One of the most interesting Tarot decks I got last year was the Hexen 2.0 by artist Suzanne Treister.
It’s a conspiracy laden, politically radical, cybernetic, psychedelic, utopian/dystopian, science- and history-minded set of cards that surprisingly enough, gives really good readings.
I wouldn’t recommend it for romantic questions, but it offers some very astute observations when asked about politics, society and western culture in general.
This year, I’m happy to report (via Phantasmaphile), that they’ve made their way to North America and are on display until February 23rd at P.P.O.W. in New York City.
I don’t think I’ll be able to make the show, but I’d certainly be there if I were in the NYC area. It looks fascinating. I wish it would come to Toronto.
I wrote about the Hexen 2.0 Tarot by Suzanne Treister back when it was still in the making. I’ve had an actual copy of the deck for a few months now and have to say that I just love it.
It’s certainly not a standard deck, and I wouldn’t suggest it for anyone trying to learn traditional Tarot imagery and structure. But for those people already familiar with Tarot and interested in politics, you might want to check it out.
Its focus is on the history of the internet, the Macy Conferences, technology, the military, and concepts of utopia.
And though it has a conspiratorial feel about it, you don’t have to share the deck’s world view to find it useful.
I’ve been using it to ask questions about the political, social, and economic situations we’re facing today and have come up with some truly remarkable readings.
For those of you who happen to be in Dortmund, Germany over the next month and a half, you can see the original Hexen 2.0 images in person. HMKV in the Dortmund University is showing the series through July 22nd.
Go see it if you can. And if you can’t, consider getting yourself a copy of the deck. It’s one of the more interesting I’ve come across in a while.
Suzanne Triester is the creator of the HEXEN 2.0 Tarot deck. And from the looks of it, it’s a Tarot reading conspiracy theorists’ dream deck.
Loosely based on the Golden Dawn system, Triester’s HEXEN 2.0 Tarot depicts the interconnected histories of the computer, the internet, counterculture, cybernetics, social engineering, government and military research projects, and the occult.
It’s a sequel to HEXEN 2039, and brings together large-scale alchemical diagrams, photo-text works, a film representing a cybernetic séance, and the Tarot deck.
The show runs through May 1st, and it’s free! The deck isn’t available yet, but it will be soon. I’ve got it on my wish list already.
