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Pamela Colman Smith and The Erasure of Black Women in Metaphysics
This is a new journey for me.
I’ve had a lifelong a fascination with Tarot. I enjoyed historical fiction. Those old European movies and shows sprinkled with fantasy and mythology fueled my imagination. Found myself enchanted with the aesthetic of carnivale Seers and in LOVE with Witches. Obsessed with crystal balls, tinctures, and potions. Wanting to cast spells but unsure if the magic was real. Watched ladies dressed in jewels, peasant tops, and long flared skirts pull cards which spoke of the unforeseen. The Unicorns and Faeries were an added touch, coupled with battles of good and evil which always felt real.
It didn’t dawn on me until I got old enough to pay attention, but the lack of Black and Brown faces were prevalent. As if we didn’t exist or voyage beyond our African and Middle Eastern country lines. All the stories were one-sided. The more I watched Old Europe, the more I recognized the length of erasure from spirituality and metaphysics.
When I began my divination journey with Tarot as a modality, I searched for decks where the characters looked like me. I’ve been a practitioner of Santería for ten years, so I looked for an Orisa deck. Although only a few exist, they aren’t favorable with many in the religion since they’re watered down the depictions of Orisa. Not being illustrated or produced by anyone Black doesn’t help either, so I get it. Most decks on the market are good; however, I always look for representation.
Always.
Because Rider-Waite-Smith is considered the “beginner deck,” I made it a point to purchase it to build my skills and better connect with the images of the Major and Minor Arcana. To my surprise, I became more apt to buy the RWS deck when I learned a vital piece of information: the illustrator is a Black woman.
Folks sure kept that quiet.
I like to thank Tatianna Tarot for sharing this key piece of information. In my quest to find posts and other think pieces about our Tarot Godmuva Pamela Colman Smith, I found a few. The few I found only addressed her being a…
