Pinoy Practical Magic Tarot — Everything You Need to Know
If you haven’t heard the news, I just launched a brand new, Filipino-themed Practical Magic tarot deck! Say hi to Pinoy Practical Magic.
I launched on June 12—Independence Day, then spent the next two days doing free one-card pulls for folks on Instagram to help introduce the cards and how they read to everyone.
It was quite a risk for me to do this and I wasn’t sure I could pull it off. For one, there’s a ton of stuff happening in the Philippines right now and the last thing anyone probably needs is to spend on non-essential fluff. But I don’t know, the timing also seemed right, since it feels like people need reminding that there’s still a lot to celebrate about Pinoy culture and being Pinoy. I was super anxious over the last couple of weeks, trying to get all my ducks in a row, but I went with my Fool’s instinct and here we are!
I recorded a video of my first impressions of the deck (from when I got my sample) to give you all a peek at the cards—it’s linked up in this blog post. If you’re more of a reader than a watcher, and are curious about the deck though, I thought you might appreciate this little Q&A.
What gave me the idea to create Pinoy Practical Magic?
I feel that Filipino creators and artists are having a really big moment right now and thought it would be the right time to do something tarot-related that celebrated our culture. The Filipino language is pithy, hard-hitting, and fun, and I felt that a tarot deck using the language would embody these characteristics too.
Where did I pull my visuals from?
The images are mainly from 70s fan magazines I sourced from a vintage shop at Cubao X. A week before lockdown, I spent a couple of hours there, just trolling the bins and trying to find magazines that I felt would work.
The background images are from my digital subscription to Darling magazine.
I wanted to stick to collage, as in the original Practical Magic Starter Deck. One, because it’s a medium I’m very comfortable with. Two, because I wanted there to be a visual tie between both decks.
The magazines are 50 years old thereabouts so I feel they’re pretty safe for collaging.
How long did it take me to work on this deck?
A week! I bought the old magazines a week before lockdown, and I completed it exactly the next Friday, on my last day out before quarantine. Aries people work fast!
Did I create the collages manually or digitally?
I scanned the actual magazines but did collage work digitally, so I guess it’s a mix of both?
Who are the people on the cards?
Most of them are celebrities from the 70s, but some are actually anonymous—just figures I spotted in the magazines I used.
Do the people on the cards have anything to do with card meaning? Should I research who they are or are their names included?
No, the actual personalities of these celebrities (when celebrities were used in the cards) didn’t really have any bearing. I based designs on facial expressions, postures, and gestures, so you don’t have to recognize these people to use the cards. I don’t know all of them either and I use the deck just fine.
Can beginners use this deck?
Yes, if they use it as an oracle deck. I suggest just asking a question, shuffling the cards, and pulling one. See how the message applies to whatever you’re asking. You may or may not get a straight answer, but being a tarot reader means you develop the skill of reading between the lines and figuring out what the story is.
Can someone who doesn’t understand Filipino use this deck?
Yes. The deck comes with a guide sheet (it’s currently being printed as I type out this post!). The sheet has a list of definitions and prompts that are both in English and Filipino so no one misses out. That said, since this is a Pinoy deck, you do get a different sort of experience when you can read and understand Filipino.
I’ve gotten some messages from people who aren’t super sharp with their Filipino yet but say that this deck could help them understand more and speak better!
What kind of paper did I use?
It’s 300 GSM. It’s standard tarot card stock—if you have the OG PM Starter Deck, it’s exactly the same.
Am I shipping outside the Philippines?
I want to! But we’re still limited right now due to restrictions at the post office. But I’m checking every month to see if rules are lifted and once they are, I’m going to figure out how to ship abroad.
Does the deck come with instructions on how to read tarot?
Yes, but they’re in Filipino. Instructions are always in English so I thought I’d do something different with this deck. I also anticipate that most people who buy this deck will already have some knowledge of tarot already.
If you’re starting from scratch and want to use this deck to start learning though, I would recommend you checking out Practical Magic: A Tarot Newbie’s Guide & Journal. This is an ebook I wrote to accompany the OG deck, but it’ll work with this one too.
How’s it been, using the deck?
So far, it’s been incredibly funny—something I think that stands out as Filipinos are (like it or not) wont to make light and make fun of certain situations. Sometimes it’s a good thing, other times it’s not the best way to deal. In any case, that’s the general vibe that I’ve been getting and I’m here for it.
How did I come up with the catchphrases?
English is my first language, but growing up, I watched a LOT of local TV (we didn’t have cable then!). While I normally write in English, I’ve also taken on a couple of projects that had me translating text from English to Tagalog (my dialect), so I’m pretty comfortable with the language. The catchphrases come from me, immersing myself in a lot of Pinoy pop culture stuff. Sometimes I wish I were a little more kooky with my phrases, but I think I did okay! :P
If you have any more questions about this deck, feel free to comment and I’ll try to answer as best as I can.
PM Pinoy is now on pre-order and ships July 2020 nationwide.