Heaven and Earth Tarot

I have to admit I put the Heaven and Earth Tarot on my wish list a while ago but it never seemed to make it to my cart. Then I saw on a Facebook page that it was going out of print so, without checking the accuracy of the statement, it became a FOMO purchase. Now, even though I haven’t come across any evidence to support the claim, I am grateful to that post because the Heaven and Earth Tarot instantly became my everyday deck.

Initially I bought the card only set but I loved it so much I went and bought the kit as well. The only other deck that I have done the same for is the Druid Craft Tarot, and that’s a deck that will always be in my top ten. I can’t directly express what it is about the Heaven and Earth Tarot that draws me in, but it does. If pushed I’d say it’s the combination of the art style, the inclusion of the astrological associations, and the sense of familiarity, but it’s more than that.

I’d add that it offers a space, a space in between, that just feels right to me.

The Heaven and Earth Tarot Deck

Muted shades of grey and brown predominate on the Pre-Raphaelite inspired artwork. Yet contrary to what the colour palette may suggest, these cards are full of life. And, despite the many subtleties, they speak so clearly. I find that often I sense what I have not yet consciously seen. It’s not until I really look at the card that the various elements start to take form.

Also, light is used to great effect. It focuses your attention on what is important. Take the Eight of Pentacles above as an example. Here the light ensures that what the man is actually doing acts as the focal point on the card. For now nothing else matters. Nevertheless the other pentacles have a story to tell as well. What is the relevance of the pentacle at his feet? Is it something he has discarded or something that he is yet to work on? Or does it signify the work that nobody sees?

Many questions can form around the mounted pentacles also. Ultimately though the use of light suggests it is the actual work that we should be concentrating on.

Jack Sephiroth created this deck “for people who see the Divine in the everyday” and I love that approach. Therefore, I view these cards as visions designed to show me what I’m missing or to refocus me when I’ve lost my way. Put simply, it shows me where the magic is. Often I pair it with the Runic Tarot to further ground the information but that isn’t necessary. It’s just how I often choose to work with it.

About the cards

Since the cards blend RWS images with Thoth concepts some of the keywords on the cards change how those used to the RWS system may view them. For example the keyword title on the Four of Pentacles pictured further down is Earthly Power. I take the idea into account but as always I give the most attention to the artwork. Unfortunately, the font on the titles makes some of the keywords hard to read until you know what they say. Take a look at the Two of Pentacles below and you’ll see what I mean.

Except for the court cards, (King, Queen, Knight and Princess), there are no card names on the Minor Arcana. Instead, in the title you’ll find the keyword/s, the element, and the astrological information. Therefore the suit is determined by the image or the elemental symbol found in the upper left corner of the title banner. A Roman numeral at the top tells the number.

The Majors have their title, the Hebrew letter with a pictograph of its meaning below, and the astrological information. They too have a Roman numeral at the top so when the cards are laid out in a spread there is no quickly recognisable distinction between the Majors and the Minors.

Difference between the two versions

Now I mentioned I had two versions so I thought I’d quickly cover them here. Apart from the books, which I’ll discuss later, the main difference between the two versions of the Heaven and Earth Tarot is the card stock. Both measure 7 x 12cm but the cards that come with the set are more glossy and on a slightly thinner card stock. The gloss does make the artwork more vibrant and seems to give it more definition, but I also like the more matte version. However the card stock that comes with the kit is much easier to shuffle, albeit it likes to slip around a bit.

Both have the same not-quite-reversible-but-similar-enough, backs making them fine for those who read with reversals.

Discussions on some individual cards

Six of Pentacles & Seven of Pentacles

I tend to find the Six of Pentacles jarring but seeing it labelled as “Material Success” helped me to see it slightly differently here. It’s the dropping of, rather than placing of, the coins combined with the scales that bother me. The fact she is dressed in white adds to that as well. But I find something beautiful in the artwork and it has softened my stance on it a little. I recognise the idea of equal give and take but it has never looked or felt that way to me.

However, it came to me here as the people on the Five of Pentacles asking for the help they need to get them back on their feet. So, my focus becomes more on asking for help rather than turning your back on it for whatever reason. I also see this as asking for help on a Higher level and trusting that we will receive what we need in whatever form it may come. There is a light around her that in turn is lighting up the men as well. That counts for something too.

The Seven of Pentacles sitting along side has the keyword, “Success Unfulfilled.” This limits the meaning for me in a way that the artwork doesn’t. However, I can see that he is looking for something more. When I look at the seven next to the six I wonder if he was one of the men that needed assistance. But then, since his position appears to have changed, why the unfulfilled success?

Maybe it’s his resistance to share his harvest. Maybe observing the woman has him reconsidering what’s important. Is it to grow and grow and grow? Or is it to be grateful for, and share, what we have? Upon reflection does he replant that pentacle or offer it to others?

Or maybe it’s a case of be careful what you wish for. His life may have been simpler before so now he’s wondering if planting that pentacle at his feet is truly in his best interest? If so how? And, what’s the cost?

Five of Wands & Six of Swords

I never intentionally set out for the pairs to create an ongoing story but it always seems to happen. There’s never a time when the cards don’t have a message to share.

On the Five of Wands the Saturn, Leo and Mars symbols feature in the artwork. Since this doesn’t happen often in this deck it stands out. However, despite what the book says, I don’t actually see the top symbol as the one for Leo. Instead I see it as representing the North Node. Doing so changed how I see the card.

Now I see the strife as the inner conflict that occurs when we choose to stay where we are comfortable, (South Node), rather than embracing what we are drawn to do on a deeper level. Personally, this is something I battle with often. I can see the door and I lean on the door but … I don’t push it open.

So, after consciously choosing to talk about the Five of Wands I asked the deck what card should sit along side it and the Six of Swords came out. The message seemed pretty clear especially given the “Earned Success” keyword. Success awaits if you’re prepared to leave the comfort of the shores you know even if you aren’t entirely sure of where you’re going.

But then something else stood out to me. The man controlling the boat doesn’t appear to be heading towards the lightest part of the card. Does the earned success come from not letting others steer you off course? At this stage though it appears that she is letting someone else take control. Is that why the positioning of the six swords brings the Eight of Swords to mind?

Although, maybe we’re the one guiding the boat. Maybe we are steering our lives in a direction that means we no longer feel the need to hide away. Maybe the woman and the child are aspects of ourselves. And, what made me assume it was a woman? So many more interpretive possibilities and questions to consider. Gosh I love tarot cards.

VIII Strength & XIX The Sun

This VIII Strength card speaks to me in a different way to what I am used to as well. Seeing the brand on the lion’s haunch changes the dynamic. My first reaction was that the lion represents a particular shadow aspect – the shadow that tells us it is wrong to want to be seen. A lion is a powerful animal that should not be repressed, nor should any aspect of ourselves. Explored, understood and dealt with in some instances yes, but never hidden just so we can present a “pure” face to the world.

Hence here I see the lemniscate in a negative light. It represents the ongoing battle to keep aspects of ourselves under control. Fortunately I get the feeling that this lion is ready to roar. If not directly related to the shadow, although I think it still is, I feel this Strength card urges us to overcome any circumstances that require us to shape ourselves to fit a brand, a label, or an expectation.

In stark contrast, the child on The Sun is free from those demons. He is liberated, happy, and full of his own life force. He’s not covering himself up. He is being who he is in the given moment and appears to be loving every minute of it.

I just looked at the wall that separates the sunflowers from where he is and I had the thought, “If you try to block my path, no worries, I’ll find a different way.” Then I sensed that the lion is looking at the child too and the first thought that followed was, “He’s going to be fine.”

The Heaven and Earth Tarot Guide Books

The kit comes with a 153 paged, full colour guide book that includes an additional six lined pages for notes. The stand alone deck comes with a card-sized, 126 paged, multilingual, (52pp in English), version. Nevertheless, with the exception of a few quick reference tables in the larger book, the information in the introductory pages is the same.

However, when it comes to the card meanings, unsurprisingly the larger guidebook has more to offer. For starters, each Major Arcana entry includes a full colour image. This makes tying the information to the card much easier. Plus, since the images are slightly larger some of the details are easier to see.

Then, in the full guidebook, the card meanings divide into five headed sections:

1. Image
   • Provides a basic description of the card image. I find this guides you around the card well.
2. Heavenly Interpretations
   • Offers a broad variety of ways to read the card.
3. Earthly Interpretations
   • Gives overall keywords and decodes the Hebrew letter and the correspondences as well as providing upright and reversed keyword meanings.
4. Questions
   • Suggests 3-6 questions to consider or journal upon.
5. Transformations
   • Described as offering a way to apply the card meanings.

The smaller guidebook still offers a breakdown of the image, the relevant correspondences, and the keywords for the upright and reversed positions.

Part two of the books gives an introduction to tarot that includes information on the structure of a deck and suggestions on how to use the cards. This is followed by the following spreads:

• Past, present and future (3 cards)
• Where will you go and what do you need (4 cards)
• As above, so below spread (9 cards)
  • I will continue to use this spread in various ways

To sum it up, the deck only set book comes with plenty of information to get you started despite its brevity. But, I’m a sucker for tarot guide books because I enjoy reading about how others interpret the cards so I’m glad I have the kit.

Wrapping it all up

It’s pretty obvious how I feel about the Heaven and Earth Tarot so there is no need for me to say more in that sense. What I will mention is that I think this is good for beginners who ultimately want to incorporate the astrological information into their interpretations. However, if you’re just starting out you would want to familiarise yourself with the Major Arcana and the suits first. Otherwise it may be difficult to differentiate what is what.

Saying that, even though this is an RWS clone, maybe it is not the best for a first deck because I believe a certain familiarity with the cards in general will make them much easier to work with. These are just points to consider. Ultimately, if you really connect with the artwork then taking the time to learn the cards won’t be an issue.

If you’re as enamoured with this deck as I am you can find your own copy by clicking here for the deck only option or clicking here for the kit.

Summaries

Heaven and Earth Tarot Cards

Artist	Jack Sephiroth
Card Size	7cm x 12cm
Card Stock	Glossy (kit) or Satin (deck only)
Shuffle	Easy to shuffle in any manner
Fan & Flip Through	Easy to fan and flip through
Suits	Cups, Wands, Pentacles, Swords
Court	King, Queen, Knight, Princess
Strength / Justice	Strength VIII; Justice XI
Miscellaneous	Solid one piece box with magnetic closure (kit) or solid two part box (deck only)

Heaven and Earth Tarot Guidebook

Written by	Jaymi Elford
Pages	153 pages or 126 pages (multilingual)
Appearance	Full-colour (kit) or B & W (deck
Spreads	Past, Present, Future (3 cards – kit only) Where will you go and what do you need (4 cards) As above, so below spread (9 cards

Publishing Details

Created by:

Jack Sephiroth and Jaymi Elford

Pictured Versions:

Kit published by Lo Scarabeo in 2022 (ISBN 9 788865 276679)

Deck only published by Lo Scarabeo in 2021 (ISBN 9 780738 772127)

Websites:

Jaymi Elford

Jack Sephiroth