Crystal Skull Tarot

Introduction

While flicking through Facebook, I came across the Crystal Skull Tarot quite by chance. It was being sold cheaply on one of the Tarot Buy, Swap and Sell pages and my curiosity got the better of me. After a quick bit of research I discovered it was originally a Kickstarter deck and that the accompanying book was written by Rachel Pollack. Due to shipping costs, living in Australia makes backing Kickstarter decks very expensive so I feel very fortunate to have come across this deck.

However, it might not be for everyone. The other morning, I had the Crystal Skull Tarot all laid out on my desk when my husband came in to say bye before he headed off to work. He asked me if I liked it because he wasn’t sure if he was a fan. Now, I know that is fair enough. However, with way too much energy and enthusiasm for 5am, and before I even realised what I was doing, I started pointing out some of the things I had discovered in the deck and why I thought it was pretty amazing. So, needless to say, yes I do like this deck.

The Crystal Skull Tarot Cards

Just after the physical details? No worries, click here to by-pass what I have to say about the deck.

The creator, Jessie Driscoll, put a lot of thought into The Crystal Skull Tarot. As with most minimalist decks, (The Wandering Moon Tarot provides a very different example), everything included serves a purpose. Nothing is there just to fill a space. For starters, the metaphysical properties of each crystal skull align with the card meaning. Take the Mookaite Jasper skull featured on the 8 of Swords (pictured above), I The Magician, and XV The Devil, (both pictured below), as an example.

At the back of the book, in the “Stones Glossary”, Driscoll shares:

[Mookaite Jasper] carries an invigorating frequency of strength and vitality, and increases Life Force with the physical body. … It enables one [to] focus one’s will. Mookaite helps [us] to accept change, and awakens natural instincts in knowing the right direction.

Crystal Vaults and Jessie Driscoll

How apt for the cards she has used it on. When I look at the three cards together I see a message running through them. If you feel trapped by circumstances that feel beyond your control, whether of your own making or not, you have the power to create a new reality for yourself. Add in the metaphysical properties of the Mookaite crystal and it becomes a powerful and affirming message. I know I am viewing my Mookaite slab differently now.

Along with the connection between the cards, I also pointed out to my husband how cleverly the scenes had been created. XII The Hanged Man and the Queen of Swords provide a great example here. On XII The Hanged Man, the yellow wool is partially under the clear quartz skull. Firstly, the clear quartz and the notion of clarity struck me. Yet what I particularly love is how the yellow wool shines through. I know the Hanged Man can suggest sacrifice and delays, but I see this card as change of perspective and/or shining a light on a new way of seeing things. So, I love that this card captures that meaning. The colours of the wool suggest growth and spiritual alignment rather than anything negative, and I like that.

On the Queen of Swords I like that the top of the card is so bright, suggesting that in rising above the clouds she has found clarity. I like that she sits on an unpolished nephrite stone too. There is no flashiness, nothing to show or prove, just a sense of knowing. This nephrite stone appears on the 6 of Swords, featured much further down, as well. This further supports the notion that the cards align intentionally. On the 6 of Swords, she is moving away from things that no longer serve her. She knows what she needs to do and she has made her decision. It’s a beautiful card.

Okay, one last connection before I move on. Actually it’s the story that unfolded when I put four cards together, (the 2 of Wands, 2 of Swords, 8 of Cups and the 6 of Wands). Each card is pictured below. Apart from numerically, the first two may not seem overly connected but bare with me. In the 2 of Wands there is a choice to be made. What does he want to do? Where is his place in the world? The 2 of Swords offers the solution. Because I associate the darker blue wool that is covering the skull’s eyes with the third eye chakra, I feel this card urges you to go within and trust that in so doing you will uncover the answers you seek.

Then you will know what to move towards and what to move away from. Here in the 8 of Cups we see the return of the ruby skull. This time it is aware that there is something missing and it is going in search of the missing “cup”. It is not only the skulls that align here. When the 2 of Swords and the 8 of Cups sit side-by-side the blue wool lines up perfectly too. In the final card in this story, the ruby is riding his unicorn. Victory is his. It is grounded now and the growth it went searching for has been achieved. His growth, in this case the green wool, is lighting his way.

The use of wool may seem like an unusual choice but it isn’t really. Jessie Driscoll, is a fibre artist who “runs a free fiber house in her hometown of Woodstock, NY, where she teaches people to spin and provides materials for spinners, knitters and crocheters, and a place for them to gather”, so it makes perfect sense. She is combining elements she loves and is happy to work with. The background is a handmade antique table cloth, which combined with the crystal skulls adds a connection to ancestral and time-honoured wisdom. As I said earlier, everything in the Crystal Skull Tarot holds symbolic meaning.

As promised though I will stop sharing my interpretations of the cards. However, you will notice that many of the card combinations presented will feature the same skull. I will leave it to you to make your own stories. Although, I can’t help looking at the 7 of Pentacles and XI Justice and hearing Chris Reck from MinnowPond Tarot asking, “Is the juice worth the squeeze?”

Physical aspects of the cards

Okay, now I’ll stop and I’ll talk about the cards themselves. The cards are printed on sturdy, matte cardstock, and measure 7cm x 12 cm. They are fine to shuffle and work with straight out of the box but as is typical for matt card stock they are a bit clumpy to flip through. Surprisingly, they do fan quite nicely though.

Oftentimes when I get a new deck I start to imagine what it would look like edged in certain colours. I personally would not edge this deck. The similarity between the card back and front, as you can see below, makes it feel inappropriate. Obviously this is a very personal thing.

As this is an RWS-based deck the cards maintain standard nominations. So the suits are Swords, Pentacles, Wands and Cups with Kings, Queens, Knights and Pages making up the Court. Strength is VIII and Justice is XI.

Now, to be honest, I am surprised by how much I like this deck. As is the case with some decks, it wasn’t until I started working with it that I realised how clever the Crystal Skull Tarot is and how readily, and clearly, it spoke to me. However, there is one thing that bugs me about the deck.

I am not a fan of the titles on the cards. In some cases the font is hard to read. For example, even though I can clearly see there are nine coins on the 9 of Pentacles, when I look at the card title I see 3 of Pentacles. Sorry if I have just put that into your head. Also, on some cards, like the Knight of Swords pictured below, the title is just plain hard to see. Nevertheless, considering all the positives I feel this deck possesses, I can live with the issue with the card titles. Maybe, this will be addressed if there is a second printing?

The Crystal Skulls Tarot Guide Book

In the Introduction I mentioned that Rachel Pollack wrote the guide book for this deck. It’s only a 150 page card-sized book, but it opens this deck to people of all skill levels. The book begins with a basic introduction to tarot and this deck in particular. Blended through this, Rachel Pollack shares some of her own card reading experiences, how tarot cards can be used, and some of the things readers may come across if reading professionally.

When it comes to the card meaning section, she explains the story of the cards individually and on occasion how they interact with each other. She also explains how the imagery represents the message the card is portraying. Her writing is free-flowing and the way she weaves things together is really well done. Nothing feels forced in either the Crystal Skulls Tarot cards or book.

The glossary at the back of the book is a wonderful addition. For those interested it adds a deeper meaning to the cards. But, you don’t have to be interested in, or knowledgeable about, crystal properties to work with this deck. In fact, I love this quote from Rachel Pollack:

If you let the cards speak to you, they will.

Rachel Pollack

She makes it clear that you don’t need any specific connection to guides, God, goddesses, angels, ancestors or the like in order to read tarot. I like the inclusivity of this sentiment. I truly believe tarot is for everyone. It is a tool to be used in whatever way people feel comfortable. The only necessity is a desire to connect with the cards. As Rachel Pollack also states:

Shuffle it and shuffle it, for everything is in it.

Rachel Pollack

That is all that is required. Pick up a deck, shuffle it, and then be prepared to sit with the images and see what they say to you in whatever way the say it to you.

Conclusion

As I said early on, I recognise that the Crystal Skull Tarot might not be for everyone. But then again what deck is? What this deck does so well though is to blend crystal meanings with colour and placement to create a playful deck capable of producing powerful and profound readings. As is true with most things, there is more to the Crystal Skull Tarot than may be noticed at first glance.

I can be guilty of spending too much time in my head so you may think that a deck of skulls would increase that likelihood but it doesn’t. The Crystal Skull Tarot reminds me constantly that it is important to do something with all those thoughts. That’s a good thing.

Many may not consider it a beginner’s deck but it could be. Since it is a stripped back version of the RWS tarot, it may help some people see the focal points in the RWS deck without being overwhelmed by all the detail. Sometimes less really is more.

Summaries

The Crystal Skull Tarot Cards

Card Size	7 x 12 cm
Card Stock	350gsm cardstock with smooth matte lamination
Shuffle	Bit clumpy to overhand but easy to riffle.
Fan & Flip through	Bit clumpy to flip through but surprisingly easy to fan
Suits	Wands, Swords, Cups, Pentacles
Court	Kings, Queens, Knights, Pages
Strength/Justice	VIII Strength / XI Justice
Miscellaneous	Photographic deck with created scenes

The Crystal Skull Guide Book

Written by	Rachel Pollack
Pages	150 pages
Appearance	Perfect bound, card sized, with black and white photographs, no card images
Contents	Statement from Jessie Introduction Readings Major Arcana Minor Arcana Minor Arcana 1-10 Wands Minor Arcana 1-10 Cups Minor Arcana 1-10 Swords Minor Arcana 1-10 Pentacles Court Cards Court Cards Wands Court Cards Cups Court Cards Swords Court Cards Pentacles Stones in Crystal Skull Tarot References/Social Media/Shop/Contact About Rachel About Jessie
Spreads	Various suggestions for three-card spreads and a general five-card spread

Publishing Details

Deck Creators:

Jessie Driscoll & Rachel Pollack (author)

Publisher:

Pictured version is the First Edition, First Printing, Self Published by Jessie Driscoll in 2020

Websites:

Available through Crystal Skull Tarot on Etsy