Two Witches Podcast Episode 16 Show Notes.

Episode 16: Tarot Symbolism with Kiki Dombrowski!

This episode we dive into some serious Tarot Awesomeness with fellow Liminal.Earth Ambassador Kiki Dombrowski! She has a lot to teach us about the different symbolism in Tarot and what secrets it might reveal about our nun and  Hidden brick story!

We know there is a lot of crossover between the Catholic rituals and occult symbols, and Kiki's going to break down some of that for our lucky listeners as to how it appears in Tarot cards! 

Kiki Dombrowski is a spiritual researcher and explorer who has spent her life studying mythology, magic, witchcraft, and the supernatural.  She lives in Savannah, Georgia where she is a professional tarot card reader, certified life coach, and professional writer. 

Her wide knowledge base and sophisticated perspective allows her to help improve and expand her clients’ and readers’ spiritual awareness and evolution.

Author and researcher Kiki Dombrowski has been studying Tarot for over 25 years!

Andrea recently took a Tarot class from Kiki and her Savannah Tarot Meetup Circle co-teacher Joy Horn (See Kiki's online teaching schedule HERE) and both she and SJ have begun to look at Tarot cards in a different way as a result. We'll get into some of the things Kiki's passionate about. Additionally, MoJo again proves that she is the one in charge of this podcast, as SJ has to spill their guts to listeners about the importance of a long hike through the Portland woods they took the day before we recorded. 

Several of us involved with Two Witches Podcast have thought about what Tarot card would best Symbolize Mother Joseph. Some of our thoughts:

 Chariot by Cyberbear - Support Artists. 

One of the things Kiki's particularly passionate about is the symbolism in the original Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck, which was illustrated by artist Pamela Colman Smith, a woman of color.  Smith's name is frequently and conveniently dropped from the box of many popular so-called "Rider-Waite" decks - like the very first one SJ bought all those years ago from a Barnes and Noble in Boise, Idaho.  It's hard to know if this is sexism or racism - but likely a bit of both. 

Smith's cultural background is a bit of a mystery (Kiki likes Benbell Wen's account the best), but her exotic appearance as a person of color and her physical description was always a topic of fascination and debate (*eyeroll*): 

Her friend W. B. Yeats described how Smith "looks exactly like a Japanese" (p. 29, Katz).  There's speculation Pamela's mother was Jamaican, or that she was not the birth child of her parents. All we know for sure is that Smith's legal mother was American, not Jamaican, and that her birth certificate and legal documents place her as the biological child of the Smiths, and she spent some of her childhood in Jamaica.

Pamela Colman Smith, known as "Pixie" to friends.

Omitting Smith's name from most "Rider Decks" is a perfect example of how White Supremacy and sexism continues to try to take over Paranormal TV,  Podcasts/Shows, and most of the Occult and Witchcraft industry with denial of harm from the participants. 

It's about time Ms. Smith was recognized properly for her huge contributions to Occult and Divination history alongside her male, white contemporaries on EVERY. SINGLE. RIDER-WAITE-SMITH DECK!

Um, you forgot something? Like the name of the artist?

Pamela Colman Smith's ties to Jamaica caught our attention as Mother Joseph saw Black people for the first time there on her journey out to Oregon in 1856. Stopping in Jamaica, MoJo was struck by the beauty and dignity of the local regal Black Doctresses, and made friends with some of them. The Sisters of Providence picked up some Jamaican Doctress medical techniques as part of their time there. We discuss the importance of these Doctresses like Mary Seacole and their forgotten contributions to the history of nursing on the Synchronicity page of brickmojo.net.

It's also interesting that Smith later converted to Catholicism, then taking the middle name Mary. She encouraged her friends to follow a similar path to the Catholic Church, calling her spiritual experience "such fun!" 

Pamela Colman Smith created this poster for a London area Women's Suffragist group and was a vocal women's rights advocate and feminist.

"Find eyes within, look for the door into the unknown country.”

- Pamela Colman Smith   

Interested In Working With Kiki Yourself? 

Kiki's a wonderful writer who loves talk about witchcraft, spirit of place, divination, and especially tarot.  To book a reading with Kiki visit her website, or check out her online Class Schedule to up your own Tarot game. 

Kiki also loves to talk Tarot and other Weirdness on Twitter @KikiD333 or you can also check out her excellent blog to feed your brain. Watch for her book release 'A Curious Future' in July 2021 (or pre-order now like we did!) 

Also, make sure to reach out to Kiki if you have thoughts about red roofs appearing in Smith's tarot deck, a subject she is particularly interested in! 

Some of Kiki's work with the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Deck, her preferred deck to work with.