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, beginner-friendly artwork and you have a wonderful deck that is suitable for anyone wanting to work with feminine energy.
General Information about Earth Woman Tarot
The creator Tarn Ellis showcases her talent as a digital artist well on the Earth Woman Tarot. Some people might not connect with the faceless figures. But for the same reasons I have discussed previously with the Sun and Moon Tarot, I like them. You can picture the facial expressions that you relate to the card in any particular moment.
Rather than thinking, “Oh she doesn’t look very happy” you start asking yourself, “What does she look like and what does that mean to me?” You can look at the High Priestess and choose to see a solemn expression or you could imagine her with blue, faraway eyes, or maybe her eyes are closed. The choice is entirely yours always. Therefore, the expression may change according to where she appears in a spread. I like that. Sometimes I’m not thinking about possible expressions at all. I gain enough information from taking note of their posture.
Deck Personality
The Magician and the Death card give you a sense for the deck. The Magician sits comfortably with the knowledge that she’s a conduit for both spiritual and material energy. Neither one is better than the other. The roots show she is firmly grounded and connected to the Earth which is the focus of the deck. It is here that the magic is made. This simple and clear artwork is representative of the deck overall. I included the Death card as well because it shows that not only has she included her own spin within the standard presentations, in some instances she has entirely redesigned the card.
More examples
As I said in the introduction, Earth Woman Tarot urges you to recognise your own strength. The two cards above, Six of Swords and Ten of Wands demonstrate that idea perfectly. On the Six of Swords she is taking ownership of the need to move away. The predominant use of orange makes me think she’s aware of the part she’s played in creating the situation she’s leaving behind, just as she can create the new life she is heading towards. Like the lotus she’s rising above and, in her case, moving on.
The terrain on the Ten of Wands looks challenging to navigate and she definitely has challenges to overcome. However, unlike on the RWS version where he is carrying the bundle awkwardly, she has found a way to balance her load. Therefore she seems to have everything under control. She appears determined and ready to do what needs to be done. Ultimately it may not be sustainable, but for now she’s got it covered. If a time comes that she needs a break I feel confident that she will find a solution. There’s a strength in this card because she doesn’t look like she’s struggling to get to the finish line. The more I look the more I see but this section is about the personality of the deck so I’ll move on before this post ends up longer than a novella.
Some cards I’m unsure about
Now while there is a lot to like about the Earth Woman Tarot and its focus on the Divine Feminine, there’s a couple of cards that surprised me. Firstly the Queen of Wands. While I recognise that in part the colouring reflects the RWS version, for me, it feels too “beige” for the Queen of Wands.
I can see the lions are still present on the throne. In fact they are more prominent than on the RWS throne but even with the powerful symbols present, it’s lacking the energy I associate with the card. I can see she is comfortable in herself, but the grey sky and the overall softness of the card doesn’t compute for me. Maybe that’s the point. You don’t need to appear ambitious to be so. I get that. So I’ll be curious as to how I read her when she shows up in a spread. It’s a pretty card though.
I have a similar reaction with the Ten of Cups. It’s a pretty, pretty, card but it doesn’t fit. Or maybe it’s just how I’m seeing it. On my first flick through I wrote, “joy, connection” but when I considered it alongside the theme of the deck I baulked a bit. The Earth Woman Tarot is all about taking ownership and believing in yourself. Yet the emotional fulfilment the Ten of Cups suggests comes when she runs into the arms of a man. Maybe I’m reading too much into it and I should refocus on my original sentiments.
I have no issue with running into the arms of your man. I can’t because I’m a real sook when it comes to cuddles. But it just seems a bit out of place given the approach of the deck. I expected to see her camping, or catching a wave, or paddling with dolphins, or at the top of a mountain with the trail fading off behind her. Not finding her emotional contentment in a man. Maybe I should see it as she’s sharing it with him.
Compare the Queen of Wands and the Ten of Cups with VIII Strength and the Eight of Pentacles. On the Strength card, she isn’t trying to placate the lion. She’s standing strong beside it. The colour of her dress and the flowers in the lion’s mane show she is embodying the energy rather than trying to subdue it. That same colour and energy flows over onto the Eight of Pentacles. She is confident to try new approaches until she finds what fits and what works for her. She’s definitely not copying anyone else’s design. She’s creating her own.
Deck basics
I like the 7 x 12cm, matte cardstock. It fits well with the deck. It’s nice to shuffle albeit, I find it a tad stiff to riffle straight out of the box. But I find that’s the case with most matte cardstock.
I love how she incorporates the borders into the artwork. The colours and styles vary in order to fit the design, rather than serving as a form of suit colour-coding. She has taken the same approach with the title banners. As a result, some aren’t as clear as they could be, but they are all still legible. Besides, for the most part the artwork makes it very clear what the card is.
The card and suit names follow the standard RWS nominations with the slight exception of XII The Hanged Man. She has renamed this card XII Hanged One for obvious reasons. Strength VIII and Justice XI.
Discussion on some individual cards
Nine of Wands & Eight of Cups
Many of the cards in the Earth Woman Tarot look very similar to the RWS deck that inspired them. Yet somehow they feel more gentle and in some instances more powerful. Take a look at the woman on the Nine of Wands. She has lined up her wands – her past experiences and then “armed” herself with what she believes is most useful to her now. All the lavender that surrounds her suggests she is at peace with what has gone before. She grabs only one wand because she knows which battles are worth fighting for. For now at least, the others are best left alone.
That idea comes to the fore even further when followed by the Eight of Cups. This is such an enchanting card. On the Nine of Wands she is holding her dress with one hand, and her wand in the other. On the Eight of Cups both hands are free so she uses them both to lift the hem of her dress and make her way across the field of flowers. She has used some of those flowers to make a crown for herself. There is a feeling of lightness in this card that I don’t sense in other versions. Yes, the mountains suggest she may have some challenges to face but that’s for another day. For now she leaves behind the emotions that no longer serve her so she can go in search of her missing cups.
I see gratitude as part of the Nine of Cups that she’s hopefully heading towards. But what I like about this Eight of Cups is that there is already a sense of it here. I can imagine her skipping down the field without bitterness over whatever it is that is no longer providing emotional fulfilment. Initially it might be hard to walk away but having thought about where she is, she realises she needs to be somewhere else and she’s ready to act on that realisation.
Two of Pentacles & Nine of Swords
These two images are also very similar to their RWS counterparts, but I like the ideas they bring to light. At first glance it looks like she is dancing on the Two of Pentacles. She looks graceful and her ability to keep the two pentacles in the air seems effortless. Yet the background tells a different story. That sea looks threatening and if that’s a sand dune she’s standing on, the crashing waves, just like any other external event in her life, could undermine her position at any moment.
Furthermore, the experience for those on the boats isn’t one I’d be keen for but she seems unaware of what is going on around her. She’s too busy trying to keep herself afloat. I’ve never thought about this card in regards to the impact all the juggling might be having on others before. Now I believe it is an important consideration. Options are great but there is a cost to an over indulgence in multitasking.
Also, how long can she honestly maintain her effort with grace and ease? The Nine of Swords suggests the consequences of trying – sleeplessness and overwhelm. I like that the swords on this version of the card are all different and that they are alternating between future-focused thoughts and those from the past. This suggests the toing and froing of her restless and relentless mind is haunting her sleep. There is nothing in her present except her anxiety and her insomnia. This scenario plays out way too often. We worry about the past and we worry about the future, when all that’s impacting us in the actual moment is our own thoughts. The Earth Woman Tarot illustrates this well.
Three of Wands & VII The Chariot
The two cards I just discussed strike a chord with me because they are all too familiar. However, I am sure I am not alone in either experience. The Three of Wands and VII The Chariot speak to me on a personal level. After the conflict of the previous cards, these make me smile. They bring forth memories that align with my intended use for the Earth Woman Tarot.
Three of Wands reminds me of one of the views on one of my favourite bushwalks. I love getting out in the bush and I want to regain the level of fitness I once had. To do that I have to put myself out there. My office has become too much of a happy place for me and I need to get back outside more so I can get the necessary steps in to improve my fitness and my overall general health.
The drive to do so is freedom. I want to be free to do the things I love without reservation. The Chariot reminds me to embrace how it will feel to be in that mental and physical space again. Back when I used to hike for hours on end my husband had a motorbike and I used to love adopting the same pose as the lady on the Chariot. I’d close my eyes, extend my arms out to the side and enjoy the sense of freedom from responsibility. All I could do is sit there, relax and let my body go with the flow.
As a passenger I had no control whatsoever so I put complete trust in my husband and enjoyed the feeling of soaring, completely carefree in that moment. We’re not buying another bike in the near future but I can reclaim my fitness so I can enjoy hiking on any trail that appeals to me rather than only the ones I feel fit enough to manage. I plan on using this deck along with the Tarot for the Great Outdoors to help me. That makes this a really important deck for me.
The Earth Woman Tarot Guidebook
The 127-paged Earth Woman Tarot guidebook is multilingual as is typical for Lo Scarabeo decks. The first 67 pages are in English with the remainder offering information, albeit much briefer, in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. The perfect bound book has a full colour cover however the inner is in black and white and there are no card images.
The preamble
The ‘Introduction” shares the philosophy and motivation behind the deck. Put simply, Tarn Ellis’s motivation was the connection she feels with nature and the comfort, peace, answers, and freedom to be herself that she finds there. I can definitely relate to this and I know I am not the only one. I wrote a personal essay that explored this idea. I’ll put a link at the end if you’re interested in reading it.
After the ‘Introduction’ is a brief ‘How to use the deck’ section, which for the most part says, “However you please.” I like that. She doesn’t leave you completely in the dark though. The card meanings are clear and she includes three spreads, (if a one-card spread is actually a spread):
- Single-card Spread
- Channelling the Earth Woman (3 cards)
- Earth Woman Flower (5 cards)
The two spreads created for the deck are beginner-friendly and effective.
Card Meanings
Both the Major and Minor Arcana are presented in the same way although the Minors meanings are slightly shorter. The title is followed by three key words/key phrases and a paragraph that describes the image which concludes with a few sentences explaining what the card could mean in a reading. While there is not a ton of information, there is definitely enough.
The dreamlike Knight of Cups, while beautiful, may initially seem too picture perfect, a bit like the male counterparts in some decks – for example the Light Seers Tarot. But, the book brings things into balance. Yes it’s blissful, and she does suggest it can signify the coming of love and romance, which she ties to the white horse. I personally don’t see that connection and if she stopped there I would be confused, but she also includes the message to create your own bliss. In that I see freedom which is one of the ideas I do link with horses. She writes:
“Romanticise your life: buy yourself flowers, dress up for no reason, take a long, indulgent bath. You can gain a lot of inspiration from the beautiful things that surround you right now. Whether it be our dreams, poetry, art or idyllic scenes. Soak up all that is offered, and use it to move forward. Make decisions from your heart, paying more attention to your emotions than your rational mind.”
All in all, for a LWB, she has done a good job.
Wrapping it all up
As the name suggests the Earth Woman Tarot is a distinctly feminine deck. However, unlike some other decks in this genre, such as The Cozy Witch Tarot, men haven’t been entirely excluded. I like that, especially when cards such as The Emperor and the Kings haven’t been renamed. The artwork is familiar yet distinct enough to ensure it adds shades of meaning to the familiar RWS interpretations. Overall it’s a beginner friendly deck that has enough to ideas to share for me to consider it a valuable addition to my collection in its own right.
Personal essay link: Stepping on Blue Periwinkles
Summaries
The Earth Woman Tarot Cards
| Artist | Tarn Ellis |
| Card Size | 7 x 12 cm |
| Card Stock | Fairly rigid, matte |
| Shuffle | Easy to overhand, stiff to riffle |
| Fan & Flip Through | A bit “catchy” to flip through but fan well |
| Suits | Cups, Pentacles, Swords, Wands |
| Court | Page, Knight, Queen, King |
| Strength / Justice | Strength VIII; Justice XI |
| Miscellaneous | Solid two part box, although the lid on mine is fairly loose |
The Earth Woman Tarot Guidebook
| Written by | Tarn Ellis |
| Pages | 127 pages |
| Appearance | Black and white with colour cover |
| Contents | Actual contents page just gives language divisions – Introduction – How to use the deck – Spreads – Major Arcana – Minor Arcana |
| Spreads | Single-card Spread Channelling the Earth Woman (3 cards) Earth Woman Flower (5 cards) |
Publishing Details
Created by:
Tarn Ellis
Pictured Version:
Published by Lo Scarabeo 8 June 2024.
Creator’s Website:
