Jodorowsky’s Tarot exhibit at IMMA’s As Above, So Below. Photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.
There are a lot of Tarot Superstitions out there. If you’ve just started reading or even if you’ve been doing it for almost 4 decades like me, people will probably try and tell you what you should or shouldn’t do with your tarot deck. Ultimately all anyone can do is share what has worked for them, why some traditions exist, and hint at how you might be able to navigate this powerful system of divination for yourself.
Top Ten Tarot Superstitions
The following are in no particular order.
You must not buy your own tarot deck. This particular advice was given to me over 30 years ago by some prominent witches. Gifting a deck can give an extra special blessing or energy, but if you really want a deck don’t let me or anyone else stop you. Personally, I have several treasured decks that were given to me over the years, to me it feels like a connection to the people.
Don’t reuse a deck. Over the years I’ve been given decks from friends who have passed, or people who no longer wanted or needed them. I don’t know what people who follow this advice expect instead, a ritual sacrifice of the cards, composting on the bin next to the rotten onion peels and worms, or something else. There have been used decks that I was given that I did readings with, made into artwork, or turned around and gifted myself. I think each individual case is different.
Tarot decks must be wrapped in silk. Natural fabric is said to provide benefit to the cards. Synthetic fabrics are by definition unnatural and can take away from the inherent power of the cards. This is one of those tarot superstitions that actually has some logic behind it.
You can’t read your own cards. My opinion on this is probably going to lose me business. I’ve always read my own cards. One of my old clients even stopped coming to see me and wrote a book about reading cards for yourself. Guess I’m a good teacher. The key to reading for yourself is objectivity and seeing what’s really in front of you.
You should always/never read Tarot card reversals. I’ve written extensively about this before. In my blog post Thoughts Towards Tarot Reversals I write “My advice is to learn as many of the meanings upside down and backwards pardon the pun, when you are a beginning student of the tarot. Once you have a working grasp of these meanings you will be able to then pick out which ones are useful in the situation. You have to walk before you can run. Obviously not every meaning is going to be helpful, but once you learn them you will be on your way to understanding how these delicate meanings manifest in the readings you have before you.”
You have to sleep with your cards. I’m the last person to tell anyone that they have to do anything. I have an old friend who likes to say, I don’t even have to get out of bed to go to the bathroom, it will be messy but I don’t have to. Personally I think sleeping with your cards under your pillow occasionally can help you to reconnect with the cards and recharge them.
Facing east or north will improve your readings. Well I can see the logic in this, aligning yourself with the elemental directions might help, or it might not. My question with this is why not face west or south ?
You can only have one Tarot deck. Who are these haters that say things like this. Each deck has it’s own unique character.
Tarot is evil and attracts bad spirits. If you adhere to strict Christian dogma almost all methods of fortune telling are evil. As far as I’m concerned like attracts like, and the system can be used for whatever you want to focus it on. But is that in your best interest ?
Put the cards back in their original order after each reading. This could be helpful, but it is also time consuming.
What tarot superstitions have you heard of ? I would love to find out about it in the comments below. As always if you have enjoyed what you read here please remember to like, comment, and share !
The Witchies Exceptional Blog Post Of The Year photo by Modern Witch and Devin Hunter. All rights reserved.
One of the biggest things to hit the Witchcraft community this year was The Witchies awards created by Modern Witch. On the Modern Witch blog Devin Hunter explains ” The Witchies are the first awards ceremony to focus on outstanding achievement and excellence in witchcraft and occult media and content creation.”
It’s phenomenal to me that awards as wide reaching as this haven’t been created in the community before. It must have been a huge task gathering all the information for the nominees and tallying thousands of votes.
I hate to have to resort to a cliché but it really was an honor to be nominated for The Witchies, in not just one but three separate categories. My bestselling new book Orishas, Goddesses, and Voodoo Queens was nominated for outstanding book of the year. This blog, Voodoo Universe, which you are reading right now, was nominated for outstanding blog of the year. I started in 2013, and at the time of writing this there are over 660 posts here. Sticktoitiveness has never been one of my virtues (I’m an Aries,) so the fact that these words have survived and thrived is amazing to me. The blog is dedicated to accurate and respectful information about all the African Traditional Religions, and also Witchcraft in all it’s many forms.
Voodoo Universe photo by Lilith Dorsey
The final category I was nominated in was Exceptional Blog Post of the Year. The nominated post was titled “Riots, Racism, Representation, Rights, and Reparations… A Rant.” I wrote it at 5 in the morning, full of ire and feistiness, the way I do all my best writing. It starts “It’s probably a good thing that I am writing this post, because otherwise I would be screaming it. I was interviewed by a young black student yesterday and one of her questions was “When do I write?” I answered that I like to write in the morning, wake before the dawn, down several cups of chicory coffee and let it all flow, but then I added sometimes I write when I just can’t keep it inside. This is one of these times. The last story I wrote on this blog was about the pandemic. Several of those that I know and love, including my own family have suffered because of this virus, and if anyone is still paying attention it’s going to be around awhile.” The entirety of the rant can be found here. The results were announced last night on Mr. Devin Hunter’s Twitter feed, with an additional announcement set for today. I won. I honestly can’t believe I won for exceptional blog post of the year. Yesterday was a good day all around, we found out that Kamala Harris will be our first Black Woman Vice President of the US. It was definitely a good day to be a Black Woman all around.
My close friends and spiritual family know I rarely win anything. I did win a Hornie award from Jason Mankey on his Patheos blog Raise the Horns. Mankey runs his own awards posted there yearly, which he describes as “mostly random superlatives” that are always a must read. Congratulations to him to on his nomination, and to all my Witchy friends who pulled in a win – Mat Auryn, Thorn Mooney, Paige Vanderbeck, Theitic (lifetime achievement) and all the rest ! It has been a challenging year, and I hope you all savor this win, just as I will.
As always if you have enjoyed what you read here please remember to like, comment and share !
Black Tarot Readers, Psychics, and Astrologers photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved. ( Mecca Woods and Lilith Dorsey -top. From left to right top row Rebeca Spirit, Rev. Phoenix Williams, Sangoma, Starlet Lebrun, bottom row Iya Mawiyah Bomani, Tehron Gillis, Rhonda Alin, and Jaishirelle.
There’s no doubt about it, we live in interesting times. Never before have Black Tarot readers, psychics, and astrologers been so seen, and so necessary. As a black woman I have always done my best to highlight Black practitioners in the occult, witchcraft, and psychic communities where we are traditionally under-emphasized. Please take a minute to look at the back catalog of the blog Voodoo Universe where we have featured such notables as:
Courtney Alexander and the Dust II Onyx Tarot – I fell in love with this tarot deck the moment I first saw it. Then I got to interview her in 2016, and even had a visit from Courtney last year, and I fell in love even more. A truly melanated tarot was long overdue and this one is truly amazing. The artwork and knowledge that she drops here is vital for everyone. For more information, and to purchase one yourself please see the website dust2onyx.com
Mecca Woods, Author and Astrologer– Many of you are familiar with the rising star of astrology known as The Meccanism or Mecca Woods, author of Astrology For Happiness and Success and co-host of TLC’s Stargazing. It was a true joy to be able to interview her here on Voodoo Universe. Click on her name to book a reading, I highly recommend it.
Brandi Auset, Author and Diviner – In my interview with Brandi I write “Brandi Auset is trained as a High Priestess of the Goddess, Reiki Master Teacher, massage therapist, spiritual counselor, and intuitive reader. She has been working with Goddess energy for most of her life, and she teaches workshops on many topics, including sacred sensuality, and techniques for infusing the Divine Feminine into daily life and spiritual practice.”
Fontaine Foxworth and Melanade Stand Tarot – All I can say is that it was a great honor and a true privilege to be included in this groundbreaking Tarot deck featuring Black and Brown women, and even one baby. Please check out this interview with creator Fontaine Foxworth and find out how this deck came to be.
Lilith Dorsey (your humble blogger here) – I’ve been reading cards professionally for over 30 years. I answered a lot of divination questions when I started this blog, and you can find my answers here. If you would like to book me for a reading please email me voodoouniverse@yahoo.com
Black Tarot Readers, Psychics, and Astrologers Resource Guide
The following is a partial list (in no particular order) of some of the amazing Black Tarot Readers, Psychics, and Astrologers out there, please use the info below to contact them directly and support them in whatever ways you can. Note: If you do not see an email listed, please click on the name to go to that person’s website or social media.
From left to right Rebeca Spirit, Rev. Phoenix Williams, Sangoma, Starlet Lebrun
As always if you have enjoyed what you read here please remember to like, comment and share ! And if you would like to be included in this list please email a photo and contact info to me at voodoouniverse@yahoo.com this post will be updated periodically, and likewise if I made any mistakes please let me know, this took over 10 hours to assemble and I apologize in advance if anything is incorrect.
Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card image by jmangi1. Licensed under CC 2.0.
I’ve been reading cards professionally for over 30 years and a Daily Tarot Pull has been part of my practice from the very beginning. If you aren’t doing a daily tarot pull, you should be.
Daily Tarot Pull Benefits
This will help familiarize you with the depth and complexity of the individual tarot cards.
This will help you explore the powerful benefit of a magickal divination routine.
A daily Tarot pull will help set the tone of your entire day.
Using tarot this way will help you prepare for the both joys and challenges each new day will hold.
The process of doing a single card tarot pull is as simple or complex as you want to make it. Most often I begin as early as possible after I wake. I like to light a small white candle before I begin, and cleanse my hands and my space using florida water or palo santo. Shuffle the cards three times and spread them out in front of you. Move your hands over the pile slowly. Focus on your day ahead. When ready state your question aloud. Most often I ask what influences will be present in my day, or what issue/situation should I concentrate on today? When you feel moved pick out a single card.
Some people disagree with this method. A blog post by Jenna Matlin tells us :
“the question which is usually, “How will my day go?”But the problem here is that you do not have enough words for the task. Your one card pull for such a nebulous and wide-ranging question will often cause more befuddlement than actual help.”
I can see the point here, but that is why my question is phrased differently. Much of the success of the tarot lies in the phrasing of the question. If you don’t fully understand what you are asking, you won’t understand the answers you are given. Certainly if you single card makes you confused, ask another question and pull another card. Sometimes I will ask about whether an issue is one relating to finances? Or the home? Or love, etc.? Of course there are many varying meanings to the tarot cards, but this will help you figure out what the limits of these signs are. For example I like to joke about the 2 of cups card. For me this most often means a marriage proposal or a verbal commitment in a romantic relationship. Sometimes I have received it and it signified an actual proposal from a long time partner, while other times I have encountered a homeless gentleman on the subway getting down on one knee in front of me. Both were proposals, but very different. For more insight on the tarot cards please check out the other tarot posts on this blog.
I would love to hear about your experience with using a daily tarot pull in the comments below. And as always if you have enjoyed what you read here please remember to like, comment, and share !
End of a Decade, end of the year, I want to write the end of an era. Voodoo Universe the blog was started in 2013 and for most of the past decade it has been a wild ride. There have been almost a million page views and I am so thankful and amazed by everyone who reads and shares what is featured here. We have grown to become the most popular Voodoo blog in the world and continue to remain dedicated to accurate and respectful information about New Orleans Voodoo, Haitian Vodou, La Regla Lucumi, and all of the other African Traditional Religions.
So without further ado the Top Ten posts by views :
10. Meaning and Use of Cowrie Shells – This is a story of a simple shell that is used as money, a tribute, and a way to know the future. Some historians believe the Cowrie shell was one of the first systems of money used, and it’s importance is wide reaching.
9. Black Salt, White Salt, and Red Brick Dust All Over– Protection magick is a good portion of any witch’s arsenal no matter what tradition. Here I take a look at some traditional items used to bless and protect an individual and their space.
8. Nine Real Truths About Voodoo Spells – This post should be required reading for anyone thinking about doing a spell or having one done for them.
6. 5 Creative Ways to Recharge your Tarot Cards. – I’ve been reading cards professionally for over 3 decades, here are my top tips for cleansing and blessing your Tarot Cards whenever necessary.
4. 8 Simple Pagan Kitchen Blessings– Some people dislike the word Pagan, and I understand their reasoning, but here it is used to simply classify all nature based religions. This post presents time honored ways to make sure this spiritual center of your home is blessed.
3. The Voodoo Truth about Papa Legba – Unfortunately the media has presented a skewed picture of Voodoo as a whole and Papa Legba most specifically. In this piece I sort out some of the differences between fact and fantasy on this subject.
And lastly the most viewed post of all 21 Ways to Use Florida Water. This is my most popular post ever. Because quite frankly I sprinkle the stuff everywhere !
Florida Water Cologne photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.
Truth be told I’m an Aries and I hate endings. So here’s to all the blessings and good things to come. I’m happy to tell you that next year I will be publishing a new book Orishas, Goddesses, and Voodoo Queens, which is now available for pre-order and I’d really appreciate your support. There will be more exciting content featured here on this blog, and on my youtube channel . Thanks for reading !
As always if you have enjoyed what you read here please remember to comment, like, and share.
Some of us witches celebrate Samhain, or Halloween, year round and why should the Yule season be any different. I’ve heard people call it Witchmas, and with Witchmas cookies like Santa skeletons, nightmares before Christmas, pentagram pinwheels, half moon dips, and ginger dead men, what’s not to love.
I’m a die hard kitchen witch (yes that’s a pun,) and regular readers know that my magickal recipes are one of the things I love to showcase on this blog. Yule recipes are the best, they make me nostalgic for all the baking I did when I was little and when my girls were little too. It has been my pleasure to feature some of these over the years. If you haven’t seen it already please check out my 10 Easy Holiday Recipes for Pagans and my WTF is Winter Wassail posts.
I’ve already spent a great deal of this holiday season baking, watching every Xmas cookie show on TV, and racking my brains to recall the best and most beautiful Yule cookies I’ve enjoyed over the years. I decided to gather them here for you to make and share this holiday season. And now for the cookies ….
Top 5 Witchmas Cookies
Ginger Dead Men – The minute I saw these Witchmas cookies I fell in love. I’m one of those people who have more skulls and skeletons in their house than regular holiday decorations, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You can purchase a ready made dead men cookie cutter or just use a regular ginger bread man cutter and some creative use of icing. If you want to add a bit more Yuletide cheer you can always add a santa hat or some holly with your icing decorations. One of my favorite things about ginger bread is that it is full of magickal spices. Ginger is known to promote luck and success.
Wheel of the Year Windows– I really wanted to include a bright fun cookie in this list that celebrates all the seasons and elements just like we witches do. This cookie uses hard candy in elemental colors to showcase the witchyness. The following recipe is a take on the classic stained glass window cookies. Be sure to use parchment paper or a liner when you bake these as you can have difficulty removing them from the pan.
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
Hard Candies colored blue, red, green, and yellow (you can use jolly ranchers or life savers)
3 1/4 cup white flour
1 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon cream
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Begin by sifting your baking powder, salt, and flour together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix together you butter and sugar, and beat until it is light and fluffy. Then add the egg, cream, and vanilla. Slowly add your flour mixture, a little at a time until it is combined. Roll out your dough on parchment paper. Then cut out large circles with a glass or cookie cutter. Cut out a smaller circle in the center of these. Place the cookies on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Then roll out some dough into small strips and use to make an x in the center of your circles. Crush up your hard candies into a fine powder, jolly ranchers work better than life savers, but you can use any hard candy you like. Then fill each of the quarters on the cookie. Use red for fire, blue for water, green for earth, and yellow for air. Then place the cookies in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, this will help with spreading during baking. Then place the cookies in the oven, bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookie begins to brown. Enjoy.
Brownie Yule Trees– For this brownie cookie you can use your favorite recipe, I used my Lilith bites recipe here, or even a mix. The trick about turning them into yule trees is all in the decorating. You will need some easily spreadable green icing and some tiny stars. Cut the brownies into small triangles to represent trees. Drizzle the icing back and forth on a diagonal. Then place a small dab at the top of the triangle for the star. Then place one of your start candies at the top. You can then add whatever other decorations you like, edible glitter, small chocolate candies to represent ornaments, go wild and enjoy !
Half Moon Dips– We witches live and fly by the moon, and this list would be complete without including a nod to that. This cookie is really simple, it’s great to use if you want to involve little ones in your witchmas cookies decorating fun. This cookie is a made with oreos, or another kind of chocolate sandwich cookie. You will need blue chocolate melts, and small stars, edible glitter, sprinkles, and whatever other decorations you would like. Melt the chocolate on the stove or in the microwave. Dip the cookies in. Then sprinkle with your decorations. That’s it. This is so easy it makes a great holiday treat to make with the kids, just dip the chocolate yourself and let them take over the decorating. Cool completely in the fridge until they are set and then they are ready to enjoy. These cookies are great for Yule when we celebrate the longest night of the year. Side note: they also make great space cookies ( I just made them for a 5 year old Star Wars birthday party.)
Pentagram Spiral Pinwheels– When I was a teenage witch it wasn’t like today and there weren’t many other witches around. We would identify each other by our pentagram jewelry, and we would know we weren’t alone. Stars are already a symbol of Christmas and no Yule celebration would be complete without some pentacle Witchmas cookies. This recipe is really three cookies in one, but the brilliant thing is that you can make one dough and then creatively hack it three different ways. Begin my making a basic sugar cookie recipe. You can use the one below (minus the hard candy,) or even a cookie mix. You will also need a star cookie cutter, some red food coloring, and some crushed up candy cane pieces. Divide the dough into three portions. One portion you will color red, one portion will get mixed with the crushed candy cane pieces, and the last one you will roll out to cut. Roll out this last bit and cut out as many star shaped cookies as you can, these are your pentagrams. Next roll out your red and peppermint dough into long thin strips. Place the peppermint strip on top of the red strip and starting from the end roll it up into a swirl shape. Wrap this rolled log in plastic and refrigerate it for one hour. When it is properly chilled take it out and begin slicing it crosswise. The first piece you cut will be bit lumpy so you can put it in the cook and eat later pile. Then continue to slice the log into 1/4 inch pieces. Then place these on top of the stars you already cut out. What you will have when you are done is a bunch of star cookies with a spiral in the center. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are a golden brown. Enjoy !
I would love to hear everyone’s favorite Yule or Witchmas cookies recipes, you can drop them below.
As always if you have enjoyed what you find here please remember to like, comment, and share ! Happy Holidays !
The following is a guest post The Pagan Bookshelf: Black Voices By Lisa Jade.
Reflecting on Black History Month (BHM), I notice that as often happens, writers will highlight black authors and recommend books during BHM as a way to highlight and celebrate. However, as a black witch, I find myself disappointed by the lack of black voices providing input, a lack of pagan authors on the list, and generally problematic points that can occur with book recommendations during BHM.
First, let’s get into my own list of book recommendations, and then break down some of the challenges. Fellow writers and allies, consider these points when you’re writing about a different ethnic group. While I speak about my own experience as a black woman here, much of this can be applied to any ethnic group or culture.
While this response is linked to the blog in which I recently read these suggestions, I’ve seen this same approach in other bloggers, and news outlets as well.
Black Voices: Adding diversity to your pagan bookshelf
Considering the above, I went through my own bookshelf, and asked my fellow black pagan bloggers and authors, “what books by black authors are on your bookshelf pagan or otherwise?” There’s value in diversifying your pagan bookshelf and seeing other ethnicities represented.
This list of 10 black writers is certainly not exclusive, and I would love to hear your thoughts on which black authors should also be included on this list or are specifically on your bookshelf. In no particular order:
1. Khi Armand, “Clearing Spaces: Inspirational Techniques to Heal Your Home”. I added this book to this list because there’s so much interest in home clearing, decluttering, and inviting uplifting energy into your home. This book reviews space clearing, divination, exploring your relationship with your home as a spiritual entity, and includes many methods of purifying your space. A list of all of Khi’s books are available at https://www.impactshamanism.com/books
2. Mammy is Dead. You might not be able to get this on your bookshelf, but I can’t recommend this blog enough (https://mammyisdead.com/ ). Irene McCalphin runs Mammy is Dead, and writes about hard hitting topics, like decolonizing black minds, breaking cycles of supremacy, appropriation, ensuring black spaces, and more.
3. Lilith Dorsey, 55 Ways to Connect to Goddess. This book is one of the first books I recommend to those new to the goddess, and to those who feel the are a bit stagnant in their spiritual path. It is a quick read that you can pick up and read just 1 of the 55 ways at a time, and feel like you’re walking away inspired with something new. Lilith has written a number of books, is a writer on Patheos (thank you so much for allowing me to guest-write here), and hosts a fantastic YouTube channel. Her show Witchcraft & Voodoo is always inspiring, covering topics that many shy away from. You can read more about her and her other books at https://lilithdorsey.com/
4. Gina Spriggs, The Intuitive Tarot Workbook. Released in 2012, Gina writes about working with the tarot intuitively and covers exercises to help tap into understanding the tarot. Read more about Gina at her website (where there are free meditations and a free ebook available) https://ginaspriggs.guru/
5. Randall Kenan, Let the Dead Bury Their Dead (Harvest American Writing Series). Cory Hutchinson had this to say about this book: “Kenan’s books incorporate a magical worldview with African American folklore. He also deals with issues of LGBTQ concern, too. I love the books I’ve read from him.”
6. Crystal Blanton. If there was ever a black witch who stands strong in her Power, and doing right work for change in the pagan community (and in particular in California), it is Crystal Blanton. Her books Bridging the Gap, and Pain and Faith in a Wiccan World are so important, in particular for people of colour. As editor of Shades of Faith: Minority Voices in Paganism, this anthology shares views from numerous pagan paths, and is a worthwhile read by anyone wanting to break the assumption of paganism being Caucasian-only traditions. She also writes for the Wild Hunt, at https://wildhunt.org/author/crystal.
7. Stephanie Rose Bird. Shortly releasing her fourth book, Stephanie writes books that focus on hoodoo and rootwork, and healing. Her book, Earth Mama’s Spiritual Guide to Weight Loss has been so helpful for me as I work on my own health and weight-loss journey. She recognizes that our bodies and spirits are connected, and we must tend to both, integrating the wisdom of our ancestors to reach and keep our goals. http://www.stephanierosebird.com/index.htm
Mecca Woods and Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.
8. Mecca Woods, Astrology For Happiness & Success. Mecca is a rare gem in astrology, featured multiple times in Essence magazine, and recently releasing the aforementioned book. The book contains journal prompts, therapeutic techniques, rituals for each sign, and guides you on knowing yourself better through astrology. https://www.mylifecreated.com/
9. Sam Reynolds, is an astrologer with over 25 years of experience, and writes at The Mountain Astrologer, along with his own weekly horoscopes at http://unlockastrology.com/blog/. He has completed important work in diversifying the field of astrology, co-founding the International Society of Black Astrologers. I highly recommend reading this particular blog about black astrology by Sam as well: http://unlockastrology.com/african-americans-astrology/
Photo by Courtney Alexander. All rights reserved.
10. Dust II Onyx: Melanated Tarot by Courtney Alexander. This tarot deck got traction with a kickstarter campaign back in 2016, capturing my attention with mixed media art tarot cards, with all cards representing black people. The cards bring depth and symbolism with the many image layers, drawing the eye intuitively to interpret the cards alongside their meanings. Courtney’s book that accompanies the deck is just as important, opening with a call to the ancestors, and space for you to add your own. This is one of the first (and few) tarot decks created by Black artists, and featuring exclusively Black people in the images. https://dust2onyx.com/
11. The Sibyls Oraculum: Oracle of the Black Doves of Africa by Tayannah Lee McQuillar and Katelan V. Foisy. This 44 card oracle deck focuses on a system using Libyan Sibyls, African prophetesses of the classical world. I do not personally have this deck, however it was recommended. This review covers what to find within the deck, and how the reviewer worked with the cards. Read here.
Many thanks to Lilith Dorsey, Crystal Blanton, and Laura Tempest Zakroff for sharing their thoughts. There was a lot of overlap in the recommendations sent to me, with most of the books on this list recommended by many of us.
Unpacking – when non-black people recommend black authors
If you’re a writer, or have the opportunity to use your voice as an ally, consider the following points, about why the list that I read, and others like it (recently with a local news outlet comes to mind) can cause some issues.
1. The Green Book Issue. The most recent Oscar winner, to the shock of many, focuses on telling the story of a black musician through the eyes of his white driver. In the case of the book recommendations, the list of books by black authors, is given to us by a white person. It filters the experience through that lens. Where are the black voices? Why not interview black pagans asking for their perspective? (if you’re interested in looking into the issues with Green Book further, IndieWire covers it well here.
2. Many times when pagan bloggers write about hard hitting issues in the community as an ally (for example, cultural appropriation, sage, trans space in paganism, etc), they don’t consider what they are doing as Ally Theatre. This is in a way, an example of white privilege at work, as they seem themselves helping. Ally theatre is when a person, who wasn’t previously involved in the issue, starts getting involved and preaches about the issues with it. Doing this for blog traffic or other attention, is where it bridges into ally theatre. People don’t get cookies for speaking up about something they had no business getting involved in to make the noise. If you want to be a good ally, just like I say above, lift the black voices to share their own recommendations. If you aren’t aware of what ally theater is, read this for a good starting point.
3. In one particular blog on this topic, the intro stated: “In honor of Black History Month, or more like using it as a good excuse, I’ve put together a list of black authors writing books that pagans should read. You should read them, but not just because they’re Black authors, and not just because these are all wonderful stories.” At it’s surface, this sounds fantastic. A great reason to read the authors. But when you break it down, it’s not alright to use BHM as a good excuse. This delves into the motivations for the blog – let’s face it, speaking about BHM during BHM draws interest to your blog. So, if you’re not doing it to honor black voices, don’t bother. Secondly, yes, sometimes, you should read a book by someone with a different cultural or ethnic background than you precisely because it is a different background than you.
At the end of it all, I hope that you walk away from reading this with some fantastic book recommendations, that have been shared by a diverse group of writers/bloggers/podcasters. If you have a book on your shelf that you think should be on the list, I’d love to hear from you!
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