Tarot in Wonderland

I began writing this review as I sat outside Westmead Children’s Hospital waiting for my grandson to come out of surgery. So, this deck and I have a strong bond. For the five hours I sat at a café situated just outside the hospital, (damn you Covid), Tarot in Wonderland was a comforting and insightful companion. Just like Alice when she went down the rabbit hole, I was transported to a new way of thinking about myself and how I engage with the world and time flew by. Therefore, to say I found this tarot set powerful is a gross understatement. But, it’s not just the cards. The book is a valuable and thought-provoking resource that brings everything together. But, more on that soon.

The Deck

Tarot in Wonderland remains true to both the books that inspired it and the RWS system. This makes it a pleasure to work with. After having to re-read Lewis Carrol’s books, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, as part of my English degree I became fascinated with them. So much so that I wrote two academic essays on them, (I’ll put a link to one of them below). Just like tarot, these books ask us to reconsider many of our long held beliefs. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the two pair so well. This is a deck you will want to spend time with.

Nevertheless, when I saw Alice’s image on the Tarot in Wonderland box, my first thought was that she looked a tad unusual. Her face looks too adult and/or she’s just wearing way too much blush. And, I have to admit, on some cards, such as the 6 of Cups pictured later, I find her appearance a bit jarring. This surprised me because I like Eugene Smith’s artwork. The Animal Totem Tarot, which he also illustrated, is amongst my favourite animal decks. So, part of me wonders if this aspect of her appearance was intentional. Alice herself aside, I do love much of the artwork.

As is typical of Barbara Moore decks, this one is very well thought out. Nothing is just a random inclusion. For example, when images of playing cards or their designators, (hearts, diamonds, spades or clubs), appear on a card readers are asked to consider the role chance or luck play are playing in the querent’s situation. At first I baulked at this idea. Chance and/or luck is not something I would ever have associated with the 8 of Swords pictured above. But Moore explains she’s referring to the unexpected as well. Sometimes we need to be able to think on the go in order to free ourselves from situations. Sometimes, maybe even oftentimes, we need to take a chance on ourselves.

When chess boards form part of the illustration, Moore wants us to consider free will and the need to make deliberate choices. The presence of the chess board is perfect for the 2 of Wands. Is she avoiding making a decision because she doesn’t want to risk making a move? Or has she realised that regardless of how good things may seem where she is, she can’t stay there forever. It’s time to look towards where she wants to go next.

On XVI The Tower seen below, we see Alice has made a conscious choice to change her situation. Here she has decided to destroy something that no longer serves her rather than waiting for an outside force to do it for her. Alice herself is the cause of the destruction. However, it could be said that external forces drove her to act in this way. I like this Tower card because it encourages us to change our situation before something changes it for us.

When several chess boards appear in a spread it suggests that we have more influence on a situation than we may have thought. These inclusions add further depth to these multi-layered cards.

I love Barbara Moore’s take on V The Hierophant in each of the decks I have of hers, (Steampunk Tarot, Wizards Tarot, Tarot of the Hidden Realm), and this one is no different. She writes,

The Hierophant doesn’t represent how to think as to the importance of what to think.’ She adds, ‘What we accept as the “truth” about the world determines our behaviour. When our behaviour is at odds with our beliefs, we suffer severe emotional, spiritual, psychological and sometimes even physical distress.

Yet, how often do we consider this? When Alice meets the Cheshire Cat she asks him for directions even though she has no actual destination in mind. The Cheshire Cat responds, ‘Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.’ This aligns so well with the message Moore is trying to make with V The Hierophant.

It is important for us to spend time thinking about where it is we want to go, how we want to get there, and why. This card represents the need to measure our actions against our core beliefs. If they align but we don’t like how we feel, then it’s time to re-evaluate our beliefs. If they are at odds, then it’s time to take the necessary steps to change either our beliefs or our actions. I find considering V The Hierophant through this lens much clearer and potentially more potent than just thinking of it as representing structures and rigid beliefs. This has become one of my favourite Hierophant cards.

Apart from the Court, the Minor Arcana are reminiscent of their RWS counterparts, albeit, dare I say, much more direct in some cases. I find they make you consider your actions rather than being able to externalise them in some way. Take the 5 of Cups pictured below as an example. It is so clear. She’s striving for the cups that are out of reach and yet they are empty. The other cups, the ones right there in front of her, are full. How often do we focus on the “wrong” thing, or on what we feel we can’t have, rather than what we can?

If that card came up in a reading it would be hard not to re-evaluate your behaviours. It also shows the positive slant on the cards so clearly. It’s not a matter of saying turn around and look at the cups behind you. It’s like, ‘Look right there in front of you. Right there in easy reach is a “cup” with something to actually offer. Or you can keep focusing on what you think you need, that, despite all your efforts, is going to offer you nada.’ Ouch

On the 6 of Cups, also pictured below, I feel there are so many potential interpretations. When I looked at it to write this I saw: the idea of simple pleasures rather than fanciful thinking; the idea of being focused on sweet, yet not necessarily accurate, memories and thus missing what is magical in the here and now; and the idea of missing the elephant in the room. The book says that both Alice and the Rabbit are acting out of character suggesting that nostalgic thinking can make us act differently. Whether that is for the better or not depends on the circumstances. I feel like I could talk about these cards ad infinitum but I won’t.

Instead I’ll move on to talking about the physical aspects of the cards. The borderless 7.5 x 12 cm cards are a dream to shuffle in whichever manner takes your fancy. They slide easily without being too “slippy” and so, as you can imagine, they fan smoothly also. I’m not a huge fan of the colouring on the non-reversible card backs, but nor am I perturbed by it. Although, I’m not sure what impact it will have when I make this deck available for client readings.

When I read for others, unless they have a particular request, I offer a choice between three face-down decks. The image of Alice and the White Rabbit on these card backs makes the theme quite obvious. I hope people don’t dismiss this deck because they imagine it to be childish fluff. I tried them with my daughter and she picked the theme straight away.

Finally, as is the case with all my other Barbara Moore decks, the suits are Wands, Swords, Cups and Pentacles with Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings making up the court. Strength is VIII therefore Justice is XI.

The Tarot in Wonderland Book

Barbara Moore went to town writing this 350 paged book. It is full-colour and just like many other accompanying books published by Llewellyn, (such as Wizards Tarot and the Forest of Enchantment Tarot), it is visually stunning. But, best of all, if you’re looking for a tarot deck and a how-to-read-tarot-101 book all rolled into one, then this book makes Tarot in Wonderland a great candidate. Moore shares her abundant tarot knowledge in easy to understand, beginner friendly, and interesting ways. The book is an enjoyable and insightful read, regardless of your level of tarot knowledge.

Book Breakdown

In the Introduction, Moore does a wonderful job intertwining the Alice in Wonderland books and the tarot. This affirms just how compatible the two are. She also makes Alice an identifiable and relatable character. Then, throughout the book Moore uses her to great effect. Afterall, as Moore points out, “[Alice’s] adventures helped her learn who she was and what ideals she chose to live by.” How easy it is to replace “Alice’s Adventures” with “Using tarot”.

Following the Introduction, the first chapter is dedicated to “How to read the cards.” This chapter includes many useful tips that serve to demystify tarot. What I particularly like in this section is how Moore encourages beginners to see spreads as stories rather than as a series of individual cards.

The “Keys to becoming a confident and skilled reader” section brings everything together nicely. I loved Key 1 – Know Yourself. I took my time as I worked through the questions posed in order to challenge and affirm my personal tarot philosophy. This was an invaluable exercise for me.

Chapter Two covers the Major Arcana. Each card has a full-colour, full-page illustration followed by several pages of information. This is broken into two sections: ‘Through the Looking Glass’ and ‘Down the Rabbit Hole.’ ‘Through the Looking Glass’ shares which parts of the books inspired the choice of artwork connecting the cards with the books that inspired them. The ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ section provides divinatory meanings. Here you’ll also find ten plus keywords. Some feel a bit redundant but others provide nuanced layers to the overall meanings. To ensure the card image is always on the left hand page, where necessary, a notes page has been included.

The Minor Arcana is covered in Chapter Three. For the most part it is given the same attention as the Major Arcana. However, to maintain the image on the left hand page layout, sometimes the image appears in the middle of the explanation pages. Even though I am not a fan of notes pages, I found this layout technique a little off-putting. Nevertheless I appreciate the treatment given to the Minor Arcana overall.

Spreads

Eleven spreads are included in Chapter Four:

1 Card Spread
3 Card Spread
- 6 options
Choices Spread (7 cards)
A Simple Yes/No Spread (5 cards)
Falling Down the Rabbit Hole Spread (14 cards, but only 6 cards viewed)
Through the Looking Glass (5 cards)
Mad Tea-Party (6 cards)
The White Rabbit’s Stress (12 cards)
How to Play Croquet (7 cards)
Which Way Should You Go (9 cards)
Who Are You? (6 cards)

Yes, that’s a lot of spreads and yes I did them all. I really enjoyed working with the themed spreads. I liked ‘Through the Looking Glass’ and ‘Mad Tea Party’ but ‘The White Rabbit’s Stress’ was my absolute favourite.

As I said earlier, this set has it all. Firstly, it’s a deck that will appeal to lovers of the Alice in Wonderland books. Secondly it aligns well with the RWS system so general card meanings can easily be layered with the Alice-inspired additions. And thirdly, because of the amazing book that accompanies this deck, it is a wonderful set for absolute beginners who are looking for something different. That being said, it has much to offer experienced readers as well. Any time spent in “Wonderland” encourages you to view the world, your thoughts, and your beliefs in new ways. For me, that is what makes this deck so magical.

Links to Academic Essays:

Essay Viewing Alice in Wonderland through a Foucauldian lens