The Cook’s Tarot

This easily relatable deck is perfect for those wanting to tune into themselves and what’s going on in their day to day lives. The Cook’s Tarot is a bright contemporary deck that depicts everyday household scenes, many of which as the name implies revolve around food and the kitchen. The idea is that since the imagery is largely familiar, it’s easy to bring your own life experiences into the interpretations.

The Cook’s Tarot Deck

The 78 gouache paintings that make-up this deck took 6 years to create. This isn’t just a quick throw together to target a particular market. It’s a well thought out deck. I have used these cards for readings and I’ve found that initially people aren’t as drawn to them as many of my other decks. But, every time, without fail, as clients look at the images they find they relate more and more to the scenes on the cards and suddenly, as if a switch has been flicked, they change their opinion and they see them entirely differently. Insights come to them and they really connect with the cards. Isn’t that what we are all looking for from our decks?

With some cards, Judith Mackay Stirt changed the sex. In the Cook’s Tarot The Fool, The Hierophant and The Hermit are female and Temperance is male. However, she is quick to point out that this wasn’t intentional, it was just how the images appeared to her. I feel they align perfectly with this deck this way. Generally though, this deck follows the Rider-Waite-Smith system pretty closely. Even though numbering is not present on the Major Arcana cards, they are still numbered in the book.

As far as the cards themselves go, they are large at 9½cm x 14cm. Since they are already borderless their is no easy way to trim them if you find shuffling such a large deck a struggle. I admit that I don’t find them easy to shuffle but I get there. Not sure how people with smaller hands would find them though to be honest.

The Cook’s Tarot Book

If the size of the cards has you questioning whether this deck is really for you, the 160 page, approximately A5-sized book may sway you in their favour. It’s an awesome guide book. Even without the deck it is an interesting read. After some general introductory preamble which includes the story behind her 3 of Swords (pictured above) she moves on to provide a wealth of information on both the Major and Minor Arcana.

Before I elaborate on that though I want to share what she wrote about the 3 of Swords because for me it sums up the benefit of spending some time reading the books that accompany the cards. She wrote that she painted the card after she discovered a friend had died on Valentine’s Day. I will never look at that card the same way again. It adds another layer to how I see that image and what it makes me feel.

For the Major Arcana she provides the card title and image and the zodiac affinity. This is followed by a description of what is happening on the card which is awesome. It draws your attention to things you might not have noticed. For example, the hour glass shadow on the Justice card (pictured below). The lemons on the bathmat on the same card are a clever representation of the fact that “the emotions lie not in the numbers themselves, but in our response to them.”

She then explains the key elements on the card including their mythological and/or symbolic relevance. Here she often includes familiar phrases which add further meaning. Using the Justice card again as an example, she links the ‘feet’ with “Stand on your own two feet” and “Having both feet on the ground.”

Next she offers the card meaning. There is a background to the card itself in relation to the Major Arcana overall and then another paragraph which suggests what it means if you draw the card in a reading. She finishes with a piece of “Kitchen Wisdom”. For the Justice card the wisdom is:

Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are.

Soren Kierkegaard

The Minor Arcana is treated just as thoroughly. Obviously this book is designed to be used with this deck but its approach can strengthen readings with other decks. That may seem like a strange thing to say, and it could be said that all guidebooks can do this. However, I think it’s the simplicity in this book – the language, the layout, and the way the cards are expressed – that is beneficial. It encourages you to really look, to consider each element on the card, what it might mean, why it’s there, and its own symbolic associations etc. This approach holds true for all decks.

Also, for me, the Kitchen Wisdom phrase idea is much more powerful than keywords. Consider the Death card: “All endings create new beginnings. The leftovers from one meal can be the foundation for another.” It gives you a way to think about the card that is more relatable than say “transitions”.

Finally, in the conclusion she writes “I would personally like to see Tarot become an acknowledged part of the healthcare system. Self-awareness and an understanding of our desires and motivations goes a long way towards promoting good mental health.” Amen to that. This is written by a woman who has worked in both paediatric and adult intensive care and emergency units that readily admits she is a rational, logical, scientifically inspired thinker.

Spreads

Five spreads are included in the book:

• Card of the Day (1 card)
• 3 card spread
• 5 card spread
• 10 card spread (Celtic Cross)
• Cook’s Tarot Maitre D’ Spread (8 cards)

I really enjoyed working with the Maitre D’ spread and I will definitely continue to use it, albeit with some minor changes. If you’re looking for a deck that encourages you to connect with the everyday blessings in your life then this one is well worth considering.

Publishing Details

Deck Creator:

Judith Mackay Stirt

Published by:

Schiffer Publishing Ltd in 2014