Recently I completed a post on another website about Steampunk Tarot Cards and while I was writing it I fell in love with The Steampunk Tarot deck all over again. I wanted to write so much more in that article, as this is one of my favourite decks, but I was limited by how long I could make that piece. So here, I would like to take a more in depth look at The Steampunk Tarot and explain why I believe it is the best of all the Steampunk Tarot decks out there.
A General Look at The Steampunk Tarot
Where the Past and the Future Converge
This is a deck that surprised me by how much I liked it. It is based on steampunk. Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction, which has its roots in many of the science fiction writers of the Victorian era. There are several tarot decks that take their inspiration from steampunk, but this is my favourite one from that genre. It does appear to be rather dark when one first sees it, but the images are in fact incredibly detailed. Furthermore, even though it may be considered to be a novelty tarot deck, it is actually based on the classic Rider-Waite and as such is suitable for a tarot reader at any level, even beginners. In fact, there is a book that comes along with the deck that is jam packed with information that is particularly useful for those just beginning their journey with the tarot and makes for a very interesting read no matter how experienced a reader you may be.
For a while now, I’ve wanted to scan the images from more of my tarot decks to make it easier for people to see what the cards look like before they decide to buy and this is one deck that I did recently get around to scanning. You can take a look at those images in the video at the bottom of the page. I love that some of the cards are not only readable using the Rider-Waite system, but actually build on those meanings, making reading them even easier and thus enhancing the messages one receives from a reading.
A Closer Look at The Steampunk Tarot
If you have been working with the Rider-Waite system, you will see the same meanings, themes and archetypes in this deck. I want to share with you a couple of my favourite cards and show how the meanings have been interpreted. The accompanying manual is fabulous because it gives information on how the theme of that card plays out in connection to the Victorian era/Steampunk and then explains the meaning in connection to a reading. Many of the cards have additional ‘Reading Tips’.
The Devil in the Steampunk Tarot
I prefer this depiction of the Devil to that shown in the Rider-Waite and you can read the meaning of the latter in Devil Tarot Card Meanings. The meaning of the Devil is very clear in the Steampunk Tarot; we are keeping the situation going. Just like the Rider-Waite, here we see a huge menacing beast looming over two people. The difference here is that the beast is not a horned devil, but an automaton and the people are not chained, but attached to strings like puppets which the metallic monster is controlling. But is it really an automaton? It is not functioning on its own, not really. The person on the left is using a spanner to tighten a bolt at the base of the beast and the one on the right is stoking the fires that power it. If they both just stopped their maintenance, the beast would stop and they would not be in its control. Barbara Moore states in her accompanying manual to this deck “This card represents your commitment to something that is so all-consuming that you cannot imagine your life without it. But this thing – even if it started innocently and with the very best intentions – now exists merely to be constantly fed.”
Two of Pentacles in the Steampunk Tarot
The Rider-Waite Two of Pentacles shows a man juggling a pair of pentacles within a lemniscate which is the symbol for Infinity, with a roiling sea behind him, bringing in the emotional element. The Steampunk Tarot takes the meaning of balance further in its depiction of the Two of Pentacles. The woman here is not juggling anything, but she must maintain balance in her position on the pennyfarthing bicycle she is riding. The manual tells us that if this card makes an appearance in your reading“…you’ll find yourself hard pressed to balance everything that you feel needs balancing.” Indeed, what makes her job even more difficult, and would appear to be impossible, is that she is attempting to do so on the surface of a choppy sea. The water represents the emotions behind our need to maintain balance. Barbara Moore advises “It is a perceived need, not necessarily a real need. Do a quick reality check in your life. Do you really need to do everything you think or feel you need to?”
Do you love the Steampunk Tarot?
If you already own this deck, tell us what you think and which are your favourite cards below in the comments section. If you don’t have the Steampunk Tarot yet, check out the full deck in the video below and ask any questions in the comments section.