The Tower, card 16 in the tarot’s major arcana is all about unforeseen and sudden change. In this post, I describe why I swapped the traditional tower image with a tornado, an archetype of fear from my childhood.

The Temperance card, #14 in the tarot’s major arcana, is all about moderation or self-restraint. The meaning of this card has long eluded me. Whatever temperance was, I knew I didn’t have it. Especially when it comes to foods I love. That’s why I illustrated this card the way I did.

I interpret The Devil card as all the traps we can get sucked into during our lives. Traps that seem inescapable. Situations that we can rationalize all day long, but which may cause more harm than good. In this post, I describe my process for creating my most complex illustration to date.

Everyone’s least favorite tarot card: the Death card. Number 13 in the major arcana, the Death card represents transformation, where death is a metaphor for a situation ending. I wanted to illustrate this card to represent the way that death shows up in our lives, unannounced. 

The Hanged One, number 12 in the major arcana of the tarot, is about good things we have to wait for. This card points to times when we need to be patient and resist the urge to take action. In this post, I share the ideas that I scrapped and my process for creating this original watercolor illustration.

The Justice card, number 11 in the major arcana, appears when we are called to fight for justice, or when we are dealing with injustice in our own lives. Given the current political landscape in the US where I am, this card is having a moment. It is for this reason that I decided to illustrate the Justice card the way I did.

The Wheel of Fortune card, number 10 in the major arcana, is about change, and the fact that change is constant. If you have ever repeated the phrase “All is impermanent,” to yourself during a tough moment, the Wheel of Fortune was at play in your life. But if change is the one thing we can count on, why do we resist it? 

The Hermit, card 9 in the Tarot’s major arcana, is all about those times when we just need to be alone. This card asks, what if we all had the space we need to live our fullest, truest lives? What would we witness there in the quiet?

This is the whole juicy back story about why I decided to illustrate a tarot deck. It all began with a three-card spread I pulled for myself in 2018. Using the tarot was a way for me to learn how to listen to myself, to hear what I already knew deep within.

The Strength card, number 8 in the Major Arcana, is sandwiched between the Chariot and the Hermit. The Chariot is all about getting ready to go into battle, and the Hermit is about retreat. It turns out Strength is needed for both. This is how I reimagined the illustration for this card, and how I created it.

The Chariot card, number 7 in the Major Arcana, represents swift action, getting ready for battle, fighting for what’s right. In this post, I share why I selected my Chariot and why justice and love are always worth fighting for.

The Lovers card, number 6 in the Major Arcana, represents true love, romance, connection, and commitment. In this post, I describe my process for creating this card, and why I am all in for rainbows, even though I identify as straight.

The Hierophant card, number 5 in the Major Arcana, represents traditional paths, groups of like-minded people, and conformity. In this post, I describe my process for understanding this weird card, and which natural leader I chose to represent this pope-like character.

The Empress card, number 3 in the Major Arcana, represents connection, nurturing, earth, abundance. In this post, I describe the detour I took to SE Oregon to illustrate this famous Earth Mother card.

The Emperor card, number 2 in the Major Arcana, represents rules, power, and authority. Basically, patriarchy and repressive systems. What does a dragon have to do with it?? Read this week’s post to find out.

The High Priestess card, number 2 in the Major Arcana, represents our ability to listen for messages from… anywhere. What does it have to do with the 1996 film Contact? Read on to find out.

The Magician, card #1 in the tarot major arcana, is all about wielding our powers for good. In this post I describe how I came up with my idea for The Magician card, my process for illustrating it, and a little about my philosophy of magic.

The first card in the tarot is The Fool, number 0 (zero). In this post I describe how I came up with my idea for The Fool card, my process for illustrating it, and why it makes me think of winter.

In this post, I explain how the tarot is organized, including the major arcana, and who created the iconic tarot designs we all know.

An overview of the process I plan to use to create the illustrations that will become the Tarot of These Times, including what art supplies, equipment, and software I’m using.