The Wandering Star Tarot

As the inside of The Wandering Star Tarot box reads, “There is a Universe inside you” and this deck wants to help you tap into it. I was fortunate enough to be gifted this deck by one of my clients. Otherwise it may never have become part of my collection. That would have been a pity because this is a deck that doesn’t overload people. The images aren’t threatening and yet they don’t shy away from the messages they need to portray. In trying to come up with a word to define this deck I would say it’s identifiable.

It reminds me of a colouring book. When you think of a tarot deck that probably isn’t generally the first thing that comes to mind. But when I look at the images I can imagine sitting down with a colouring book and a set of alcohol markers and creating images that resemble these. I’m not saying I could draw the artwork but I feel I could reproduce it. This, in some way, makes The Wandering Star Tarot feel relatable and that’s a good thing, especially when working with nervous clients.

The Wandering Star Tarot Cards

The Wandering Star Tarot is an 80 card deck. It includes The Mother Star – Yes and The Creator – No cards pictured above. Even though I don’t quite read them as yes and no cards I like their inclusion. Artistically, they are two of my favourite cards in the deck.

Unlike these two cards, all the others have keywords worked into the design. Normally I’m not a huge fan of cards having keywords but since these blend in with the artwork so well they are easy to dismiss. Although, that being said, I find myself drawn to a particular keyword when I look at the card. For example when I look at The Fool pictured below I see potential and on The Chariot I see journey. Now as I look at them I find myself considering how the other keywords link to the one that has stood out. I’m curious as to how this plays out over time as I work with these cards.

For me The Fool really set the tone for how I interact with The Wandering Star Tarot. On my initial flick through the first thing I noticed was the layers on the cliff face. They made me think that many small things, whether they be incidents or thoughts, have been laid down, possibly unconsciously, to encourage me to take a leap in a new direction. Then, when I looked at the picked flower I had the sense that I’ve grown as much as I’m going to in my present situation. And, just like that, I clicked with this deck.

The way I view the circles/dots carries through into my interpretations of the cards. On The Chariot I see the road is lined with her experiences – the ones she’s gathered on the way. Because of that, when I consider this card I see it as my “antidote to perfectionism”. You don’t need to have it all worked out before you start. Experiences, mistakes, and successes shape the journey and add to the beauty, excitement and sense of achievement. She can’t line the path without moving along it. Nor can she weave her experiences into the fabric of her being if she doesn’t allow herself to have any.

It’s funny, I know it’s a crown but to me it looks like she has cat ears. Having seen it I can’t seem to unsee it. I’m figuring it is going to have some relevance to me in a reading. Cats feature on eight of the cards in this deck, and her chariot is being pulled by what I see as cheetahs, so the idea isn’t as strange as it sounds. Or maybe it is. But at some level I’m not aware of just yet, it makes sense to me.

The Wandering Star Tarot has several animal only cards. However, I did think that if you’re going to have two knights, the Knight of Pentacles and the Knight of Swords pictured above, represented by animals it would have made sense to have at least all the knights as animals. But, that’s not the case. It didn’t make sense to my logical, ordered mind but then I thought, “Why does it have to be that way?” “Why try and make things fit an arbitrary system if that’s not how you see it?”

Besides I really like the Knight of Pentacles. Personally I don’t overly identify with some of the keywords as keywords but I can see how they could be worked into the story of spread. I found that with many of the keywords used in the deck. I see them as aims or advice rather than directly relating to what I feel the picture depicts.

The Two of Pentacles and the Six of Pentacles pictured below are two further examples. I don’t see the connection to family on the Six of Pentacles and to me the Two of Pentacles shows the potential rather than the “juggle” but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I feel there is a close connection between the two cards as they sit side by side and I like that. The more I look at this deck the more I feel that the cards talk to each other in a variety of ways. What may seem repetitive isn’t. It’s a message.

When I look at the keywords on the Two of Pentacles, “harmony, balance, harmony, balance, harmony, balance” it feels mantra-like to me. Don’t try and juggle everything. Focus on creating balance and harmony. The arrow-like triangles pointing out and with the others pointing in reinforce this message more for me and link it further to the idea of the Six of Pentacles. To achieve the balance there needs to be an equal give and take.

I don’t know why there’s more growth on the masculine rather than the feminine side on the Four of Wands and 10 of Pentacles pictured below. Maybe I’m being overly sensitive. Maybe it was totally unintentional and just coincidental but I noticed it all the same. It probably says more about me than anything else but I’ll own that. There’s many messages that are coming to the fore now that I am owning my sensitivity. To me that’s the sign of a good deck.

In regards to the cards themselves, firstly I want to say that whilst I’m not normally a fan of borders, I really like them on this deck. The cream colour works perfectly and I feel it adds to the card’s appearance. It’s seems to balance the cards. The cards are bold yet soft, busy yet simple, and together it all just seems to work to create a fresh and approachable tarot deck that will appeal to many.

At 7cm x 12cm it’s a standard tarot size but the thick card stock makes it a bigger deck to handle. It makes that great swishy sound when you overhand shuffle but I find it a bit clumpy to riffle. The card backs are reversible even though the book doesn’t promote the use of reversals in readings.

Finally, the deck follows standard RWS nominations with Strength VIII and Justice XI. The suits are wands, swords, cups and pentacles with pages, knights, queens and kings making up the court.

The Book

The Wandering Star Tarot comes with a 114-paged card-sized book which fits nicely into the solid two part box. The ‘Introduction’ opens with “There is a universe inside you waiting to be illuminated and explored. The Wandering Star Tarot is a compass for seekers and dreamers who search for the treasures that lie within the heart, mind and spirit” and I think that’s a great opening.

There isn’t much preamble before the book launches into the card meanings. Each card has a title followed by keywords and a paragraph explaining the cards meaning. A quote wraps it all up nicely. While there’s not a lot of information, it’s well put together which ensures there is plenty to get you started if you’re new to tarot. I’ll provide an example. The Fool entry reads:

You are pure potential. The Fool asks you to draw upon the spirit of youth, innocence, and wonder. This card is about starting anew and, once again, marching to the gentle beat of your heart’s desire no matter where you are in your life journey. The Fool card is energetically connected to the planet Uranus, representing change and new beginnings. So throw caution to the wind! Take a bold leap and have faith that you will be caught by the loving hands of the Universe. The world may call you foolish, but it takes great courage to commit to the path of full soul embodiment.

The section concludes with the Socrates quote, “Wisdom begins in wonder”

As can be seen with The Fool example above, the associated planet or astrological sign for each Major Arcana is woven in to their meaning as well. This is a great addition because it paves the way for those interested in the astrological correspondences. It allows them to gain some understanding of how it all interlinks without being overwhelming.

Spreads

Eight spread ideas are included in the book:

Card a Day (1 card)
Three Card Spread (3 cards)
- Five options in total
The Wandering Star Spread (7 cards)
The Celtic Cross (10 cards)
- Eden Gray’s version

I liked the tailor made Wandering Star Spread but since I lay out my Celtic Cross differently I found the suggested way strange to work with. But, that’s just me and how I work with the spread. I prefer to see left to right as a time line and bottom to top as a line of consciousness. I honestly believe it’s what you get used to though more than anything.

Anyhow, as far as this deck goes, I think it’s great. I don’t have another one like it. Don’t be confused into thinking there is any association with The Wandering Moon Tarot. They may be similar in title but they are vastly different decks.

The Wandering Star Tarot may seem a bit all over the place but it somehow all comes together to form a cohesive whole. The inclusion of the keywords makes it accessible for beginners and whilst the artwork won’t be for everyone, (is any?), it’s non-threatening and therefore a great introduction to tarot for anyone feeling unsure. It’s very reasonably priced as well which makes it definitely worth a look.