📖 Have you read this book?

Your review can inspire others to read it

🃏 Tarot & Divination

Hexen 2.0 Tarot

Name: Hexen 2.0 Tarot
Brand: Cosmogenesis
Price: 49.95 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781068765704

✍️ Treister, Suzanne

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

$49.95

In stock — ready to ship Ships in 1–2 business days

📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A 78-card cybernetic tarot mapping the interconnected histories of computing, counterculture, and power.

This revived edition presents 78 alchemical drawings mapping the history of modern computing and cybernetics. Drawing from military research, control society ideas, and science fiction, the deck visualizes how technology and power intersect. Philosophies such as transhumanism and anarcho-primitivism frame these historical subjects within a hypnotic structure. The deck provides a dark instrument for individual study or collaborative discussions regarding future projections, relying on deep research into machines and human society.

Key Themes

cybernetics and counterculture histories of computing alchemical scientific projections

Literary Context

Created by London-trained artist Suzanne Treister, this deck emerges from early 1990s web art and new media traditions. It examines twentieth-century government research programmes and contemporary technological advancement.

Treister, Suzanne

📚 all books by this author (2) →

Difficulty

●●● Challenging

Recommended For Fans Of

Suzanne Treister's prior Tarot work · Critical theory on cybernetics and control · Esoteric interpretations of computing history · Speculative fiction regarding transhumanism

🃏

Tarot & Divination

Praise for this book

“This visionary cybernetic oracle offers the secret key to our technocultural world. Revealing occult correspondences between machines, power, and the sciences of mind, Hexen 2.0 turns Tarot into a dark instrument of historical insight. There are mysteries here, but all of them are true.”

— Erik Davis, author of TechGnosis & High Weirdness

🏛 Cosmogenesis 📅 2025 📖 78 pages 🌐 en ISBN: 9781068765704

Fun Fact

Suzanne Treister's HEXEN 2.0 Tarot is not merely a divination tool; it's a profound conceptual art piece that challenges and educates. Its strength lies in its intellectual rigor and capacity to spark vital conversations about our technological age. Traditional tarot enthusiasts seeking conventional guidance might find it less intuitive, but for scholars of culture, futurists, and anyone drawn to esoteric analyses of modern society, this deck is an essential, thought-provoking addition to the field.

📝 Description: Hexen 2.0 Tarot

After a decade out of print, Suzanne Treister's deck returns in a new Cosmogenesis edition. Treister studied at St Martin's School of Art and Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. Recognized first as a painter, she pioneered web and digital media in the early 1990s, creating projects focused on emerging technologies, fictional worlds, and international collaborative organizations. Utilizing diverse media including watercolours, video, photography, and the internet, her work relies on eccentric narratives and unconventional research to reveal structures that bind power. The deck contains 78 alchemical drawings organized across standard tarot formats to map the histories of computing, cybernetics, science fiction, and the internet. Its subjects examine military and government research programmes, social engineering, counterculture movements, and control society concepts alongside scientific projections of the future. The drawings trace responses to advancing technology from philosophical, political, and literary traditions, including anarcho-primitivism, techno-gaianism, and transhumanism. Author Erik Davis notes that this cybernetic oracle reveals occult correspondences between machines, power, and mind sciences. This title suits readers interested in historical insight, techno-culture, and collaborative group discussions on alternative futures. It is not suitable for those seeking a traditional divinatory tarot deck without interest in political history, science, or computer development.

💎 Expert review

“

💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

Treister’s Hexen 2.0 Tarot is a dense, intellectual exercise that demands familiarity with cybernetics, computing history, and esoteric alchemy. It is not suited for casual diviners seeking simple fortune-telling or those uninterested in political theory. The deck requires a willingness to engage with complex themes of control and surveillance, making it less accessible to readers preferring traditional tarot imagery or straightforward spiritual guidance. However, for scholars and practitioners deeply invested in the intersection of occultism and technology, it offers a compelling, albeit rigorous, exploration of modern history and speculative futures through a unique alchemical lens.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers fascinated by the hidden architectures of power will find immense value in this visionary deck. It offers a unique lens for those seeking to understand how counterculture and technology intertwine, providing tools to re-evaluate our digital past. Practitioners interested in alchemical symbolism applied to modern issues like surveillance and social engineering will appreciate its depth. Those envisioning speculative futures or exploring the philosophical tensions between anarcho-primitivism and transhumanism will discover a rich framework for collaborative contemplation on humanity's technological trajectory.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5

★★★★★

If you're a seeker who ponders technology's profound impact on society, or someone intrigued by occult symbolism intertwined with modern history, this deck is for you. Ideal for individual contemplation or group discussions on humanity's evolving relationship with its creations and future.

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

Treister’s Hexen 2.0 Tarot is a dense, intellectual exercise that demands familiarity with cybernetics, computing history, and esoteric alchemy. It is not suited for casual diviners seeking simple fortune-telling or those uninterested in political theory. The deck requires a willingness to engage with complex themes of control and surveillance, making it less accessible to readers preferring traditional tarot imagery or straightforward spiritual guidance. However, for scholars and practitioners deeply invested in the intersection of occultism and technology, it offers a compelling, albeit rigorous, exploration of modern history and speculative futures through a unique alchemical lens.

❓ Frequently asked questions

While it follows the 78-card structure of a standard Tarot, its imagery and thematic focus on technology, cybernetics, and counterculture depart significantly from traditional archetypes. It's more of a philosophical tool for modern inquiry.

Beyond conventional readings, the HEXEN 2.0 Tarot is designed for deep contemplation, research, and collaborative discussion. It encourages users to explore complex historical narratives and envision future possibilities, making it excellent for group work or personal reflection.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Technology's Esoteric Roots

This deck masterfully illustrates how the evolution of computing, the internet, and cybernetics isn't merely a linear progression. It unveils the hidden alchemical processes and often clandestine origins within government and military research that shaped our digital world, suggesting a deeper, almost magical, undercurrent to technological advancement.

Counterculture & Control

Explore the dynamic tension between liberating countercultural movements and the pervasive forces of control. The cards illuminate how technological progress has been both embraced by those seeking freedom and exploited by systems of social engineering, prompting reflection on individual autonomy versus societal influence in the digital age.

Envisioning Alternative Futures

From the speculative realms of science fiction to the philosophical tenets of transhumanism and anarcho-primitivism, this deck prompts a critical examination of humanity's potential paths. It encourages users to collectively or individually contemplate and articulate diverse visions for what lies ahead, moving beyond present paradigms.

📜 Historical context

While rooted in the ancient tradition of tarot as a divinatory and contemplative tool, Treister's work boldly recontextualizes it for the 21st century. It stands as a unique contribution to contemporary esotericism, using alchemical symbolism not for traditional spiritual transformation, but to transmute our understanding of technological and societal evolution, bridging ancient wisdom with modern dilemmas.

📚 Glossary

Cybernetics
Anarcho-primitivism
Transhumanism

📔 Questions to reflect on

How has technology, particularly the internet, altered your personal sense of autonomy or community engagement?
What historical event or technological breakthrough do you believe has most profoundly shaped our current societal structure, and why?
If you could envision an "alternative future" for humanity's relationship with technology, what would its core tenets be?