Queer Tarot Spreads: Happy Pride
Image description: Title reads: “Queer Pride Tarot Spread”, Subtitle reads: “Reflections on resistance and spreads for connection” Text is in black on a neutral yellow background. Behind the box is a pastel gradient rainbow. Around the yellow box are hearts colored in with different pride flags. The left side from top to bottom are: nonbinary pride, progress pride flag, gay men pride flag, on the right side from top to bottom are: bisexual pride, transgender pride, and lesbian pride.
Happy Pride! 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈
Pride is not just a celebration of who we are and how far we’ve come, it is resistance to oppression. And you cannot resist oppression without being honest about what is happening. This post may be challenging for some readers.
Pride always brings mixed emotions for me. Both sadness and joy, both anger and love.
This year, I have had more sadness and anger than some years in the past. I am by no means alone in feeling this way. The dramatic increase in anti-trans legislation in the US fills me with rage. It is a clear demonstration of exactly why we need Pride now just as much as we ever have.
I feel sadness for all the queer people who should still be here today, sadness for all the queer people who suffer, sadness for the closeted people around the world who cannot live safely in the open, sadness for the younger me who also lived through trauma. Sadness for the queer people we will still lose.
I feel anger for all the queer people who have been harmed, who are still being harmed. Anger at the systematic injustice, anger at the violence against queer people. Anger that our community is still fighting for basic rights and safety to exist as who we are. Fury that queer refugees in need of asylum are facing violence and persecution. Anger that some in our community only care for themselves and not for others. Anger that our rights are being stripped away, and that the people doing it have been clear they intend to continue. Anger to not be believed when I tell all of this to people who don’t want to hear it. Anger that I’ve been advocating for decades and I am tired of having to fight.
But there is so much joy and love in Pride for me too. I am deeply grateful to be queer and for all the beauty in my life. My wife and I have been together for 19 years. Our love has been the single best experience of my life, the joy and connection we share is an unbelievable blessing.
I am also blessed to have a large community of queer people both online and in-person. They bring me so much happiness, and watching them experience joy is incredibly satisfying. To my queer friends who are reading this: I have so much love for you. When I look at you, when I think of you, I want you to know that you are loved, you are not alone, and you are queer enough exactly as you are. Thank you for sharing community with me and for your friendship. Thank you for sharing your beauty with the world. Thank you for shining as your radiant, authentic selves.
The spreads I made this year are rooted in a spirit of celebration that also recognizes the pain. I’ve chosen to be vulnerable, and I’ve shared some very personal inspiration behind these spreads. I hope they help you experience connection to the queer community, and I hope you celebrate yourself.
We Have Always Been Here
Queer people have always existed, no matter what our oppressors would like the narrative to be. No matter how much they try to silence us or push us back into the closet, we will always be here.
Over the past year I’ve been reflecting on my ancestry, thinking about who else in my lineage has been queer. For some of us, coming out means losing contact with family members. That was what happened for me. I chose estrangement with most of my family in order to live authentically, and it’s a decision I have never regretted.
But estrangement does not mean isolation. As queer people, we choose our families. We are part of a long and vibrant history, a community that spans every culture, place, and time. Every single person has queer ancestors, whether we know who they were or not. If we look back ten generations, we can have over 2,000 ancestors. Although we may not know who they were, what their lives were like, or who they loved, there are queer people throughout those generations and the ones that came before. We are not the only queer people in our family tree, even if it feels that way. I believe our queer ancestors are rooting for us.
Although this spread is short, it is designed to help you feel connected to our history, our legacy, our queer elders, and our queer ancestors. I did this spread for myself and felt a massive amount of love. I hope you have that same experience.
If this spread feels like it is pushing your abilities with the cards, just take a deep breath and center yourself. Enter into a relaxed state, a light meditation. Affirm that you are connecting with guidance that is coming through for your highest good. When you feel relaxed and open, pull the cards.
Let Queerness Shine
Pride is an opportunity to celebrate our authentic selves. Most of us have experienced times in our lives where we have had to hide who we are. This can be a deeply painful experience, it can involve long periods of waiting until it feels safe. It can involve a lot of inner work not only to understand who you are, but to find the strength to share that truth with others. Many of us still face situations where we feel we have to shrink ourselves to survive, blend in, or get by. Especially as we face increased dangers because of fascism.
Sometimes the negative messages come from within the community. Sometimes we are told we aren’t queer in “the right way” or we aren’t “queer enough.” Those narratives are not only wrong, but they reflect the insecurities and prejudices of the people who espouse them. You are queer enough just by being you.
Pride can be an opportunity to release the pressure to be anyone other than who you are. It can be a time to pour love into yourself for exactly who you are today. This spread invites you to celebrate your queerness and to reflect on what makes you feel authentic. It invites you to embrace what you love about being queer, to own your strengths, and to know why you deserve to be proud.
Thanks for reading this blog. I offer tarot readings and runes readings on a wide variety of topics, including spiritual journeys and self-discovery. I also offer one-on-one tarot and runes mentorships. If you have any questions or would like to chat, please reach out.
Title: "Pride Tarot", Spread Name: "We Have Always Been Here” This is a four-card spread with the cards laid out like a diamond. The cards are: 1. A way I am connected to queer history…, 2. How I contribute to our legacy today…, 3. A reason my queer elders are proud of me…, 4. A message of love from my queer ancestors… The text and cards are displayed in front of a rainbow gradient background. Next to the title there is a large heart filled in with the trans pride flag. Next to the diamond card layout are hearts filled in with the progress pride flag and the non-binary pride flag.
Title reads: “Pride Tarot Spread”, Spread name:“Let Queerness Shine”, This is a five card spread, laid out like a hill with the third card being the peak. The card positions are: 1. My queerness shines when I…, 2. I feel most authentic when…, 3. Something I love about being queer… 4. A strength I carry with me…, 5. A reason I deserve to be proud... The cards are brown with a white border and white numbers. Pride flag hearts surround the cards. From left to right: the non-binary flag, bisexual flag, lesbian flag, trans pride flag, and gay men pride flag. The background is a distorted gradient rainbow. with swirls and spots.
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Queer Pride Tarot Spreads, LGBTQ+ Tarot Spreads, Pride Month Tarot Spreads