Everyday Witch Tarot
I really enjoy working with the Everyday Witch Tarot for many reasons. It reminds me, in part, of the initial Harry Potter books/films – lighter in tone yet still having important messages to deliver. This deck is the same in several ways. At first glance it may appear to be just a light and playful deck, and that it is, but it’s also much more than that. It’s an easy to read and approachable deck that helps you get to the heart of the matter in a non-threatening way. And, as alluded to in the opening, it’s a great story telling deck. That, for me, is important. More importantly though, I find the fun nature of the Everyday Witch Tarot serves as a powerful reminder that you should never have to hide who you are and what you’re about in order to be taken seriously.
The Everyday Witch Tarot Deck
The strength of the Everyday Witch Tarot is how skilfully it balances a fun approach with the ability to get important messages across. No-one likes being lectured but that doesn’t mean we should ignore what we need to know and understand. The Temperance card pictured above captures this idea beautifully. Here the real focus of this card is on balance and moderation. Does that diminish some of the other potential meanings that are ascribed to the card in other decks? Possibly. But, every deck doesn’t have to be all things to all people. For many of us, understanding moderation is a huge lesson that we need to actually integrate rather than just quip about. After all, knowing and doing are two very different things. In this card, apart from the not-so-subtle inferences, the presence of the computer and the book remind us that instant gratification is not all it’s cracked up to be. There’s a reason many people prefer the book to the movie in most cases.
Plus, I love that she has one eye open and one eye shut. Balancing our inner and outer focus is essential. Both can draw our attention but one without the other can lead us astray. The peace that can be found exploring the inner world can be intoxicating, but we need to act on what we discover. Likewise self-reflection without the intention to incorporate what’s been discovered in the day to day lived experience is just navel gazing.
The book reminds us that sometimes we need to moderate moderation too. I love that. Sometimes we’ve got to just let ourselves be. This deck remind us not to take ourselves too seriously. Besides, if you fall into “enjoying” too much of a good thing for too long, or too often, The Devil, covered later, is there to remind you.
As someone with several ties to The Hierophant, I love the way this card is depicted here. There’s no strict, harsh looking figure with religious connotations anywhere to be seen. Instead a yoga instructor is passing on her knowledge to her students. Yoga has a long history and many foundational traditions so its use here is relevant. It has also evolved over time. This and the fact that yoga postures require strength, flexibility and balance portrays The Hierophant in a more positive light than many decks without ignoring the adherence to certain structures and the passing down of knowledge and spiritual practices. It’s not as fanciful as it may initially seem. Education, mentorship, tradition and a spiritual path are all indicated as is usual. I feel it is easier to see yourself as someone in this card, to imagine this scene in real life, or indeed to recognise that you would walk out on this scene altogether. Formal learning, tradition, structures, and discipline doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Nor is it always the right thing.
Each of the “more challenging” tarot cards have been handled well too. As someone who advocates for shadow work I don’t believe in ignoring things we need to face. Nor do I think that the only way to get people to consider doing this type of work, or to approach this work, is through dark imagery. In fact, for those starting out on that path, as I’ve said before, I believe it can be counter-intuitive. Besides, some of the darkest shadows can be couched in the “most positive” cards. But I digress. I just want to stress that I feel we can get a message across without scaring people with images that some find too confronting.
The RWS Death card and many others require explanation. The Everyday Witch Tarot version presents pretty clear messages. As does The Devil. If you let your mind run through the various scenarios that come to mind when you look at the scene on The Devil, you can develop your own understanding and interpretation fairly quickly. Temptation is all around and comes in many guises. Ignore the simmering volcano in the background at your own peril. I remember doing a reading with this deck once and I saw The Devil as an over-protective parent and the co-dependency this created. The volcano in the background was the other parent about to blow up about it. “Enough is enough. Stop throwing money and making things all sweet and rosy for them.” Is this how I’d normally interpret this card? Not at all, but it struck a cord with the client.
Obviously that isn’t applicable in every instance but I read intuitively so I go where I’m lead. It might be a personalised interpretation, but nevertheless it aligned with The Devil’s reminder that too much of a good thing is not a good thing. Now, whilst in many instances it’s not as potentially catastrophic as the volcano suggests, if we continue to ignore what we know deep down to be true we can find ourselves forced to deal with some things we would rather not. So, don’t ignore The Devil if he appears. After all, he may be telling you to loosen up before you burn out. Addictions come in many forms.
The cards are physically easy to work with as well. The print quality is fantastic and, as you can see, the cards are rich in detail without being overly busy. They’re brightly coloured without being garish, and even though the titles are in a small handwritten font type, they are still easy to read. The black font on the cream banners fits in nicely with the artwork too.
Normally I like the Major Arcana to have Roman numerals so it’s easier to differentiate them at a glance. Even though this isn’t the case on the Everyday Witch Tarot, they still stand out because the Minor Arcana numbers are spelled out rather than being represented numerically. The traditional suits of Cups, Pentacles, Swords and Wands has been maintained as has the familiar King, Queen, Knight and Page court. None of the Major Arcana have been renamed either. Strength is 8 and Justice is 11.
The cards are borderless and I find, at approximately 7 x 12cm, they are a good size to work with. They are a joy to shuffle and even after an exaggerated flex they don’t warp. Plus they fan beautifully which, because of my reading style, I appreciate.
The Everyday Witch Tarot Book
The Everyday Witch Tarot comes with a full-sized, full-colour, 264-page book and is packaged in a sturdy box with a magnetic enclosure. I enjoy nearly everything about the book. Even though it’s printed on gloss paper it’s still easy to read under bright lights and her light conversational tone carries you along from page to page. My only complaint is that I’m not a fan of “notes” pages. Others may love them but for me, when they’re only there to ensure the large card-sized image appears on the left-hand-page, they’re not present for every card. So, whilst the premise might be good, the practice of jotting down any notes associated with each card in the actual book alongside the author’s interpretations etc isn’t possible for every card. Therefore, what’s the point if it’s a practice that can’t be sustained throughout. Apart from that though, the production quality is superb. Each page has ornate borders, the fonts used are easy to read, and everything is well-spaced.
The book has four chapters, a basic contents page, an introduction, and a conclusion. The Introduction shares the story behind the deck and, albeit briefly, the conclusion sums up the experience and their intention. Chapter One provides basic tarot structure information, a “Getting to know the cards” section, and a “Doing a reading” section. In Chapter Two you’ll find “Common Questions and Answers” and some spells for those interested. I like the question and answer format because it is easy to skim through if you’re looking for an answer to something in particular.
Chapter Three covers the card meanings. I like the approach taken here too. Beneath the full-sized, full-colour image is a title banner followed by a basic upper case message. Under The Devil is ‘The devil you know isn’t necessarily better than the one you don’t.’ On the following page there’s a brief additional message presented in italics and a more detailed breakdown. For The Devil the italicised message is, ‘The devil made you do it? I don’t think so.’ The two brief interpretations provide the general gist of the card better than keywords. I always like it when a description of the card image is provided too. It draws your attention to details you may not have considered. This is combined with an explanation of how the card can be interpreted. The final section, “Things to consider,” asks questions and adds ideas that helps put everything into context. The way it is put together makes it a fantastic book for beginners and yet is still has something to offer experienced tarot readers.
Spreads
Three standard spreads are included:
- One card spread
- Three card spread
- Celtic cross (10 cards)
Overall, I would say this is a wonderful deck suitable for everyone. It’s an open and loving deck that encourages people to trust their intuition. Unless people have an aversion to the overarching witch theme, it is unlikely to unsettle anyone. People can sit back, relax, and absorb what the cards have to say without feeling apprehensive or threatened by the imagery. It’s a great deck for readings intended to connect people to what will bring them a sense of peace, contentment and enjoyment without ignoring the more difficult elements they may have to face to get there.
If you like the Everyday Witch Tarot, your may want to consider pairing it with the Everyday Witch Oracle.
Publishing Details
Deck Creator:
Deborah Blake (author and creator), Elisabeth Alba (artist)
Pictured Version:
1st Edition, 5th Printing, published by Llewellyn Publications in 2019
