Good Fortune Tarot: A New Approach to an Old Tradition By Beth Allen

Barbara Moore. A name that should be emblazoned onto a plaque in the tarot hall of fame. Moore is to tarot what Marie Laveau is to the gris-gris bag, what Athena is to the owl, what Baba Yaga is to chicken legs … awesomely iconic. 

Moore has co-created numerous tarot decks, published countless tarot books, and taught tarot classes for many years. She is the tarot whisperer. She is the Magician, the High Priestess, and the Hierophant rolled into one. She is inventive and prolific, a card reader and writer with substance and a distinctive point of view.

Enter Jessica Roux — newer to tarot perhaps but nevertheless an accomplished artist who took Moore’s ideas and breathed life into them. 

Roux may live in Tennessee but her art lives in the tapestries hanging on castle walls in Europe. Roux’s illustrations feel both old world and timeless — a perfect reflection of what lies at the heart of tarot and why it endures.

Their collaboration takes time-honored tarot traditions and holds them up to the light to find new meaning and relevance. 

Good Fortune Tarot began with Moore’s vision of melding the clever, irreverent visual humor of the Tarot de Marseille with the traditions found in the stodgier, less fanciful RWS, a blend that Roux’s art captures masterfully.

Moore expands upon the idea of having “good fortune” by helping readers understand the cosmic interplay that continually exists between free will, fate, and destiny. For example, inspired by the Marseille’s take on Justice, Moore and Roux‘s interpretation shows Justice using an elbow and a knee to tip the scales, deliberately rigging the outcome.

Moore explains:

“This Justice believes that justice without the imperfection of humanity is lifeless. The good fortune here is that things weren’t fated to go our way, but Justice took a shine to us and tipped the scales in our favor.”

 

Published by Llewellyn, the 78-card deck is standard size with linen card stock. It’s an easy shuffler that is comfortable even for smaller hands.

Llewellyn’s guidebooks are their crown jewels and this one is no exception.

Moore’s guidebook groups the minor arcana by number so it becomes a teaching tool to better understand numerological meanings. The guidebook helps readers, especially beginners, see that numerology is not only essential in reading the Tarot de Marseille, but it adds layers of depth when reading the RWS as well.

 

Moore explains the meanings of the different suits with her usual flair, not just comparing their numerical associations, but also explaining their connections with the elements, astrology, and the Tree of Life. The guidebook’s a virtual treasure trove for card-slingers.

 

Moore adds more insightful details in the form of an outspoken, blunt alter ego named Simone Benoit. Throughout the guidebook, Moore sprinkles “quotes” from Benoit’s phantom book “The Rules of Fate and Destiny.”

A few of my favorite Benoit-isms are:

“The reversed Magician is a few bad choices away from becoming the Devil.”

“For a card of Air, the Two of Swords overflows with watery symbolism. …For a simple deuce, it is maddeningly complex, but Air is the wiliest of elements.”

“Tarot is great, but it can’t do your taxes.”

Between Moore’s knowledge and Benoit’s mic drops they make quite a duo.

Roux’s art is the perfect complement to the world Moore creates in this deck.

Known for her wildly popular Woodland Wardens Oracle, Roux brings a sophisticated whimsy that suspends time, reminding us of court jesters in the palaces and magical forests in the distance. We sip mulled wine from goblets, listening to a minuet, and the cards extend their invitation to join in the dance.

Reading with this deck is a delightful, multi-layered experience. The talents of both Moore and Roux are on full display, while the humor is always peeking out like the sly wink from behind a coquette’s fan at the ball.

As Simone Benoit succinctly states:

“Tradition is not a bad word. Dead tradition — now, that’s another thing.”