Prince blames the increased adoption of tarot by “hipster” culture.
“Hipsters and social climbers use these arts as a license for popularity and making money,” he said. “They are less interested in the way of life than they are in being the center of attention.”
Some readers also had mixed praise for the production quality of the cards, complaining on social media that the cards were flimsy, and ShadowWolf points out that the cards are slightly larger than standard decks and harder to handle.
Disney may also find opposition from fans who feel the tarot, with its occult heritage, does not fit the Disney brand and, if history is a judge, there are parents who may wonder whether the decks, although not marketed as toys, will plant seeds of evil into children’s heads.
But Disney’s ventures into tarot aren’t so far afield from its filmography, full of magic, dancing broomsticks and talking mirrors.
In July 2022, Insight Editions will release a deck based on the 1993 Disney film “Hocus Pocus,” in which a young person accidentally brings back the Sanderson sisters, a trio of 17th-century witches.
Even “Alice in Wonderland” is a hallucinogenic ride through a fantastical unreality. The aesthetic, like the others, fits comfortably with tarot’s current mainstream image as a spiritual and metaphysical wonderland.
The real question is: Will there be a Princess deck or a Heroes deck? Or even one that solely uses Disney’s most sacred and classic characters Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck? That remains to be seen.
Starr told Religion News Service that more decks are planned, but she could not reveal which ones.
Ryan, who has collected over 100 decks, hopes for a “Haunted Mansion” version himself, but until then he will continue to use both new Disney decks. They are particularly suited, he said, to creative writing consultations and for readings with younger clients.
“I’m surprised Disney waited this long,” Ryan added, but he’s glad they finally made the leap.
This article originally appeared here.
