The Fool card is the Zero card; the purest freedom and lightness of being experienced after the completion of The World card (21) and before the next journey through the Tarot (beginning with The Magician).
Iggy Pop represents this open exuberance of being; he accepted himself as he is…totally. Free of ideas of what he should be and criticisms of what he is not; he has fully embraced his Self.
The Magician (1) is the first card and first step on the Self’s journey to higher realization. Regardless of the destination, everyone must take this first step. Out of all the possibilities laid before us, we must choose how to begin.
John Cale helped shape what most of us think of Punk Rock through his involvement with The Velvet Underground. He was also instrumental in shaping the sound of punk as producer of records like The Stooges’ self-titled debut LP.
The female figure of the Major Arcana is The High Priestess (2). Even numbered cards generally represent a receptive rather than active phase of the journey. Here she is a seeker looking to bring in new information from the experience of others (the book) to help guide her to the next step. By looking to the left side of the card, the figure is exploring the past; but the fruits of her research feed the future in a primordial way (see the egg on the right).
The High Priestess is here represented with Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees. The tendency to see things clearly defined in black and white at this early stage is evocative of her iconic Gothic style and persona. Just like the white egg, her pale face and makeup was so startlingly original, she helped birth a new path of Punk Rock music and style into something else; Goth art and culture.
The Emperor (4) looks in the direction of the past (left) at his sceptre, the symbolic source of his power. Having experienced the accumulation of inspiration as the High Priestess and the creative outburst of The Empress, the figure of this card might appear at rest. He/she has worldly experience and the signs of success associated with the material world. As only the fourth card on the way to twenty-one (The World), the accomplishments represented here are still only a small part of what can be gained.
The wild anarchy that the Sex Pistols celebrated might make one think of Johnny Rotten as The Fool. The Sex Pistols were all the decadence of living with ‘No Future’ and no safety net and their outrageous defiance and live shows came to define Punk for many. Unfortunately, the chaos that brought them to this peak was short lived and the band imploded on tour in the US. The card here depicts Johnny Rotten as he says those famous lines on stage during their last concert; “ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” Worldly success and the laurels bestowed by others will never satisfy the seeker of real glory.
The fifth card is the last card named after any occupation or status in our worldly society; The Pope. He preaches the truths he’s realized to the swirling mass of human parishioners below. He’s seen past the limits and responsibilities of being The Emperor to glimpse a higher spiritual truth beyond.
Ian MacKaye avoided the mainstream record label system to co-found his own independent label, Dischord records. Pressing their own records and negotiating access to shows for fans of all ages meant Washington DC area punks could make, sell and perform their music directly to their fans. Sidestepping record labels’ narrow vision of punk and allowing it to be the glorious means of independent self expression we all think of today.
The Lover (6) is the first card to depict an abstraction and is often misunderstood as a result. The three figures in the bottom (earthly) half of the card are negotiating their relationships to each other. Even though it might be money, respect, fame or some other criteria, in the end it’s really always a debate about each persons share of Love. And yet, Cupid flying above, doesn’t seem to have any one of them specifically targeted for his arrow. His archery’s Love is available to all of them equally despite our narrow earthly projections!
Zander Schloss, Keith Morris and Greg Hetson of the hardcore band, The Circle Jerks, are emphatically working things out with their hands and gestures. When you take into consideration their name, the whole card becomes a hilarious negotiating of a circle-jerk against the inexhaustible love of the universe available all around them.
Trying to measure the love of friends, enemies and everyone else in a universe that Loves them all equally, is foolish! Only by looking within can the reader find greater insight into the universe. The Chariot is an improbable vehicle of horses running in opposite directions with wheels that turn the wrong way topped with a strange stage revealing a charioteer that might be a puppeteer or maybe even a puppet. This is our metaphorical nature; our mind/soul is at the helm of and inextricably tied to, a nearly unwieldy and misunderstood body/life!
Steve Ignorant of Crass is the charioteer. Crass’ music belied a sophisticated awareness of class, gender, racial, political, artistic and even spiritual concerns from the point of view of real, average people. In other words, Crass’ artistic express was and still is a holistic toolkit for people to truthfully understand themselves and their role in society.
The eighth card is the personification of Justice who weighs a sword (intellect) in one hand against a set of scales (similar to the suit of cups which represent emotion) in the other. This card is about balance and wisdom in life. Everything in our experience of the world is a negotiation with duality. To avoid the rollercoaster of opposing extremes, equanimity in life is the wisest approach and is best realized by seeing those conflicting poles as parts of a larger harmonious whole. If we look at everything as divided by good and bad, we’re always going to be at odds with almost half of our experiences. Like the figure in the card that looks past both sword and scales directly at the reader, Justice is attained by not passing judgment. Let the beauty shine!
Jayne County of the Electric chairs was one of the earliest Transgender icons having publicly identified as a woman in 1979. Her story is of triumph over not only creative and identity challenges, but legal and cultural prejudice as well. Jayne is an embodiment of transcending duality and judgment.
Letting go of judgment is disorienting! The Hermit (9) holds up his lamp because he’s alone in the dark and uncertain in which direction he’s travelling. He’s the reader walking into the future (right side of card) but looks into the past (the left side). It may seem confused at first glance, but The Hermit is wise; he’s letting go of and saying goodbye to his past.
When Joey Ramone and The Ramones hit the stage of CBGB’s, there was little to prepare audiences for what to expect. It was a complete distillation of rock ‘n roll; no solos, no nonsense. Pure punk rock assault without compromise or letting up. Joey Ramone’s obsessive compulsive disorder would often cripple his ability to move easily in the world and yet he still remains one of punk rock’s most I iconic figures. There was no precedent for his unconventional look that came to define a whole punk rock revolution.
There’s been a lot of growth prior to The Wheel of Fortune. The Hermit’s wise look at the past revealed the cyclical harmony of ups and downs behind Life’s narrative. What was once a past disaster is recognized as the seed of present joys! An entirely new relationship to Life blossoms; rather than being the emotional victim to the ups, downs and dips in the waters of Life, there’s enough wisdom now to calmly see it all as a process for growth.
The Dead Kennedy’s took a caustic political position with their music. Like Crass (The Chariot), Jello Biafra and company held up a stringent far left agenda as the yardstick to measure the failing health of American democracy and society. Rather than channel their outrage into anguished emotional polemic, The Dead Kennedy’s used humor and satire to dismantle power. Laughing at power undermines its strength because it only controls you as long as you fear it.
Strength (11) is depicted as a female figure holding a lion by only its snarling open mouth. And yet, there is no apparent movement or struggle—both appear locked in perfect opposition. There is no clear winner! Strength is grappling with a dire adversary (her desires, fear, animal nature, ego mind, etc.) not to kill it but to tame it. The position of true strength in a conflict shows compassion for its adversary and seeks triumph over conflict itself using Love.
Joan Jett of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and The Runaways is Strength just because she rawked! The ‘Queen of Rock ‘N Roll’ had a swagger and machismo that rivaled any male axeman with all the hooks to back it up. Taking traditionally testosterone-soaked riffs to tell it like it is from a ‘bad girl’ perspective was and still is irresistible. Joan Jett came from the same modest roots her music spoke to. Her famous semi-snarled Stoicism came from experience and it’s why she’s Strength.
The Hanged Man (12) is upside down! He’s not being executed or he would be hung by the neck, so something else is being shown. Figures in the Tarot normally stand with their feet on the ground at the bottom of the card (the earthly, material realm) and their head hitting the top (the heavenly realm). The Hanged man inverts this arrangement; the world appears upside down to him! How did this happen? The scaffolding that holds him up is made of two tree trunks with 12 cut limbs symbolizing the process of clearing away illusions and misperceptions. The Hanged Man clears all of his misapprehensions of the world to return to a state free of all conditioning just like a baby prior to birth. The Hanged man waits in suspension above an open space at the bottom of the card like a soon-to-be newborn baby poised for birth in the womb.
HR, front man of Bad Brains is The Hanged Man (12). Bad Brains brought a speed, intensity and live show never yet seen in the evolution of Punk. The music was so fast, it was unclear if the record was on the right speed! HR was about the only human alive who could channel their energy and his early live performances are legendary. He’s been called the greatest front man of any band ever because he was electric, captivating and seemed to defy even gravity itself.
Even God can’t save the Queen from Death’s (13) scythe that cuts everyone down casting limbs and heads all about. It’s a terrifying depiction of impersonal physical destruction but this card is more often about shedding the obstacles we place in our own way that block our growth. At its most scariest, this card refers to the death of the Ego itself.
The murder of Nancy Spungen by Sid Vicious and his ultimate death by overdose played out in font pages of newspapers internationally. A media spectacle was made of their decline as the ‘just desserts’ owed to the public who resented anyone who thought or behaved free of their conditioning. All the things about Sid that made him so compelling were the same things that made people celebrate his decline.
How to Read The PUNK ROCK TAROT ORacle:
Step 1: Got A question about Now?
The PUNK ROCK TAROT cards above are the random generated mystical answer to your life’s question! ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions and demands to know your future won’t work. The best results come when you request wisdom or insight about your dilemma. Read the three cards like three comics panels; they are the Crisis, Action and Resolution to your dilemma. Avoid any preconceived notions and be open to what the cards actually show rather than what you want to see.
Step 2: changes are on the way…
The middle card reveals the process of working through the question. Here you may be shown what you need to do, consider or who you may need to meet on the way. This is the card of the changes needed for whatever potential growth to be realized. Look at how the figures (if applicable) are possibly interacting between the first and second card as another clue to where your evolution lies.
Step 3: to a new you!
The final card is the conclusion to the story of your cards. The character in the first card (you) must undergo a transformation in order to gain this wisdom and experience. Look to this card for the ways your question will encourage a new, more evolved way of being or thinking. Please avoid seeing only negatives; keep in mind you might not have the wisdom needed to see the growth…yet.
Come back often and ask your question again to help advise you through the process. The cards are your guides on your journey as it IS; not necessarily how we want it to be or how we currently see it. Stay open and you’ll see the gifts in every occasion.
Acrylic, ipecac, broken dreams, liquidation sale remorse, with no future on exposed linen. 16”x22” 2022.
Paper, wood panel, Schrodinger’s box of only dead cats, ipecac, broken dreams, yours, your childrens and the planet’s future. 9”x12” 2022.
Acrylic, foam-core, skewer, ipecac, grass-fed broken dreams with imitation gold leaf on exposed linen. 8”x11” 2022.
Acrylic, broken dreams, ipecac on prefab canvas. 5”x7” 2021.
Final version of a painting previously posted.
Acrylic, puff paint, ipecac, Windex and broken dreams (tears) on prefab canvas. 5”x7” 2021.
Acrylic and ipecac with imitation gold leaf and 24k gold flecks on exposed linen. 8”x10” 2021.
Acrylic with copper, imitation silver and imitation gold leaf on exposed linen. 8”x10” 2021.
Acrylic with copper, imitation silver and imitation gold leaf on exposed linen. 18”x22” 2021.
The Empress is the third card. The archetypal role of the King’s consort is to provide an heir to the throne; making their coupling (2) into a family (3). The Empress is the creative explosion after the accumulated inspiration of The High Priestess. At this stage in the cards, the creative impulse is tied to her sexuality; the root of her sceptre rests in her lap but this card (as with the whole tarot) is not exclusively for the gender shown.
Debbie Harry was just that sexual explosion that the Empress represents. Having worked out their sound on the stage of CBGB’s, Blondie used her sexual allure to soften the punk’s rough edges into a pop friendly sensibility known as New Wave. She’s also important for her affiliations with some of the earliest hip-hop legends, The Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash and others, that gave Rap some of its earliest exposure to white audiences.