The Harry Potter Tarot

 

I solemnly swear I am up to no good.

The Pagan Society magazine has already seen a Lord of the Rings Tarot and a Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tarot, so it was inevitable that we would also see a Harry Potter Tarot. Of course, due to copyright and licensing laws, such a Tarot deck will never be published - JK Rowling has already expressed a wish to distance herself as far as possible from real witchcraft, in order to lessen some of the accusations against her that the Harry Potter books lead children to 'devil worship', and away from 'good Christian values'. Whether these accusations are founded or not is the subject for another article entirely, but they are enough to prevent any Harry Potter Tarot from being published.

There are a few decks in progress on the internet already, using the artists' own art. None of them are yet finished, but they are interesting to look at and compare:

• Lysels' Harry Potter Tarot: http://lysel.free.fr/completedeck.htm
• Nasubionna's Harry Potter Tarot: http://www.nasubionna.net/hp/tarot.html
• The Harry Potter Tarot: http://tarot.twin-elements.com/hp/main.html
• The Harry Potter Playing Cards: http://www.livejournal.com/community/hp_art_deck/

 

One other difficulty with creating a Harry Potter Tarot is that the series is not yet completed, and thus we do not know the entire significance or role of the characters and events depicted so far, and we cannot take into account any characters that have yet to be introduced to the story. No doubt that when the final book has been published, we will remake this deck, but until the sixth book comes out we're bored - so we're 'designing' the deck now, with what we have of the story so far.

Instead of just a Majors-only deck as is the usual for a themed deck, we have also done the 4 Aces and the 16 Court Cards, with a view to possibly adding the Minors later on (definitely when all seven books are out.) Unlike most of the other Harry Potter Tarot decks in progress at this time, we have chosen not to ascribe a suit to each of the houses, but only an Ace to each of the four Founders of Hogwarts, to exemplify their personalities. To ascribe a suit to each house, and try to keep with that theme throughout the Court Cards (e.g. have all the Wands Courts being Gryffindors) was an impossible task without settling for poor choices for the cards. We also found that whilst we could easily ascribe three of the suits to the houses (Swords to the intelligent Ravenclaws, Pentacles to the hardworking Hufflepuffs, and Wands to the courageous Gryffindors,) we would be left with a suit and house that did not suit each other at all (Cups for the cunning and ambitious Slytherins?!)

But first, let us look at the Major Arcana we have chosen:

The Fool - Harry Potter

 

The Fool is the protagonist of the journey through the Major Arcana, and the blank slate on which the adventure may be written. He, like Harry, is stepping into a new world where he will learn countless new lessons. A perfect image for this card would be Harry in The Philosopher's Stone stepping through to Platform 9³/₄ for the first time.

The Magician - The Marauder's Map, Invisibility Cloak, and Wand

 

With these three items, Harry has all the resources and means he could ever want for making mischief. The Magician card is not only resourceful and knows how to use his resources, but he is also a trickster. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good!"

The High Priestess - Hermione

 

This was a very difficult card to find, but we settled for Hermione instead because of her love of learning, and the fact that she often finds the answers she needs already exist within her own mind. The High Priestess represents this inner wisdom and learning.

The Empress - Molly Weasley

 

Who else? Molly is forever the mother figure in Harry's life, taking care of her large brood of seven children and Harry as much as she can. She is also a very creative woman, as evidenced by all the spells and charms she has put on her household objects to help her with the domestic chores. In the Order of the Phoenix she also becomes the mother for the Order itself, cooking their meals and keeping the Headquarters tidy and habitable. Family is very important to her.

The Emperor - Rubeus Hagrid

 

Hagrid is the Gamekeeper and Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts, and thus he is a protective figure, guarding the castle. In the earlier books he is also the only Father-figure Harry has, and the Emperor represents this Father-protector role.

The Hierophant - Albus Dumbledore

 

The ultimate teacher or tradition, the creator of rules, the authority ruling over everything. Dumbledore is a benevolent teacher and authority figure who rests in tradition but does so with a warm, approachable demeanour (and plenty of lemon drops!)

The Lovers - Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger

 

The Lovers symbolizes not only love and romance, but also the union of opposites to create something bigger and better. From The Chamber of Secrets it has been obvious that this pair will end up together, and even in a non-romantic way they work well as a team, even though they are completely different individuals- Ron courageous and dedicated, Hermione cautious and intelligent.

The Chariot - The Triwizard Tournament

 

The Chariot card represents victory, competition, and circumstances that move the story onwards. The Triwizard Tournament in The Goblet of Fire is exactly this: competition between the three wizarding schools, the desire for victory, and the event that moves the Harry Potter story towards a crucial point by bringing Lord Voldemort back.

Strength - Neville Longbottom

 

Many, thanks to the Harry Potter films, see Neville as a rather pathetic, good-for-nothing character, but if you read the later books you find out just how brave Neville is: his parents were tortured to insanity by Death Eaters, he constantly puts up with Professor Snape's bullying, and in The Order of the Phoenix he refuses to stay behind when Harry and the others go to the Department of Mysteries to rescue Sirius. When Harry is about to be cursed by Bellatrix, Neville stands up for him, even though she was one of the Death Eaters who tortured his parents. How much more like the Strength card can you get?!

The Hermit - Remus Lupin

 

Not only is Remus a very lonely, solitary figure with a love for learning, he is also the person who helps shine a light in the darkness of Harry's life in The Prisoner of Azkaban, and teaches him how to conjure a Patronus Charm to deflect Dementors (and thus deflect misery, depression, and the reliving of his worst memories.) He is a guide in Harry's Underworld, just like the Hermit.

The Wheel of Fortune - The Sorting Hat

 

Put the Sorting Hat on, and see which Hogwarts House it places you in - but which one it will be, you never know! Your personality determines it, but conversely you also can influence the Sorting Hat with your choices, just as Harry does when the Sorting Hat wants to put him into Slytherin. The Wheel represents this fate vs. freewill idea, choice and destiny.

Justice - Marietta Edgecomb "The Sneak"

 

In The Order of the Phoenix Marietta is the Ravenclaw girl who tells Professor Umbridge where Dumbledore's Army meets, consequently ruining their hiding place for them. She gets her comeuppance however, when the curse Hermione has placed on the membership is activated, and Marietta's face breaks out into spots that spell "Sneak" across her forehead.

The Hanged Man - The Potters' Sacrifice

 

Lily and James Potter died to save their son, Harry from Lord Voldemort. Lily's love for her baby boy protected him from the Killing Curse, and whilst she and James died, the Killing Curse rebounded from Harry onto Voldemort, reducing him to less than a ghost. The Potters, like the Hanged Man, gave themselves up to a higher cause and sacrificed something they held dear in order to bring about greater ideals.

Death - Severus Snape

 

The history of Snape does not become fully apparent until The Order of the Phoenix, when we find out that he used to be a Death Eater but found his senses and rejoined Albus Dumbledore's side, becoming a spy for the Order. This was a huge and dramatic change, requiring him to leave behind his old self and risk his life. The change in the Death card is not always pleasant and easy.

Temperance - Arthur Weasley

 

The balancing and mingling of two completely different worlds to create a new world is epitomized in Arthur Weasley's love of muggle objects. Many times we find out that he has charmed muggle objects to perform magical jobs, such as the Ford Anglia he charmed to fly. This balance between wizarding world and muggle world is the Middle Way sorely needed by both muggle and wizards alike.

The Devil - Tom Marvolo Riddle

 

He's an insubstantial shadow in a long-forgotten diary. Yet nevertheless, he has power over weaker-willed people; he manipulates them; he taps into their worst fears and uses them against them; he drains the energy from them in order to give life to himself, as Ginny Weasley found out. Tom from The Chamber of Secrets is a perfect choice for the Devil.

The Tower - The Crouches and/or Peter's Fidelius Charm

 

The Tower is the crumbling of everything built on false foundations, and this crumbling is devastating and painful. Barty Crouch (The Goblet of Fire) is vehemently against Death Eaters, and was reported to have employed methods worthy of Lord Voldemort to try and condemn them. When his own son was accused of being a Death Eater he showed no mercy, and sent him to Azkaban with a brief trial, thus causing the beginnings of his own destruction.

Similarly, Lily and James placed their faith in Peter Pettigrew to keep their hiding place secret from Voldemort, placing the Fidelius Charm on him so that only he knew their whereabouts. However, their trust was misplaced, and Peter betrayed them to Voldemort, causing their deaths.

The Star - Fawkes

 

Hope, rejuvenation, healing. In The Chamber of Secrets Harry was destined for a basilisky end until Fawkes flew in with the Sorting Hat and Godric Gryffindor's sword (convenient, eh?), scratched out the basilisk's eyes, and healed Harry's poisoned wound with its tears. Rather handy creature to have around, is a phoenix.

The Moon - Harry's Dreams of the Department of Mysteries

 

Throughout The Order of the Phoenix Harry has recurring dreams where he is walking down a corridor in the Department of Mysteries towards a door he desperately wants to open. The dreams are illusions, deceptive, misleading, and they confuse Harry more than help him. During one such dream Harry also enters the body of a snake as it attacks Arthur Weasley, alluding to the shape-shifting qualities of the Moon card.

The Sun - The Burrow and the Weasley Family

 

The Sun represents optimism, happy times, contentment, and joy, and the only time Harry really feels these things is at the Burrow with the Weasley family. They are always so upbeat that Harry feels right at home with them and can find peace from the turmoil going on elsewhere.

Judgement - Voldemort's Rebirth and Aim

 

The Judgement card - rebirth, new life, breaking away from chains that hold you down, high aims. Voldemort, evil and twisted as he may be, exemplifies these things. In The Goblet of Fire we see him reborn from the form that is holding him back, we see him enter a new stage in his life. In the past he has also broken away from his chains - Tom Riddle, his old persona. (It is interesting that Tom Riddle is the Devil card, the chains that hold others down, and Judgement is the breaking of the chains.) Voldemort also has a high aim which he is reaching for - Immortality.

The World - Unity of the Hogwarts Houses and Defeat of Voldemort

 

Because the series is not complete, we could think of no event that would be suited to this card. Instead, we predicted what would need to happen in order to defeat Lord Voldemort, which is of course the ideal ending the characters are heading towards.

The unity of the four Hogwarts houses - Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin - is needed in order to stand against Voldemort effectively, as expressed in the Sorting Hat's song in The Order of the Phoenix.

Ace of Cups	Love, romance	Rowena Ravenclaw
Ace of Coins	Hard work, material things	Helga Hufflepuff
Ace of Swords	Ambition, the mind, cutting away	Salazar Slytherin
Ace of Wands	Courage, fiery attitude, action	Godric Gryffindor
King of Wands	The adventurer, sexual appeal	Bill Weasley
Queen of Wands	The desire, woman of power	Fleur Delacour
Knight of Wands	The ego, the rebel	Sirius Black and his flying motorbike
Page of Wands	Uncontrollable energy	Lee Jordan
King of Cups	The advisor and support	Minerva McGonnagal
Queen of Cups	The reflection, flux	Nymphadora Tonks
Knight of Cups	Looking for love, the romantic	Cho Chang
Page of Cups	The dreamer, the artist	Luna Lovegood
King of Coins	The businessman, luxury	Lucius Malfoy
Queen of Coins	The healer, carer	Madam Pomfrey
Knight of Coins	The reliable, the steadfast, the hard working	Cedric Diggory
Page of Coins	The scholar	Hermione Granger
King of Swords	Strategist, power, keen mind	Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody
Queen of Swords	The communicator, gossip	Rita Skeeter
Knight of Swords	The crusader, rushing in, rash thought	Harry Potter
Page of Swords	The inventor, new ideas, rebellion	Fred and George Weasley

What is the point of all this, though? Quite simply, identifying the Tarot cards to characters you are already familiar with helps you understand the cards on a deeper level. If you are stuck with the Queen of Swords in front of you, and your mind has gone blank, who better than Rita Skeeter to jog your memory and help you with the card's interpretation? If you know what kind of person Molly Weasley is, you know immediately what the Empress card is like, and thus we not only have fun with out favourite stories, but also use them to improve our understanding of the Tarot.

Mischief Managed.