Mass Market edition. A popular, bubbly deck. Acquired 2020
Nudity warning: bare chested devil-man lurks below!
Overall: 7/10 There’s a reason everyone and their mother has this deck. It’s bright, it’s lighthearted, it’s RWS, it’s not very esoteric, it does an okay job at representing various people, and it is probably the least offensive deck I own. If you want a deck that you can safely use with anyone, this is that deck.
This deck is a nice deck. I do like it, it’s a Steady Eddie deck that I can bring with me anywhere and use to give anyone a Tarot reading. But, its not my favorite.
I won’t lie, it took me a while to warm up to these cards. Personally, I feel this deck is a bit too nice and fluffy (and crunchy), but I’ve come to appreciate the soft mood the Light Seer’s has to offer. This deck has a rich sense of emotions, and they are much more accessible than some of my other “big feelings” decks. The colors really scream “summer” vibes, but I find that I tend to reach for this deck in the cold dark winter when I’m in desperate need for a sweet, flowery feeling reading. It’s funny how that works.
The fact is, it is too much of a happy deck and that prevents me from reaching for TLST more often for my personal use. While there is difficult emotions and pain here (the three of swords is pretty strong!), and introspection there, it is vastly overshadowed by all the joy and “good vibes” and some of the cards really fall flat for me . I do feel like this is an unbalanced Tarot in that regard, but hey, some days you need all the happy you can get.
Card Quality: 4.5/5 These are thick and good! Very impressive for the price. Wish the mass market came green gilded, I for sure would have paid extra.
The challenging cards I think are done well in this deck–much emotion! So pensive, very wow!
Imo, some of the challenging cards that fall a little flat for me.
Readability: 4.5/5 I could see this being an absolute beginner’s deck. I have to say, while I like the light/shadow concept the LWB provides, I don’t necessarily always agree with the author’s interpretations, and I very rarely reach for the booklet. But, I don’t struggle to have my own intuitive meanings of the cards either. There’s such a playful, whimsical attitude that makes it easy to want to work with this deck.
Because it’s so light feeling, it doesn’t necessarily provide the opportunity to delve into more difficult subject manner. While the three of swords definitely is the hardest hitting card of the deck, even then it has a connotation of healing and mending the pain and heartache (which honestly is great compared to the standard three of swords). The ten of swords and the tower on the other hand totally numb the harsh pain the cards typically display.
Art: 4.5/5 This is by far my happiest deck I have. It’s very modern, bright, pretty, and feel-good. I’m a total sucker for the rich jewel tone colors here, and I wish I had more decks that were really committed to color like this deck. I will say that in regards to representation of various people, ages, and body types, I feel like The Unfolding Path did it better, but there are still many people present in this deck, though they all do feel rather “classically” beautiful.
Favorite Card: I really like the 6 of Cups! Right in the feels. I also really enjoy the Justice Card and the action in the Knight of Swords, the playfulness of the 4 of Wands, and the clever interpretation of the Page of Swords.
Least Favorite Card: The Tower. This is a people focused deck, and I feel it was a cop-out to portray a cute squirrel rather than a stressed out human. This is a gentle deck; too gentle with The Tower.
Card I Identify As: I have to admit, while there’s a lot of cards I really enjoy in this deck, I haven’t found a “me” card yet.
The deck Identifies me as: The Chariot
Season: Summer or Winter when you desperately need some summery feelings!
Similar Decks: I think the Superlunaris Tarot is a true sister deck. There’s an onslaught of modern feeling tarot decks and I don’t have the space to list them all here but some notable similar modern decks: The Sasuraibito Tarot, This Might Hurt Tarot, The Slow Tarot, The Numinous Tarot, The Unfolding Path Tarot
Starting at the left, clockwise, Le Tarot Arthurien, Forgotten Legends Tarot, Asphodelon Mythos Tarot, The Oracle of 11, Legendarium Tarot
When the season is turning noticeably darker, I love returning to the stories I was read as a kid, or read as an adult, or stories in general. I love to read, but often I find I am too busy in the long summer days to linger in a book. Late fall really gives me that chance that I crave. With the anxiety of the tumultuous elections in the USA, I more than ever need a place of solace and stories are that for me. It shouldn’t be a surprise then that one of my favorite “themes” in the Tarot world are decks about stories, or that tell stories, and I wanted to dedicate a whole month (at least!) to decks that are all about myths and legends. I may need to return to this theme seeing as I have so many decks that fit this category!
Look at the variety of gold edging!And the “helper” doing her best to keep out of the way!
This month I wanted to choose decks that are not only myths and legends, but of those decks, ones I’ve used the least. Almost all of these are a year or less in my collection so I’m pleased to get the chance (and challenge!) of really digging in deep to get to know them better.
At the top is the The Oracle of 11, made by the brilliant Ambi Sun, who is the creator of my much beloved Oriens Tarot. This oracle deck is representing South East Asian stories (I believe it was originally called The Oracle of SEAS). This enchanting deck really packs a wallop, as you’ll see shortly. The art is of course just stellar, but I will say that the colors of the card faces are quite a bit darker than the backing and box suggest. In any case, this is a really different and fun deck to use!
The Legendarium Tarot gave me two jumpers for this month. This deck so surpassed all expectations I had of it! It’s very clear that D&D had a huge influence over the card images and keywords, and it deviates at times rather drastically from the RWS, but it’s structure and general “Fool’s journey” is delightful and fresh. I could easily see traveling with this deck for months on end and never getting bored of it! This is a total “cool kids” deck. The art is quirky, charming, and a very interesting nod to traditional Marseilles Tarot and playing card art. The creator is the same who made Tarot of the Golden Wheel and currently has another Kickstarter deck, a sister deck to Legendarium, that is just wrapping up it’s funding! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/montenzicollabs/the-clouds-of-destiny-tarot
The Forgotten Legends Tarot was a last moment purchase. I knew of it for a while, and like many many decks I admired it from afar and told myself I already have Yoshi Yoshitani’s Tarot of the Divine. The art between the two decks are very similar, and obviously the theme of legends and myths is exactly the same, but Forgotten Legends is muted in color pallet and overall has a rather darker tone in many of the cards. I was so surprised when I got it in hand how very different it feels compared to the Divine, and I absolutely love it. It is certainly much more Euro-centric in its choices of myths and imagery, but this deck is very complex, and is a perfect, moody winter deck.
I was gifted the beautiful Le Tarot Arthurien for Christmas last winter, and I’ve used it through out the year but have held off including it in a monthly deck collection. I adore this beautiful and emotionally evocative deck and I must say that Ana Tourian really is becoming one of my favorite deck makers. I was hoping that I’d be able to acquire the English version of the book that accompanies this deck, but I don’t think its been published quite yet.
And finally, the Asphodelon Mythos Tarot, a deck that has been long in the making. I bought the majors from the artists personal shop years ago and was so stoked to see that she decided to finish this awesome Greek inspired deck! I’ve had this deck for most of this year but really haven’t used it all that much so I’m really enjoying the discovery time I have with it! I really like that there are certain myths I know quite well, but others that are totally new to me, albeit this means that when I sit down with this deck to do a reading I need to budget a little more time in case I get sucked down a story rabbit-hole!
This month I did my monthly draw with my Tarot friend and I wanted to take the opportunity to share with the small audience I have on here how she really helped me become more engaged with my cards and think of my reading with fresh eyes. Like with any art, it’s easy to get stuck in a formulaic structure that works well for you, but this can limit your growth when you neglect to try new things. This is a great example of how you can choose to make your reading more creative, and become more engaged with your cards–include your friends in your draw!
So, I’ll first give a short version of my first reading with these cards as seen above, then we’ll talk about Val’s hot take!
We open with the month’s theme represented by the Puteri Walinong Sari story–a beautiful princess has so many suitors due to her looks and power, and she isn’t really interested in marrying them. She herself is an accomplished martial artist, so veils herself and says that she’ll marry the suitor that is able to fight and beat her–well, of course she kicks all their butts! Then a humble man from out of no-where talks to her and, you know, takes a real interest in her. He too is a martial art mat-rat and they inevitably decide to spar and he is winning! In a last ditch attempt she removes her veil and stuns him with her beauty and is able to defeat him and *poof!* he disappears! It is said she was whisked away with him to a far away mountain top and is reunited with him, neither ever seen again.
So, from this I get the “true beauty is within” but also “don’t settle for less.” There’s a lesson of needing to fight the good fight to get what you are worth. Expect there to be resistance. Huh.
Then I have the Two of Coins with the keyword “Rope-Walker” and the Ace of Cups with a charming Nereid. Though you go through this time with a knowing grin, you are playing a balancing game. Things are not as easy as they may appear to others. Nevertheless, you must keep your eyes (see that creepy eye on the chalice? ) and heart open for the genuine and true (similar vibes to our oracle card I think).
And then we end with a pretty exhausted 10 of Wands, a jousting 5 de Batons (Wands), and the cute Page of Cups. You have much bounty but to harvest it is a great chore and perhaps too big for one person, but you have no choice but to persevere. There is a challenge, and neither party is ready to take it on, though there is a “winner,” both knights have no tack and are certainly falling off their mounts. And we end with Hebe, who is carrying the ambrosia of the Gods. You are tasked with an important responsibility, but this doesn’t require you to leave your child self behind–see the world through the eyes of a child, let yourself play and try to find joy and meaning in what you do.
Now, my friend took these cards and did something really simple but interesting with them and pointed out some visual cues:
She pointed out in the oracle card, we have two figures, male and female, who are clearly warring with one another, but we know in their story they end up as dearest lovers.
We see the jester juggling in the Two of Coins the sun and moon, two drastically opposing forces.
In the 5 of Wands, we have on the left the chestnut-horse rider the 10 of Wands (also in warm brown tones), and the opposite black-horse rider is paired with the black haired Page of Cups. She explained that if it was her draw, she sees the Chestnut-riding knight the work-a-holic person fighting the childlike play that is the Black-riding knight.
But, we finish with a mermaid, who is, despite all natural order, is a half human and half fish–two opposites that seem impossible to get along, combined to something new and fresh. So, how can you (me) think of taking these two different approaches to responsibility and marry them together into something that is strange, but beautiful and new? How can you integrate these two parts of yourself harmoniously?
Wow! I was so taken by this interpretation! You can see how just thinking of the cards and what they depict in a different way can completely set a different tone with a draw. I feel like both readings are spot on for me this past month, and I was so pleased I had her with to look deeper at imagery and think critically at the whole of the draw!
How about you? Do you read Tarot with friends? What new ideas do they inspire in you?
4th edition and large matte edition. There’s a reason for all the hype. Acquired 2020
This deck just makes me happy. I brought it out unexpectedly for some October fun, and realized I need to review it. It would be a very strong contender for “you can only keep one deck which, one it is?”
Overall: 10/10 You know that friend you love to go drinking with (even though you don’t really drink)? The one that unleashes your inner party-goblin? The one that’s so witty and yet retains such a coquettish innocence? That’s The Dark Mansion Tarot. Super personable and intimate, this is a delightfully fun deck that, while it doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, it definitely holds its own as a unique tarot on the market.
I really really thought I would not like this deck and I did not jump on the bandwagon to buy it until it had been already well into its fourth edition print (gilded edges, glossy finish) and I’d watched a dozen videos of it being used. I didn’t much care for the black edging (I was going through a shiny phase, okay?) so I was thrilled to see they had a gold edge finish, but I didn’t realize the card finish was glossy until it arrived on my door step! That disappointment lasted all of two seconds before I fell head over heels for this deck.
I like it so much than when they offered a matte large edition nearly three years later (NOT to be confused with the rose-petal finish of the first special edition printing) I snatched one up immediately, so this will be a review of both of these decks, because I think they both are excellent quality.
I tend to find that I bring this deck with me traveling more than any other deck. It’s the “read all” deck I own. It’s the “I don’t know what I’m gonna need reading, so I bring this deck.” It’s happy to talk on any query and give a solid, well-rounded reading no matter what. It isn’t offensive, petty, over-emotional, and has a great balance of feminine and masculine energies.
Card Quality: 5/5 I got the fourth edition which is glossy af and I wasn’t too happy about it but the cards are top notch nonetheless. But, the colors are OUT OF THIS WORLD with the glossy version, and it’s a breeze to shuffle. The box also comes with gold foil accents
The large matte edition is gorgeous too, with gold painted edges, with a finish that is soft and gives the cards an almost antique-y feel. Compared to the gloss finish, they are much harder to shuffle, but the larger size also makes them a bit cumbersome. That being said, I LOVE the larger images where I can see minutia detail that gets a bit lost in the sauce of the smaller cards.
The skeletons are just an absolute mood throughout the deck! They crack me up!
Readability: 5/5 There is no guide book because you don’t need one, the images tell all the story you need. There are some changes to meanings of cards; for example, there’s a heavy emphasis of risk, and balance as well as planning in the two of wands that I think is an improvement, but I feel like this deck does RWS better than the RWS (burn me at the stake).
Art: 4/5 The art is out-of-this-world-quirky, and cute, lush, full, story driven, cohesive, everything I personally look for in a deck BUT it’s all a bunch of white people.
Favorite Card: The Eight of Swords–this is the card that told me I had to have this deck. It really scratched an itch. It doesn’t do anything no body hasn’t done before, it simply just does this card very, very well. And, a side note, this has the BEST eight of wands! Now that’s how you do and eight of Wands, folks! And The Moon, I really am hypnotized by this moon. This moon is a force to be reckoned with.
Least Favorite Card: None, there isn’t a card in here that doesn’t belong.
The parade of Pages! The Pages in this deck are just adorable and great in their depiction and mannerisms!
Card I Identify As: I really relate to the Page of Wands (so, so cheeky!), the Page of Swords, The Knight of Swords, and The Eight of Wands, though I do also have a deep connection with the whole numbered cups suit.
The deck Identifies me as: The Empress (for some reason? I’m quite happy about it!)
Season: early Fall through early Winter
Boxes it Checks: Charming, Friendly, Easy to Read, Humorous, Cohesive, Quirky, Cute,
Similar Decks: Le Tarot Noir, The Nightmare Before Christmas Tarot, Tarot of the Sweet Twilight, Tarot of the Haunted House
The work desk chaos as I’m writing the monthly decks of October–there is a cup of sanity tea buried in there!
So, October in my neck of the woods definitely has a vibe to it—not only is my particular neighborhood really invested in Halloween, it also has quite a large population of Wicca and Pagan practitioners, many of whom celebrate Samhain with vigor. One would be hard pressed to not want to get into the spooky feel of things! The weather in October typically starts to go from the balmy early fall to really cold, really quick. This sudden change often coincides with fantastic leaf colors (and don’t get me wrong, we’re getting fantastic colors this year!) and the desire to get cozy. However, as I finally get around to writing this monthly deck draw, it’s a sweltering 80F something in my office and we are maybe thinking of getting cooler in a few days. Maybe.
This is all to say, it’s rather hard for me to want to get into my typical dark and gritty decks that I start to bring out for October and the coming dark months. Both myself and by Tarot BFF decided that we will do something a little different this year, we will stick with the spook, but make it lighthearted (sorta)! For October, we’re choosing decks that are witch-themed.
From left clock wise: Ask The Witch Tarot, The Botan Tarot (second edition), The Nameless One Oracle and Tarot, Under the Oak Tarot, The Solitary Witch Oracle
It seems like the color theme this month are black, blue, and silver! Full disclosure–I actually have a lot of witch themed decks, but I wanted to pick a mixture of different flavors, and decks I haven’t used too recently, with the exception of the Under the Oak Tarot, which I used part way through September. I am not ready to put it on the back shelf just yet—I adore this deck!
I’ve had The Solitary Witch Oracle since it was first released, though I have not used it in my monthly decks at all. This is an oracle that is very gentle and kind, and I am in love with the images, though I do honestly think it’s a bit unbalanced being so nice.
To counteract that sweetness I had to include The Nameless One, a deck that I mention a lot on this blog, which, while not “mean” can be blunt and harsh and is oh-so-witchy (and it’s just one of my favorite decks so, any excuse…).
Ask the Witch Tarot is another deck that is no stranger to the monthly decks, but it is so odd and quirky that it is a great non-traditional tarot for the month that also matches the global warming trend with it’s bright, summery colors!
And finally, I just acquired the Botan Tarot end of last month and not only is it gorgeous, it has some serious magic and brings a non-European witch flavor to the roundup.
Lets review what the cards said this month had in store for me:
Well, how perfect for the witchy month to have a witch gathering! This card is pretty straight forward: you will have interactions with many of your friend group and perhaps others outside of it. You may be called to help others in a way that only you can fulfill, or perhaps you yourself need to ask others for help. There is a theme of community, empowerment through helping others, and social support. There also is a suggestion of festivities (hello Halloween!) and acknowledgment of seasonal cycles with the rabbit and the fox. What “season” do I find myself in now? How does that compare with my friends? How can I best support my friends, and in turn have them support me?
Ah. From the Nameless One I picked both a tarot card and an oracle card. The tarot card is the Ten of Branches (Wands), and if that isn’t a reference to Atlas having to carry the world I don’t know what is. This card speaks to having success but the burdens that come with it. It’s hard to celebrate when you have many responsibilities. The labor of love is a constant uphill battle. Our pretty butterflies remind us carpe diem, it’s good to put the load down every once in a while to look back at what we accomplished. And then from the oracle we have XIX The Energetic Flyer (get it? cause the birds are humming birds?). This is the second-wind card! You are full of energy and enthusiasm to begin either something new or go that last push to finish something! It warns I should be careful to direct that energy to a good outlet.
So far, these three cards together I get the sense that I’m going to have to help bear some social burdens, however I’ll have plenty of chutzpah to do it! What else do we have?
From the Ask the Witch I drew that page of wands. Here’s a curious youthful witch who is wondering how to use the tools at hand to their best advantage. Fresh ideas may spring up out of otherwise dead wood! I may start to see things in a different way, see possibilities that I didn’t before in various things or situations. There’s a bounding rabbit behind them as well, who knows where it’s going.
The Botan Tarot gave me the beautiful Star, quite a different take on the typical RWS Star! You’ve been searching a barren desert for a long time, here’s your big “sign” you’ve been looking for! This is the start of the hopeful journey—there’s no need to be lost anymore, don’t second guess yourself!
And the Under the Oak gave me the 3 of Wands, a wonderfully active and witchy three of wands at that! You’ve got the idea, try it out! It doesn’t matter if you don’t do things perfectly, try. Fail. Go back and try again. This is a card about doing, taking that first action after the first thought and plan. It probably wouldn’t hurt to be a little scientific about how you proceed; what worked, what didn’t. What do you want to try next time?
Interestingly we have two other references to rabbits (or hares, who’s to say?), both in the Page of Wands and the Three of Wands (which has two rabbits) along with the Gathering oracle card. I’m wondering if there is something that needs to be created or reproduced in my friend group?
These three together I see as motivation to take the next steps! I’m confident in my direction now I need to do the thing! The stars have aligned and all I have left is to take the first step and action. Enter with a curious and open mind.
All together, I’d say that this month I’m going to be very socially active; my calendar will be filled (seeing as I drew this twenty days ago I can attest that this was very true indeed)! It’s also a month where I’m going to try different things with my friends, share new ideas and just “go for it!”
What about you? What have the cards told you this October?
My bestie and fellow Tarot aficionado Val and I chose complimentary decks for the first Spooky season month and we swapped our decks with each other for the latter half of this September! But, these are decks the other has never used! So this later part of September is totally dedicated to learning fun new decks we already know are great readers. We each chose a dark themed deck, a light themed deck, an otherworldly deck, a wild fae deck, and a super cute deck! Here are the decks my friend chose and I am now using:
Val chose The Unfolding Path Tarot (indie Kickstarter edition!) for her light tarot, an excellent choice seeing as it is so inclusive and kind! There is now a mass market printing of this deck available. For her wild fae she chose the Tarot at the End of the Rainbow, an absolute hilarious and quirky deck of leprechauns, fairies, mermaids and all sorts of mischievous woodland fae and critters! I love this deck and I’m happy I get a chance to use it. Her cute deck had to be The Kawaii Tarot, a deck I’ve watch in action being equal parts adorable and hard core merciless reader! So, I approach the cutsie backs with caution. The otherworldly deck she swapped with me is her second edition Dream Visions deck, a absolutely stunning deck I’ve used a handful of times and watched be used many many more. And for her dark deck, it is none other that the multi artist Kickstarter deck, the Corrupted Tarot. This deck for sure is a hard hitter and rather devilish to boot!
Clockwise: Corrupted Tarot, Dream Visions Tarot, The Unfolding Path Tarot, Tarot at the End of the Rainbow, center Kawaii Tarot
So, I am mirroring the draw I did with my chosen decks for the beginning of this month with Val’s decks now for the later half! The too cute Kawaii Tarot gave me the Four of Swords. Our mama sloth has her work cut out for her! She needed a break, to rest and enjoy the flowers and take a step back from the little sloths’ shenanigans! Yes, indeed I had a quantifiable very-much going on this early September that suddenly came to a halt. Many things I’ve been toiling at have reached their conclusion and now I can sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labors (or really, take a effing nap!).
Uh, I think the Tarot gods are trying to tell me something! Both the Tarot at the End of the Rainbow and The Unfolding Path produced III The Empress. We see the wheat is ready to harvest with both these beautiful Empresses; one is certainly the lady boss and the other is the creative mother. One is vulnerable and one is protected, they are very different Empresses! Now is a good time to change gears and think about what is ready for my hands to make into something real and bring into the world. With the change of seasons comes a change of pace and a change of mindset. Build off of what you’ve already sown into the world.
From the Corrupted Tarot I pulled the very creepy High Priestess. Being the deck is about the negative meanings of cards, this one speaks to others trying to influence you through gossip, claiming to be gurus and truth know-ers when in reality they are just shutting down your intuition. Maybe what feels like insecurity is just others tamping down your inner voice. Don’t stifle your inner-voice and gut feelings–they are there for a reason!
And Dream Visions gave me the beautiful Death! For me this is really a “rebirth” card. The snake reminds me of Aesculapius’s healing staff (especially with the lovely rose), and the skull is half buried–what has ended has ended, and now its time to move on from the rest and find healing.
This is really a lovely reading! The later half of this month I’ll find some peace and a well of creative source! I’ll be challenged with others trying to sway my vision, but I will once and for all put those negative untruths to rest!
Have you ever swapped a tarot deck with a friend? What did you learn?
It is September! While the hot weather screams summer, for me, this is the first month of Spooky Season! We’re going to do something a little different this month; my bestie and I, who are both avid tarot readers and collectors, will take an assortment of five decks that are drastically contrasting one another, use them for half the month, then switch these decks with each other–themes stay the same, decks change! And we’re only using decks the other doesn’t have. Lets jump on in!
The contrasting themes of the decks we were looking for are: a dark deck with strong negative meanings, a light deck with strong positive meanings, otherworldly, wild fae, and something super cute! For my dark deck I’ve been using The Lubanko Tarot, a rather sought-after visceral deck that gives me the spookies. My light deck had to of course be The Light Seer’s Tarot. Otherworldly will be my newly arrived Starborn Arcana Tarot (a delightful deck, cannot recommend this one enough). The strange and wonderful Under the Oak Tarot fills the requirement for wild fae. This is a deck I may consider doing a full month long deep dive on. And, my retro and folks-y Tarot Nova will be my cute deck! What do the cards say I have in store this month???
Upper left to right clockwise: The Lubanko Tarot, Starborn Arcana Tarot, The Light Seer’s Tarot, Under the Oak Tarot, center Tarot Nova
The Tarot Nova took many years for me to make heads or tales of this deck. I still wonder how RWS it is, but I try instead to just riff off the images and what they inspire in me. This three of wands has the three represented by the two temples of a pair of glasses and what looks like an old fashion fountain pen OR a whittling knife (but both are actually growing wands, very clever). The glasses remind me of the Harry Potter books that I enjoyed as a kid! We also look like we have either three matches or perhaps three pieces of pencils.
So full disclosure; I’ve been using these decks extensively since the start of September so I had plenty of use under my belt by the time I’m getting around to writing this. HOWEVER the three of wands I’ve pulled over and over and OVER again, so there’s a clear theme here. This three of wands: I’m looking carefully at what to do next, but I also have all the tools I need to make it happen! Use what you got.
From the quirky and charming Under the Oak is the strange 5 of Wands. Are the animals competing to impress the odd god rising from the fire or are they making a sacrifice or are they summoning or…? Hmm!
Light Seer’s gives me the beautiful 2 of Cups. Ah! A magical connection. I see–between the two, we have healthy competition! Meeting new people in a sport or other competitive hobby. Alright. Perhaps being overwhelmed but having a great support network. Learning something with another that is a bit of a struggle (like exchanging tarot decks perhaps???).
The Lubanko gives us the King of Pentacles. For this deck, this card is quite soft and bright and not seeming to seek a reaction. I feel a reiteration of the idea that you have vast and great resources. You are a master of balancing things to get the best outcome. You have stability and prosperity and no matter where you look the sun is shining on you!
The King of Pentacles is paired with The Starborn’s Magician! This Magician gives strong two of pentacle vibes, doesn’t it? You got the whole world in your hand, and you know exactly where you want to be. You get to make it happen, or be the total destroyer–your choice!
This monthly draw has some serious movement and energy! I seem to be taking the next steps on an adventure. While there is struggle, I’m amply prepared to meet it! I’ll make friends and have the potential to become the best version of myself if I play my cards right and use my sensibility!
Seems like an exciting month ahead! Can’t wait to do our deck swap!
Warning: artisticnudity and some mildly gory decks ahead
This introspective tag I found is by the tarottuber Exploring Tarot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii_ClehwHwI) and it asks us to share the decks that have either changed our mind about Tarot as a whole, or decks that we have changed our mind about. I, in general, don’t purchase decks I don’t care for, so I don’t have a lot of decks that I’ve done a 180 about, but since I’m rather new on my tarot journey (I only seriously started in 2015) I have a lot of decks that have shaped my experience and understanding of the Tarot systems.
I have to admit, most of these decks have been seen on this blog before—I’m sorry, a good deck is a good deck!
1. The Shadowscapes Tarot: My Foundational Deck
Czech edition
So of course I cannot do this tag without paying homage to the deck that completely changed my mind about Tarot—I had been introduced to Tarot when I was a teen, I kinda knew a little about the RWS, and knew some of the traditional RWS cards, but at that point Tarot was more of a strange card trick/game/hobby people had, rather than a tool of self reflection. But, my friend’s favorite deck, The Shadowscapes Tarot, inspired me to start paying attention to the nuances in the cards. Being my first deck I diligently used and learned the foundations of modern Tarot, I tend to constantly relate all other deck experiences back to this one. Most importantly, Shadowscapes showed me how to relate the images on the cards to my own personal self and current experiences. Of course, in each card there’s a LOT going on, which is often a criticism of the deck (and the subsequent small size of the cards), but it was great for someone just learning the tarot.
2. The Deviant Moon: Look Closer at Discomfort
This was the first deck I was brave enough to buy even though it gave me very mixed feelings. But, curiosity won out. This deck gave me an incredible and important “ah-ha” moment: images that invoke feelings (especially negative feelings) deserve our attention and study. Those feelings can actually tell us a lot about ourselves and can be a gateway to process and understand deep and profound self-truths. This in turn, shaped how I use Tarot.
3. The Spacious Tarot: Beauty in Simplicity
For a while, I struggled to use decks that were not packed to the GILLS with imagery and symbolism. To this day I tend to favor “busy” decks. But, I finally was able to understand the appeal of a simplistic and arguably minimalist deck once The Spacious Tarot came into my life. I find using this deck very effortless. That isn’t to say it isn’t a deck without depth (not at all, this is a very “deep” reader when one wishes to go there), but rather the simplicity of the imagery speaks volumes.
4. The Brady Tarot: An Animal Deck that Felt Real
It is no secret I am an animal lover, but often I struggled with animal decks because many feel overly-gentle and “fluffy” and very unlike the complex and sometimes vicious behavior animals tend to have which is needed for their survival. I also struggle when human’s own mythos and meaning of an animal can get overly caught-up in the meaning the tarot card has for an animal. But the Brady Tarot really and truly flipped this narrative on its head. This incredible deck does not pull punches in the least and it was (and arguably still is) one of my most brutal readers. It added a level of discomfort I had not encountered in a deck and perhaps highlights the rather frivolous nature of life in a very real way. This deck demands sitting with your shock and taught me not to be so squeamish with the brutalities nature has in store.
5. The Broken Mirror Tarot: Seeing Things from Other’s Point of View
Fourth edition
Up until I purchased the Broken Mirror Tarot, I tried my best to ignore cardstock and hand-feel entirely, and focus my attentions only on the imagery of the cards. But this deck did two important things that shaped how I view and treat tarot: firstly, it taught me that how a deck feels in hand is, despite my most noble ideals, actually very important.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, this deck was the second that I had which was not created by a more “western” artist (of course, Stephanie Pui-Mun Law, creator of Shadowscapes uses themes and inspiration from all over the world) and I could sense even though the art “felt” European in nature, the themes and general feel of the deck was very, very different than what I had experienced before. This was fascinating and really eye opening that the Tarot system can be used across culture with similar but also different imagery. There is a lot to be learned from seeing things from a different perspective.
6. The True Black Tarot: The Body Feels the Truth
The True Black was a gift from my husband, but this deck became an important turning point in my Tarot education. The imagery in this incredible deck is very evocative of the senses, not just the visual! Not only did the otherworldly perfection of the bodies that appear in this deck help me get over “oh no, naked people in the cards!” embarrassment, the imagery in this deck really demands the viewer feel the cards in a way that is outside of the norm. Look at how the wind blows through the triumphant lion’s mane and the water pelts the king of cups. What about the little, champagne like bubbles rising around the baby squid in the six of cups? What about the eerie stillness of Temperance with her long locks of hair ribbon-ing around her? These are all wonderful imaginary feelings that the cards offer to the reader.
7. The Sola Busca Tarot and the Game of Saturn Book: Tarot History is Complicated
I am a lover of history, so of course as I started learning Tarot, the history of Tarot fascinated me! Many sources told me early on that there were no illustrated pips until the RWS, which is simply not true on many accounts. There also is repeatedly mentioned that Tarot was used in the long past as a means of divination (which I think there is far too much evidence to say otherwise) but then there’s people who claim to have this old knowledge, and I’ll be frank, I think most is at best guess work. The Sola Busca is considered the oldest example of a fully illustrated deck, and there are several reproductions out there if any collector wishes to have their own copy. It’s clear that the deck had much deeper meaning in the card images than what the typical card game of the time detonates, but despite the delightful and researched theories that Peter Adams makes in his very large book The Game of Saturn, it is clear that the esoterica of the past may very well remain largely in the past.
8. The Trionfi Della Luna: There is No Reason not to Laugh at Your Cards
Where as The Deviant Moon really made me focus on getting *serious* about my tarot, the sister Trionfi reminds me that sometimes, you just gotta laugh! This deck (especially the fantastical illustrated pips version) isn’t afraid to make fart jokes, snicker in the open, and in general make totally inappropriate fun of the situation. While this would never be a deck I use to read for others (other than a tarot lover perhaps) this is the deck that taught me to lighten the hell up a little!
For the longest time I had difficulty with “Art Decks” or Tarot decks that are made from preexisting art. Well, to be honest, I still kinda do have difficulty with them! But Baba’s Fantastic Menagerie really showed me how you can take preexisting art and make is fit into Tarot SO. GOOD! J. J. Grandville may have been a comic artist from nearly 200 years ago, but his art still hits that funny satire mark. But there was an important lesson I learned from using this deck that broadened my Tarot horizons–the themes of human existence depicted in Tarot are so universal we can see tarot “meanings” in things that aren’t even meant to be card decks. And that, if you ask me, is pretty cool.
10. Children of Litha Tarot: A Deck that’s Changed My Mind. Twice
The Children of Litha Tarot is a deck I held off buying for years and years because I was truly unsure of the art. After my friend loaned it to me for a few very good, complex readings, and waffling a bit more, I broke down and bought it.
I actually hated it, and didn’t use it for a good year.
Buuuut, after sitting down and purposefully using it and getting to learn the deck, I’ve finally come around. This is a very cool deck, even if it isn’t something I was immediately in love with. So, here’s the deck that I actually changed my mind about. Several times.
11. The Nameless One Tarot and Grimoire: Modern Esotericism Exists
There was a post on Tarot Reddit once that caught my eye. The post was something along the lines of “What Tarot decks are very esoteric?” So I offered what I thought were some particularly esoteric decks (I think I mentioned The Mary El), but the poster scoffed and made it clear that in their mind, only particularly old decks could be considered “esoteric”!
This interaction stuck in my head, and I for a while wondered if all our card esoterica came from the RWS or the Thoth, 1900’s esoteric visions.
But upon getting a copy of The Nameless One and its absolutely MASSIVE companion tomb, it became abundantly clear that esoterica exists in the modern world, having developed its own unique meanings and flavor. After all, historic Tarot, which was rooted very much in Renaissance Catholicism esoterica and imagery, has now been claimed into the modern practice of witchcraft, Wicca, and various pagan practices. We have new esotericism that is constantly evolving around our cultures.
12. The Heartscapes Tarot: I Personally Don’t Like AI Decks
I debated even posting this one seeing as the subject is so very contentious and for good reason. But, I think it’s worth talking about. This is my second AI deck (the first was The Golden Journey, a very early AI deck on Kickstarter) and its the first deck that fooled me into thinking it was human made, not AI. It wasn’t until I got it in hand and had my friend look it over that I had to admit I was duped.
Despite the glaring things wrong in the images that give this away as AI, it is a beautiful deck. But, after using it several times, my mind was made up that giving money to a product that reaps the benefit of other, real people’s hard work and does not give them due credit is, to my mind, wrong.
13. The Tabula Mundi Tarot: The Thoth System is Actually Pretty Rad
I won’t belabor this one too much seeing as I did a whole month of working with Thoth, BUT! After looking at many Thoth decks, and failing to be able to read with the gorgeous Mary-El for many years, I finally broke down and got the much more accessible (and frankly fun and trippy) Tabula Mundi deck and accompanying book. I went from feeling like I’d never learn the Thoth to “hey, I can’t wait to pick this up again!” I still have a long way to go before I feel comfortable with this system, but at least it feels attainable!
14. Anna K. Tarot: Beauty Is As Beauty Does
I am a little embarrassed about this one. I suspect that I’m not alone in this boat either. I knew of the Anna K Tarot since I started my Tarot journey in 2015–it has had several waves of popularity, and it was a common deck sold in stores (though recently it is OOP both its mass market and indie editions). But every time I looked at it I cringed at the “cabbage patch” faces of the people in the cards.
Yep, that’s right. I passed on this deck because I thought it was ugly.
Many times I watched others use this deck or watched a flip through, but I couldn’t get over the faces in these cards. Finally, just last year I held a deck in person and I realized I’d been prejudice of this art work–the faces were not classically perfect or beautiful, but they captured perfect emotion and feelings and, well, real people perfectly! This deck very quickly became one of my favorite decks to use for any reading.
15. The Last Unicorn Tarot: Tarot and the Inner Child
I am not a person who is terribly attracted to “cutesy” or “childish” decks. In fact, there are many decks that are too childish/overly cute for my personal tastes. I also only have a handful of decks that really bring my Inner Child to the surface (namely, Smoke Ash & Embers and the Tarot of the Abyss). I find that these decks tend to be too much emotionally charged to use in frequent readings for myself (Tarot of the Abyss) or tend to be a little too soft in its readings to have a completely neutral feeling deck (SA&E).
I came across the Last Unicorn Tarot several years ago (not that long after it’s successful kickstarter) and it was sold out and I talked myself into thinking that my childhood obsession with The Last Unicorn movie and book(s) ought to stay in my childhood past, with all the rest of the trauma (don’t do this folks, its bad for your health). But, this deck seemed to keep popping up in my life, I kept coming back to look at it, and even though I promise not to be suckered into tarot decks based off franchises (though will someone PLEASE make a kick ass fully illustrated LOTR decks?), I decided to try this deck.
I was shocked to find in hand this deck truly made me feel like a kid again. I had no idea how many complex feelings I had wrapped up in this story. Obviously, not everyone is like me and grew up loving and fearing this film, but I realized that it’s okay to get a tarot deck just because you have feelings about it–you don’t need to justify those feelings. AND! I also learned its totally okay to work on the Inner Child in your tarot practice!
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?
“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)
Top row left to right: BabaBarock Tarot of Prague (2024 reprint), The Spacious Tarot (second edition), TarotLandscapes. 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!
The Tarot Tarts 