtful, and empowering!"
Gabrielle
Register today!
7 classes x 2 hours each = 14 hours total.
Sundays Oct. 11th, 18th, 25th, Nov. 1st, 8th, 22nd.
12:30-2:30pm Pacific.
Live on Zoom, with classes recorded and available for replay for 1 year.
Sign up early and save!
Earlybird pricing till September 20th: $299
Regular pricing thereafter: $349
No trans person turned away for lack of funds! Basically the whole point of my tarot work is serving trans folks like myself, and shit's especially hard for us right now. So if you're trans or gender-expansive (or whatever words you use for yourself that are outside of the cisgender mold) and can't afford the course, contact me below and let me know what you're able to pay, no questions asked.
Accessibility info: Closed captioning will be available through Zoom's automated closed captioning feature for live and recorded classes.