Journey of the Sacred Bee Tarot

If you’re looking for a deck to help keep you on track and moving forward in your own truth then Journey of the Sacred Bee Tarot could be the deck you have been looking for. This deck and the the matching oracle, Wisdom of the Sacred Bee, are independently published by Kelly Burton from Sacred Soul Productions, but fortunately they were published this year (2021), so they’re easy to source.

I was excited as soon as I discovered the existence of Journey of the Sacred Bee Tarot because I’ve had a strong affinity with bees for a long time now and no, not just because of their association with my name. When I see bees they make me feel happy because I love everything they represent and I always feel they have a message for me. I’ve come across bees in the water when I’ve been paddling, multiple dead bees on my deck, bees in my native plants, swarms of bees in my neighbours palm tree and each time the message associated with the situation has been just what I needed to “hear”. I hoped the Journey of the Sacred Bee Tarot would continue this tradition and I haven’t been disappointed. When I opened the book and read “The Journey of the Sacred Bee Tarot is here to guide and help you find the interconnectedness between all living things,” I knew we would be well suited.

The Journey of the Sacred Bee Tarot Deck

The Journey of the Sacred Bee Tarot is a collage-style deck that utilises an extensive colour palette. I have to say it’s not a deck that the suits stand out when you first glance down at your spread which is different for me because that’s one of the first things I usually notice. But, what I love about this deck is that the colours show up strongly and I find myself reading the colours before focusing in on the details. This works well for me.

The deck is both Rider Waite Smith and Thoth inspired yet as someone who works predominantly with the former I found it still felt natural to me. The cards incorporate Thoth keywords and titles, elemental and astrological symbols, Hebrew letters and Sacred geometry so yes there’s a lot to take in and work with. Plus there’s a lot going on in the artwork. In fact at first glance I found the cards a tad overwhelming but as I gave myself time to embrace each inclusion, I no longer felt that way. For me I find this occurs with many collages decks. I find them busy and often quite disjointed but as my mind adjusts to the way they are combining the disparate elements and the various media utilised, generally everything comes together and makes sense to me. I find that’s the ability of collage decks to stretch my thinking about what can go together is their real power.

I understand that some people don’t like collage decks because they can feel all over the place and that’s fair enough. As you’ve probably guessed that was me, but they’ve definitely grown on me and now hold a special place in my collection. Still, I wouldn’t say that visually they’re my favourite style of artwork. I’d even go so far as to say the art style doesn’t overly appeal to me. But, and it’s a huge but, I connect with them on a really deep level. Therefore, since that’s what I want from my cards I’ve had to learn to overcome my initial resistance. I do still struggle though so I wonder how many wonderful decks have passed me by as a result.

Normally I’m not a fan of keywords on the Minor Arcana either. I went so far as to trim them off my other Thoth-inspired deck – The Sun and Moon Tarot. Yet, with this deck they don’t bother me. The font is subtle and since the cards names, with the exception of the Court cards and Aces, are indicated by number and letter only there’s not a lot of additional writing on the cards so their dominance overall is lessened. The titles themselves are printed on what looks like gold washi tape which aligns well with the general presentation too. The Majors are numbered using Roman numerals and is located alongside their title at the bottom of the card. The astrological symbol and Hebrew letter are incorporated either at the top or bottom for the Major Arcana and on the banner at the bottom with the keyword for the Minors.

I really enjoyed delving into the various elements on the cards. Seeing the octopus on XVIII The Moon card pictured above I thought was clever. The idea of looking closer to see what may be there is suggest by the octopus – one of Nature’s masters of disguise. I also see their ability to change appearance even though they themselves don’t change, aligns well with XVIII The Moon. The change is in what we see, and what is reflected, rather than in the Moon or the situation itself.

I noticed the repeat of the poppy seed pod on IV The Emperor and the 10 of Wands with the keyword oppression, (both pictured below), and I think much can be made of this. With power comes responsibility for one. I know that’s obvious but the notion of not oppressing others in the process is important. It’s also important to consider what we are using the resources available to us to create and indeed if how we’re using them is for the good of all concerned or only a select few.

And, in my opinion, the 7 of Swords and the 10 of Swords (pictured below) are really well done too. The horse trying to be a unicorn whilst trying to camouflage itself as a grub all the while hoping cicada, dragonfly or maybe even bee wings will allow it to fly like Pegasus is futile. Most importantly, it disregards the most magical aspect of the horse – it’s personal power. We’re the same any time we try to appear as something we’re not. As someone who works with colour and chakra energies the red, orange and yellow is highly relevant here for me too. Ground yourself and create something real and true that reflects who you truly are and what you’re capable of springs to mind.

In many decks Wands are my favourite suit but that’s not the case here. With these cards I gravitate towards cups and disks. That’s not to say the Wands don’t get the message across though. Another thing that surprises me with this deck is how much I love the Court cards. These rank amongst my favourite cards in this deck and some I’d include in my favourites list for all my decks.

As for the cards themselves, as the opening image shows, they have beautiful green-toned backs that incorporate green, foiled bees that match the gilding. The backs are fully reversible which is good for those that read reversals. For some reason I can’t fathom I’m a tad nervous about shuffling these cards, even though the gilding is holding up fine to repeated shuffles. They riffle well and whilst they’re still a little stiff to bridge they do so easily enough. The more I keep doing so the nicer they are becoming to shuffle.

The card’s size was a conscious choice by the deck creator. Kelly Burton wanted them to be associated with the number 5, another connection we have, and so the deck is 5 inches tall. She also wanted it to align with the perfect form in nature, the golden ratio, so the width was supposed to be 3.09 inches. It’s a little narrower than that but I love the intentionality behind every aspect of this deck. For those more familiar with the metric system, like me, they measure just over 7½ x 12½cm.

The suits are Wands, Cups, Swords and Disks with Princesses, Knights, Queens and Kings making up the Court. The Fool has been renamed The Journey, The High Priestess has been changed to The Priestess, The Hanged Man is The Hanged One and Temperance is Alchemy. I always like seeing this renaming of Temperance. Strength is VIII and Justice is XI and it all comes packaged in a solid one piece box with a magnetic closure.

The Journey of the Sacred Bee Tarot Book

Also included is a 79 page card-sized book that opens with “A few bee musings.” One such musing is that bees first appeared about 145 million years ago. Another is that the efforts of bees and other pollinators contribute to 1/3 of our entire food supply. These amazing insects are worthy of our respect.

I actually really enjoyed reading the opening pages of the book because it’s encouraging and it offer easy to comprehend information for those new to tarot. She also suggests ways to use the cards to form a journaling practice which I also like.

When writing about the card meanings, she has taken an interesting approach to the Major Arcana. For each card there’s a black and white image followed by a section titled “Practice”. The next page has the card title, the name of the Hebrew letter and either the element, planet, or astrological sign linked to the card. Then there’s a section that explains “The Journey” followed by the divinatory meaning. The way the information is presented encourages you to delve into the story of the cards and what it can mean for you rather than just presenting a “this means that” explanation.

Less information is provided for the Minor Arcana nevertheless there is enough on offer for those unfamiliar with tarot card meanings. I don’t know if I’d say this is truly a beginner’s deck but it can definitely be used by beginners. And, for those interested in astrological associations it’s great because the information is there on the cards. If you’re not familiar with the symbols, the book helps. Therefore, this deck is great for those wanting to expand their astrological knowledge in regards to how people consider it links to the tarot. For me I feel it adds another layer to my interpretations. Other times it doesn’t feel relevant. I really appreciate that it’s there without me having to rely on other resources. The book concludes with a brief section on Sacred geometry.

Spreads

There are five spreads included in the book:

• 2 x Three Card Spreads
• Sacred Bee Adventure Spread (5 cards)
• New Moon Tarot Spread (6 cards)
• Four card Enlightenment Reading

There’s definitely enough to get anyone started with this deck. For me it is the perfect deck to help you reignite your passion. It can expand your sense of what brings you happiness as well as help you to see the interconnected nature of the things you love and why, and how, they can bring you joy and contentment. Of course you can use the deck for whatever you so choose but for me the disparate nature of the imagery is perfect for helping me to see how what may seem to be random aspects of my life all tie in together when I let them.

If you’re drawn to this deck you can purchase it directly from the creator’s website here. Or if you’re in Australia, I bought mine from Enchanted Gypsy.

Publishing details

Deck Creator:

Kelly Burton

Pictured Version:

Published by Sacred Soul Productions in 2021