Seventy-Eight Acts of Liberation

A guide to reading tarot not only as a tool for personal reflection but also as an invitation to community engagement and social change.

While many think of tarot as a personal tool for self-reflection, there’s a broader, more social history behind these indelible cards of divination—a hidden source of inspiration and power that can speak directly to the collective yearning for change so many of us feel. In Seventy-Eight Acts of Liberation, tarot reader and activist Lane Smith offers a guide to using the cards with an eye toward collective justice and liberation.

Smith invites us to explore power through the lens of tarot—both our own ability to create change and power dynamics in the world. They reveal the little-known history of tarot and the way the deck and readings have changed over time, encouraging us to explore the archetypes in new ways. Each card offers a question for not only individual reflection but also social consideration. Throughout, Smith shares examples from social movements—from the Indigenous Water Protectors to #MeToo—that illustrate how we can put the power of these timeless archetypes into action.