City Mystic • New York: Tarot Deck

The City Mystic • New York Tarot Deck is a 78-card, black and white photographic tarot deck created by Ginnie Jester and Chris Hopkins. This deck reimagines the traditional Rider-Waite and Golden Dawn tarot concepts through the lens of New York City's architecture and urban environment. The project was conceived by Ginnie Jester, a trained Tarot reader and educator, who sought to make tarot imagery more relevant to the modern urban experience, moving beyond what she found to be uninspiring classic deck visuals.

The deck aims to bridge the gap between the ancient wisdom of tarot and contemporary city life, highlighting the mystical and occult connections often embedded in urban design and architecture. Each card's imagery was painstakingly selected and composed to reflect widely accepted tarot meanings, making it accessible for both seasoned practitioners and newcomers. The creators embarked on an intensive seven-day photography expedition across New York City, capturing the essence and energetic pulse of the metropolis in challenging winter conditions.

Originally launched on Kickstarter in 2014, the campaign successfully funded the first commercial print run of 1,000 copies. The creators expressed intentions to produce a full-length, in-depth description book detailing the architecture and card meanings, and to expand the series with future decks based on Paris and London, exploring their respective ties to occultism and alchemy.

This deck is ideal for tarot readers interested in urban environments, architecture, and photography. It particularly appeals to those who appreciate a modern, non-traditional aesthetic while still valuing the foundational symbolism of the Rider-Waite and Golden Dawn systems. Readers seeking a deck that connects spiritual concepts to the tangible world of cityscapes, or those with a personal connection to New York City, will find this deck resonant. It is suitable for both experienced readers and dedicated beginners willing to engage with a photographic interpretation of tarot.

The City Mystic Tarot project was born from Ginnie Jester's frustration with traditional tarot imagery during a 2009 trip to Paris. A trained Tarot reader and educator, Ginnie found classic deck visuals uninspiring compared to the vibrant urban environment around her. This sparked a desire to create a photographic tarot deck that reflected the modern human experience. Collaborating with graphic designer Chris Hopkins, Ginnie photographed New York City over seven days in challenging winter conditions, meticulously composing each shot to align with tarot symbolism. Their vision was to create a series of photographic decks, starting with New York, followed by Paris and London, each exploring the cities' unique ties to occultism and hermetic traditions.