TWH – Over the course of the last few decades there has been an increased awareness of the differences that exist in how people learn, process, and understand information. Most of the mainstream systems of learning and communication were established based on the idea that everyone absorbs or processes information in the same way.
The reality is that there is a much larger variance or neurodiversity in how individuals process and interpret information. 80-85% of the population are considered to be “neurotypical”– those who have little or no difficulty in navigating the current systems of learning. But an estimated 15-20% of the population, who process information differently and are considered to be “neurodivergent,” often struggle with traditional education and communication practices.
Pagans use a variety of tools in their daily practices, with many using tarot or oracle cards to help guide them through the coming day or week. They resonate with the imagery of their favorite deck which can help them to feel connected to whatever they are experiencing. But about those who are neurodivergent, who may not resonate with or be able to absorb the messages that images are designed to convey?
Image Courtesy = Raven and Rogue.
Pamela Coe, who is a co-owner of Raven and Rogue, has designed a new tarot deck, the Tarotorial Tarot Training Deck, that seeks to help bridge the gap for those who are neurodivergent and process information differently. She created a tarot flashcard system that does not focus primarily on images specifically with the neurodivergent in mind.
Coe suffered an ischemic stroke in 2019, and her experiences in recovery played a major role in the creation of her new deck. Coe spoke to TWH via email about the Tarotorial and her journey to recovery.
When Coe had her stroke in 2019, she was working for an international corporation as a Creative Director and had recently experienced the passing of her mother a few months before.
She described the event of her stroke, “I hadn’t been sleeping well and was definitely overworked and overstressed. One morning I saw rainbows in the corner of my vision on the right side, but just assumed I must have had something in my eye. Later that morning, I had an intense headache followed by numbness in my right hand.”
Since she was only 36 years old at the time, she dismissed the lack of sensation in her hand as ongoing carpal tunnel issues she had been dealing with.
Coe continued, “It was later the next day that I realized something was very wrong. I couldn’t form sentences and I had serious balance issues, so my wife rushed me to the ER, where doctors discovered the ischemic stroke. My frontal and parietal lobes were affected, which affected my memory and sensory functions.”
In an instant, Coe’s life changed dramatically, “Luckily my right leg wasn’t too severely impacted, but I couldn’t use my right hand at all. You quickly realize how much you take things like being able to dress yourself for granted. My physical therapist suggested repetitive actions as part of my rehabilitation. I started by doing those typing tests that everyone has seen at one point or another, just clumsily picking at the keys, but I slowly saw improvement.”
Prior to Coe’s stroke, their daughter started learning the tarot, and she was having difficulty, “piecing together the messages in the artwork of her Rider Waite deck.”
Coe mentioned to her physical therapist that she wanted to make some flashcards for her daughter once she was feeling better. The therapist’s response was, “What’s keeping you from starting now?”
Coe incorporated that work into their physical therapy, “It became homework, in a sense. First, it started with some voice-to-text, which helped me work on my cognitive abilities. As I became stronger, I started typing things out, and eventually working on the artistic elements on my computer.”
She continued, “The project took months, but at the end, I had a completed deck, and I was able to dress myself again. I truly think that the determination to complete this deck for my daughter is what helped me to heal so quickly. She’s quite the motivator! Now, three years later, I have full use of my hand again.”
While the majority of systems were developed by neurotypical people for others like them, anyone who is neurodivergent can find themselves struggling through no fault of their own.
“Neurodivergent people, however, struggle in these systems because their brains process information differently. Those with Autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and the like all fall under that neurodivergent umbrella. Myself, I have ADHD, but I’m also a stroke survivor,” Coe pointed out. “I have massive memory issues and lean on lots of reinforcing materials like post-its, calendar reminders, flashcards, and so on. I knew that I couldn’t have been the only person with this problem that was interested in the occult.”
She continued, “There’s often a need for many different learning styles for those on the neurodiversity spectrum. While there’s a lot of decks out there that are massively creative with incredible artistic styling, I hadn’t seen any sort of beginners decks or anything based solely on the learning and education aspect.”
Coe also highlighted how the challenges of learning tarot are compounded for those who are neurodivergent, “It can be challenging for any newcomer to go between the cards and the reference guides. Even more so to those with multisensory processing challenges, especially if they’re having a tough time embracing the symbolism in the artwork. These hurdles can steer many newcomers away from Tarot as a whole. I wanted to bridge those gaps.”
Coe drew on her early studies of tarot based on the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn methodology and includes planetary, astrological, and elemental symbols on the cards.
“Astrology plays a massive role in the interpretation of the cards, but there’s other esoteric systems built in that folks may not know about. Arthur Waite and Pamela Colman Smith were both Golden Dawn members that created the Rider Waite deck that everyone knows and loves. This is very often the first deck for most people, myself included.”
1st edition of the Tarotorial – Image via Raven and Rogue Facebook page
She noted that “The Rider Waite system incorporates the elements, planets, signs of the zodiac, Hermetic Qabalah, and more into the various Arcana.”
Coe plans to release a guidebook this spring that will get deeper into the various correspondences of the tarot symbology.
The process of creating and printing the first edition of the Tarotorial was clearly a labor of love. Coe told TWH, “Once the deck was completed, my wife and I worked to print each deck on a rented industrial printing press. We made the cards, the boxes, and the inserts. It was a massive undertaking, but it afforded us the opportunity to imbue each deck with magick.”
Coe explained some of the magical processes she used in the production of the decks.
“I’m certified in Reiki, so I often charge the printing equipment. Just like my interest in the parallels between science and the psychology of neurodivergence with Tarot, I also have this fascination with the intersection of technology and witchcraft.”
She continued, “Nearly all electronic devices depend on the piezoelectricity of quartz crystals. There was only one instance where we had to outsource the printing, and that’s when we had a mechanical issue with our printing set-up during the pandemic. Even though I couldn’t print those thousand or so decks, I still did some workings to try and put as much of myself into them as possible. I try to make sure to give each deck a positive send-off.”
In addition to the guidebook, Coe will also have a bigger and improved, new version of the original deck, titled Tarotorial Expanded coming out this spring.
Empress card from the Tarotorial Expanded Deck – Image via Raven and Rogue Facebook page.
“For this version, I’ve created artwork at the center of each card. In addition to the planetary, astrological, and elemental correspondences, I’ve included the applicable numerology, counts, and other elements that were part of Waite and Smith’s development of the imagery. The guidebook digs deeper into these things and breaks down those correspondences even further. Readers will be able to know the history of Tarot and understand more fully why certain things were added to the original cards.
Coe has plans for the future to create other tools, “I’m currently working on training decks for the different Tarot systems, such as Thoth, Lenormand, and so on. I also have some oracle decks in the works. And, I’m working on a site that will be a repository of information. Lots of things in the works!”
TWH asked Coe if there was one thing she wanted our readers to know, what it would be, and she responded with, “First and foremost, that you can buy your own Tarot deck. Always be hungry for knowledge, question everything, and come to your own conclusions. And don’t let anyone tell you what you can or cannot believe in. Life would be dreadfully boring that way.”
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