Sneak Peek: The Eras Tarot: A Deck and Guidebook Tribute to the Magic of Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has crafted a rich mythology throughout her musical eras. Countless symbols and easter eggs are invisible strings connecting her lyrics, looks, music videos, performances, and communications with her fans.
The Eras Tarot interprets those symbols in the framework of the 78 tarot cards in the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, but through a Swiftian lens. This unique deck and guidebook set spans the eras from Taylor’s self-titled debut through The Tortured Poets Department.
It’s the perfect keepsake gift for every Swiftie you know – including yourself! Read on for a sneak peek at a few of the deck’s cards and interpretations. The Eras Tarot: A Deck and Guidebook Tribute to the Magic of Taylor Swift (Unofficial and Unauthorized) by Satu Hameenaho-Fox, with art by Maddalena Carrai, is available wherever books and decks are sold.
Are You Ready for It?
Welcome to The Eras Tarot. This deck has been designed to make connections between the symbols and meanings of the tarot deck and the world of our favorite singer, songwriter, and magical blonde dream girl, Taylor Swift. The illustrations are inspired by the images created by Pamela Colman Smith and set out in the popular Rider-Waite tarot deck of 1909. Each card has been matched with a Taylor Swift song or moment with a related theme and illustrated with symbols from her lyrics and life.
The Hierophant
TAYLOR SONG:
Clara Bow
WHAT THIS CARD MEANS:
tradition, institutions, lineages, group identity, understanding signs and symbols, mentors, unity, spiritual authority, sharing knowledge
READING THE TAROT CARD:
The Hierophant is a type of priest or other religious figure. They are authoritative about their beliefs and represent those who have come before them believing the same things. On the traditional tarot card, there is a pillar on each side of the Hierophant and two of their followers at their feet. The Hierophant has a set of crossed keys, which represent unlocking mysteries and thoughts, both conscious ones and the subconscious ones you aren’t aware of yet.
The Hierophant is the fifth card in the major arcana. Tarot cards numbered 5 can be tricky to figure out because they are about conflict and change. This priest seems very calm and authoritative—but does their authority need to be questioned?
READING TAYLOR’S SYMBOLS:
Taylor’s song “Clara Bow” mentions two famous women who have come before her, the silent movie actress Clara Bow and the rock star Stevie Nicks. Taylor can relate to these famous women’s talent and to the way the entertainment industry treated them. Taylor takes the role of the priest in this version of the card, wearing clothes from The Tortured Poets Department era and a crown. In both “Fortnight” and “Clara Bow,” Taylor questions unspoken traditions around how women are supposed to be.
If you pull this card as part of a reading, it might represent an amazing lineage you belong to, with shared wisdom and experiences. If you’re craving more knowledge or solidarity, this card encourages you to find a mentor or role model. On the flip side, it could be a call to look at which of the inherited automatic thoughts and ideas you’ve been taught might not be serving you anymore. We know Taylor, queen of easter eggs, loves secrets and mysteries, and this card asks you to look for deeper meanings in the rules and regulations placed on you. Remember, this is the fifth card, and 5s in the tarot represent change. Like the traditional image of the Hierophant, Taylor knows the established rules—but unlike that figure, she’s setting fire to them.
Eight of Pentacles
TAYLOR SONG:
I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
WHAT THIS CARD MEANS:
learning, mastering a skill, becoming an expert, practicing, working out, taking care of your health
READING THE TAROT CARD:
A figure is sitting at a workbench, carefully crafting pentacles using metalworking tools. In the distance you can see their hometown, but this person is so dedicated to their job they have gone off alone to concentrate on it. Through diligence and perfectionism, they have become an absolute master of their art. Seven pentacles are arranged nearby, while the person works on an eighth.
This card is about the education and learning it takes to become an expert. It’s about focusing on a single goal or skill.
READING TAYLOR’S SYMBOLS:
No one should come for Taylor’s job. Not only is the woman a master of her craft; she never drops the ball. This professionalism is never more obvious than in the song “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” in which she describes picking herself up during the most devastating heartbreak in order to perform on tour. She’s able to be productive, even when she wants to cry.
This song has an element of powering through difficult situations but also improving yourself. This card shows Taylor performing onstage, presumably in her highest heels. She is able to do the job even when she really doesn’t feel like it. She’s surrounded by eight pentacles, visible reminders of how she’s honed her skills, little by little. This card is not about natural talent, but persistence.
Nine of Wands
TAYLOR SONG:
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
WHAT THIS CARD MEANS:
persevering despite tough obstacles, feeling jaded and battle-weary, money troubles, anxiety over the past, exhaustion, feeling demoralized
READING THE TAROT CARD:
The Nine of Wands is a card about having a difficult time. Things have not gone as planned for this person: They are slumping against a wand, looking exhausted. In the background, there are eight wands of different lengths rooted in the ground. Unlike the eight matching wands of the eight card, these are jumbled and incoherent. Nothing seems to be going the way it should. On top of this, the figure looks injured.
This card represents that feeling when you’re so tired of fighting but it doesn’t look like your problems are likely to get resolved. This could be because you’re exhausted by a lot of annoying details. Or it could be that you’re still processing a past experience that you can’t see a way to grow beyond.
READING TAYLOR’S SYMBOLS:
Taylor has been through many battles. She is really good at keeping a brave face, but in the song “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” she reveals her anguish at the way the media treats her. From her looks and love life to her political views, Taylor has been subject to intense scrutiny and criticism since she was a teenager, and it’s left her battle-weary and drained. The media may not have meant to hurt her, but they did: Her arm is in a cast. The ghostly, horror-movie version of herself is a far cry from the glorious, confident figure she usually presents to the public.
Taylor could end up feeling that she’s forever caught up in the battle shown in the Nine of Wands and nothing can ever change. Instead, she realized that she can’t change the media, but she can change her relationship to it.
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The Eras Tarot
$28.00
$37.00 CAD
