The Sasuraibito Tarot
The Sasuraibito Tarot is a contemporary deck that stands out for all the right reasons. It’s not different just for the sake of being different. It’s a powerful healing deck that encourages you to let go of anything that you hold on to purely for appearances. The message that shines through when I work with this deck The Sasuraibito Tarot is to seek who you are not who you, or others, think you should be.
The Sasuraibito Tarot Deck
Stasia Burrington, the deck’s creator, says this deck was inspired by the Rider Waite Smith system, contemporary living, and Japanese and Buddhist ideas. These influences are present in the artwork and I feel together they add an extra dimension when interpreting a spread. Considering the 8 of Cups and 8 of Pentacles through a Buddhist lens definitely adds another layer to the cards. The 8 of Wands in The Sasuraibito Tarot suggests we are the driving force behind the impetus of a situation. I like that message. It creates a level of consciousness/ownership rather than things just happening to us. The 8 of Swords reinforces this idea. He is creating the darkness. His eyes are closed to the truth.
This deck is up close and personal. It’s similar to Tarot of the Hidden Realm in that sense. It feels more immediate, more intimate, as a result. The person or the situation is there, right in front of you, not off in the distance. Therefore, you engage with the cards rather than just observing their scenes. You feel the mental anguish of the man on the 8 of Swords and you realise you are the only one there to fire the arrow on the 8 of Wands.
For this reason, I feel this is a fantastic deck for shadow work. Yes I’ve used the Mary-El Tarot and Tarot of the Abyss for this type of work and for clarification of the cause behind things too. But, there’s something about this deck that stops you from looking away. It feels like a trusted friend that’s right there with you to help you through the process. This supports and encourages the healing that occurs when you cut through illusions and uncover your personal truths.
As I look at the King of Cups pictured above I can almost hear him say, “go on, don’t stop,” as he pours me another cup of coffee. He’s not just a distant figure able to sit comfortably in his emotions. He’s there to help you sit comfortably in your own. Also, I like that he suggests he’s not worried about his energy being drained because he knows he can refill his own “cup”.
Looking at the way The Devil is depicted (below) serves as a reminder that there’s light to be found in the shadow. In order to overcome detrimental behaviours we need to understand their underlying cause. Once we do we can work on healing them, or seek the necessary support.
My deck arrived slightly bowed but that doesn’t hamper shuffling. Neither does the gold gilding. The gilding isn’t sharp and from the outset the cards separated easily. None were stuck together. At 7cm x 12 cm they’re a nice size to work with and they come packaged in a solid 2 part box. That packaging style is always a win as far as I’m concerned. Adding gold foil elements and removing all the blurb on the outside of the box makes it even better.
The suits are Cups, Wands, Swords and Pentacles with Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings making up the court. Strength is VIII and Justice is XI.
The Sasuraibito Tarot Book
The Sasuraibito Tarot comes with a 63 page, card sized booklet that focuses on explaining card meanings. There is a brief history which shares the inspiration for the deck mentioned earlier and a short section about working with the cards. However, the best aspect of this book is the cards section.
In the words of Stasia herself, “There is a brief description of the meanings and symbolism of each card, along with the reversed meanings, some words on my process while designing the cards and perhaps a relevant quote or three.” I’d add that for many of the Major Arcana she’s included what I’d best describe as alternate names under the card number and name. For example, The Fool has ‘The Jester/Madman/Beggar/Sasuraibito [wanderer]. In the book’s opening she explains that Sasuraibito translates loosely to wanderer with wanderer in this sense meaning seeker. Other examples are The Warrior for The Chariot, Athena for Justice, and Artemis/Persephone/Isis – I know her as the Witch for the High Priestess. For the Minor Arcana she provides keywords instead.
As for quotes, for The Hanged Man she’s added, “we cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are.” And, for The Tower, “for a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.” Yes I’m a sucker for a good quote. I loved their inclusion in The Cook’s Tarot as well.
Spreads
There are three 3-card spread suggestions offered.
- Past, present, future
- Current situation, obstacle, advice
- Where you stand now, what you aspire to, how to get there
I don’t generally do past, present, future spreads but I found the second two options read really well. Overall, for me, this is a transformative deck because it can help you heal what lurks within. Because it engages very directly with you, it can really help you to see through the illusions that may be holding you back. The Sasuraibito Tarot is a very user friendly deck that is suitable for all levels and is definitely a deck I believe is worth adding to any collection.
Publishing Details
Deck Creator:
Stasia Burrington
Pictured Version:
6th printing, published by Stasia Burrington in 2019
