The Tarot Tarts

August 2024 Decks

August 7th, 2024

What an amazing assortment of beautiful backs this month! Left clockwise: Nemeth Tarot (by Jonasa Jaus), Oracle of Visions (by Ciro Marchetti), The Mythical Creatures Tarot water colored version by Baba Studio, Broken Mirror Tarot Marseille Edition, and The Ravenswood Academy The Swords Women Tarot

It is time, I think, to try my hand at the dreaded pip and Marseille decks. I have to be completely forthcoming, I do not have a traditional Marseille deck; but I have several pip-ish decks with Marseille meanings, and one deck which uses Marseille meanings but has fully illustrated images that correspond with a myth (hello beautiful Nemeth!). I personally have struggled with pip decks because I do rely so much on imagery to guide my readings and understanding of the cards. I’m not exactly a subtle person, so these aren’t the decks I tend to reach for. Lets see if I can fix that by getting acquainted with this month’s cards!

My one oracle deck this month is my old and trusty Oracle of Visions deck. I don’t have a Marseille based oracle, or really an oracle of numbers (yet!) BUT this one was really calling to be picked up with the rest of the beautiful decks. This was my second oracle I purchased and certainly is one of my most used and I think it spoiled me concerning what most oracle decks are all about. This one in particular is really dense, multifaceted, and I will say, it’s not really a “nice” tempered deck!

The other four decks, the Swords Woman, the Broken Mirror Marseille, the Nemeth, and Mythical Creatures are all stunning Marseille-esque, 10/10 cardstock, gorgeous decks that sit on my shelf collecting dust. I do have a few historical pip decks, but those are for another month. On to the draw!

Ooftda! Well, for a month of learning pips, there aren’t any pips to be seen. Boo.

Okay, so lets start with the oracle, we have 25, titled Misleading Illusion, Confusion. What appears like magic is simply the magicians slight of hand. There’s a tick at play, but it only works when you’re looking the right (wrong) way. What false perspectives do I have? What is misleading me to think one thing and it’s another? Oh boy!

Interesting! Our swordswoman Nawi, from the Mino military unit of women in Dahomey. She looks ready to win a battle and her key words (Providence, War, Triumph) agree! Interesting we see war references. Traditionally the Chariot also means self discipline and will power, progress and accomplishments, but in this card (an also the next) it appears like we are heading out to the fray rather than returning from it.

The Broken Mirror Marseille spat out two cards, The Chariot again (in case I didn’t get the memo the first time) and the King of Staves seeming to protect the back of the Chariot rider. The Chariot seems like he is directing his horses onward, his flag held aloft. The horses are still yet, so we are at the cusp of an adventure. Behind the rider is the natural born leader full of confidence and vigor, the King of Staves. He waits patiently at his pavilion in the rose garden, ready to attend and use his might and words.

Just these four cards already I see the need to stand up for what I hold as truth and address the lies that come my way; while it may feel like a battle, and I must treat it as such, I also have to keep my wits about me and use my fiery, confident and diplomatic side. I have to do the hard thing. Not all battles take place on the field.

This Two of Cups (or in this deck II de Cunchas)[Future Stacy would like to point out that past Stacy not only had never used this deck before this draw, but also was on the struggle bus with Covid -brain and realized after hitting the publish button that the Cunchas suit is actually pentacles and NOT cups which would explain much of the ensuing confusion; in any case with traditional Marseille the two of pentacles can have meaning as correspondence, gifts, financial partnership, or a secondary partnership–so read with The Lovers I’d think of these two cards indicating making a business choice based on passion!] is the only traditional pip card I drew, and ironically it is from the illustrated Marseilles deck, the Nemeth Tarot! The referenced story is Galina Pitos de Ouro, or, (after quite the amount of digging) the story of the Golden Hen and her seven chicks. There seems to be quite the variety and local variance of this story, but the tldr version I came across is a Moorish princess wished to marry a man and her father forbade her and also enchanted her to become a chicken, but she had SEVEN golden chicks (like Ouro, the metal, gold). At night she’d escape with her chicks. There are references to the constellation Pleiades (which apparently is sometimes referred to the hen and chicks), harvest, tides, flowing water, and luck. Which seems like a positive read on the card but then there’s the gnarly looking snake twisting around the hen and chicks–is it protecting them or planning to harm them? What is illusion and what is really happening? It reminds me of the ouroboros or the endless snake eating it’s own tail, also, OURO!

And then, we end with The Lovers. While there are cards that do feel VERY similar to the RWS, I do have to admit from reading Mahony’s accompanying book to this deck, and just absorbing the beautiful artwork, this particular card seems to have a heavy emphasis on choosing the hearts desire against common wisdom. Neither the knight nor the mermaid can adapt to the other’s environment, so how ever can they over come their situation? There is a head and heart conflict, of which neither choice offers happiness.

Oh boy oh boy, what a tumultuous monthly reading! There is trickery afoot, and I’m called to bring it to light using all my means, but then I will also have to decide, follow my love and pay the consequences (and maybe get turned into a chicken), or follow wisdom which warns me away. But then again, are things really as they seem? Mysterious!

How about you? What do the cards say is in for you this month? Do you read Marseille? What do you like about the system?
Deck Review: The Spacious Tarot and expansion deck

July 22nd, 2024

“This Space is for You” is this decks mantra. Acquired 2020

It is a special time I think when one of the decks I chose for my monthly theme also is also the next deck that I was planning to write a review on! Without gilding the lily, let me share my beloved (The) Spacious Tarot!

It is really easy to see pictures or a walk through of a tarot deck online and then think to yourself “yes, that’s perfect!” and by the time you get a physical copy in your hands you are feeling a little awkward, because you have a beautiful deck in your hands that you have no idea how to use and you must again struggle through learning the cards and the certain “flavor” each artist and deck seem to have. But for me, even though the art is very sparce and simple, and even though the minors tend to be a bit pip-ish, I instantly was able to fall into a natural cadence when using this deck.

Overall: 9/10 I’m forgiving the card quality in lieu of everything else it does right. I love the concept that the card puts you in the driver’s seat by removing all people and framing most cards as first person view. I believe this concept had been done prior to The Spacious Tarot (and it certainly has been done many times over since TST), but this deck in particular really commits to the sense of place.

I guess my review draw had a lot to say! Yikes!

The images are perfect if very non-traditional. I’m usually a maximalist when it comes to symbols in cards, but the art here is simplistic and to-the-point. There’s a lack of classic symbolism that is replaced by very modern and scientific driven thought that demands you to pay attention and rethink all you know about Tarot while still following the traditional meanings. This deck is nature-centric in a realistic sort of way that is just shy of brutal (like we see in the Brady Tarot) without being too cuddly and sweet. Animals are the representatives of the court cards and feel perfectly at home with the deck at large. This is a very grounded deck with quite the scientific leaning, that somehow also has a certain dream-like feel that hits home for me (maybe its the first person view) .

Those edge chips tho…

Card Quality: 2/5 Amazingly, for the price, these are not excellent cards. They immediately started chipping at the edges–and this is the second edition in which the creators intended to fix the chipping problem. I do like the size of the cards, they’re squarer and have a nice solid feel and are quite thick. The heft of the deck with the additional 22 expansion pack is pushing the limits of what I can hold, but I manage with my small creepy-doll hands. The cards are quite stiff in hand, which is different compared to all the super lux cardstocks now on the market, but due to their nonstandard size I kinda like how this deck is very distinct feel in the hand—I know it like a good friend’s handshake! The deck, the expansion pack, and the two Little White Books fit perfectly in the box.

Just enough context to not be completely pipish.

Readability: 5/5 with the caveat this is not a beginner/starter deck. I don’t know if this deck just click for me, but there’s something really out-of-the-box with the images portrayed. Some of the minor arcana at first glance felt pipish, but once I sat with them, the “story” unfolded so sweetly that I quickly stopped thinking of them as pips. I could definitely see this as a total hit or miss deck though, either it speaks to you or not, I kinda doubt there’s many who’d fall in the middle ground with this one.

This is certainly not an easy starter deck, though the book/s is/are very good, concise, and thoughtful. It would be difficult picking this up with no RWS experience, though I do think this is an excellent deck to learn the next step beyond simple meaning memorization.

*A NOTE ON THE EXPANSION DECK: Many historic tarot decks had more than just the 22 major arcana cards, and included additional cards of virtue, alchemy, elements, etc. The later printed expansion deck was an additional 21 card deck to act as these additional cards. In keeping with the theme of the deck, they added the zodiac, the elements and some thematically on-point virtues. I personally think that you can read with the deck perfectly fine without the expansion, but I also love the additional cards. They match the rest of the deck perfectly so you don’t have to worry about recognizing them from the backs. I will say that the art of the expansion pack is slightly more intricate and finished feeling, but it doesn’t bother me at all.

Some favorites…

Art: 10/5 Just plain old stellar. It’s definitely a “style” of art, but I love the rich colors and when you lay out several cards there’s something magic that happens to tell a story. The artist really paid a lot of attention to color and meaning when planning each card. There’s a lot of well-developed thoughts in each image that while they come off as simple, there’s quite a bit of nuance. I feel like this deck is a testament that art doesn’t need to be fussy and complicated to be complex.

Favorite Card: There are so, SO many. I am head over heels for The Lovers, Page of Cups, Judgement, The Hanged One, too many to list! The Majors really bring their A-game to the table.

Least Favorite Card: 5 of Pentacles–I get the idea, and I don’t think it’s gruesome, but something never sat well with me with this card.

Card I Identify As: The Guardian (Queen) of Wands

The deck Identifies me as: The Guardian (Queen) of Wands. I get major Shadowscapes Queen of Cups vibes with this card, though I cannot say how or why. I think of this particular Queen of Wands as “The Storyteller” the way the salamander seems to speak over the campfire.

Season: Late winter/early spring there’s a sharp crisp newness with this art.

Boxes It Checks: Unique, Bright, Meditative, Shadow Work, Self Focused, Honest, Simple, Landscapes, Personal

Similar Decks: The Star Seeker Tarot, Location Spirit of Space Tarot, Tarot Landscapes (another new deck I highly recommend if you’re into this sense of place vibe)
July 2024 Decks

July 1st, 2024

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!
Deck Review: The Llewellyn Tarot

June 28th, 2024

A Story Tellers’ Deck, Acquired 2020

Mild nudity warning in the cards ahead!

Overall: 8/10 This is a beautiful deck, and rightly well beloved in the tarot community since 2006. There’s a reason why some decks stand the test of time and changing tastes. But it isn’t a deck that delivers the goods quickly, this is a deck that requires some work on the reader with the major arcana, but it’s easy to do when the images are so entrancing. It is interesting in that while there is Arthurian myths portrayed here and there, this is very specifically a Welsh myth deck (which salutes Llewellyn Gorge, founder of Llewellyn publications). Tarot decks featuring Arthurian and Welsh myths have come and gone since the 80s, and more recently Ana Tourian is spurring forth a new revival in her tarot art, but The Llewellyn arguably did it best, first.

The artist, Anna-Marie Ferguson, actually had another Arthurian specific deck in the 90’s, the beautiful, famous and out of print, Legend The Arthurian Tarot prior to this one, but Llewellyn feels like an apex art project in my humble opinion. This is a deck that likes to weave your own personal myth out of preexisting stories. This still stands out amongst the flux of cool kids, pop-culture decks that flood the market. Take your time, ride along, read the book(!). I get good older, experienced feminine vibes that are very accepting but also willing to lay on the ugly with a caring hand. I can totally see why this was chosen as Llewellyn’s flagship deck–it does what it set out to do very well.

A random draw for the post; note the rich water colors, with bright golds and rich deep blues and the god-awful borders. You can see how the smallness of the image means that the details sometimes get lost.

Card Quality: 3/5 good for Llewellyn. Be warned–the card-storage of the box the cards are sold in isn’t properly aligned, so expect card slippage and possible damage if you choose to store in the box. I also don’t really know where to put this gripe but I like everyone else on the plant think that they really could have done without the borders since I want to see more of the art work of the card and less…pointless border.

I think the backs are a love it or hate it design. I think the little dragon is adorable, but it does mean that the cards are technically not reversible.

Readability: 3/5 The images of the minors more or less follow the RWS system even if the images deviate from the original RWS. But, while some of the majors are true to the RWS, just as many are not and you will definitely need to refer to the book unless you are already well versed on Welsh mythology. This can be a set back to picking up this deck and running with it. However, the majors have the mythological story or character name printed on the card which is then explained in the MASSIVE guide book which is PACKED with lore and just good Tarot writing and advice.

I took a very, VERY long time to warm up with this deck because it does require sitting with it, reading, and learning, but now I really have connected with it. It is very personable, and gives really poignant readings. It reminds me a lot of the Shadowscapes deck in that regard, though this feels more human and grounded in nature. This deck really loans itself well to larger spreads and seems to like being used this way verses short 3-5 card spreads, which explains why it took me so long to learn this deck. There is also a certain “moodiness” to the images and I tend to reach for this deck when dealing with questions about family and relationships.

Compare the work of the minors with the majors, its easy to see there’s a bit more polish on the majors, but I find the line work of the minors just charming as all get out!

Art: 4.5/5 Glorious water colors, lush, rich and oh-so small! I wish the borders were completely gone and the images double their size. One thing I’ve seen others complain about that actually doesn’t bother me at all is there’s a bit of a stylistic change from the majors to the minors. The minors are less polished and finished, where there is clearly a lot more detail and work done on the majors. I like this personally, it makes sense to me when thinking of the majors and being, well, a major deal!

When writing a review I pull out all the cards I love (and the ones I dislike) and I had WAY too many I really really like in this deck!

Favorite Card: There’s a lot to love here, but the Seven of Pentacles is a particularly interesting to me. The Fool too, is a very different interpretation with the wild rider.

Least Favorite Card: I don’t have any cards in this deck I dislike.

Card I Identify As: The Seven of Pentacles. This deck tends to suggest I wait and see, and I honestly identify with the monk waiting for the fruits of their labors!

The deck Identifies me as: 8 Strength. Don’t ask.

Season: Mid Summer/Fall

Boxes it Checks: Welsh, Romantic, Idealized Medieval, Soft, Fae, Story-Telling, Fairy-Tale, Kind, Arthurian/Celtic/Irish, Lush, Love Readings, Earthy

Similar Decks: The Insight Tarot (in art style), The Arthurian Tarot Deck, (by the same artist) Legend: The Arthurian Tarot, The Druid’s Craft Tarot, Tarot of the Druids, The Wild Wood Tarot, Universal Celtic Tarot, Anna K. Tarot, Tarot of the Golden Wheel, Ana Tourian’s decks

Does anyone else have this deck? Is this officially a retro deck or is it still fresh?
June 2024 Decks

June 21st, 2024

Brace thy-selves! Weird, Thoth-y nudity ahead!

When does summer start for you? Is it at the solstice (Happy Solstice/Litha!)? For me it’s when the first roses start coming out which this year was SO early! The above photo was taken several weeks ago now. Despite the long days, all the additional demands on time have left little hours to spend sharing tarot with the world. Most years my tarot usage tends to tank in the June/July/August months, but though I haven’t posted, there still has been a monthly theme, which is Esoteric June! Or specifically for me, Thoth June!

I have a lot of reading material this month!

Though I did this monthly draw about a week into June, I took a much needed vacation and like most things I plan for this month, they tend to run away on me! I’ve known of the Thoth system for nearly as long as I’ve been practicing tarot. I will admit (because I know I’m not alone in this boat) I had the impression of the Thoth system being “intimidating”, “complex”, “esoteric”, “symbolic”, “Gnostic”, “ritualistic”, “weird”, and now being more than half a month into working with two Thoth decks (the Tabula Mundi and the Mary-El), I have to say…the system doesn’t disappoint! All these things are true! More importantly, these things are outside of my comfort zone, and I’ve really come to realize that I’ll need to continue my studies beyond just this month to become any good at reading a Thoth deck. BUT! You gotta start somewhere! I only have these two Thoth specific decks, but seeing as Thoth has quite a bit of astrology included in the system, I also pulled out my old trusty Oracle of the Radiant Sun to accompany my draws (as if I didn’t have enough complex cards to learn!)

Top row The Tabula Mundi Tarot, bottom row The Mary-El Tarot, side Oracle of the Radiant Sun

Seeing as I’m only using three decks this month, I did the draw a little differently. Top row is “this month,” bottom row is clarifier for the card above, and oracle cards are “outside forces/situations.”

Oooftda! That’s a lot in one spread! Okay, lets break it down:

So, in The Tabula Mundi, the artist reuses images all over the place and it makes the deck damn interesting! The Decans cards (which are basically zodiac cards), are not really described in the book but are complex composite images of related cards. This one the Justice card (which is 8 in the Thoth) and the Three of Swords cracked urn on top of a blue fire pit (which turns out is a reoccurring theme this month when reading the cards) and the diamond of the Four of Swords, a crossed Two of Swords. You’ve experienced a past of division and sorrow. Rest and recuperation is needed to re-balance the scales this month. When they tip one way, they must eventually tip the other. You will find who you are is not the summation of your past experiences, but how you chose to deal with those experiences.

Part of this re-balancing is learning to grab life by the horns! Or, er, grab the lion by his snake-y tail! Lust, so evocatively named, often is also described as passion. When you can master yourself in the presence of what makes you passionate, you will be unstoppable. While this is similar to the RWS card Strength, I feel this image really embraces your passions rather than taming them. Be your own best friend! Let your passions lead you in your life! Don’t be afraid to grab on!

Okay, I won’t lie, I find this Four of Disks is weird af. I get reminiscent “Green Man” vibes, and for some reason Tom Bombadil from The Lord of the Rings comes to mind. The TM author described this card as the power of material wealth and stability but warns it needs constant attention and “vigilance.” Money is meant to be used to go about our daily lives, but it also must be replenished and stored for when needed. How can you help that store grow this month? Is there an opportunity available to make a good investment? A fortress is only as good as the person behind the walls–what is worth protecting in your life and what are you wasting time and efforts on? Focus this month on building a support structure for your passions you’re following! They do not need to be exclusively separate from money-in and money-out!

Okay! On to the clarifiers! I’m feeling honestly like I should have drawn fewer cards!

I’ve always had a love/bamboozled relationship with The Mary-El. I got it years ago and struggled and struggled to use it. But it’s so beautiful. I think having it as an accompanying deck to the Tabula Mundi, which feels simpler and “easier” to me, will be a great way to ease into this rich and complex deck.

The 6 of Disks pairs with the Decans of Libra. One is black and white, stark, right and wrong, having to choose, righteousness vs injustice, the other is a blend of all, something beautiful and indescribable. What has happened has made you perfect as you are. You don’t have to choose, you are ready to have it all. Marrying different ideas, some that may even appear at opposition, creates magic and enlightenment. Don’t be afraid to integrate different approaches. Now is a time where anything is possible!

Stunning death is paired with Lust–how could it be any other way! With the end of one season begins a different one. Don’t be afraid to let the past fall away and become something even better. Carpe Diem! You must live in the now, the past is gone and tomorrow is not guaranteed.

And here is our first reappearance of the Three of Swords, paired with the Four of Disks. The Thoth Three of Swords isn’t all that different from the RWS Three of Swords. In this image, it seems as if neither the heart nor the roses are having undue suffering! Make sure what you chose to protect and strengthen is not a reaction to sorrows. Loss and heartache are unavoidable.

Oh boy! I had to laugh; this oracle cards could not have given me a better summation of “themes I know” ahead of me this month! Without getting too personal, lets do a quick overview:

I’ll find myself in the public-eye and having to be larger than life; while this is something I go through pains to avoid, I can capitalize on the opportunity to share ideas and projects I’ve been working on, make myself known, and also gain some recognition for efforts that are typically invisible to others.

Escape comes in many forms, from physically going to a different place, going to a different place in your mind, or using your money for escapist pleasures. This month, take time to “get away”! Its good to take a break here and there to have fun and think of new ideas and recharge. You may also find yourself in a situation where there is nothing to do other than just escape!

And Friendship. You will be extra sensitive to your friends needs and emotions. They may need you more so this month. You are used to dealing with things on your own, but perhaps now you need a good friend. Reciprocal friendships are the most nurturing and fulfilling. Escape with a friend!

Quite the dense reading! I’m looking forward to finishing this month using the Thoth decks, and with out a doubt I’ll have to return to them soon! Do you use the Thoth system? What are your decks you’re using in the lovely month of June?
Deck Review: The Everyday Witch Tarot

May 21st, 2024

A cheeky Familiar! Acquired 2020

Overall: 7/10 This is one of those decks I’m quite sure anyone with an internet connection and an interest in Tarot has seen. There’s a reason for that; one, it’s a mass marked deck published 2017 so it’s been around a while, and two, this deck had PERSONALITY. A charming, idiosyncratic, yet surprisingly traditional RWS deck, it sports youthful and colorfully dressed witches who cavort across the cards. Extremely popular, copied many times over in decks with less substance, this is a personable, lighthearted, and very cute deck that loans itself well for daily readings as well as more through readings. I will say that this is by no means a serious deck, so there are a certain subset of readings that this will feel rather silly or otherwise too soft and kind.

Card Quality: 3/5 Okay. A higher grade Llewellen card stock. Very shiny. Easy to shuffle and hold in hand. Nothing exceptional, nothing awful either.

Reading court cards are notorious for being a difficult hill to climb for beginners learning the RWS system. I personally struggled with differentiating the Aces vs the Pages, but the artist of this deck did a splendid job at helping the reader along!

Readability: 4.5/5 This deck shines in the complex story each card tells. I think this deck does an incredible job at guiding viewers with people (witches) who have expressive faces, that are doing elaborate things. The symbols are, well, mostly every day mundane (except for our witchy paraphernalia), but are purposeful and lend themselves to the story rather than just being the “typical” RWS symbols. One could easily use this deck in place of an RWS clone, even though this isn’t a clone at all. I find the rich colors, details, and entertaining ‘stories’ of each card so easy to “get” that this is a perfect deck to learn off of, or for intermediate readers to just pick up and run with it. The book it comes with is darn good too, though it doesn’t guide reversals. I love giving others readings with this deck; it’s very fun and generally well received. Again though, for a more serious reading this deck tends to struggle.

Part II of the Aces vs Pages. Almost in all of the Pages you see the element of practice and study, with the notable exception of the Wands Page who is just going for it! I also love how the Page of Wands has some strong Fool energy–it’s perfect!

I do want to laud the artist in their interpretation differences between the Aces and the Pages—I struggled for a long time getting to understand the court cards and I particularly struggled with differing meaning between Aces and Pages which both have new beginnings as part of their intrinsic meanings.

Art: 3.5/5 There’s a lot of character here that is constant through each card. I think this deck does human expressions better than any other deck I’ve seen and that’s what makes this so accessible, to me at least. Our witches are flying around in adorable and kitschy psudo-witch/renfest costumes with cutesy striped leggings, but it can be off-putting to some when the scenes change from medieval time to modern, from sitting in a vintage sidecar-motorcycle to doing yoga. There seems to be no clear “time” that the various stories of the cards are taking place in. But regardless, the colors are rich and bold and appropriate for each situation.

I’m over the moon about the cute kitties and dogs and other familiars we see here, especially since they often actually help understand the meaning of the cards by pointing the way or giving attention to a particular object.

A selection of various facial expression and time settings and not a variety of body type, age, or skin color, though perhaps the King is slightly older.

I think that the biggest downfall of this deck, and it is quite the downfall given this deck is representing witchy-ness today (and the general number-one complaint online), is its lack of diversity–it’s mostly young, thin, Caucasian people. There are a few, slightly darker skin tones, but really not enough. I know there are older folk in here too, but I kinda wished there were some more in the not necessarily elderly titles (like the king/queen). I’d also like to see some other bodies besides the tall and thin and the short petite. They did this in the oracle deck that was published after the fact, but really, the tarot needs it too. It would be awesome if this deck was redone with greater diversity!

Favorite Card: Death, or maybe Temperance. This is one of my favorite Temperance cards. I also really like how the Ten of Swords isn’t just a complete fatalistic and “giving in”, but rather the struggle continues and is yet to be determined, though the outlook could go either way.

Least Favorite Card: The Eight of Wands–I don’t know why, but I tend to have issue with the old Eight of Wands in RWS decks. I get what the artist was trying to do here with the need to act swiftly, and I appreciate doing something other than the eight wands poking into the card, but I tend to think of the doer in motion, not just responding to motion. Again, maybe this is just me, but I’d have had a witch riding in the tornado, not throwing/losing wands into the air like a dork.

I also feel like the Five of Cups pictured really is pushing a narrative of crying over spilled milk (did y’all learn it as “crying over SPILT milk”? because I did)—I personally do not usually read this card like that, and I typically read it as a grief and processing card. So, while I personally feel this does fall under a Five of Cups theme, it misses the deeper point of the card.

Card I Identify As: 20 Judgement. I personally find self-discovery and growth when I’m not actively trying to do so but rather through actions of having fun and play mentality.

The Deck Identifies Me as: 7 The Chariot. I seem to constantly draw this card when asking internal questions about myself and I have learned to love this depiction! I DO struggle with making “this or that” choices!

Season: Summer

Boxes it Checks: Youthful, Bright, Bold, Clever/Witty, Charming, Story-Telling, Cats, Traditional, Witchy

Similar Decks: The Green Witch Tarot is astoundingly similar, but the GWT definitely is very wiccan/modern pagan focused while the EDW doesn’t take itself seriously at all, The Dark Woods Tarot, The Modern Witch Tarot, Teen Witch Tarot, Ask The Witch Tarot (which is a very cool deck IMO), The Mystical Dreams Tarot, The Spellcasters Tarot, As Above Tarot, So Below Tarot, Tarot of the Witch’s Garden, there are too many to list!

Do you have this deck? What do you think of it?
May 2024 Decks

May 11th, 2024

Welcome to Fay May!

From left clockwise: Boadicea’s Tarot of Earthly Delights, The Last Unicorn Tarot, The Arthur Rackham Oracle (by Duck Soup), Tarot of Echoes. Center: The Liminality Oracle

Warnings Ahead: Suggested nudity and if for some reason you haven’t watched The Last Unicorn, there are spoilers ahead. Go watch it now!

I’ve been looking forward to this month since my Tarot friend and I started Fauna March, because of course we had to cover the three “F” which about 90% of our decks fall into: Fauna, Flora, and Fay. May, kicking off with the Beltane festival seemed particularly suited for a month of strange decks surrounding fairies, elves, trolls, unicorns, magicians and all sorts of magical creatures and people.

I pick newer tarot decks in my collection that haven’t used much and because I’ve covered many of my Fay related decks already, but that means I have to work hard on my readings this month because I’m unfamiliar with all of them! At least I have used the oracle decks quite a bit!

I won’t lie, I’m in love with The Last Unicorn Tarot and I was going to grab the earliest opportunity to chose it as a monthly focus deck. This deck does an excellent job at picking the most magical elements from the movie (with a few nods to the book) and putting it to the tarot system. While the movie has a limited cast of characters (compared to the Tarot system, that is), the contexts of the card images all feel natural if you know the source material. I’ve used this deck a little bit, and I will say that it is not nearly as gentle of a reader as I fantasized it might be. I mean, the story isn’t a gentle story so I shouldn’t be surprised! The cards are just gorgeous in every way possible, and it is a deck that I can’t seem to stop grabbing off the shelf.

Ana Tourian is one of my favorite Tarot artists, and they seem to be on a roll this year with various deck releases. The Tarot of Echos positively oozes magic and welcomes its queerent into a wondrous world. This is a deck that doesn’t immediately scream “FAY!” in each card, but it does seem to embrace the magic in the individual, no matter how plain or uninteresting they might at first seem to look. It invites you to look at your own inner Fay.

Boadicea’s Tarot of Earthly Delights was one of those decks I glanced at on Kickstarter and passed by because collage decks usually aren’t my thing, but after tarot-friend gave me a little nudge to watch the flip-though I changed my mind. It is SO weird with the oddest sense of humor! I think it really feels like a creepy trickster and manages the lighthearted/profound juxtapositions; if that isn’t quintessential fay energy, I don’t know what is. It’s complex. I can already tell I may need to use this deck for a couple months before really getting into the meat of it.

The Liminality Oracle has made at least one if not several appearances on this blog before–it is a stunning deck that feels very balanced in its key words and evocative in its imagery. The subjects in the deck all very cleanly fall into the Fay category so it’s a no-brainer of an oracle deck to use this month. And, Duck Soup’s The Arthur Rackham Oracle is charming as all get out. This was my second oracle deck and I used it so much I became sick of it, so its high time it came out to see the sun again! The storybook images, the curious words and phrases make this a very dynamic oracle deck that is perfect for pairing or simply doing a daily “what do I need?” draw.

Lets see what May has in store for us:

Starting at the top are our themes for the month: Center and Courage–Defensive but Daring. Interesting! I’m already getting a similar vibe to last months.

We see our Center Fay with her feet tangled with the weeds and in muck and the crown of her head above the surface of the water while the rest of her is tugged about by the current. There are many different forces acting upon us, pulling us one way or the other. It can be hard to know what it is WE want through all the proverbial noise. This card acknowledges that there is struggle to knowing one’s self, but it is so important even in the heat of things to look into our-self to find stillness and listen to what our heart most desires. How can you align your direction with the current rather than fighting against it, is a question I find myself thinking.

And courage. Courage is a difficult thing to define, but this fresh young character is showing courage by standing their ground! Be resolute about your decisions. To be courageous isn’t about finding trouble and being brave so much as preventing trouble from disturbing your path forward. Sometimes simply “sticking to your guns” despite others pulling you away is the most courageous thing you can do. With the Center card it makes me think about “chose your path and stick to it” even in the face of challenges and “common sense” telling you otherwise.

From Boadicea’s Tarot I drew the positively overwhelming Nine of Fungi (Pentacles). This jaunty woman has what looks like a golden chanterelle as a hat–one of the most delicious mushrooms you can find! In one hand she has a man-hawk and in the other what looks like an auto-man heart. Full disclosure, I have not read the book though I do have it. This is a rare exception of a deck I want to fully explore on my own before I get the artist’s vision! But in the meanwhile I may be wrong in the imagery. Oh well; I’m having fun with it! Anyways, she has quite the fruit and wine table spread with a walled fortress town behind her. Oh and she looks like a complete badass to boot! The nine of pentacles this past month has been stalking me in my draws so I’m not surprised to see it again. You have got it all–now what are you going to do with it?

Our Nine of Fungi is flanked by Echos’ Six of Cups and Two of Pentacles. What two very interesting takes on these cards! I love this deck. In this Six of Cups I see a long lasting (perhaps childish?) dream of adventure, but now the means are at hand! The sea is right there, calling to the man from his window! Something you’ve longed for and perhaps even have forgotten is nigh! All you need to do is step outside your door and have the courage to go get it!

The Two of Pentacles is calling on the old tale of the goose that laid golden eggs. You’ve stumbled across something that is incredibly creative and can bring you wealth, but use it unwisely and you will spoil it for yourself. How can you balance pleasure with business? Where is there an opportunity to see growth beyond what you already have? Can you invest in what you see as a longed for opportunity? Hmmm…

SPOILERS AHEAD!

The Last Unicorn is a deck that, due to its rose petal finish really needs to be coaxed to produce jumpers, but today I didn’t seem to have a problem at all and three cards came flying out in one shuffle! I guess it has words to share.

The Queen of Swords does not make it immediately clear who is the queen; Mommy Fortuna or her (fatal) counterpart the Harpy? I think this particular Queen of Swords, which is arguably one of the most difficult court cards to pin down already, is perhaps the most complicated of any Queen of Swords I have ever seen. Mommy Fortuna is one of the most clever and scary villains I can think of, but she meets her downfall early in the story due to her greed and misjudgement of the Unicorn’s purity of heart an righteousness. But interestingly Mommy Fortuna is wise enough to know whats coming to her! She is incredibly crafty. But when we see how the Harpy has exercised patience for many years waiting to exact her revenge and being decisive in her freedom, it becomes clear that the Queen is the Harpy in this card. See things for how they really are–it’s easy to fall into black and white thinking, good vs evil, but reality is so much more nuanced. Be unbiased. Understand that what is right and follows your values is not necessarily seen that way by others, and sometimes that clashing of beliefs is desperately needed. See where oppression and manipulation is occurring and be a force to release those in that place. I often ask myself what is the difference between Justice and the Queen of Swords, and the Queen of Swords see’s the grey in-between situations and still acts.

The King of Wands as the Red Bull. You know what you want and need to do. Don’t let anything stop you. You are a master of your fate. Of course the story tells us how the bull is defeated, but it is only by overwhelming numbers and those who intentions shift to determination!

And Judgement. We see Schmendrick the Magician either about to change the Lady Amalthea back to a unicorn or having changed the unicorn into a woman. Either way, you and your world view are going to profoundly change. It is inescapable. Growth and change are largely out of your control, so the best you can do is embrace it fully and be ready to learn in this next stage of your life.

Taken together, these three tell me that by embracing my personal values unequivocally I will become an unstoppable force but this will profoundly change my person!

Phew! What a monthly reading! There’s a lot of concepts of being true to yourself despite resistance and outside pressures and things needing to be balanced, and chasing after things that for the longest time seem impossible. But it comes with a warning– to do so will profoundly change who you are and your world. Wow!

Um, anyone else’s May gonna rock their world?
Tarot Over Tea: Tarot Academy Awards

April 22nd, 2024

Clockwise from top left to right: Le Tarot Arthurien, Mirra Visions, Anna K Tarot (indie 2nd edition), Tabula Mundi Tarot and accompanying book, Oracle of the Radiant Sun, Eldritch Overload: Fantasy Cyberpunk Tarot. Center, The Last Unicorn Tarot (wooden box), City Labyrinth Tarot, The Flow Tarot. Not shown, The Bohemian Gothic Tarot large print limited edition from Baba Studio (it was hiding behind me on the shelf, being spooky).

Here was another fun tag by Fairylight tarot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5gzHhrvji8)! Apparently, this was started last year, so I’m really late to the game, but, still great fun! Though I feel I have many decks that would fit several of these categories I tried to keep to newer decks I have received in the last year or two to keep things fresh.

Best Screenplay: a deck with a great guidebook that stands out in a sea of boring Little White Books

Eldritch Overload: Fantasy Cyberpunk Tarot

I was sorely tempted to put The Nameless One in this category because, whoa man, is that big book BIG! BUT! I adore the guide book that comes with the Eldritch Overload—it’s a story in and of itself. While the deck is loosely RWS, it really does its own thing and owns it 100%. The book is icing on top! It is so much more than a tarot guide, it’s a book of lore all on its own. There is so much extra stuff other than just what is in the tarot card. And, it’s a beautiful book! It is bright, playful, colorful and completely blinged out.

Best Special FX: a deck that is visually out of this world

Mirra Visions

I mean, words on a blog cannot do this deck justice. These lenticular, image-shifting cards are more vibrant and more amazing than either of the original decks. They are soft and flexible in hand. They look metallic! They look unreal. The images mesh together in an incredible way. They are truly magical, and I do not know if any other deck will ever compare. It a “you have to see it to believe it” sort of thing.

Best Costume Design: a deck that shows outstanding attention to details.

Bohemian Gothic Tarot Limited Edition

There are too many decks I feel I own that can fill this category, so I took it in a very literal sense! The kitchy costumes seen in the characters in this deck are *chefs kiss* and half the fun of this deck IMO! Like everything Baba Barock Studio’s produces the attention to every little detail is astonishing, and bordering on madness.

When I do readings with this deck I typically reach for the standard version but on the large version you really can see all the minutia that goes into each image.

Best Photography: a deck that has achieved an outstanding result in capturing the images

The Flow Tarot

Another category I took at face value, this is my only deck comprising of photos! I’m not a fan of photo decks, but I just fell in LOVE with this emotional wishy-washy (pun intended) water themed deck. I am saving it for a summer special use! I especially appreciate the RWS system in a very specific way that relates to water themes and the key words that were chosen for each card (key words are another thing that I tend to really struggle with). I will admit the change of minor suit names did throw me for a loop, but once you look at the picture and key word it’s obvious what card you’re looking at. I can tell that this will become a very special deck in my collection with very specific use case scenarios.

Best Actor (non-gender specific) in a Leading Role: a Tarot deck that is most prominent in expressing human nature

Anna K. Tarot

I have a long history with the Anna K. I considered purchasing the indie version for a long time, but was always on the fence; the Empress is a bit of a bee in my bonnet, but in a good way—it really makes me think hard, and sometimes I don’t wanna think too hard with my decks! By the time I decided I wanted this deck, the indie version was sold out and I didn’t care for the mass market, so I waited around for an affordable used version. And before I knew it, the mass market was gone too! But then my affordable secondary sale came around and I am only now getting the pleasure of using this deck.

I picked it for this category because there is something really profoundly human about the people in the art of the cards—I really resonate with the readings I get and I can tell that this will be a top five read-for-others deck its that good!

Best Actor (non-gender specific) in a Supporting Role: an Oracle deck that is most prominent in expressing human nature

Oracle of The Radiant Sun

This is a deck I have been using for several years, but without fail I find that the cards I draw always bring an intriguing view into a tarot spread. It’s not a deck I can use on its own, nor do I find it plays particularly well with other oracles, BUT it really brings up unusual and sometimes uncomfortable subject matter with tarot that allows deeper and more focused exploration. Astrology isn’t really something that I practice or use in my cartomancy, but I still find the images and words incredibly relevant when working with Tarot.

Best Documentary: a deck that excels in portraying the everyday life

City Labyrinth Tarot

Another literal choice. I just received this deck and I cannot wait to use it! I had to play with it immediately. Living in a city myself (albeit a much smaller one that New York City), I feel like many of these images resonate with being in close contact with strangers every day. The characters in each card seem to have very personal and profound stories, almost like they were modeled after a real person. I love that about this deck.

Best Director: a creator that has shown outstanding results in the coordination of the entire production, from card stock to artstyle to guidebook

Tabula Mundi Tarot

I so SO want to learn basic Toth Tarot decks, but the OG Toth deck doesn’t visually appeal to me (also, I struggle with pip decks), and I find the Mary El, while very beautiful and magical, is a challenge for me.

I’ve been eyeing up the Tabula Mundi for several years and finally bit the bullet. I feel like I intuitively understand the quirky imagery, but the book (that you can buy separately) is both a companion for the deck, but also a general Toth guide. This deck is so thoroughly researched, so thoughtfully created and the creator seems so humble and yet invested in this system I believe it will be just the thing I need to take the plunge into this tarot system!

Best Movie in a Foreign Language: a deck that excels in all the categories presented and that is awarded for lifetime achievement

Le Arthurian Tarot

Literal choice #4. I know I already talked about this one in the past few months, but I’m obsessed with this French deck. It’s SO beautiful and mystical! I’d expect nothing less from Tourian. The book is written in French, thank goodness for google translate and for the best French friend! There are whispers this will be published in English as well–I may need to get the English book but I love the look of the French titles.

Best Movie (English Language): a deck that excels in all the categories presented and that is awarded for lifetime achievement (English Language)

The Last Unicorn Tarot

The Last Unicorn was perhaps my favorite childhood movie and really shaped how I think of myself. I’m quite sure I’m not alone in this. I didn’t read the book until I was well into my 20’s (I didn’t know there was a book and when I learned I literally left my work to get a used copy), and I love that too. It is a story that ages with you, and now in my 30’s I’ve embraced my nerdy love for this story.

The deck has been on and off out of print and I believe this is the only tarot deck that is directly based off a movie that I own. Not only is this a luxury deck with all the bells and whistles, it also does excellent justice to the Tarot system with direct references to the movie. Also, it was on the leading edge of getting the author his rights back in the court system!

What decks do you own that would fit these categories?
April 2024 Decks

April 1st, 2024

From right to left, A Little Rain oracle by AmbiSun (regrettable box #1), Tarot of the Witch’s Garden, The Mushroom Hunter’s Tarot, Tree Keepers Oracle, The Seed & Sickle Oracle Deck (regrettable box #2)

Happy April! And may you have a foolish day!

April is a strange month for me. Always has been, always will be. Usually I like to bring out my “trickster” decks for April, but this year we’re having a bit of a shake-up! Following up Fauna March, is Flora April! I personally have several plant/botanical decks, a few which are making their second appearance on this blog because they didn’t get the attention they deserved last year.

Also, because it’s wacky April, and because we have two examples of gorgeous decks I really love but are in some really regrettable boxes, I think that I’ll have to write this month about my personal gripe and struggle with tarot deck boxes, bags, etc.

But, what do the cards have in store for this month???

Clockwise: Tarot of the Witch’s Garden, A Little Rain Oracle, The Seed & Sickle Oracle, The Mushroom Hunter’s Tarot, Tree Keepers Oracle

What a beautiful spread of colors! The cards were quite chatty this month, and honestly I was feeling a longer spread so I kept the extra jumpers when they came out in the shuffle.

The Seed & Sickle is a strange sort of oracle deck. I really really love the images in this deck, and I find it plays well with a variety of decks I own, and it’s the right balance of thought provoking without making it a completely niche oracle deck (which I tend to find most oracle decks are a bit too specific for my tastes). However, it has two guidebooks. One, Dawn, is forward thinking, while Dusk is retrospective. I’m honestly never sure which I should use!

40 Blackthorn sits near the end of the autumn plants and beginning of the winter plants. The Dawn book tells us it references Cailleach, the winter goddess crone and her unexpected ice storms. Something will take you unawares. Be ready and quick on your feet. In Dusk, we are reminded Cailleach is an ancient guardian of the woodlands and though she looks frail, she is indeed powerful. Don’t let others tell you the bounds of your abilities.

Last year when I took out A Little Rain for my monthly decks I also drew The Orchid, a card speaking to the power of social network and cultivating symbiotic relationships. Well, here it is again! Because I’m not as well versed in the plants featured in ALR, I find this deck a bit more difficult to use, but I’m determined to learn from it and use it because it is one of my most beautiful decks I own!

I wanted to see a different card so, atypical for monthly draws I shuffled until a second one came out, Protea. I knew nothing about this plant, but it is named after a Greek god shapeshifter. The seeds are remarkably resilient to wildfires. The three keywords are Rebirth, Survival, Restore. Eugh, that’s not exactly what one wants to hear for the month! Know that when times are bad or things look down, you have the strength to bounce back. So far, something unexpected will happen to take you down a notch, but with your strong social network and your inner resilience, you got this under control! Lets look at some tarot cards next:

My friend acquired Tarot of the Witch’s Garden last year and I watched her use it many times and I really loved how it reads and how gentle it is while still being firm. It reminds me a lot of my Every Day Witch Tarot, but it’s far less silly. Oh, and its gorgeous! So I got a copy for myself to try out.

We start off with the beautiful Star, which is often seen as the card of rebirth, or coming out of difficulty with a sense of quieting senses and a calming of the mind. Our lady is wishing upon a star surrounded by beautiful moon flowers which will only bloom in the dark (the book refers to them as night blooming jasmine–they are not, I’ve been lucky enough to know both flowers quite well!). A rare and beautiful albino peacock keeps her company. After all that struggle and trauma, you are finally out of it.

I really love the motion in this Eight of Wands! Most Eight of Wands are really lack-luster for me, but not this one! This is awesome! You had intentions in mind for quite a while and now is the time they are going to take off! Things are going to be rapidly happening this month, so hold on tight!

And the lovely Ten of Cups. You have done it. You will realized your dream. You have a profound sense of fullness, are satisfied with yourself and are in a blissful realization. You are content at home and are at home in your world. You’ve labored hard and now get to enjoy the fruits of that work.

Okay, this makes more sense. This month we are seeing the end of a challenging cycle where trauma happened and now finally we are seeing the seeds take root after the big fire mentioned in the first three oracle cards. Things will really start falling into place at a rapid pace and you’ll find an inner bliss you didn’t think was possible. You’ll feel at home in yourself for once. Aww!

Okay, I’ll admit that I don’t often pick up The Mushroom Hunter’s Tarot, but when I do it always makes me laugh! It is certainly a niche deck (I mean, you gotta like wild mushrooms), but it’s also incredibly playful! I read these cards left to right, that is the order they popped out of the shuffle.

The Six of Wands shows Marasmius haematocephalus also know as Red Pinwheel (or as I call them, fairy lanterns!). Despite all odds, and all the challenges, you’ve emerged victorious and successful! You’re a tough little cookie, er, fungi.

The Six of Pentacles shows Tuber borchii, the Bianchetto Truffle, or poor man’s truffle. This card reminds us that we did not reach our achievements alone, someone spent time and resources on us to get us where we are today. Now is a time to see where you can also help others and remember, what you put into something will come back to you in other ways! Between these two cards I get a strong vibe of cultivating your own success though actions done for yourself but also actions towards others. It is interesting they are both VI’s.

I love Stephanie Law’s artwork. The only problem is her cards are never big enough to see all the little details! I really love to flip through the Tree Keepers Oracle but I’ve never really focused on intensively using it (partly because I don’t always agree with the titles) so I’m hoping that this month I’ll get a lot of opportunity to do so.

You got a lot of proverbial irons in the fire! There is a lot of responsibility you are shouldering right now. Make sure to take time to rest and let go of worries. If you don’t, you’ll suffer from burn out. Change and success can eat up your time, until you don’t have any to decompress. Schedule it in, make it happen. It’s important for you to function well and to attend your responsibilities with a clear mind.

Alright, everything taken together for this month: you are emerging from an unforeseen challenge (I mean, the cards are not wrong!), and finally moving on to the next stage in your life. You’ve developed quite a strong social network and sense of self resilience! You are going forward hopeful and moving rapidly to realizing some long sought-after goals of feeling at home with yourself. You will find success and you’ll also share your success. It is a good time to practice mindfulness about when you need to give yourself rest as you keep all the things moving forward in your life.

Maybe this April will be the one to break the weird April Curse!

How about you? Do you enjoy botanical-inspired decks?
Deck Review: Tarot Mucha

March 20th, 2024

Does RWS better than The RWS. Please don’t come at me. Purchased 2020

Nudity Warning! The cards ahead have scandalous boobies.

Overall: 8/10 I will admit, I’ve had some prejudice against this deck in the past. There was a stretch of years where everyone seemed to be coming out with Art Nouveau style decks and even when I first got this deck I felt a little burned out on the style. It is perhaps a good thing then that I waited so long before writing a proper review! This deck does so many things right and executes so many things well, that I’ve never looked for another Art Nouveau specific deck, and it would not surprise me if this deck will continue to sell for many years down the road.

After my failed attempt at using the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot, my Tarot-enthusiast friend loaned me her copy of The Tarot Mucha, and I have to give it credit for being my traditional RWS teacher. When I finally relinquished her deck, I purchased my own copy. It reads like a dream and provides great insight. It is a solid deck, and I can see why it was such a big deal when it first came out (way way back in 2014).

I do not think that this deck gets enough recognition for the incredible expressions of emotion! That Page of Swords clearly doesn’t know what they are doing, the Hermit looks a little crazy, and that 3 of Swords is painful to look at!

This is a really soft feeling deck, but it has BIG EMOTIONS. Saucy, even melodramatic at times. Like the traditional RWS, this deck tends to not silver-line situations, but it is a straight-shooter when it comes to the raw emotions of a situation without being critical or mean. That said, I do feel like this isn’t a snappy sort of deck that’s quick to call you on your b.s.—rather, it is quite “lazy,” in that you really need to stop and LOOK at all the small details on the cards and take your time in a reading.

Card Quality: 4/5 It’s fine. Rather stiff, holds up well to lots of use. Higher end gloss finish makes the cards look new after years of use.

Readability: 5/5 A very, very pretty, accessible and sensible RWS semi-clone, and arguably the easiest reader of all the decks I own. I do like using this for really feminine emotions readings and love and relationship readings. I also tend to pick this off the shelf if I’m reading in the morning, the soft colors seem to bring about that vibe. It also gets a lot of use in the spring. The card border indicates where, in either the major or which minor each card belongs which is really useful in large spreads. This is an easy “learners” deck since the emotions of each character is pretty clear. You got to be more emotionally developed than me (which I suppose is a low bar) to want to use this on the regular–the characters portrayed in the art have big feelings.

This deck has some strong juxtapositions and now I have come to really love it for that. While the beautiful cards are really truly beautiful, there’s also the poor pox covered person on the 5 of Pentacles, and look at that grey/green dead solider in the 10 of Swords. This deck has a savage side!

Art: 4.5/5 I mean, it’s exactly what you expect you’ll get, but so much more. I think Mucha would have been proud to be the inspiration for such a deck. It’s rich in details with that “vintage” feeling colors and style while having the modern RWS reader in mind and delivering very clear imagery and symbols in the cards. This feels like a deck that was designed by an artist who has done tarot as long as they’ve been art-ing. I think it’s easy enough on the eyes for most people who don’t read, and would loan itself well for client readings while also being a great deck to use as a more experienced reader looking for a classic.

I have to say that each card is fairly complex and really gives you a lot to work with, with each image (unlike the Ethereal Visions which is so stark it’s hard to use). And each image is quite original even though it’s definitely traditional RWS (unlike The Golden Art Nouveau which is a copy-paste RWS).

This deck has two artistic faults (imo): one, it’s backs. I wish they would have done something more creative with the backs of these cards. I feel like the backs almost look like a front of a card. Two, I will say that there isn’t much diversity represented in the art (there are one or two non-Europeans), but I suppose there wasn’t much diversity in the original Art Nouveau style of Mucha’s art.

Favorite Card: XIII Death. Okay, I’ll be honest: I bought this deck because I love the take on the RWS, but mostly because I LOVE the Death Card. The Death Card cracks me up. I will keep this deck because of lucky XIII. Death is so done with your bullshit, Steve. Death f*cking told you, and here you are—did you listen? Nope.

Least Favorite Card: XV The Devil. I dunno you guys, this Devil looks rad. I like this card, but it’s not what I think of as the Devil. She seems awesome. Tenacious D vibes.

Card I Identify As: XVII The Moon–SOOO mischievous!

The deck Identifies me as: This deck, despite how much I’ve used it, has never given me a specific identifier.

Season: Late Spring/Early Summer

Boxes it Checks: Traditional, Soft, Romantic, Feminine, Old-School, Love Readings

Similar Decks: The Golden Art Nouveau Tarot, Ethereal Visions Tarot (though honestly I think Tarot Mucha did a better job than either of these), Tarot Art Nouveau (which looks really intricate and colorful), Romantic Tarot, The Harmonious Tarot