Women Only Wellness! Tarot and Gender

Hello lovelies!  I’ve noticed this month has a couple of important dates with contrasting vibes coming up, and it’s got me thinking about gender in Tarot…

On 27th & 28th June I’m at the fab Women Only Wellness Gathering in Northallerton, offering readings and workshops about the queen cards in the Tarot, with 100 other female-identifying wellbeing practitioners… and on the day we pack up our tents it’s a full moon! With the full moon linking to what are traditionally considered ‘feminine’ traits (like intuition, receptivity and cyclical waxing and waning), as well as its correlations with female-presenting goddesses and language, it looks like a magical moment for the festival.

Find out more about the festival at www.womenonlywellness.com

Strangely, the weekend before that (21st & 22nd June), in the UK we have the Summer Solstice, Father’s Day and the King’s birthday all happening in the same couple of days. The sun is typically represented as linguistically male in Latin-based languages (e.g. ‘el’ sol in Spanish) and personified by male gods in many western and global mythologies, so this cluster of dates forms a bit of a patriarchal gathering on the calendar.

I guess I’m in for a week bookended by the gender binary!

Can’t help wondering what the 5 days of non-binary, liminal space in between will look like :)

Tarot has been around since at least the 15th Century, and gender norms and roles have shifted a lot since then. The names of the court cards - Page, Knight, Queen and King - have largely stuck, but over time artists have got a lot freer with their interpretations and happily 600 years later there are now decks which include far more diverse representation. 

A Queen can be masculine presenting, a King can be a she/her, Pages and Knights (who have always carried stories about experimenting, moving and transitioning) can be trans or gender fluid, or use walking or hearing aids. Everyone at court can have any and all skin colours, heritages, body sizes, orientations and value each others’ unique perspectives. And if that’s possible for them, it is for us too. 

Women have gathered in circles since time began, and the strength of those circles can only grow as our definitions expand to include more folks persecuted for their genders. If you fancy joining the circle to explore the symbolism of the Tarot queens (sassy femmes of all genders and none) with me at WOW, please come along! I’m excited to explore these kinds of conversations with the brilliant women there. 

There will be a ‘wow’-inducing 160+ wellbeing workshops available in yoga, meditation, arts and more - every ticket holder can access a selection of them included in their ticket price. Plus in the evening there’s a whole-gathering stone circle sunset ceremony, drumming and more. AND it’s a fundraiser for TRAC UK and Be Kind, No Excuses CIC, organizations dedicated to domestic abuse prevention and recovery. 

Sound good? Yes queen! BOOK HERE