Top row left to right: BabaBarock Tarot of Prague (2024 reprint), The Spacious Tarot (second edition), Tarot Landscapes. Second Row, The Endless Oracle, City Labyrinth Tarot, Fantasy Garden Tarot. Bottom, (the) Flow Tarot.

Card nudity warning!

I wisely was planning on a much needed break after Esoteric (Thoth) June studies, and was positively ready to move on to something a little more light-hearted. June was a challenging month even outside of my Tarot adventures so I am also really hoping July will be a little calmer and slower (haha, well one can hope, right?). Typically I have my “theme” of the month chosen well in advance, but this one stumped me. I was thinking “wacky” decks seeing as I have quite the backlog of decks that don’t seem to fit any particular grouping. But, after I picked out decks that I’ve been really wanting to work with and then other decks that I though would compliment them, I found my theme!

July’s deck theme for me is ‘decks of place.’ These are decks where the place/location we see in the image is very important for the card’s context. This feels like just the cool glass of water my soul needs after some serious self-reflection with the Thoth decks! I ended up picking more decks than usual for this month, but what can I say, I feel inspired! It also helps that three of the decks I consider myself very familiar with so I can focus my time on the newer decks instead.

If you ever wonder if I’m incapable of making the tarot cards straight in the images…you are correct. I am incapable! But, my office “helpers” don’t exactly make it any easier, though they do have a great sense of humor!

I gotta admit, the backs don’t really match at all, but they all look really rad this month!

Wow, I love how the colors work so well together in this one! There’s a lot of yellows and complimentary blues going on. I did draw these in a bit of a weird order so lets break this mess down a bit:

The Endless Oracle is my only non-tarot deck this month, but I think it’s pretty clear why its here! This is a deck that is specifically about space and how space flows from one area to another. I’ve waxed on about this deck more than necessary in this blog so there’s not much more I can say other than I love this deck and how the images create a story between each other.

Here we have the cave which when traveled through opens up into the fields. You’re moving from the dark inner world to the expansive outer-world. Looking from the inward thoughts and thoughts of self to the outside. Where is your place in the big vastness? What will you find out there? What did you learn in your journey that has prepared you for now?

The Spacious Tarot is probably one of my top most-used decks I own. I think I haven’t really had it in a monthly focus deck just because it is a bit of an old hat for me, but the theme of the month was too on par to not include it in my choices and the images are just amazing.

I won’t lie, The Spacious Tarot’s High Priestess is one of my favorites. The shell holds a little part of the great ocean and in that little part you see the moon and stars reflected out of it. You hold the truth in yourself already. You have the inner knowledge and vastness and depth of the world. If you allow your intuition to shine to the surface, you will know the answers. Though you are an individual and small in the face of the great ocean you still are a part of it. Now is a time to be, enjoy the ebb and flow.

I was SO happy to get The Tarot of Prague delivered this morning! I was hoping it would come so I could include it in this months decks! This deck is weird, wacky, kitschy, and classic Baba Studios. It also takes all it’s images from various places in Prague which gives is a definite personality of space, and artistic flare.

We have The Star. Part of why I love Baba decks are the incredible guide books that can be purchased to accompany the decks, and the guide explains the myth and chosen reading(s) of the mysterious palindrome which is written on the pillar behind the women, which is also featured as part of the motif on the back of the cards. Of course, in the RWS The Star is the hope card, but more so, you are receiving the things like encouragement, moments of peace, wellness, etc. that give you hope, though the good and bad. Because you are experiencing optimism, you have the fuel to go after your dreams! Have faith things will turn out how they need to be. Like the High Priestess, we have the image of the stars in the water–you see the truths now for how they are.

Both Fantasy Garden Tarot and City Labyrinth Tarot are created by Dmytro Ryzhak (as is the Bloody Tears Tarot), and besides the incredible Bic pen artwork, this artist creates amazing sense of space and place in his drawings! The Garden Tarot takes a step back (literally!) on it’s view of the scene, and the figures become small as the situation and garden takes center view. The City tarot paints a picture of New York (and select other cities) with the hustle and bustle and our individuals seem right at home in the scene.

We have the Three of Pentacles (which, to be honest, the Three of Pentacles and the Three of Cups have been haunting me all through June so its only insult to injury at this point to have the Three of Pentacles TWICE in the same reading) and The Emperor. You have a project, and you need a skilled hand to help you out and show you the ropes. On the surface things look easy, but they always take more work than you think! Don’t leave things half done–properly finish them! You are going to be in the position of a leader in this project, you call the shots. You gotta bring your A-game to the table, be decisive, but also stick to your goals and your own personal work style. Look things over carefully before committing. Make sure others in the group project are satisfied with the results. So far, I’m getting “your inner light/dreams will lead you to the path of getting sh*t done.”

You see, this is the problem I have with including too many decks to work with at once: they have a relatively simple message to tell me and they just end up repeating themselves!

Me: “Cards, tell me what I need to know this month!”

Cards: You already know what you need to do, just go ask others for a little help and get it done!

Me: “Hmm, so mysterious! Clairfier cards…”

Cards: I dunno how clear I can be lady…

I was so intrigued by Tarot Landscape that its one of the few mass market decks I’ve purchased this year. I have to say it thus far hasn’t disappointment me at all. The images are simple but so color saturated. There are also a lot of unexpected images for various cards which is refreshing! The box and card stock leave a lot to be desired but I think that this is one of the best MM decks I’ve purchased in a very long while and I cannot wait to use it.

This image of the Three of Pentacles is quite different than our classical RWS (like seen in Fantasy Garden). This one looks at how the old must decay to bring about nutrients and abundance for the future. How is your old helping you live now? How can you use things of the past to shape a better future?

I’m not a huge fan of photo decks but I fell head over heals for the Flow Tarot which is focused, of course, on water imagery. This is a really cool deck, that has interesting but sensible key statements which remain positive without being too touchy-feely.

I have to say, there are quite a bit of water based images in this draw with the juxtaposing High Priestess with the internal water, the Star pouring the water outwards, and now the drop of water creating a ripple into the world–what an evocative image for The Magician! We end the reading with a call towards action (not too unlike the Emperor); make some (little) waves!

Though I jest about the simple message repeated several times over in this draw, there is a complexity and nuance here: You are transitioning from the inward facing world towards the external actor–you have learned thy-self, cultivated an optimism, and have the past experience to take on more challenging undertakings with others and make it a reality. You are the boss of your world and are equipped with the knowledge to know the right decision, so get out there and do what you set out to do!

Well, if that isn’t an uplifting reading I don’t know what is!

How about you? Do you have a deck that creates an incredible space?

Signatesignatemeremetengisetangis romatibisubitomotibusibitamor. Consider this your message from the universe to stop and smell the roses this July!