Galactic Tarot

Overview

The Hawkwind Galactic Tarot is a unique tarot deck created in 1971 by the band Hawkwind and artist Barney Bubbles. It was featured in Issue 117 of the International Times (IT) magazine. The deck consists of 21 cards, designed in a style that reflects the band's space rock and psychedelic aesthetic.

Here's a more detailed look:

Inspiration:
The deck was inspired by Hawkwind's music and the band's interest in science fiction and cosmic themes.
Artist:
Barney Bubbles, known for his innovative and experimental album art for Hawkwind and other artists, designed the deck.
Publication:
The tarot spread was published in International Times (IT) Issue 117.
Layout:
The cards were arranged in the shape of a hawk within the magazine's layout.
Significance:
The Hawkwind Galactic Tarot is considered a notable example of how music and art can intersect, and it reflects the counterculture spirit of the time.

For those who don’t know, Hawkwind are a British psychedelic progressive rock - although I am sure they would prefer “Space Rock” - group that started in or around 1969 in the Ladbroke Grove area of north London. Their style was really based on their live shows, much like Pink Floyd’s were, where the intention was to take their audience on a “space trip” without the use of any drugs. For devotees of the group, they were a phenomenal rock show, and their live album - Space Ritual Alive - is classed as one of the greatest live albums of all time, and definitely well worth the listen.

Be that as it may, the group has certainly had a rich, varied and long career - they are still playing today, and just had a new album come out - so are definitely sticking to the tradition they started with the Galactic Tarot.

As far as the Galactic Tarot itself is concerned, it naturally does not lend itself to your standard Tarot reading or even meditation. It is strictly a one-off collectible, but is still a very sought after artifact. Fortunately, the deck was reprinted in its entirety in the book The Spirit of Hawkwind 1969-1976, which is essentially a biography of Nik Turner, a long time member of the band and a wonderful musician in his own right.

Details of the Deck:

Tradition: Independent

Major Arcana: 21 cards

Minor Arcana: N/A

Court Cards: N/A

Fire Suit: N/A

Air Suit: N/A

Water Suit: N/A

Earth Suit: N/A

Designer(s): Barbey Bubbles, Hawkwind

Artist(s): Barney Bubbles

Publisher: International Times magazine, 1971

Cleopatra Records Inc, 2015

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Major Arcana:

Alien

Flying Saucer

Galaxy

Mars 12A

Jupiter 12B

Saturn 12C

Venus 12D

Pluto 12E

Mercury 12F

Earth

Sun

O.K - so, admittedly - the Galactic Tarot really steps away from any Tarot standard or tradition, and is, like Hawkwind themselves, a very unique work of art. As the A.I. blurb above indicates, the deck - which consists of only 21 cards - not even a Fool! - was designed by members of the band but mainly their visual graphics/artist, Barney Bubbles, and, I am almost sure, was given away free at some of their concerts either before or after it appeared in the International Times in 1971. It was meant as a publicity tie-in to their second album - In Search Of Space - and became a cult Hawkwind collectible artwork.

Due to the limitations of the print style of the IT magazine, the deck was limited in its colour range, which is a shame as these images would have leant themselves to a fantastic palette of colours, in much the same way as Hawkwind shows of the time did. Many of the cards show planetary designations - Mars 12A, Venus 12D, Sarurn 12C, Jupiter 12B - that track the route through space of the Hawkwind space craft - maybe the P.X.R.5 - as they made their way back to Earth. Other cards reflect trends and religious and mythological interests of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s - Horus, Icarus, Aquarian Age - this was the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius, after all - while others had lyrics and storylines from the group’s songs.