Hoodoo Economics
Today’s deck comes from Tayannah Lee McQuillar, who designed The Hoodoo Tarot to connect the traditional Smith-Rider-Waite deck with her own spiritual roots in hoodoo, a uniquely American set of magical practices derived from the historical interplay between the peoples of new world America, with particularly strong roots in the southeastern US. While that includes a multitude of newcomers and natives alike, it is especially drawn from African rootwork and Native American traditions, with strong Christian influences and lesser influences from intentional migrants’ traditions.
McQuillar’s work draws especially on ancestral magic and herbal rootwork, and she brings these emphases to the deck. Notably, she replaces the traditional rendering of the court cards with family ancestor cards, instead. The de-emphasis on royalty is a welcome change. Kings become Fathers and Pages and Princesses become Daughters. The major arcana are also depicted by African American figures drawn from history.
Because of her emphasis on genealogy and ancestral work, she cautions people from dabbling with magic that isn’t theirs, warning that it may work against you without your knowledge. But she’s also at pains to point out what should be basic common sense — that very little of America’s history is “pure,” and that includes the uniquely American tradition of hoodoo. Most of our lineages are much muddier than a lot of people are comfortable imagining, and even within a shared culture, each family and each individual will take things in their own distinctive directions. Better, then, to think of hoodoo as hoodoos, in the plural. It may be part of your inheritance whether you know it yet or not.
That said, her caution about picking up magic respectfully and taking care with something that may not be for you is sound. Since my family has yet to do an extensive genealogy on my father’s side, whenever I work with this deck, I do an initial yes/no draw asking it if I have permission to work with it that day. (For those not familiar with this technique, you can ask yes-no questions of tarot decks by drawing three cards. Three cards facing upright is a strong yes. Three cards reversed is a strong no. Two cards in one direction with the other contrary to them is a qualified yes or no. You can read the meaning of the cards themselves if you’d like to interpret the nature of the yes or no.) At any rate, today the deck had an unqualified yes for me, so without further ado:
Today’s draw:
Black Herman (The Magician)
Deck:
The Hoodoo Tarot, by Tayannah Lee McQuillar & Katelan V. Foisy
The Magician says that you can do whatever you set your mind to, but in the reversed position, that comes with a lot of caveats. Among others, wanting something to happen is not the same as making it happen. Are you actually serious about what you want, or is it an idle fancy? Why do you want it? Examine your intentions to make sure they’re real and honorable before you even bother going further. If they are, ask yourself whether you have the skills, tools, and resources to make it happen. If yes, great! If not, how do you plan to get them? Carrying out actions successfully is not just about wanting (cups). It’s not just about knowing in your head what needs to happen (swords). It’s not just about having the resources you need (coins). And it’s not just about having the skills (wands). The Magician is the magician because he’s learned the art of balancing all four of the elements to manifest his ideas and desires using his works and the resources available on hand, whatever those might be. Don’t let yourself be intimidated, though. Black Herman reassures you that, provided you’re serious, dedicated, and creative, you can make things happen.
