About the Authors
T. Susan Chang and M. M. Meleen are the co-hosts of the Fortunes Wheelhouse podcast, which explores the symbolism and lore of esoteric tarot. Its initial seventy-eight episodes serve as a primer to learning the visual language of the Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth decks. Its continuing episodes examine the cards using frameworks borrowed from a variety of occult systems as filters. More information can be found at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse and www.redbubble.com/people/wheelhouse93/shop/.
T. Susan Chang
T. Susan Chang is the author of Tarot Correspondences: Ancient Secrets for Everyday Readers and the co-host and producer of the Fortunes Wheelhouse esoteric tarot podcast. She is the creator of the Arcana Case for tarot decks, which can be found at www.etsy.com/shop/tarotista, along with her line of esoteric perfumes. She reads tarot online, as well as for the Inspirit Crystals shop in Northampton, Massachusetts, and offers an ongoing online tarot course known as The Living Tarot, which is available at her website, www.tsusanchang.com.
Her interest in tarot is wide-ranging and passionate, and has included: setting up seventy-eight Spotify card playlists; memorizing astrological correspondences for the minor arcana while swimming laps; writing tarot spells; and maintaining a sprawling Card-of-the-Day tracking database (complete with elemental, astrological, and kabbalistical frequency and percentage pie charts). She attempts to learn Hebrew approximately once every fifteen months, occasionally crawls down the stairs headfirst by way of apotropaic magic upon drawing the Tower, and has been known to spontaneously arrange her pancakes into a Tree of Life formation.
When not engaged in tarot-adjacent activity, she teaches writing at Smith College and occasionally reviews cookbooks. She lives in western New England with her family, her feline familiar, and a variable number of chickens.
M. M. Meleen
M. M. Meleen is a mystic, a magician, and a maker. She is the illustrator, developer, designer, and author of diverse occult-themed creations. She is a co-host and co-creator, along with fellow mage T. Susan Chang, of the Fortunes Wheelhouse podcast; together they explore the many wormholes that open up when one delves into esoteric tarot.
Mel is the creator of the Tabula Mundi Tarot , the Rosetta Tarot , the Pharos Tarot , and other works in progress, and the author of Book M: Liber Mundi , the Book of Seshet , and Spectrum Fari: The Keys of Pharos . These works can be found at tarot cart.com, and updates on creative happenings randomly appear on her blog at tabulamundi.com.
In this life, Mel has been often a student, and sometimes a teacher, of ninety-three interests from A to Z: alchemy, art, aromatherapy, astrology, beadwork, beekeeping, bookmaking, brewing, cards, chaos, channeling, colors, Crowley all the way to zazen, the zeitgeist, and the zodiacal myths. Working with the muse is ever ongoing.
Llewellyn Publications
Woodbury, Minnesota
Copyright Information
Tarot Deciphered: Decoding Esoteric Symbolism in Modern Tarot 2021 by T. Susan Chang & M. M. Meleen.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the form of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
As the purchaser of this e-book, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. The text may not be otherwise reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, or recorded on any other storage device in any form or by any means.
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First e-book edition 2021
E-book ISBN: 9780738764627
Cards on cover are from Pre-Raphealite Tarot and Mystical Tarot used with permission from Lo Scarabeo
Cover design by Shannon McKuhen
For interior art credits please see
Tarot Decks Used:
Ancient Italian Tarot 2000 by Lo Scarabeo
Animal Totem Tarot 2016 by Leeza Robertson and Eugene Smith, Llewellyn Publications
llustrations from the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck reproduced by permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc.,
Stamford, CT 06902 USA. Copyright 1971 by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Further reproduction
prohibited. The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck is a registered trademark of U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Mystical Tarot 2017 by Luigi Costa, Lo Scarabeo
Liber T 2004 by Lo Scarabeo
Linestrider Tarot 2016 by Siolo Thompson
Pharos Tarot 2020 by M.M. Meleen
Pre-Raphaelite Tarot 2019 by Luigi Costa, Lo Scarabeo
Rosetta Tarot 2011 by M.M. Meleen
Sola Busca Tarot 2019 by Paola Gnaccolini, Lo Scarabo
Tabula Mundi 2014 by M.M. Meleen
Tarot de Marseille 2016 by Camoin and Jodorowsky, Lo Scarabeo
Tarot Egyptiens 2019 by Etteilla, Julius Laisne, Lorambert, Lo Scarabeo
Universal Wirth Tarot 2008 by Lo Scarabeo
Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Chang, T. Susan, author. | Meleen, M. (Melissa) M., author.
Title: Tarot deciphered : decoding esoteric symbolism in modern tarot / T.
Susan Chang, M.M. Meleen.
Description: First edition. | Woodbury, Minnesota : Llewellyn Publications,
2021. | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: Decipher the
symbols and stories of tarot and explore a carefully researched
synthesis of ideas designed to help you connect with the wisdom of the
cardsProvided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020050980 (print) | LCCN 2020050981 (ebook) | ISBN
9780738764474 (paperback) | ISBN 9780738764627 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Tarot.
Classification: LCC BF1879.T2 C5155 2021 (print) | LCC BF1879.T2 (ebook)
| DDC 133.3/2424dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020050980
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020050981
Llewellyn Publications does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business arrangements between our authors and the public.
Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific reference will continue or be maintained. Please refer to the publishers website for links to current author websites.
Llewellyn Publications
Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.
2143 Wooddale Drive
Woodbury, MN 55125
www.llewellyn.com
Manufactured in the United States of America
Dedication
To all the fans, patrons, and listeners
who make Fortunes Wheelhouse possible.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Fortunes Wheelhouse is a collaborative effort. Its made possible not only through the work of its two co-hosts, Susie and Mel, but through the support of hundreds of listeners who fund our Patreon site and engage with us in thought-provoking virtual conversations about the most fascinating subject in the world. As we move from the airwaves and internet to the concrete reality of the bookshelf, this book is a tangible record of that community and conversation. Readers, we thank you for inviting us into your minds and hearts. Long may we explore together!
At Llewellyn, wed especially like to thank Barbara Moore. In addition to her own spectacular body of work as a tarot author and deck creator, Barbara has been a good friend and publishing godparent to any number of creative spirits in the tarot community. We thank her for believing in our work and supporting us as Fortunes Wheelhouse takes its next steps into the wider world.