the legend · 22 cards

The Louisiana Arcana

Laissez les bons temps rouler. A 22-card tarot of Cajun & NOLA archetypes. It punches up at the humidity, the potholes, the insurance, and hurricane season — and bows, warmly, to the food, the music, and the people. Flip a card for its upright and reversed reading.

Holding a card? Tap its number.

  1. The King Cake Baby — arcanum 0
    0

    The King Cake Baby

    in the place of the fool

    Upright
    Hidden in the sweetness, ready to crown whoever's lucky.
    Reversed
    You found the baby. Now you're buying next week's cake.
  2. The Brass Band — arcanum I
    I

    The Brass Band

    in the place of the magician

    Upright
    Conjures a whole parade from one downbeat on the street.
    Reversed
    Three bands, one corner, nobody's playing the same song.
  3. Marie Laveau / The Reader — arcanum II
    II

    Marie Laveau / The Reader

    in the place of the high priestess

    Upright
    She knew the answer before you sat down at the table.
    Reversed
    The river keeps its secrets, and so does she.
  4. Maw-Maw's Kitchen — arcanum III
    III

    Maw-Maw's Kitchen

    in the place of the empress

    Upright
    The pot is always big enough for one more cousin.
    Reversed
    There's no recipe. There never was. Watch and learn.
  5. The Parish — arcanum IV
    IV

    The Parish

    in the place of the emperor

    Upright
    Sixty-four small kingdoms, each one sure it's the realm.
    Reversed
    They don't have counties down here, and they like it that way.
  6. The Catholic Schoolteacher — arcanum V
    V

    The Catholic Schoolteacher

    in the place of the hierophant

    Upright
    She taught half the parish their cursive and their manners.
    Reversed
    That ruler kept time, and occasionally kept order.
  7. The Crawfish Boil — arcanum VI
    VI

    The Crawfish Boil

    in the place of the lovers

    Upright
    Two hands meet over the newspaper, and a Saturday is made.
    Reversed
    Somebody didn't suck the heads. We saw you.
  8. The Pirogue — arcanum VII
    VII

    The Pirogue

    in the place of the chariot

    Upright
    One paddle, one path, gliding sure through the black water.
    Reversed
    You took a wrong bayou. They all look the same out here.
  9. The Lovebug Season — arcanum VIII
    VIII

    The Lovebug Season

    in the place of strength

    Upright
    Patience, twice a year, against a windshield full of love.
    Reversed
    The car wash line is two hours and the bugs already won.
  10. The Swamp & The Gator — arcanum IX
    IX

    The Swamp & The Gator

    in the place of the hermit

    Upright
    Old wisdom rests still in the dark and lets you pass.
    Reversed
    That log just blinked. Back the pirogue up, slow.
  11. Throw Me Something — arcanum X
    X

    Throw Me Something

    in the place of wheel of fortune

    Upright
    Hands up in the lights — the float decides who's blessed.
    Reversed
    Caught a thousand beads and the one coconut hit the guy behind you.
  12. The Insurance Adjuster — arcanum XI
    XI

    The Insurance Adjuster

    in the place of justice

    Upright
    The scales weigh your roof against the fine print.
    Reversed
    It was wind, says the flood policy. It was flood, says the wind.
  13. The Levee — arcanum XII
    XII

    The Levee

    in the place of the hanged man

    Upright
    Holding back the swollen river, calm, suspended, sure.
    Reversed
    The water's high and everybody's watching the gauge.
  14. The Jazz Funeral — arcanum XIII
    XIII

    The Jazz Funeral

    in the place of death

    Upright
    Mourn slow to the grave, then dance the whole way home.
    Reversed
    Cut him loose — the second line turns grief to gold.
  15. First You Make a Roux — arcanum XIV
    XIV

    First You Make a Roux

    in the place of temperance

    Upright
    Patience and a slow dark stir turn flour into grace.
    Reversed
    You walked away from the roux. You know what you did.
  16. The Pothole — arcanum XV
    XV

    The Pothole

    in the place of the devil

    Upright
    A familiar crater you swerve around on instinct now.
    Reversed
    It's been a lake since Carnival. They painted a fish on it.
  17. The Hurricane — arcanum XVI
    XVI

    The Hurricane

    in the place of the tower

    Upright
    The cone wobbles, the tower falls, the neighbors show up anyway.
    Reversed
    Three days no power, but the whole block's eating the freezer.
  18. Lagniappe — arcanum XVII
    XVII

    Lagniappe

    in the place of the star

    Upright
    The thirteenth beignet, sugar like quiet falling stars.
    Reversed
    A little something extra, given because you're you.
  19. The Heat & Humidity — arcanum XVIII
    XVIII

    The Heat & Humidity

    in the place of the moon

    Upright
    The air you can wear, thick and strange off the swamp.
    Reversed
    Your glasses fogged on the porch. It's only April.
  20. The Snowball — arcanum XIX
    XIX

    The Snowball

    in the place of the sun

    Upright
    Nectar cream over shaved ice — summer in a foam cup.
    Reversed
    Stained your tongue blue and you'd do it all again.
  21. Who Dat — arcanum XX
    XX

    Who Dat

    in the place of judgement

    Upright
    The trumpet sounds and the whole black-and-gold city rises.
    Reversed
    It's a rebuilding year. We say that with our whole hearts.
  22. The Second Line — arcanum XXI
    XXI

    The Second Line

    in the place of the world

    Upright
    Parasol up, the whole neighborhood dances behind you.
    Reversed
    The route is closed and you're invited anyway. Come on.
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