Tarot of the Cosmic Seed

I have tried to write about Tarot of the Cosmic Seed several times but each time I started I felt I wasn’t getting to the heart of the deck. In fact it felt like I was barely skimming the surface. Then the other day I used the deck as part of my morning writing practice and things started to fall into place.

This deck for me is the poster child for Joseph Campbell’s oft quoted,

If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it’s not your path.

It speaks to the freedom loving part of my nature that I often try to suppress. I’m surprised I didn’t come to this realisation sooner. Although maybe not, because while I struggle with restriction, I’m also a perfectionist that finds comfort in a plan. But since this is a post about Tarot of the Cosmic Seed, not me, I will get back to talking about the deck itself.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card, XXII The Cosmic Seed, shows a single dandelion seed floating in golden concentric circles and stars against a deep blue, starry background.

A person dressed in black sits among nine upright birch wands, gazing upward toward a glowing castle on a hill against a purple and blue landscape. The card from Tarot of the Cosmic Seed reads 9 of Wands.

The Tarot of the Cosmic Seed Deck

My tarot collection consists of many, many collage decks, (you can find some I’ve already written about here), but Tarot of the Cosmic Seed felt very different from the outset. While the concept of using digital collage to blend colours, textures, images and hand drawn elements isn’t radically different, it definitely felt that way to me. In truth I thought I would use it for ancestral work but I didn’t gel with it in that way. Instead I’ve found that it reminds me of, and connects me with, past versions of myself.

One of the first comments I wrote during my initial flip through was “Backs remind me of a previous phase in my life when everything was turquoise, purple and blue,” yet I didn’t think much of it at the time. Now I can see the connection. I was much kinder to myself back then. Everything felt possible and I was less inhibited. So now it appears that from the outset the deck knew what I needed to see even if I didn’t.

And, it continues to find new ways to speak to me. For example, initially I would have said this isn’t one of my favourite collage decks but the more I work with it the more I find myself thinking “ooh I love that.” But more importantly, this deck calls me out. I feel like my take on the deck is reflecting me and how I see myself. I’m unsure, then I love it, then I’m unsure again. And then I lay out a full spread and I see the next step on the path and how the seemingly random steps I’ve been taking are all leading me somewhere and I’m in love again.

A tarot card from the Tarot of the Cosmic Seed labeled VIII Strength shows a woman with braided hair beside a leopard's head, framed by stylized green leaves and geometric patterns on a dark background.

A woman carries two baskets on a yoke—one with sticks, the other holding a child. Behind her, a glowing geometric mandala radiates against a turquoise and yellow background in this Tarot of the Cosmic Seed “10 of Wands” card.

More examples:

Here’s another example of the wisdom it has shared in its own way. Initially I wasn’t a fan of the heavy use of sacred geometry but the more I worked with the deck the more it grew on me. It is now something I look to during readings. Take away — give things time. What doesn’t make sense or appeal straight away could well be part of something bigger that can help in ways you don’t initially understand. That’s okay. The pieces may not have fallen into place as yet but when they do it will all make sense.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card shows a shirtless figure seated, balancing three ornate coins below and holding a fourth coin. A circular design and radiant lines fill the blue-green background. At the bottom: “4 of Coins.”.

A person in an orange robe stands on a rocky ledge between three wands, overlooking mountains under a blue sky. Above, the golden sun with an eye at its center shines down—imagery inspired by the Tarot of the Cosmic Seed.

The colour palette adds to that. When I just flip through the cards I find they feel a little disjointed artistically. But when laid out in a spread the rich deep teals, purples, blues and greens in the backgrounds pull it all together and I wonder why I ever felt that way. Further clarification for me that things on their own might not make sense until you put it all together. Be patient.

A tarot card from the Tarot of the Cosmic Seed titled “Wheel of Fortune,” featuring a central intricate circular design, four black silhouetted hands around it, and green leafy branches at the top and bottom.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card labeled Justice features a jeweled balance scale with a red heart on one side and a gray feather on the other, set against a turquoise patterned background with an ornate oval frame.

Two more examples and I’ll move on. I’ll start with the Wheel of Fortune. When I first saw this card I wrote, “reminds me of a card back.” Now I look at it and I think it’s perfect. Change is coming. You just don’t know what it looks like yet. Now I really appreciate the card and I truly like the artwork. I don’t think it’s by accident that it is one of the softest coloured cards in the deck either. It’s a reminder to be gentle with yourself as you move through the changes.

Finally, the artwork on Justice felt underdone to me. I don’t mind simple. I enjoy working with minimalist decks and I like other less busy cards in this deck, but it felt like something was missing. But then I started to wonder if that was the point. What’s missing in the situation? Is my thinking balanced or am I looking at something too simplistically? Or, am I distracted by what’s going on in the background rather than focusing on the situation at hand? Slowly it became clear. The scales started to form a face of sorts and I found myself looking into a mirror. Are my thoughts and actions stacking up and would I be happy seeing them reflected back at me? In other words, don’t lose sight of what’s truly important when it comes to making decisions. Cut out the pretty distractions and focus on the issue at hand.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card, 8 of Coins, shows scissors, buttons, safety pins, and pink flowers on a wooden box with a blue background, symbolizing craftsmanship and attention to detail.

A woman with curly hair sits under a large tree beside three cups, looking contemplative. A glowing cup floats on a cloud. The card reads 4 of Cups from the Tarot of the Cosmic Seed; a faint web pattern weaves through the background.

Some of my favourite cards

Now, while the aforementioned cards grew on me over time, some cards were favourites from my very first flip through — 8 of Coins, 4 of Cups, 9 of Wands, Messenger of Swords, 0 The Wanderer, XXI The World and the additional card, XXII The Cosmic Seed featured earlier. Though the more I keep working with the deck the longer the list grows. Here I’ll just focus on the first two on the list though.

I love everything about the composition of the 8 of Coins and the ideas it brings to mind. Like all the cards in the Tarot of the Cosmic Seed it asks questions. What’s in the box for starters? Are those buttons actually repurposed coins? And if so, is that suggesting a way forward? Repurpose old skills in new ways? Then there’s the memories and the stories that come to mind with the case; the symbolism of the needle and thread and the importance of using our skills in our day to day lives; the benefit and power of practical skills; and the blossoming skills suggested by the flowers. The safety pin and the dirty looking scissors are open to multiple interpretations as well. Plus I just love the overall look of the card.

The 4 of Cups is another favourite for two reasons. 1) I am drawn to the artwork itself and 2) there are so many ways it can be interpreted. On one hand I see that she is unaware of what is on offer but on the other I imagine her saying “Enough is enough. I don’t need anymore.” Or maybe she needs some encouragement to try one more time in a slightly different way. Or is it like the “Never give up/Digging for diamonds” cartoon? You’re almost there, don’t turn your back now. Another idea is that she’s taking a break to quieten her mind and give new ideas time to develop.

Seems like a lot but sitting next to the 8 of Coins, as it is here, I see it as finding ways to repurpose an old idea. The question and the surrounding cards will always influence the interpretations.

A woman in a blue dress balances joyfully on a floating red crystal in the sky, holding flowers and a staff. Below, a fox stands on a rock at sunset, gazing up. The card reads 0 The Wanderer from the Tarot of the Cosmic Seed.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card shows a smiling young woman with curly hair, a glowing sword, and a star above her head. Behind her is a celestial map with astrological symbols. The card reads Messenger of Swords.

Name changes

This is probably an opportune time to discuss some other aspects of the deck as well. Firstly, Lalania Simone has renamed a few of the Major Arcana cards. The Fool is The Wanderer; The Empress and The Emperor are now The Sacred Feminine and The Sacred Masculine; The Hierophant is The Teacher; and Judgement has been renamed Liberation. These changes are easy to navigate although, as much as I like the The Fool card it doesn’t suggest wanderer to me. Nevertheless it still says a lot.

The suits are Coins, Cups, Swords and Wands which is fairly standard however she has changed the Court to Messenger, Action, Nurturer and Mastery.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card titled Action of Swords features a bird’s wing in flight against a blue sky with clouds, geometric white triangles, and cosmic circular patterns in the background.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card shows golden coins forming a leafy vine rising toward a large planet. Over the planet are overlapping white triangles. The gradient sky and purple-blue mountains surround the text “Action of Coins.”.

Court cards

Before I move on to the physical aspects of the cards I want to talk a bit more about the Court cards. As can be seen by the Action cards above, the Knights don’t feature people. Instead they suggest a form of movement. For Swords there is the idea of taking flight and I like the presence of the spiral. This suggests to me the flight could well be internal. The book gives more standard meanings and suggests the spiral is a target which I can also see. I love the choice of the plant for the Action of Coins and that she followed a similar layout for each of the Action cards.

A man in a patterned blue suit kneels, holding a glowing wand topped with a sun and crescent moon, surrounded by large yellow lilies on a vibrant background. The card, from Tarot of the Cosmic Seed, reads Messenger of Wands.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card, Mastery of Coins, features a woman in a brown veil and gold crown, radiant lines behind her head, a gold medallion necklace, and a frog near her shoulder against a blue floral background.

Renaming the Court also gave her the flexibility to change up both the male and female representation and the ages of the various Court members. It stops any tendency to impose a feminine and masculine hierarchy on the Court.

A playing card from the Tarot of the Cosmic Seed, with a vibrant blue and purple marbled background, featuring an ornate green design and a central all-seeing eye symbol surrounded by decorative elements.

A vibrant Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card features a radiant sun with a human face, yellow rays extending outward. Below are black ferns, pink flowers, and bees. The card is labeled “XIX The Sun” against a blue background.

Physical attributes

The Tarot of the Cosmic Seed has matte cardstock with turquoise gilding. Unlike some gilded decks there was no clumping and the deck shuffled well straight out of the box. The cards measure 7cm x 12 cm and feature what I would describe as reversible backs. It all comes packaged in a solid card-sized two part box. I can’t comment on what the Kickstarter version is like but I can say that I like the overall feel of the mass market version.

Some card pairings

I’ll share some random card pairings but to be honest, for me, the Tarot of the Cosmic Seed really comes into its own in larger spreads. That being said, if you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know it was a single card pull that provided the impetus for me to write this post.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card, the “6 of Wands,” shows a smiling person adorned with flowers and greenery, set against a blue background with tall yellow-green plants and a golden halo.

Three elephants with yellow coin symbols on their heads stand among pink flowers under a blue sky. The card, from the Tarot of the Cosmic Seed deck, is labeled 10 of Coins at the bottom.

6 of Wands & 10 of Coins

The woman on the 6 of Wands radiates joy. She doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. She knows she’s blossoming. I love her energy as I love the elephants on the 10 of Coins. They are so symbolically rich. They speak to me of legacy, longevity, matriarchy, strength, wisdom and support. Though unfortunately the illegal ivory trade and habitat loss pose a serious threat to their ongoing survival.

Placing the cards alongside each other I noticed two things straight away — the flowers and the gold. Taken together here’s what comes to mind. Her value is in the joy she brings to others. In allowing herself to blossom she lays the foundation for others to do the same. Now that’s a wonderful legacy to leave. But is it viable long term? That’s up to us.

Looking at the 10 of Coins it appears that two of the three elephants are interested in what she’s doing. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they both have three coins on their head. This suggests they are interested in collaboration, whereas the one with the four coins is paying her no attention. They are holding steady and marching straight ahead. The four coins suggest they are more focused on security and how things have “always” been. It can’t be ignored that this elephant is the biggest of the three and that it is the one leading the way. Yet everyone has their own decision to make. Neither is right, just as neither is wrong. Nevertheless, if these cards appeared together in a spread I’d take it to mean that choosing a path that brings you joy is more likely to bring long lasting success.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card, XXI The World, shows an older woman in traditional clothing holding a basket among flowers, with a large Earth and cosmic geometric patterns in the background.

A person in a yellow dress sits in a wooden boat with six swords, rowing across a calm lake toward green mountains under a dramatic sky, evoking the mystical imagery of Tarot of the Cosmic Seed.

XXI The World & 6 of Swords

As is so often the case with these random pairings, this pairing feels linked to the two cards that came before, so I have actually placed them in a square on my desk. It has changed the way I see the 6 of Swords because I feel there is a link between the colouring of the swords and the background of the 6 of Wands. Is she reconsidering her old ideas? Ideas that even though they once brought her joy she moved away from in order to chase the gold at the end of the rainbow?

Looking at the sacred geometry on The World card I see a connection with the 4 of Cups and 3 of Wands. (You can find both cards pictured earlier in the post.) Maybe it’s time to reject the idea of the need for more (4 of Cups) and see things from a different perspective — from the outside looking in. After all, the woman on the World is standing outside the Earth and she’s not looking at it at all. She’s looking at me. What’s done is done but is it time to use what you’ve learned so far and reconsider what you’re putting out into the world (3 of Wands)?

The flowers feel relevant here too. The woman is wearing a print rather than the actual blooms. Is she ‘trying to be’ rather than actually being? Is it time to redefine success and leave behind what we feel the world expects of us and revisit the ideas that really light us up? Now I wouldn’t normally interpret the 6 of Swords this way but, rightly or wrongly, when a story or questions present themselves I follow where they lead.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card features a sword with dragonfly wings pointed downward among vibrant red and purple crystals, set against a bright blue sky with yellow clouds. The card reads Ace of Swords at the bottom.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card, the Ace of Cups, displays a golden chalice with purple octopus tentacles emerging from it. The cup rests by the ocean, surrounded by waves, shells, and shimmering pearls in the background.

Tarot of the Cosmic Seed Guidebook

The Tarot of the Cosmic Seed comes with a 69-paged, perfect bound, card-sized guidebook. There are a few brief introductory pages, followed by a spread — Spiritual Growth Spread — which I enjoyed working with. As you can see below it is laid out in an arrow shape. I like that. When I look at the cards yet again the first thing I notice is the organic way the shapes and the colours speak to each other. They help me make connections and generally serve to guide me through the reading.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card spread with eight colorful cards arranged in a cross pattern, flanked by a clear crystal on the left and a dark green stone on the right. The cards feature vibrant mystical and symbolic illustrations.

Before I move on to the cards meanings, I want to share a quote from ‘What is the Cosmic Seed?’ section of the introductory pages. Here Lalania Simone writes,

We are seeds of pure potential, here to grow and learn and share our magic with each other

and I feel this deck inspires that feeling and that belief.

Card Meanings

The card meanings are short but they give enough information to get you started. Considering the art choices though I wish Lalania had written about what she included and why. The creative process fascinates me and I am always curious to know how other people see things and why they make the choices they do. However, throughout the opening pages Lalania has urged users to tap into their intuition and trust what comes through. Since we can all interpret symbols so differently I can also understand why she may have chosen not too.

As the card meanings are quite short, albeit the Major Arcana receives a slightly longer paragraph, I thought I’d share both a Major and a Minor Arcana example.

A woman in a pink dress stands on a rocky shore at sunset, gazing at a large moon. A glowing lantern sits nearby, as the Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card IX Hermit is framed by the mouth of a dark cave.

IX The Hermit

SOLITUDE - INDEPENDENCE - MEDITATE

It is important to make time and space for self-reflection healing, and for your spiritual growth. This card is urging you to carve out some extended time for yourself. This can look like finding time for a book, going on a hike, or attending a spiritual retreat. Commune with the earth, moon, and stars. Meditation can enhance life in a multitude of ways. It is time to explore your vast inner being. 

Reversal Possibilities
- Loneliness
- Time to return from solitude
- Withdrawal

A woman in a floral robe holds and blocks several wooden wands against a backdrop of blooming branches and blue sky. The Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card at the bottom reads 7 of Wands.

7 of Wands


BOUNDARIES - DEFENSE - PROTECTION

Challenges to your status. Protect your energy and space. Create healthy boundaries. Hold your ground. Fight for your beliefs.

Reversal Possibilities
- Surrender
- A losing battle
- Jealousy

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card with a vibrant pink and orange background shows a motorcycle with ornate gold detailing. Over the motorcycle is a white triangle, and above it, a sun with a face. At the bottom, it reads “Action of Wands.”.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card, the 2 of Coins, shows a ballerina in a black tutu gracefully balancing two gold coins. Bright pink and red flowers surround her, set against a blue-toned cityscape backdrop.

The book finishes with a paragraph about the creator Lalania Simone. Amongst other things she has also created an oracle deck, The Oracle of Awakening, which is very similar in tone to the Tarot of the Cosmic Seed. So if you like this deck I’d say it’s worth checking out. I know I will be adding it to my collection very soon.

A Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card featuring a white boat decorated with colorful flowers, set against a turquoise background with a large full moon and overlapping white triangle outlines above it. A label reads Action of Cups.

A man in a bright blue suit sits confidently on a stool in a city street, holding a cane. A golden halo with radiating lines and a cat atop frames his head, embodying the Tarot of the Cosmic Seed card: Mastery of Wands.

Wrapping it all up

The thing that surprises me the most about Tarot of the Cosmic Seed is how much it keeps growing on me. Every time I work with it I make new connections. I often talk about how cards talk to each other and that that to me is the essence of tarot reading but these cards take it to another level. I know we should take our time with every deck, but I truly believe this deck will offer up some surprising insights if you give it the time to do so.

A tabletop with two Tarot of the Cosmic Seed cards, a guidebook, a potted plant, and a cup of coffee. The Messenger of Coins and 7 of Coins feature colorful, detailed artwork.

Publishing details

Created by: Lalania Simone

Pictured version: Published by Red Wheel Weiser in 2024

ISBN: 978-1-57863-861-1

Website: Cosmic Seed Studio