The Many Queens Tarot Deck

The Many Queens Tarot Deck - all identities and bodies on the cards

Classic tarot decks hold on to strict roles: the empress is feminine, the emperor masculine, bodies conform to a narrow ideal. Lettie Jane Rennekamp drew a deck that releases those frames. The Many Queens Tarot shows what tarot looks like when you give everyone space.

It is not a symbolic statement. It is a working deck of 78 cards in which you encounter people in all shapes and identities. Not neutral abstraction, but concrete bodies, expressions and postures that vary from card to card.

What you see on the cards

Rennekamp draws with a soft line and warm colours. The style is playful without becoming superficial. Bodies are diverse: fat, thin, muscular, soft, young, old. Gender expression ranges from femme to butch, from androgynous to flamboyant.

The RWS structure is recognizable, but the interpretation differs. Where you often see a white, slender woman in a long dress in a classic deck, you find variation here. That variation is not a side note. It is the core of the deck.

The guidebook is compact: 16 pages with short texts per card. No in-depth symbolic analyses, but enough to get started. The images carry most of the weight.

Who this deck is designed for

This deck is designed for people who do not recognize themselves in traditional tarot imagery. That can be about gender identity, body image, sexual orientation or a combination. It is also suitable for beginners looking for accessible images without the baggage of centuries-old stereotypes.

The cards work well in readings about self-image and personal growth. The diversity in the images can help break patterns in which you define yourself too harshly or too narrowly.

Pull a card before you look in the mirror in the morning. Look at the card first, then at yourself. Notice what shifts in how you look at your own body and expression.

About Lettie Jane Rennekamp

Lettie Jane Rennekamp is an artist from Portland. She is queer, bisexual, a mother and a teacher. Her work revolves around identity, connection and making visible experiences that often remain out of view in mainstream art.

In interviews she mentions how her own search for recognition in tarot decks was the reason for creating this deck. Not a theoretical project, but a personal necessity that grew into a public work.

Specifications

• Number of cards: 78
• Guidebook: 16 pages
• Language: English
• Card size: 89 x 127 mm
• Cardstock: 330 gsm black core
• Finish: Gloss coating
• Packaging: Two-part box with eye motif
• Weight: 510 g
• Publisher: Silver Sprocket
• Artist: Lettie Jane Rennekamp

Questions we often get

Does this deck follow the Rider-Waite-Smith structure?
Yes. The 78 cards are divided into 22 major arcana and 56 minor arcana, spread across four suits. The order and names are largely recognizable to those familiar with RWS, but the imagery is completely redrawn.

Is the guidebook extensive enough for beginners?
The guidebook offers basic information per card: a short description and some keywords. No spreads or in-depth instructions. The focus is on the intuitive accessibility of the images themselves.