The left-hand path of Tarot is like a mysterious New Orleans bar tucked away in the French Quarter. It’s filled with blue smoke and low jazz; of booze and weed. And you know beyond a doubt that the creatures lurking in the shadows are not human. But you go anyway because the pull of the forbidden is too strong. You listen to the band playing jazz noir. You drink the wine. You smoke the J. You let yourself be seduced by the beautiful creature that stepped out of the shadows to plague your table. You may die. You may not. But if you do, what a way to go. Of course, I’m just kidding. You won’t die reading this book. But like the forbidden fruit that Eve plucked from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the way you see Tarot will never be the same.
We begin our descent into the Left Hand Tarot interpretations with the Major Arcana. When we encounter the Fool, we see a naïve individual who sets out on a journey of self-discovery. But Cherry Parra shatters this traditional reading with a quote from Batman: The killing Joke, by Alan Moore:
“Not all fools are gullible rubes. Some can be outright dangerous.”
So, just which fool is in front of you: the sweet innocent whose little dog begs him not to go, or is it the Joker in full manic mode, on the verge of cutting Gotham to shreds?
It is certainly a layer of this card that I hadn’t considered. Other epiphanies that turned everything I know on its head are the combination of the Lovers, the Chariot, and the Devil. This combination depicts the querent’s deep desires or intentions. What choices do the Lovers offer you? How do you plan to conquer your deepest desires? The interpretation in her version of the Majors is that they are not a path to enlightenment. Instead, they are a pathway to power, and will that power enslave you, as the Devil suggests?
The language she uses in discussing the Tarot is informal, cutting, and yes, funny. Her discussion of The Tower is funny, but it hits hard at the same time. I will forever see The Tower as the “F* around and find out” card.
The section on spreads is outstanding. There is a large and diverse array of spreads, all sensibly placed in sections, which makes my Virgo heart happy. For the Flesh section of spreads, The Sugar spread, for example, is about looking for a “sugar” daddy/momma to patronize your art. There are spreads for health, for money and business, and there are spreads for everything taboo.
The end of the book contains a chapter on ethics, which I found enlightening. Her thoughts on not using Tarot as a psychological tool, for instance, gave me a lot to consider. She also mentions not doing tarot spreads for deceased celebrities and posting the readings online. I was actually shocked by that thought. I often do ancestor readings, but I never publicize them. Posting a dead celebrities’ spreads online is just another level of ick.
This book is brilliantly written, forthright and earthy. It's a must for anyone who wants to add more depth to their knowledge.
Reviewed by Patricia Snodgrass
Author: Cherry Parra
Red Wheel/Weiser, 2026
p. $21.95, pp. 248
