"She loved the medium, and it loved her back."

April 8, 2023 3:25 PM

Rachel Pollack, Aug 17th 1945 - April 7th 2023

Tarot genius and comics genius Rachel Pollack has gone on ahead of us.

posted by Kitteh (33 comments total)

.
posted by Joey Michaels at 3:30 PM on April 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

Aw crud. I knew she was in hospice, but…. I had dinner with her years ago, and she was a warm, funny, and interested conversationalist. Her books Unquenchable Fire and Temporary Agency had a big impact on me back in the day.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:37 PM on April 8, 2023 [8 favorites]

Oh, shit. I was just recently in a webinar on the history of Pamela Colman Smith’s art and I remember Rachel Pollack’s name from it (I’m very new to the tarot scene). Mary Greer was there in the audience, too, and I know she was a longtime colleague. Thanks for these articles highlighting her full impact on many fields.
posted by brook horse at 3:53 PM on April 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

.
posted by Wobbuffet at 3:55 PM on April 8, 2023

.
posted by jameaterblues at 3:59 PM on April 8, 2023

Her Doom Patrol run stirred seeds that still took decades to sprout (I was deeply repressed). Around when I was figuring out I was trans, I managed to find those issues on ebay and revisit them. Shortly after I came out, I learned that she lived near where I was living in the Catskills. I mailed her a thank you card and she wrote back the most gorgeous hand-written letter. We met for coffee and she was so kind and generous and encouraging. She did an unprompted 3-card reading for me with a travel Shining Tribe deck that she carried with her. We weren't able to connect again before covid happened, so that was the only time I met her and it's left me with a beautiful moment in this weird life. May her memory be a blessing.
posted by kokaku at 4:01 PM on April 8, 2023 [38 favorites]

🏳️‍⚧️
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:40 PM on April 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

.
posted by jjderooy at 4:49 PM on April 8, 2023

.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:35 PM on April 8, 2023

.
posted by cupcakeninja at 5:50 PM on April 8, 2023

.
posted by kuppajava at 6:41 PM on April 8, 2023

her 78 degrees of wisdom book on the tarot has been a constant guide for me and i'm very grateful for that

.
posted by pyramid termite at 6:46 PM on April 8, 2023 [3 favorites]

.
posted by mephron at 7:03 PM on April 8, 2023

I really hope she was proud to see the Doom Patrol show. She was such a huge part of that book's renaissance .
posted by es_de_bah at 7:17 PM on April 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

.
posted by JoeXIII007 at 8:12 PM on April 8, 2023

I wrote a bit about her "Doom Patrol" run for Comic Book Herald.
posted by HunterFelt at 8:14 PM on April 8, 2023 [7 favorites]

.
posted by KingEdRa at 8:15 PM on April 8, 2023

Thank you for posting this. I had never heard of her, and now I know more about a talented person who led a fascinating life. It sounds like she met her challenges head on, with panache.

.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:06 PM on April 8, 2023

Unquenchable Fire is unique and incredible.

.
posted by doubtfulpalace at 9:21 PM on April 8, 2023

I got to study tarot with her for five days in summer 2019 and it changed my life. She was the best storyteller I have ever met. She told us a story about how King Solomon came to write the words "this too shall pass" that has gotten me through all the hard times of 2020 and forward. She was absolutely as special as everyone says she was.

.
posted by Tesseractive at 10:25 PM on April 8, 2023 [4 favorites]

.
posted by Kattullus at 11:11 PM on April 8, 2023

Not unexpected but a sad day. I loved her novels and have a well-used copy of "78 degrees..." Peace.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 12:17 AM on April 9, 2023 [2 favorites]

.
posted by Pendragon at 12:52 AM on April 9, 2023

.
posted by verbminx at 1:31 AM on April 9, 2023

.
posted by mersen at 4:45 AM on April 9, 2023

.
posted by rmd1023 at 5:53 AM on April 9, 2023

.
posted by kickingthecrap at 2:19 PM on April 9, 2023

.
posted by FallibleHuman at 6:37 PM on April 9, 2023

I admire her teaching. Recently I took in this interview with Pollack which was wonderful.

May her memory be a blessing.
posted by Riverine at 6:53 PM on April 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

.
posted by Annabelle74 at 7:12 AM on April 10, 2023

🃠
posted by ikahime at 8:33 AM on April 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

.
posted by doctornemo at 6:33 AM on April 11, 2023

.
posted by dlugoczaj at 9:12 AM on April 11, 2023