Deck and Book Reviews
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Black Violet Tarot
Heidi Phelps began creating the Black Violet Tarot while dealing with the sadness of her mother’s worsening illness and the joy of her pregnancy. Working on a card at a time helped her to navigate her emotions, one day at a time. At times I relate to tarot as a tool for deep healing and grounding as well. As anyone who’s read the Why Tarot? post will know, I came to tarot after the passing of my own mother. Since then it has helped me love, weep over, and reconcile the complexities of mother/daughter relationships and what I learned and what I subsequently lost in her passing. You might think…
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Wild Reflections Tarot
Published in 2024, Wild Reflections Tarot is a contemporary, nature-inspired deck that’s great for beginners. This deck is often compared to the Light Seers Tarot and yes, I agree that the art style is similar, and even that some of the cards are alike. But the focus, the colour palette, and the overall feel is very different. This doesn’t surprise me because I have many RWS-clone decks that feel different to each other in spite of their similarities. Once I started working with the Wild Reflections Tarot I found that to be the case here as well. These cards have an energy that very much reflects their title. This quote,…
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Good Fortune Tarot
The Good Fortune Tarot was one of the decks I included on the Upcoming Decks I’m Excited For post. With artwork by Jessica Roux and a cheeky, yet informative, guidebook, this is an appealing deck. Barbara Moore writes, “the study of tarot is a delicate balance of respecting tradition and not being crippled by it” and the Good Fortune Tarot definitely embodies that sentiment. The Good Fortune Tarot Deck Barbara Moore’s aim was to bring the humour of Marseille decks into a fully illustrated tarot deck. With the Good Fortune Tarot I would argue that she has done so seamlessly. I’ll take XI Justice as an example because it showcases…
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The Rosebud Tarot
From the outset I felt that The Rosebud Tarot would be an ancestral deck for me but I wasn’t sure why. When I read in the opening pages of the guidebook that the focus of the artwork was on collapsing eras it made more sense. Although, I can’t admit to looking at the cards and thinking, “Oh wow, look at how the collaged images are collapsing time.” Instead I wondered if it was that the imagery connected me with my British and Afro-Caribbean ancestors in some way. But in all honesty I felt it was deeper than that and in working with the cards I have found it to be…
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Hanson-Roberts Tarot
The characters who initially seemed a little unusual made sense to me once I reimagined the Hanson-Roberts Tarot as a portal into a fairy tale world. Then everything changed. Once upon a time I looked at the cards and saw frozen figures and the lack of movement in the images bothered me. But, during my interview with the deck it suggested to me that was exactly what I needed to see. I wrote, “I want to bring you into the now, show you a snapshot of the current moment.” From then on I understood the role of this deck for me. It is my here and now deck. A focus,…
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Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack
Reading Tarot Wisdom had a profound effect on me. Not so much because of what it taught me about tarot, but because of what it taught me about myself. It also gave me a renewed sense of freedom in how I work with the tarot. About Tarot Wisdom Tarot Wisdom is presented in three sections: The Major Arcana, The Minor Arcana, and Readings. In the Major Arcana section Rachel Pollack showcases her ability to bring together her vast range of knowledge and experience with the scholarship of others. She generally does this in a personable and accessible manner albeit I don’t feel this is a beginner’s book. There is just…
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Under the Oak Tarot
With most decks I sit down to write about, the words flow naturally. That hasn’t been the case with Under the Oak Tarot. From the outset I experienced strong emotions while working with this deck but I cannot articulate clearly why that is, or was. Memories I can best describe as primal or maybe ancestral, rose within me to such an extent they brought tears to my eyes. Even the tears I cannot explain. A deep sense of relief, understanding, knowing each come to mind as possible explanations, but as much as I love words there are many experiences that are beyond them. From this you would expect Under the…
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Mystic Palette Tarot
Ciro Marchetti created two versions of the Mystic Palette Tarot that are essentially the same and yet feel completely different. As such I wasn’t sure about the best way to write about them. In the end, I decided to treat them like one deck and present them side by side. Therefore this is a longer post than usual because it is in fact reviewing two decks. So I’ll get straight to it. About the Mystic Palette Tarot Ciro Marchetti describes the Mystic Palette Tarot as “decorative and baroque with a touch of goth, a dab of Arthur Rackham, and a sprinkling of Victoriana.” I’d add, fantasy, steampunk, and Roman Empirical…
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Earth Woman Tarot
Earth Woman Tarot is one of the decks I included on my Upcoming Decks I’m Excited For list. It is one that I pre-ordered so I waited in anticipation for it to arrive. It didn’t disappoint. Tarn Ellis sought to create a deck that encapsulates the ancient wisdom of Mother Nature and the Divine Feminine. Her aim is to invite women to be unapologetically themselves. The guidebook, and much of the artwork, does indeed encourage you to take ownership of your own power. And, I found that some of the changes she’s made to the images, encourage a more nuanced way of viewing certain cards. Add in the scenically beautiful,…
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Cozy Witch Tarot
I pre-judged the Cozy Witch Tarot and in so doing I did myself and the deck a disservice. I have Amanda Lovelace’s Believe in Your Own Magic Oracle and I found a lot to love about it so I should have taken that into account. But, I didn’t. Instead, I saw the keywords and questioned whether the deck was for me. Generally I see keywords on tarot cards as distractions that can limit the meanings of the card. How wrong my assumption has proven to be. My eye is naturally drawn to the artwork and when it does wander down to read the words beneath the title I find I…
