The Radiant Tarot

I first saw The Chariot from The Radiant Tarot on Trishtaytarot’s Instagram feed. Prior to that I’d never taken any notice of the deck. But the artistic choices on The Chariot really stood out to me so I wanted to discover more. When I did, the combination of The Hierophant on the cover, the subtitle, ‘Pathway to Creativity’, and the marketing blurb, led me to buy it on the spot. I don’t usually do that anymore because I am much more selective about the decks I add to my collection. But, as with anything, there are always exceptions.

The Radiant Tarot Cards

I wasn’t disappointed. Taking 12 years to complete, The Radiant Tarot was a labour of love. Artist Alexandra Eldridge’s artwork, inspired by the interconnectedness of all life, combines perfectly with Tony Barnstone’s desire to connect people with their inner genius and imagination. His approach was to combine psychology, the science of creativity, and ‘literary, artistic and spiritual traditions’ to explore the tarot. The way he compiles all this information in the book makes it an interesting read in its own right but I’ll talk more about that later.

The Structure

Alexandra Eldridge was inspired by quotes from poets Rainer Maria Rilke and William Blake — “With all its eyes the animal world sees the open,” and “Nature is imagination itself.” So, The Radiant Tarot features a mix of animals; people with animal heads; and people with animal companions. This combination could have become disjointed, but it doesn’t because, with the odd exception, Eldridge’s approach is very structured.

The Minor Arcana

For starters, she gave each Minor Arcana suit a specific colour – green for Pentacles, red for Cups, blue for Swords, and yellow for Wands. Therefore the suits stand out when laid out in a spread. Plus it makes it so easy to flick through the deck to find a particular card. Also, I really appreciate that rather than the image being overlaid onto a standard “suit backdrop”, each card has its own unique speckled background. Her attention to detail makes me pay attention too.

So, even though the Minor Arcana aren’t scenic, I find the small included elements ensure that you can still “read” the card.

Example

Take the Three of Wands and the Five of Cups pictured above as examples. On the Three of Wands the arrangement of the wands made me think of a sailing boat wheel, one that you’d expect to find on a big boat. But, the boat in the water is small. For me those two elements, even when read in isolation, suggest that putting yourself out there in small ways is the easiest way to navigate your path. And, since the colouring gives the impression that the sun is shining on a clear sky day, this feels like a safe and enjoyable approach.

The Five of Cups is also readily open to interpretation. The black hole sits between the upturned cups. Do the shapes around the black circle signify growth and gems or fallen leaves and tears? It depends on how you choose to look at it. I like that. The bird is looking to the left which I interpret as the past. Is the situation something that should be left in the past or, given time and hindsight, is it a portal to a new way of seeing things?

I also notice that this card features two upturned cups rather than three. On most versions I’ve seen it’s the other way around. For me that changes a lot. While I don’t deal for reversals, on this card I see the spilled cups in that way. Thus, in this case the Two of Cups is reversed rather than the Three. In my eyes that makes for quite a different dynamic. And, all of this is without yet considering the flowers and what they might represent.

So while the Minor Arcana may feature minimal elements, I find those that are there have a lot to say.

The Court Cards

The Radiant Tarot Court adhere to standard nominations – King, Queen, Knight and Page. They too follow a specific structure with one exception. The Pages all stand in front of what I see as a framed picture but the book tells me is in fact a window. I can work with either idea, but my mind gravitates towards it being a picture, like a card within a card suggesting the potential.

All the Pages have animal heads, as do the Knights, with the exception of the Knight of Wands. Make of that what you will. I wonder if it is linked to the fact that people tend to rush in to things and chase after “shiny new things” whereas animals don’t. That’s the thought that came to my mind anyhow.

Moving on to the Kings and Queens, the Queens are all seated on a throne while the Kings are all standing. With the Exception of the Queen of Cups, each has an animal companion. And, unlike the rest of the Court, (bar the Knight of Wands), the Queens don’t have animal heads. Much, or nothing, can be read into that artistic decision. Personally I find it an interesting choice and worthy of consideration, especially if several Court cards appeared together in a spread.

The Major Arcana

The Major Arcana cards are more scenic yet still quite minimalist. Therefore, again, every detail counts. For example, The Fool has the most “hazy” line work in the deck. I believe this is intentional. Also, while I see the white as an egg, I see it as a potential portal to travel wherever you choose to go as well.

Furthermore, I love the inclusion of the maps and how they are repeated on The Chariot, albeit beneath the grass in that case. There the destination is now underpinning the movement rather than suggesting multiple options. Take a look below and you’ll see that maps also feature on the Wheel of Fortune and The Sun. I love both because of their interpretive possibilities.

The dice, the steering wheel, the map, and the hand with the palmistry markings on The Wheel of Fortune brings a lot to mind. Add the fact that this Wheel is set on an island, surrounded with fresh growth, and blocking a mandala and you have even more to think about. And, what about the sky? What is it suggesting? The basic Celtic fish on the wheel tells me everything is interconnected in some way though.

The Physical Aspects

Now, let’s move on to the cards themselves. The Radiant Tarot has flexible cardstock with a cardboard-y feel. Due to the cardstock I found I could bend it out of shape a little too easily. But I could also straighten it out just as easily so to date it hasn’t been an issue. And, while I’m not normally a fan of white borders, I don’t mind these.

At 7.5 x 12.5cm the cards are slightly larger, which surprisingly I did notice while shuffling. Nevertheless, even with the white borders, I haven’t considered trimming them.

Overall, I find the cards are easy to flip through and okay to fan. The titles font isn’t exciting but it is nice and clear which is the main thing. And, even though Arabic numbers are used for the Major Arcana rather than the Roman numerals I prefer, the Majors still stand out because the numbers on the Minors are written out in full. Put simply, this is a well-presented deck.

Interpretations of some randomly selected card pairings

8 Strength and Ace of Pentacles

The first thing I was drawn to was the hand positioning on both cards. Since I didn’t know the relevance and the book didn’t help in this case, I turned to Google. I discovered the hand positioning on VIII Strength represents Abhaya Mudra. The upward facing hand symbolises reassurance and protection including protection from fear while the downward hand – Varada Mudra – grants blessings and shows compassion. It’s a sign of generosity. This, sitting alongside the Ace of Pentacles delivered an important message. Be brave enough to share your gifts generously.

Then, as I looked at the flowering plants below the hand on the Ace, I heard, “it will lead to the greatest growth for all.” These cards sent me down a Google rabbit hole which gave me a chuckle when I discovered the hand position on the Ace of Pentacles is the Gyan Mudra, otherwise known as the Mudra of Knowledge. This added another simple message – “there is strength in knowledge.”

Nine of Cups & Ten of Swords

The positioning of the swords on the Ten of Swords brought another message through loud and clear. If your happiness and wishes depend on other’s agreement you’re going to trap yourself in a world of overwhelming indecision. Surrender is one thing. Trapping yourself with the weight of other’s expectations is another thing entirely.

When other people’s thoughts and ideas overlap in ways that don’t include your own, you can feel very much on the outer and the temptation can be to disregard your own thoughts. This isn’t healthy in the long run. Therefore this pairing could also signify co-dependency.

Eight of Pentacles & Two of Wands

Finally, especially since this post is getting long, I’ll keep this one super short. When I saw these two cards together, the first thing I heard was “perfectionism can block happiness.” You will never be ready to launch if you doubt your skill level or the completed product. This is the potential sting in the tail of the bee on the Eight of Pentacles. You can block your potential for growth and success if you just keep practicing and/or training rather than sharing what you have to offer. After all feedback is an essential aspect of any product’s development.

The Radiant Tarot Guide Book

This is a very generous book. Tony Barnstone has put a lot of work into it. Normally, I would share an entry to show you how the book is presented but these entries are too long to do that. Just the introductory section spans twenty-three pages and nothing included there is mere filler. It’s an exploration of creativity conducted by someone clearly fascinated by the topic. Throughout he is constantly encouraging you to incorporate creativity into your everyday life. And, rather than a history of tarot, he shares an albeit brief foray into the history of how creativity has been perceived, how he sees it, and how it links to tarot and self-creation. He was definitely on an interesting mission when he created The Radiant Tarot. As the box states, this deck is intended as a ‘Pathway to Creativity.’

The book opens with an Artist’s Preface subtitled Animal Forms of Wisdom which gives insights into Alexandra Eldridge’s way of viewing her artistic choices. This is followed by Tony Barnstone’s Introduction. Here you’ll find subheadings such as ‘How to use the Radiant Tarot’; The Inner Eye; The Outer Eye; Divine Inspiration and Genius; Left Brain, Right Brain, Whole Brain; The Aha! Moment; Divergent and Convergent Thinking; Creativity and the Transformed Self which itself includes sections on Creativity and Self-Knowledge, Creativity and Health, and Creativity and Empathy. I’m sure you’re getting a feel for the book from these headings. But there’s more.

He’s also included a section on Creativity Journals. Here he offers suggestions on what you could include in your journal as well as several spreads. For the One-Card, Two-Card and Three-card spreads he provides multiple options including creativity based suggestions. There is also a Five-Card Spread – The Elemental Alchemy Spread – which I enjoyed working with.

The Card Meanings

The card meanings for both the Major and the Minor Arcana include the same information. Before I share some specific samples I’ll let Tony Barnstone describe the intention behind the meaning sections. He writes:

Each card is interpreted via Descriptions, Meanings, Musings, Creative Practices and Astrological Notes, based on the significance of the card and its symbols. The Descriptions and Meanings are meant to help you interpret and decipher the cards. The Musings and Creative Practices are designed to help you apply those meanings to your creative life, whether that is reflected in your daily life or in artistic pursuits. They will wake up your intuition; put you in touch with the power within; trigger the pen, the body, the inner eye; and encourage creativity in all forms. 

Some snippets from the card meanings

17. The Star

Inspiration

After dark times you will find

Healing, hope, and a shining mind.

Under the Meaning heading the keywords are Hope, Healing, Inspiration, Pessimism and the opening lines are:

After the catastrophe and breakdown of the Tower, the Star lights up the sky as a card of blessings. It is the creative flow of life-water, trust, and renewed hope for one who has survived hardship, and like new skin over a wound, it represents the healing of forgiveness and the renewal of transformation.

It goes on to talk about vision, enlightenment, and imagination and to explain the relevance of the various elements included in the illustration. In the Musing section, which for me is the most interesting section across all the cards, for The Star he talks about astronomer Galileo Galilei being charged with heresy because he dared to say that the Earth rotated around the Sun. He then explains the relevance of the “musing” to the card meaning.

18 The Moon and 12 The Hanged Man

For 18. The Moon he talks about Pink Floyd’s album Dark Side of the Moon and the meaning Roger Waters gives to the sun and the moon. In part, ‘I think it’s a vey simple statement saying that all the good things life can offer are there for us to grasp, but that the influence of some dark force in our natures prevents us from seizing them.’

The line Tony Barnstone alludes to later is taken from the song Brain Damage, one of my favourite on the album, ‘And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too, I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon.’

Whereas for 12. The Hanged Man he quotes C.S. Lewis, ‘For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: It also depends on what sort of person you are,’ and cites a psychological study conducted in the 1890s using mirror glasses and the effect they had.

These are just some of the examples of the material you’ll find in the Musings section. You’ll also find stories, history, mythology, and his personal musings. And, remember, this is just one section.

Eight of Wands

If you like quotes, you’ll love how liberally they are scattered through the various sections as well. He heads the Eight of Wands Creative Practice with

If any of this ended in an explosion, I hoped it would be one that made us burn brighter, stronger than ever before.

Then he follows it with the suggestion to:

Prepare a pile of magazine pictures and ribbons, beads, colored paper, and other craft materials, along with rubber cement or a glue stick, and a piece of colored or white construction paper. Using a timer, set yourself a twenty-minute limit. Begin the timer when you are ready to light the spark to activate the creative explosion. Now do a self-portrait collage titled "My Amazing Self." You have only twenty minutes. Time to explode!

I’ll wrap discussions of the book up here before this post reaches novel like proportions. If you have any questions I am, as always, happy to answer them.

Wrapping it all up

Because of my reading style I don’t have many pip-ish decks but I always make sure that those I do own have something within the images that allows me to read the card. The Radiant Tarot definitely meets this criteria. It’s strength is in its simplicity.

During my deck interview I wrote, ‘You need to trust that how everything comes together will make itself clear but you may well need a new perspective. The secret is to expand your perspective without complicating things.’ The more I work with this deck the more sense this makes.

Though I’ll let Tony Barnstone have the final say. He describes The Radiant Tarot in this way:

It’s blend of wisdom – visual and verbal, rational and magical – is a guide for using the power of creativity to change your life.

Publishing details

Created by: Tony Barnstone Author and Alexandra Eldridge Artist

Website: Tony Barnstone and Alexandra Eldridge

Pictured version: Published by Weiser Books in 2021

ISBN 13: 978-1-57863-750-8

Packaging: Solid box with shaped insert and ribbon for the cards.