Self-care is the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness. In order to do so, we must get in touch with who we are at our core. Only then can we realize how we need to show up in the world?how we want to express, without any apologies, our most authentic selves. Lessons from the Empress focuses on what the tarot can teach us about ourselves and provides exercises to strengthen our confidence in our own creative expression. When we recognize our creative ability (whatever it may be), we are recognizing our ability to express our true selves. Using the Empress (a symbol of creation and abundance) as a metaphor for the journey, Lessons from the Empress takes listeners on a journey through the tarot using easy-to-follow magical rituals, tarot spreads, and creativity exercises in a way that will empower listeners to embrace their true self and express that self to the world. The journey through the tarot will take listeners through phases of self-care: Major Arcana?spiritual self-care; the Wands?self-awareness; the Swords?self-expression; the Cups?self-love; and the Pentacles?self-confidence.

Tarot is best used as a tool for self-discovery, healing, growth, empowerment, and liberation. Tarot archetypes provide the reader with a window into present circumstances and future potential. But what if that window only opened up on a world that was white, European, and heterosexual? The interpretations of the tarot that have been passed down through tradition presuppose a commonality and normalcy among humanity. At the root of card meanings are archetypes that we accept without questioning. But at what point do archetypes become stereotypes?
Tarot has the power to serve a greater population, with the right keys to unlock the tarot’s deeper meanings. In Queering the Tarot, Cassandra Snow deconstructs the meanings of the seventy-eight cards explaining the ways in which each card might be interpreted against the norm. Queering the Tarot explores themes of sexuality, coming out, gender and gender-queering, sources of oppression and empowerment, and many other topics especially familiar to not-straight folks. Cassandra’s identity-based approach speaks directly to those whose identity is either up in the air or consuming the forefront of their consciousness. It also speaks to those struggling with mental illness or the effects of trauma, all seekers looking for personal affirmation that who they are is okay.