Tarot — Julie Hill

If you haven’t already noticed, I’m a bird person.

I like to learn how to identify them, I like to birdwatch, I like to watch backyard blue jays yell at my cat (who is convinced he is an invisible master of stealth), and I especially like to draw them. Such an incredibly diverse species always has something new and surprising to reveal, if you stop to look.

Each year, Austin composer Dave Madden hosts the 11:59 Songwriting Group.

He curates four prompts, and participants have 8 weeks to write 4 songs based on those prompts. Or “songs,” if you’re the errant illustrator in the group. (There’s also a poet).
In 2023, the prompts were all numbers; 1, 12, 7 and 13. Matching those numbers to the traditional tarot, I considered how these could work with birds; for instance, 13 is the death card, and certain birds are representative of death in many cultures.
The ideas flooded in; I’d completed my four cards in the first weekend.

A bit of a disclaimer here, I’m not an expert on birds, and know very little about the Tarot, but I am someone who’s curious about lots of things and also has Google, so these are my best interpretations of what I’ve learned about both.

01

Barn Owl

The barn owl is often associated with finding deeper meaning, or looking below the surface of things to find hidden knowledge.

Similarly, the Magician in traditional tarot can be an indicator that you need to use your natural abilities to succeed in your endeavors.

12

Northern Shrike

Shrikes are gnarly little songbirds who like to skewer their prey on thorns to come back to later. They are also known as ‘butcher birds.’

The iconography of The Hanged Man in the Tarot depicts a man hanging upside-down by one ankle, suggesting sacrifice or being suspended in time.

07

Yellow-Billed Oxpecker

These sub-Saharan birds like to hang out on the backs of zebras and wildebeests, both hitching a ride and eating ticks off the animal’s hide.

The Chariot card usually depicts a prince being carted around in his chariot by horses or sphynxes.

13

Common Raven

Crows, ravens and rooks are associated with death in many Western cultures, though they can also be symbols of intellect and introspection.

The death card in tarot typically signals an end of some kind is coming, which can result in an increase of perception and self-awareness.

Head over to Dave’s site to learn more about the 11:59 Songwriting Group

Featured in promo: A bird of many songs, the Northern Mockingbird

“So, are you going to do the entire deck?”

Possibly…I’ll try! Here’s the deck in full as of now: