Sun and Moon Tarot

The Sun and Moon Tarot is a Thoth inspired deck that seamlessly incorporates aspects of Judaic mysticism, Jungian archetypes, astrology and mythology. By intertwining ancient cultural symbolism from several systems with contemporary artwork, this deck is bound to appeal to those seeking cards with a modern feel that don’t stray too far from traditional tarot.

The Sun and Moon Tarot Deck

I wasn’t sure how I’d find the faceless people on these cards. But, as crazy as it might seem, I find them full of expression. Maybe it’s because, rather than seeing somebody else’s interpretation, I can see the facial expressions that I feel fit with the setting and what is happening in the card. I also think they’ve been incredibly well done as I don’t feel I’m looking into blank or emotionless faces. Rather they’re a reflection of my own state.

Therefore, probably because of how I’m feeling in myself at this very moment, when I look at VII The Chariot, I see a beaming face smiling back at me. This card feels really well balanced. The crab, there to represent Cancer, on the green t-shirt forms a strong connection between the heart and home in my mind. I feel he’s focused on where he wants to go and where that is aligns with who he truly is and what’s important to him on a deeper level. I love that the chariot is being drawn by two bulls too. There’s a sense of unwavering determination and a drive to connect the dreams held with a tangible course.

On V The Hierophant, the bull is seated beside him, ready to be called to action when the time arises. Here, he’s also serving to signify Taurus. I like this Hierophant card. The sense of stillness the card evokes as he contemplates the wisdom available to him suggests the positive aspects of The Hierophant. Structure and stability doesn’t have to be stifling. It can afford a really sound basis for expanding understanding rather than limiting it. In order to challenge a structure/rules/society we need a firm grasp of what it is we do not agree with. Otherwise we can find ourselves focusing on the result rather than the cause and thus unable to exact any lasting change.

The tree he’s leaning against stands tall already yet it is resplendent with new growth. It has witnessed a lot over the years. There’s something to be said for “putting your roots down” within a field to gain and then share the knowledge doing so affords you. The tree serves as a beautiful reminder that concrete and tangible things are just as important, as magical, and as mystical as the intangible. If not more so. The book The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben confirms this.

The Strength card in The Sun and Moon Tarot is one of my favourites, especially when considered alongside The Moon card. Here she has turned her back on her fears. She’s content and willing to trust in her inner strength and guidance. The book says the snake symbolises male energy and transformation. However, I see the positioning and think she’s healing anything that may have held her back. But, that is my interpretation and one I may read very differently next time. Nonetheless, I love that she owns her strength without any sense that she’s trying to battle or suppress it. In fact, she’s giving it a voice. I look at this card and I see she is here, she is grounded, and she is comfortable. To me that is true strength.

I should point out I have trimmed my deck quite considerably. The white border that I have left in tact at the bottom originally surrounded the entire card. I prefer the black border on the pocket sized tin version personally but I wanted the larger cards so I decided to just trim mine and edge them in black. Having totally fallen for the White Sage Tarot, which only comes in a pocket sized tin version, I would happily buy the smaller version in this deck if I had my time over. Although, I do wonder how small the images would actually be since the black borders are quite large too. My trimmed full size edition measures just under 6 x 11cm now. Originally it was 7 x 12cm. That’s a lot of border.

In trimming the deck I have removed the Major Arcana numbering so you can’t see that the Strength card is XI and Justice is VIII. I generally prefer them to be numbered the other way around so that became an added bonus to trimming. However, I want to spend some time considering how I feel about the Major Arcana story line with them in both positions. To be honest, until now I have just followed the RWS numbering without giving it much thought. Most of my decks are numbered in that way so I think my preference will remain. Trimming also removed the keywords from the top of the Minor Arcana. This was the deciding factor for me on whether to trim the cards. I am not a fan of keywords on tarot cards. I find them distracting and restrictive.

Each suit is identifiable by the colouring of the sky. Swords have a cloudy daytime sky. Wands all have dark night skies. Pentacles have rich yellow and Cups have a deep, teal blue sky. I like the choices here. It aligns with my way of viewing things recently and may explain why I felt such a quick connection with this deck. Apart from the repeated setting and imagery in The Devil and The Lovers pictured above, the backgrounds do not appear to follow any system in the Major Arcana. They seem to stand alone.

The Sun and Moon Tarot is a great learning deck. Each of the Major Arcana has the associated symbol from the Hebrew alphabet on the card whilst the Minor Arcana have the elemental symbols. And, the book provides information on the astrological correspondences for every card and the name and meaning for the Hebrew character.

The Sun and Moon Tarot Book

The Sun and Moon Tarot is accompanied by a Little White Book (LWB) and a card that provides information on the deck creator. Strangely, the last page of the book provides the same information. The booklet is only 41 pages long but it provides plenty to get you started. It opens with an ‘Introduction to Tarot and the Sephirot’ which shares how the creator envisions the Major Arcana symbolism of the Soul’s journey from the material world to the Spiritual realm. Her interpretation differs to mine so I enjoyed reading it. I like “huh???” moments because they can challenge and change my viewpoint or confirm my way of seeing things. Well until the next time at least.

There is much I do agree with and I like her willingness to incorporate her own personal symbols into what is already a heavily symbolic deck. The baby symbol on the star on The Hierophant, (well that’s how I see it anyway), has opened another channel for consideration. I am familiar with the mentor associations of the card, and teaching and learning, but this symbolism links me to the representation of The Hierophant as the Divine Child in the Chrysalis Tarot.

In this section, she briefly mentions numerology and its associations as well. Numerology was one of my first loves but I chose to focus on tarot because I believe you could dedicate a lifetime to the study of each and still barely touch the surface of what’s possible. So, tarot it is, even though I instinctively run the numbers on everything still.

The entries for the Major Arcana are double the length of those for the Minor Arcana as the Minors lack an explanation of the symbolism present on each card. Nevertheless, there is enough information available, especially when you apply the explanations for the symbolic relevance in the Major Arcana to the Minor Arcana cards. For example, the lotus is mentioned on The Hierophant and is said to represent broadened consciousness. This could then be incorporated into your interpretation of the 2 of Cups (pictured at the end).

Spreads

There is only one spread included in the book. Because I believe this is a great deck for beginners, I would love to have seen a couple more. But, fortunately spreads are easy enough to find on line.

• Sun and Moon (Yin and Yang) reading (2 or 4 cards)

All in all this is a well put together deck that has a lot to offer. As I mentioned earlier I think that when used in conjunction with its LWB it can be a fantastic tool for delving into astrological and Kabbalistic correspondences because it provides enough to get you started without becoming overwhelming. Plus, I find the artwork invites and encourages you to consider what the cards mean to you personally. You decide the emotional state the card invokes. I have found this powerful and something that occurs in a unique way with this the Sun and Moon Tarot. Hence I find it a great deck for uncovering internalised truths that are not in alignment with my personal truths.

Publishing Details

Deck Creator:

Vanessa Decort

Pictured Version:

Published by US Games Systems Inc in 2010 (Trimmed)