The Ink Witch Tarot

The Ink Witch Tarot is an eclectic deck that draws inspiration from the Rider Waite Smith tarot, Greek, Egyptian and Norse Mythology, Arthurian legends, European folk stories and fairy tales, and the magic to be found in every day life and experiences. It combines all of these ideas, yet it feels like a coherent, well thought out, modern deck that manages to add new viewpoints and ideas whilst still honouring tarot traditions.

The Ink Witch Tarot Deck

I love the ink and watercolour artwork and the clever use of warm and cool grey tones. For a long time this has been one of my favourite colour palettes. It definitely contributed to my interest in The Ink Witch Tarot. The simplicity of the colouring combined with uncomplicated art work looks great in a spread and encourages you to pause and reflect on every detail. Take the 2 of Cups pictured below.

No people are present yet their presence is felt. You know they’re getting together, and you can imagine both their similarities and their differences. Depending on the other cards present, additional inferences can be drawn from the fact that one drink is hot, the other is cold. My first reaction was the drinks were a coffee and an iced coffee and the idea of “same, same but different” came to mind. The more I looked though I had to recognise that they could just as easily be a Coke and a chai latte.

Message to me – don’t jump to conclusions or hold unnecessary expectations about get togethers with others or indeed other’s relationships. Bam!

The lighting suggests a celebratory mood which indicates that the meeting/union will have a positive outcome. I appreciate that the cold drink has warm tones suggesting that regardless of how things started, things warm up. So much can be drawn from such a simple drawing.

Memories of catch ups and questions about the various reasons for getting together and who the people may be are worthy of consideration. So much can be drawn quickly and easily. Therefore this card aligns with traditional meanings whilst also being open to multiple interpretations. For me, many of the experiences associated with my morning so far are all representations of possible meanings. As such, the memories and thoughts from today may well be triggered when reading this particular card from now on.

Let me explain. I am currently writing this review with my cards spread on a table in a café while I wait for my car to be serviced. I rang a friend to try and organise a catch-up on my way here and this morning I was mentally revisiting a past friendship and what it meant to me. Our friendship was mainly experienced through catching up for coffee. We intentionally don’t do that anymore.

Then, when the barista brought me my coffee she was excited by the presence of the cards on the table and called another lady over and thus affirmed my decision to follow my guidance and open up more about myself and what I do. Due to the type of readings I do, I often interpret this card as connecting with your higher self. Because of the enthusiasm of the girl who brought me my coffee and her willingness to share her love of tarot, combined with the messages I received in my morning meditation, this has been reinforced. Tarot encourages us to view our lives and experiences from different perspectives and our lives help us draw meaning from the images we see. It is very much a symbiotic relationship.

The rendering of VIII Strength, pictured above, as approaching conflict, both inner and outer, with a sense of peace, kindness and gentleness rather than aggression is so powerful. How often do people confuse strength with dominance and physicality rather than inner strength and the ability to diffuse situations. There are many ways to “fight” for a cause. And oftentimes attack isn’t the best form of defence. This morning I was reminded of this when I was thinking about my past friendship and looking at this card affirms the message I received on how to handle the fall out. I love that even though I am not actively doing a reading, the cards continue to speak to me.

In my experience, rarely are swords people’s favourite cards in a deck. But, they are brilliantly depicted in The Ink Witch Tarot. The 6 of Swords pictured below, shows the woman is taking action to leave a situation. She is using the swords, whatever they may be referring to – conflict, negative thoughts and/or ideas, arguments etc – to propel her. This might not always be ideal but she is at least using her negative experience to drive her away from the situation/s and towards the possibility of something better. They are empowering her. This is an important distinction. How our thoughts and our words and the words of others impact us is up to us. Choose wisely.

Looking at the 8 of Swords, pictured above, through this lens is invaluable. The feeling of being trapped is an illusion we create. No-one else can control our thoughts and way of seeing things. Influence yes, but it is up to us what we choose to focus on and direct our energy towards. Some people can feel miserable even when surrounded by things/experiences etc that would be another’s dream reality. Other’s are happy with what some would perceive as nothing. Regardless of the situation, rarely are we as powerless as we may feel. That being said, nor are we truly privy to the thoughts and experiences of others so it is always better to be kind. Judgement is easy; sometimes empathy is not. Nevertheless, that should never be a justification. Afterall, we are all dealing with something that lurks beneath the surface. Hence my love of shadow work, but I digress. Back to these highly thought provoking cards.

Researching narwhals added another dimension to the 3 of Swords, (pictured below). When I first looked at this card I thought the narwhals were trying to spear the dove. I had very limited knowledge about narwhals and thus my thinking was tainted. The idea of peace being pierced without warning is representative of the loss this card is often associated with so it was an easy, yet lazy, assumption to make. When I discovered that the narwhal horn, which is actually a tooth, is a sensory organ, not a weapon, this became one of my favourite cards in the deck. Rather than trying to attack, this card suggests seeking and striving to understand what you can do to return yourself to a state of peace rather than rehashing the hurt. After all, the swords cards refer to thoughts, ideas, communication, conflict and the head space rather than the emotions and the heart.

There is an expansion pack available that provides 3 additional Lovers cards, 3 versions of The Devil, and alternatives for The High Priestess, Justice, the King of Swords and the King of Pentacles. I haven’t purchased this pack because I’m happy with the versions I have. If you’re interested you can view them all on the creator’s Etsy store.

I understand the recreation of the King of Swords to someone a bit older but my love of all things Arthurian makes the original still feel appropriate and I like the message portrayed. The alternatives for The Lovers may be a result of pressure since the depiction on the card that comes standard in the deck is of a homosexual couple. I find that in many ways this adds additional layers to the card that are really worth exploring. The revamped High Priestess is more traditional in appearance but again I’m happy with the one that came with the deck (pictured below). It made me look for hidden meanings behind his choice to represent her in the way he did. This in itself is apt for the card. I find myself looking at the moves available for each piece based on my view of the board and yet I’m aware there is much that I can’t see.

Overall I find The Ink Witch Tarot is a great deck to work with. I really enjoy animal decks and while I wouldn’t classify this deck in that way, over a quarter of the cards feature animals rather than people. Another third of the deck feature either no people or just a hand or two. For me, when there is no-one already present, it is easier to place yourself in the scene. Plus, I find it makes the people stand out when they do appear and I naturally focus in on what they’re doing and why they’re there.

One issue that I find though, is that as great as the cards look in a spread, the Major Arcana don’t stand out. You can see they are there easily enough through their titles and once you are familiar with the deck, but there are no distinguishing features that separate them when you glance over a full spread. All cards feature Roman numerals for the numbering and the numbers are all located at the top of the card in the centre of the picture. Some numbers are in black, others are in white, but that is based on the background colour not the suit or whether they are Major or Minor Arcana.

That being said, The Ink Witch Tarot is an easy to use deck that feels original whilst still predominantly adhering to the Rider Waite Smith system that most people are already familiar with. Even if you’re not, in maintaining the typical Major Arcana titles and the standard Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles suits with Kings, Queens, Knights and Pages as the court, ensures that for the most part introductory tarot books align easily.

The Ink Witch Tarot Book

The deck doesn’t come packaged with a book of any kind. Now, even though it is such an easy to use deck, I feel that puts beginners at a distinct disadvantage. However, a book is available to download for free. I don’t find that as user friendly, especially when having to scroll through on my phone. And, to be honest, I was initially hesitant to download it because i received a warning that due to the size of the file it wouldn’t be scanned before downloading. I was comfortable with the deck so I didn’t feel it was necessary to take any risks. When it came time to write this though, I felt I should check it out. I am happy to say that I downloaded it onto my phone without incident.

A hard copy of the book can be purchased separately but at $44.29 AUD plus $50.04 AUD postage it isn’t viable for me here in Australia. It’s a pity because it’s a good book. I like the backstory of the deck and the creation of the book itself included in the introduction and his answer to the does-tarot-work question.

In short he wrote that since tarot cards represent universal archetypes and human experiences,

No matter what cards are pulled from the deck, they will have [a] story to tell you; and that story will be relatable. Regardless of your belief in magic, spirituality, or witchcraft, your tarot deck will undoubtedly open your eyes, heart and mind to things you may not yet have considered. It will help you examine the world from new perspectives and think about problems in new ways.

He then goes on to explain the layout of the deck and suggests ways to conduct readings. The bulk of the book is in the ‘Glossary of Cards’ section. Each card has upright and reversed keywords followed by a description of the card image and the relevance of the choices made. This is followed by interpretations of the card’s meanings in both upright and reversed presentations and a full colour image.

Spreads

There are three very standard spreads included in the book:

Single card draw
Past-Present-Future (3 cards)
Celtic Cross (3 cards)

I really enjoy working with this deck. It would be even better if it came packaged with the book and/or through a supplier that made the postage more viable for those of us not in the USA. When I bought my deck the book wasn’t available. Obviously, where I live is not the creator’s problem though. But, I wish it was easily accessible for everyone especially since the deck itself is reasonably priced for an indie deck.

All that aside, if like me, the imagery in this deck calls to you I believe it is worth adding to your collection as it presents different ways of considering the cards without diminishing their general meanings. It is easy to read intuitively and therefore suitable to anyone with a basic understanding of tarot. In fact, he wrote in the companion book, that he didn’t feel a book was necessary because he wanted people to read it in that way rather than through a strict adherence to book meanings. I think it is necessary to remember what it was like as a beginner confronted with 78 pictures though and I’m glad he did end up taking the time to write the book – especially since he did such a great job.