Reading the Cards: Exploring the Possibilities of the Tarot in Graphic Medicine

Publication information:

Payal, Anil. 2025. “Reading the Cards: Exploring the Possibilities of the Tarot in Graphic Medicine.” in Spirituality and the Arts. Harvard Divinity School: Program for the Evolution of Spirituality.

Abstract

Workshop: The session seeks to showcase the creative process behind creating "The Fabulous Hysteric: A Menstrual-themed Tarot Deck" that harnesses the tarot’s ability to connect the visual, the informative, and self-awareness to sensitively and humorously engage with the experience of menstruation and women’s health. This would be followed by a workshop where participants will create a single tarot card of their own and use the visual medium to bridge connections between the corporeal and the spiritual. 


Presenter Biography

Dr. A. P. Payal is an academic and artist whose work has been published in various journals, books, and anthologies. She has received grants to support her art practice: Gender Bender Grant (2019) and First Prize in the International Art Competition by UBC’s Centre for Migration Studies (2022). She teaches literature at Jesus and Mary College.