Cottage Magic Tarot

I bought the Cottage Magic Tarot because I felt that it matched what I wanted my life to look and feel like – calm and cozy. The uncomplicated art style offers a snap shot of how things could be. You don’t have to try and find meaning. It’s not “hidden” in a plethora of symbols. It’s just there in solid blocks of colour. Nothing feels busy or overwhelming. Put simply, in a chaotic world, it feels manageable.

A woman in a blue dress stands on a cliff’s edge, holding a basket and a pink flower. She smiles, looking upward, with a bird and colorful flowers at her feet under a bright sun. Text at the bottom reads “The Fool.”.

An adult hands a pink flower to a smiling child in front of a house. Six teacups filled with pink flowers are arranged on the grass. The card reads Six of Teacups.

About the Cottage Magic Tarot Deck

When I opened the Cottage Magic Tarot and saw the chicken at The Fool’s feet I knew this deck was going to surprise me. I’m a very new chicken owner and I can honestly say that as much as I love animals I never expected to become as attached as I have to my “girls”. Nor did I expect to start my day picking up chicken poo and actually enjoying the process. But I do. It really is the little things that can heal the soul.

The Suits

Because of this I love the world I inhabit with the Cottage Magic Tarot. In this world of Teacups (Cups), Biscuits (Pentacles), Candles (Wands) and Quills (Swords) memories of visiting my Auntie Lorna as a child return. Without fail, regardless of how much notice she was given, she always had a freshly baked batch of cookies, a slice, or a cake ready to place on the table beside the stainless steel teapot kept warm in its knitted tea cosy.

Tea poured, together she and Dad would sit and discuss the latest goings-on in the garden. Which fruit and vegetables were going well, which had been effected by the heat or the frost, what they were about to plant and so on. At the time it was boring old people’s talk that I’d hear each school holidays but the cake made it worth it. Now that it’s too late, I wish I’d paid more attention. I’m left learning these things from You Tube when once upon a time I had an encyclopaedia of knowledge, borne from experience, at my disposal. Somewhere though it seeped in and now I’m slowly returning to that way of life myself. And just like this deck, it’s nice.

A woman in a yellow dress and pink apron decorates flower-shaped cookies on a kitchen counter. The green room, filled with light and a potted plant, evokes the cozy spirit of Cottage Magic Tarot. The card reads Eight of Biscuits.

A Cottage Magic Tarot card, the Ten of Biscuits, shows an elderly woman, a young woman in pink, and a child outdoors among ten star-topped biscuits, with a dog and cat nearby.

As with minimalist decks, every detail has something to say. In the guidebook, Ann Shen suggests noticing where people are looking or pointing or any elements that stand out. For me the details in the biscuits were one of the many things I noticed. For example, seeing the variety of cookies on the Eight of Biscuits, (pictured above), being narrowed down to a single type on the Ten of Biscuits, (also above), made me think about what I’d like to be remembered for. While we can’t control how people see us, we can choose what we dedicate our time to and be aware of the potential impact of our choices. What messages, knowledge, and ways of being are we passing down? And, do they align with the legacy we want to leave behind?

A Cottage Magic Tarot card shows a woman in a red coat and pink hat leaving a cozy room with eight stacked teacups, a window, bookshelf, cat, and crescent moon outside. Text reads EIGHT OF TEACUPS.

A girl in a blue dress and red hat sits with folded arms before shelves of nine colorful teacups, pink flowers, and greenery. The Cottage Magic Tarot card reads NINE OF TEACUPS at the bottom.

The Teacups gave me another perspective though. When I look at the progression from the Eight of Teacups to the Nine I’m reminded that regardless of how things may appear, in reality, a life well lived is filled with a range of emotions and experiences. You don’t need to just keep doing the same thing over and over again because it seems right to do so. Having pretty stars and moon tea cups isn’t the same as going and looking at the real thing. Ultimately it just doesn’t stack up. Random cups and the stories connected with them are much more exciting and memorable.

A man in a blue suit with a red tie sits on a throne holding a biscuit with a star. Two horned skulls hang above him. Grapevines, flowers, water, and a castle appear in the background. “King of Biscuits” from Cottage Magic Tarot.

Illustration from the Cottage Magic Tarot: the Queen of Candles sits on her throne, wearing a yellow dress and crown, holding a lit candle and a sunflower, with a black cat at her feet.

Court cards

Even those of us with hermit-ish tendencies still connect with people whether they be family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues, or the cashier at the local shop so I should introduce the Court. Here you’ll meet Kings, Queens, Knights and Pages. This was a bit of a surprise. In a deck that encourages you to “build your own folklore” and set it in a world that “embraces softness and femininity as strength” I thought the Court may have reflected that in a more nuanced way than featuring female knights. But in an RWS clone deck I also understand the choice, especially since beginners are already navigating suit name changes.

Most importantly though is that the artwork makes it easy to imagine the Court’s personalities and approach to life. The Queen of Candles isn’t looking at you. Her focus is elsewhere. And with his foot resting on a stone you can imagine that the King of Biscuits likes a firm foundation and has built his success on solid, safe practices. These are just two examples but they represent the approach taken for the Court well.

Discussions on some individual cards

As I just mentioned, this is an RWS clone but like all such decks, Ann Shen made a few changes. And, I have to say that I like what she did. Below are a few that stood out for various reasons.

A tarot card from the Cottage Magic Tarot labeled The Chariot shows a woman in a pink dress holding a basket of flowers, standing behind a blue chariot pulled by two lion-like dogs against a starry night sky and pine trees.

An illustrated Cottage Magic Tarot card titled The Hierophant shows a crowned woman in a red plaid dress sitting on a throne, holding a scepter, flanked by two black cats, with bookshelves and a starry arch behind her.

VII The Chariot & V The Hierophant

The Chariot and The Hierophant are quite similar to their RWS counterparts yet for me they feel very different. I love that the girl on the Chariot card is on a bike. No-one is pulling her along. Nor is she battling opposing forces. What she has to do is to get where she wants to go under her own steam. I like that she is responsible for her own progress.

And, with The Hierophant I think the cats are a clever addition. It captures one of the meanings I ascribe to this card really well. While it is important to consider pre-existing knowledge and to understand the structures in place and the purposes they serve, as the cats suggest, you should not dismiss the power and necessity of independent thought in the process. Knowledge is the key. You don’t have to agree with everything but you should seek to understand it.

Five women stand in a circle, each holding a lit candle with solemn expressions. The card reads FIVE OF CANDLES at the bottom, and the dim background highlights the candlelight in this Cottage Magic Tarot scene.

Illustration of The Moon tarot card from the Cottage Magic Tarot, showing a large crescent moon and stars above dark hills, with a small house by a reflective lake in the lower right corner.

5 of Candles & XVIII The Moon

Like many of the cards, the illustrations focus in on one particular meaning and here I don’t have an issue with that. The Anna K Tarot took a similar approach. Sometimes simple is good. There is no way you can look at the 5 of Candles and suggest friendly competition. However, while one meaning may be dismissed, others come to the fore. For me, this version shows the consequences of not being willing to work together with others and share your resources and your ideas. When this card appears in a reading it suggests that neither your beliefs around competition nor your approach is helping the situation.

It’s like believing that if you can only see a crescent moon the rest of the moon isn’t there. That’s obviously not the case. It’s an illusion. I like this moon card because of its simplicity. There’s no wolf, dog, crayfish, pillars, or path but there is a house. For me, and I’m sure many others, houses represent the self. Therefore the illusions this card represents are linked to how we see ourselves and the situations we’re in. Whatever it is might appear convincing, like the stars appearing to be in the void of the moon, but looks, just like beliefs, can be deceiving.

Together these cards suggest the need to question whether the way you’re viewing the people around you is accurate and if not what role your current beliefs are playing in the delusion.

A Cottage Magic Tarot card labeled Death shows a hooded figure with white hair holding a black bird. A black ram stands behind, and the sun sets on the horizon. The Roman numeral XIII and a crescent moon are above.

A tarot card from the Cottage Magic Tarot titled Wheel of Fortune depicts a circular wreath made of flowers and plants in various stages of life and death, set against a blue sky with clouds, a sun at the top, and a crescent moon at the bottom.

XIII Death & X Wheel of Fortune

This is a beautiful Death card. The goat reminds me of The Devil. Seeing him here suggests releasing what bound you so you can follow what is meant for you. I like that. It is not nearly as intimidating as many other versions but the underlying messages are still there.

I also like that the Cottage Magic Tarot portrays the Wheel of Fortune as a cycle. It’s not about good luck or bad luck, rising up or falling down. It’s a reminder that change is natural. I look at this card and I hear “This too shall pass” regardless of whether the situation is perceived as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Things change and we need to accept that. There’s also an argument for what goes around comes around which can be interpreted in many ways.

An illustrated tarot card from the Cottage Magic Tarot shows two swans facing each other on a pond, forming a heart with their necks. Surrounded by lily pads and flowers, with purple wisteria above, the card reads The Lovers.

A tarot card from Cottage Magic Tarot, the Two of Teacups shows floral teacups with saucers. Above them, a winged black cat's head floats, while intertwining steam forms a caduceus shape between the cups.

VI Lovers & Two of Teacups

The Lovers isn’t my favourite of the changes because the chosen meaning doesn’t align with how I see the Lovers card. That doesn’t in itself make it a “bad” version, just not one I overly relate to. It probably doesn’t help that I have seen the swans used to represent the 2 of Cups in the Chrysalis Tarot and Enchanted Tarot as it dilutes the Major Arcana energy further for me.

However, in the guidebook Ann Shen writes, “A symbol of harmonious relationships through the balance of masculine and feminine energy.” Then she adds, “The Lovers also represents the value of relationships in our lives, of being open and vulnerable …” Taken together these give me something to work with and I will interpret the card through this lens and the symbology of the swans themselves.

I do like how she chose to represent the Two of Cups. The cat reminds that it is healthy to maintain an element of independence when two parties come together, regardless of the type of partnership involved.

Two hands holding pink roses meet in the center, surrounded by colorful flowers, leaves, berries, mushrooms, arrows, and acorns on a light background—capturing a symmetrical, nature-inspired design reminiscent of Cottage Magic Tarot.

A cozy bedroom scene from the Cottage Magic Tarot features a blue blanket, a sleeping figure under a white sheet, a yellow cat, three brown feathers on the wall, a feather on the bed frame, and a window framing a tree. The card reads Four of Quills.

Physical aspects of the Cottage Magic Tarot cards

Printed on linen card stock the cards have a plastic-y textured feel. Since they measure 8.75cm x 12.5cm they’re quite a handful. I found I had to think about what I was doing when I was riffle shuffling them but despite their thickness they do shuffle well. Not that I think I could shuffle this deck for long periods as it is a bit of a hand work out.

I do really like the card backs though. I appreciate that they match the feel and the colour palette of the deck. And, as you’ll notice from the image above they are reversible which I know many like to see.

Just a quick note on the packaging before I move on. The Cottage Magic Tarot comes packaged in a solid, all-in-one box with gold foil details which is nice. Unfortunately I had to repair my box on the first opening because it had started to come apart. I’m not sure if that is because it has an unusual opening style, poor gluing, too much pressure on certain points, or I was just unlucky. Nevertheless, it was nothing some strips of sticky tape couldn’t fix. You can see some of my repairs in a later picture. Overall though it really is a nice compact box.

A yellow notebook, a deck of Cottage Magic Tarot cards, a clear crystal sphere, an orange stone, and small gold charms are arranged on a black surface.

The Cottage Magic Tarot guidebook

The Cottage Magic Tarot comes with a full-coloured, perfect bound, 96-paged, card-sized guidebook that I would describe as a beginner friendly “little white book” with a sweet cover. There’s a short Introduction followed by brief sections covering the Major and Minor Arcana, Caring for Your Deck, and How to do a Reading. This is all covered in six pages.

Next you’ll find a few spreads:

One-card Reading
Three-card Reading
- There’s five versions. My favourite of which is Pros, Cons, Potential Outcome.
Manifestation Spread (5 cards)
Year Ahead Spread (12 cards)

Then it’s straight onto the card meanings. I’m going to use the Strength card and the Queen of Biscuits as examples. I chose the Strength card because it is one of my favourite cards in the deck. I love the bear, the roses, the echinacea, the daisies and the mountain as each are highly symbolic to me.

A tarot card from Cottage Magic Tarot titled Strength shows a woman in a white dress and floral crown gently touching a large brown bear, surrounded by pink roses, yellow flowers, mountains, and a bright blue sky.

VIII Strength

UPRIGHT: courage, confidence, compassion
REVERSED: self-doubt, weakness, insecurity

Portrayed by a woman in white gently closing the mouth of a fearsome bear, STRENGTH shows that it is not physical strength that matters but the courage inside our hearts that's the real power. Moving confidently and calmly, she's able to subdue a beast to her will. It's not brute force but compassion that shows true strength. Use grace, maturity, and strength to move through difficulties.

A woman in a red dress and flower crown sits on a carved throne, holding a biscuit. Surrounded by colorful flowers, greenery, and a white rabbit, she rules beneath distant blue mountains and a yellow sky. Cottage Magic Tarot text reads Queen of Biscuits.

I can find this Queen a hard read sometimes because on one hand I equate her with Capricorn energy and on the other I see her as an Earth Mother archetype. The meaning in the guidebook lands somewhere in between.

Queen of Biscuits

UPRIGHT: nurturing, self-care, gratitude
REVERSED: neglect, materialism, unreliability

Confident in herself, the QUEEN OF BISCUITS is able to be loving and nurturing to all those around her. She's connected to the earth, knowing that it will always provide its unlimited resources for everyone. She gazes at the pentacle warmly, and beyond to the earth, keeping her grounded, wise, and dependable. A rabbit is present with her, representing fertility. It's a time to take care of others — your kindness is needed in the world.

An illustrated card from the Cottage Magic Tarot labeled Four of Teacups shows a woman sitting under a tree, reading. Three teacups sit on the grass, and a fourth is offered by a hand emerging from a cloud. A hat lays beside her.

A person wrapped in a floral blanket sits by a fireplace, head in hand, looking distressed. Nine quills are arranged above the fireplace, and bundles of herbs hang on either side. The Cottage Magic Tarot card reads Nine of Quills.

Wrapping it all up

I would describe the Cottage Magic Tarot as a feel good deck. But that doesn’t mean it lacks substance. After all, The Devil is still the Devil, the girl on the Four of Teacups still looks apathetic, the heart is still pierced on the Three of Quills, and I’d like to think that no-one would intentionally choose the Nine of Quills energy over relaxing by the fire. Nevertheless, when laid out in a spread it looks gentle which makes it easy to explore challenging themes and ideas without getting defensive.

There’s still things to leave and things to face but the overall energy is about believing there’s a way to navigate those experiences and that you have the power to do so. Who doesn’t need that belief right now? Ann Shen sees tarot as a self care practice and the Cottage Magic Tarot definitely facilitates this approach.

A deck of illustrated cards from the Cottage Magic Tarot with floral and hand designs is fanned out next to a fairy tale-themed book. Pink flowers decorate the bottom of the image.

Publishing details

Created by:

Ann Shen

Published by:

Clarkson Potter Publishers in 2025

ISBN:

978-0-593-79954-3

Website: