{"id":21421,"date":"2020-01-01T01:10:22","date_gmt":"2020-01-01T05:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/?p=21421"},"modified":"2020-01-04T16:55:27","modified_gmt":"2020-01-04T20:55:27","slug":"getting-spacey-with-tarot-interview-with-laura-loup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2020\/01\/01\/getting-spacey-with-tarot-interview-with-laura-loup\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Spacey with Tarot – Interview with Laura Loup"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cIt\u2019s a fairly interesting experience, pulling your own cards,\u201d said <\/span>Laura Loup, illustrator of the \u201cTarot in Space” deck. Calling herself \u201ca professional humorologist,\u201d she said in a recent interview at her Savannah shop, Cosmic Corner, \u201cT<\/span><\/span>he whole idea was for it to be a fun deck, something that was lighthearted, still hard-hitting. There\u2019s a Tower card, there\u2019s a Death card, but they have a literal and a metaphorical silver lining.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She employs humor when navigating her own life\u2019s ups and downs and created a tool to allow others to do the same, making that silver lining \u2013 in the form of shiny silver holographic edges \u2013 important to her.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The cards tell the story of May, who begins her journey as The Fool. She\u2019s wearing roller skates and carrying a backpack when she is abducted. The Major Arcana depicts her exploring the universe beyond Earth. <\/span>Along the way, she falls in with Xan, The Hanged Man, and assumes control of the rocket ship, Audacity, his Chariot.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

May is the main character, appearing in 38 cards, and one of only two humans in the deck. Other characters are a collection of aliens, androids and unearthly beings. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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This Spacepunk deck \u201cis perfect for those of us who feel a little alien,\u201d Loup said, adding, \u201cThe deck takes on a whole new, richer meaning when you immerse yourself in the story.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Based on the 78-card Rider-Waite-Smith deck, \u201cTarot in Space\u201d uses \u201ccomets for cups because they are made of frozen water. Lasers are swords. Planets are pentacles and rockets are wands. Instead of knights and pages, there are lieutenants and ensigns \u2013 a salute to Star Trek. <\/span>Each suit has a designated color pallet that helps link it to its elemental roots and makes card memorization and interpretation much quicker. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Star card is a self-portrait. The Moon card is in memory of the brave Space Dog, Laika, the first dog sent into space from Russia. She\u2019d been a street dog that was rescued and pampered in the few months before her final one-way journey. The card\u2019s dream-like scene also shows an alien wolf floating in space.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The deck was inspired by Loup\u2019s love of retro-futurism: si-fi from the \u201960s and \u201970s (think \u201cThe Jetsons\u201d mixed with a dash of She-Ra and classic comics). The Savannah College of Art and Design graduate worked 10-20 hours a week over the course of two years to complete the deck. Then she self-published it in May 2019 using funds from a Kickstarter campaign where seventy-nine backers\u00a0pledged\u00a0$4,116, preordering the deck and bringing the project to life.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI remember what I was doing when I was drawing this card,\u201d she said, holding up the Hierophant. \u201cWhere I was. The house I was in. Who I was hanging out with. I remember everything about drawing that card. I was sitting in front of a window when I drew it.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese cards, because they\u2019re so connected to the story line I\u2019ve written, have a lot of messages in them just for me.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She shuffles her deck daily and if a card jumps out, she reads it.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf a single card falls out or flips over while shuffling it\u2019s a Super Magic Mega Ultra Power Card (aka a \u2018Jumper\u2019) and you should set it aside to read,\u201d she states in the 36-page digital guidebook accompanying the deck. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Along with upright and inverted descriptions of each card, the guide also contains a collection of her favorite spreads, including an original eight-card love spread for anyone in a relationship or who wants to be. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI designed it myself; I\u2019m so proud of it. It\u2019s a heart shape and half of it is your end of the relationship and half is their end and the middle is how you come together,\u201d Loup said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She began reading tarot in 2014.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe deck I learned on was the \u2018Dame Darcy\u2019s Mermaid Tarot,\u2019 which is very heavily based on Ryder-Waite Smith. I learned from Dame Darcey. She\u2019s an illustrator, musician and practicing witch; she taught me. I was selling her deck for her. I learned how she did it and I\u2019m really grateful to her for that. From that one I moved on to the \u2018Halloween Tarot\u2019 which is a super cute deck. It\u2019s so different. It\u2019s also based on Ryder-Waite but its also really lighthearted, fun, colorful. I wanted something like that that wasn\u2019t Halloween-themed. I decided, \u2018I\u2019m also an artist, I might as well make my own,\u2019\u201d Loup said. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThe deck was based on \u2018The Audacity,\u2019 the novelization I wrote that follows most of these characters. I wrote the book and then I published the deck and then I rewrote the book several times before I published it.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Her husband Zack Loup, who was minding the retail space during the interview, illustrated the \u201cDivine Canine Tarot.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe is neo-pagan. I\u2019m Buddhist. I was just pagan for a while. I was exploring for a while. I love all religions. I think all religions are fascinating. I couldn\u2019t possible choose one. So I\u2019m going to teach people about religion, help people learn what path is best for them and what can help them. And then for myself, I\u2019ll be Buddhist. That\u2019s my philosophy. That\u2019s how I live my life.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The shop has been a business for four years, and at its location on Bolton Street near Forsyth Park for the last three, offering crystals, candles, tarot decks, books, oils, teas, incense, jewelry and more to create your sacred space. In February it will move to a new location, about 10 minutes down the street, expanding from 100 to 1,000 square feet of retail space in the process. A soft opening is planned for February 11. The grand opening will be March 21.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Asked what she\u2019d like readers to know, Loup said, \u201cI think it\u2019s important to not take stuff so seriously. If I had one thing I could share with the community out there it\u2019s you can enjoy life and you can be happy and you can still be spiritual. You don\u2019t have to take everything super, super seriously. Most gods, most deities are loving. They\u2019re caring. They understand. They\u2019re not going to be mad at you if you miss a full moon. They\u2019re not going to be mad at you if you use your sage the wrong way. There\u2019s no wrong way. And I think that\u2019s what I\u2019d like to share, just that message of don\u2019t worry so much about it, just follow your heart, follow your instincts and do everything with the right intent, that\u2019s what matters.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Asked if she\u2019d like to illustrate another tarot deck, she said, \u201cI have a couple ideas, but I don\u2019t have a lot of time to do art anymore. So I\u2019ve been focusing more on the books.\u201d Then she whispered, \u201cI probably will,\u201d adding, \u201cI\u2019m not ruling it out.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Buy the deck at <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>cosmiccornersavannah.com<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Contact Laura Loup at <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

LauraLoupArtist@gmail.com<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more at LauraLoup.com<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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