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The Tactile Tarot
By Ivy Maud
witchingoodthyme@gmail.com
I have been attempting to learn tarot for the last five years, though I have been dabbling in my chaotic spiritual journey for much longer than that. I did not resonate with tarot at the beginning of my practice. The way it was explained to me back then, was the artistic style of each deck communicated with the subconscious and our past lives, and therefore was an effective way of divination. This makes sense to me; 70% of the stimuli we receive daily are absorbed through the eyes. So how does that affect a practitioner who is legally blind?
Well, it makes us frustrated.
And yet, I would obtain another beautiful deck only to have it collect dust as we failed to connect.
For some reason, I persisted and continued collecting decks. One of my best friends gifted me with “The Modern Witch Tarot,” hoping the clear art and high-contrast colors would help me decipher the imagery. Alas, I cannot distinguish the swirling splotches or read the neatly printed text scrawled across them.
When I first read tarot I would feel very drained afterwards because I would constantly be straining my eyes. Eventually, I decided to add Braille to my cards and start learning the meanings of the cards based on the suits and the numerology instead of interpreting them through their images. I began to research each of the cards, and through learning the story of the fool’s journey I pieced together the different symbols each card might hold. Now when I see the five cups, I know it is a car that represents hope as three of the cups are spilled, yet two remain full. Just as I know that the page of cups is pulling a fish from her goblet.
Over time I started to collect the various keywords that are associated with each card.
10 of swords:
Anxiety, fear, self-loathing, disgust… I began to learn how each of the cards feels beyond the Braille I had transcribed.
The knight of cups feels happy, and excited for the news he brings to share. The tower is ominous, yet alluring as we wonder what systems we will need to reconstruct.
As I continued to practice and learn, I began to understand I didn’t need to see what was happening in the pictures on the cards to understand their meaning; they would tell me what they wanted to say if I could be still and listen.
After much hard work and diligence, I am proud to say I currently have five decks in braille. Decks made of dragons, secret Moon gardens, and mystical webs of dreams. Decks with a modern twist, decks with cute cuddly cats curled across pillows. I no longer feel helpless or frustrated when a friend gives me a new tarot deck. I feel empowered because I know that I can make the cards accessible for myself. I am comfortable enough in my spiritual journey, that if I need to know visually what is happening on a card, I will ask my husband or a sighted friend to explain the imagery. I can also use applications on the phone that use AI to describe pictures to people who are blind and visually impaired.
With enough determination, creativity, and passion, anything is possible and can be made accessible for everyone. If you are a legally blind practitioner, and you have a tarot deck you would like to put in braille, do not hesitate to reach out. Alternatively, if you are illegally blind practitioner, and you are simply not resonating with tarot…this is the validation and permission you need to find a better form of divination that suits your practice. You are not any less of a witch, or spiritual practitioner, if you do not read tarot. I struggled with this insecurity for many years, and I don’t want anyone else to feel the same way. Follow your intuition, and listen to your body. No matter if you are using your physical eye, or your inner eye, you deserve a form of divination that fits your beliefs and only fills your cup, not leaves you feeling drained.