Way of the Panda Tarot

I felt like it was time for a total change of pace and the Way of the Panda Tarot felt like the perfect choice. It is so easy to get caught up in things, believe me I know. I started writing about The Hoodoo Tarot and next thing I know I’m researching my family tree and preparing to spit into test tubes to discover my ancestral DNA. But, sometimes you just have sit back and relax. So now I’m spending time with the inhabitants of Panda Kingdom as I slowly work my way through the add-on book. Reading about Pandalf the Magician and Panda Hercules brought a smile to my face and reminded me of the beauty to be found in not taking life too seriously. As Jim Morrison and many others espouse, “None of us get out of here alive.” The pandas remind us to enjoy the ride.

Way of the Panda Tarot Deck

The Way of the Panda Tarot is a cutesy deck. There’s no denying that. Celia Libelle’s watercolour art is charming and whimsical and the open white space gives each panda’s personalities room to shine. However, initially Kimberly M Tsan wanted this deck to be taken seriously and seen as more than just a feel good deck. But then she discovered,

That the pandas didn’t really care about proving their intelligence or their worth to anyone.

When I read that I realised why this deck called to me so strongly. I had thought it was because it always made me smile but it was more than that. Prior to deciding to dedicate myself to my current path my plan was to become an academic. It seemed the perfect match since I’m in my head a lot, I love to research, I love to study, I love to learn, and I love to share what I discover. And, basically my mind doesn’t stop. It constantly seeks understanding and I have to admit that I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Exhausting sometimes, maybe even more than sometimes, but it has served me well all the same.

But, for a long time, as long as I can remember, my self worth was wrapped up in my academic abilities. Whenever I was doubting, or hating on myself I’d seek validation through formal study. Not that it ever worked. Neither High Distinctions nor awards changed how I felt. Then along came the pandas and reminded me to just sit back and enjoy the process.

So now I’ve adopted, okay let’s be completely honest, I’m working on adopting, the panda mindset. I don’t need to prove myself to others. If people want to see me as a flaky tarot chick they can.

So, while this may seem like a cutesy deck, and it really really is, I would add that for me it is one of the most liberating decks in my collection. The only other deck I’d refer to in that way is the Fifth Spirit Tarot but for very, very different reasons.

With the Way of the Panda Tarot we’re constantly reminded that “The pandas work their magic on us when we allow ourselves to flow into the ease and simplicity of a moment and embrace the sweet, sweet serenity that follows when we allow ourselves to be who we are.” And, that right there is the true magic of this deck — it urges us to be unapologetically ourselves. No pretense; no act; no mask. No shoulds, coulds, or woulds. Just ourselves. The us that few people get to see. A deck that can do that deserves a place on every tarot lover’s shelf.

Besides, who doesn’t want a deck that can support you through the good times and the bad. Regardless of the situation the Way of the Panda Tarot reminds us that we are never on our own. We have all had Tower and Three of Swords moments. We have all felt joy and sadness, fear and bravado, and if we ever forget that, a supportive deck like this reminds us in a gentle way. When I look at these cards the feeling I come away with is “I’ve got this,” whatever “this” happens to be. And if for whatever reason I don’t have it quite the way I imagined or hoped, I’m going to be okay anyway.

That’s not to say that everything is glossed over. But the approach is different. I love the approach Kimberly and artist Celia Libelle have taken with cards such as the Three and Four of Swords. I look at these cards and I’m reminded to notice and think about the stories that are hurting me.

What story am I telling myself about the situation and what purpose is it serving? Then, what do I need to let go of in order to heal? It’s not about pretending whatever it was didn’t happen. The feathers are still there on the Four of Swords, but you don’t need to keep re-reading the same story over and over again. Quite often a story’s time is up, we just need a reminder to acknowledge that. Sometimes it takes a few re-reads before we are ready to put the story down, but that’s okay.

The pandas are forgiving. They know that sometimes things take a while. We do things in our own time and in our own way. Just like the Way of the Panda Tarot.

While this is an RWS based deck, Kimberly M Tsan has put her own spin on the cards and there is nothing clone-ish about it at all. I have nothing against RWS clones, (many of my decks are theme-based clones), but I really enjoy and connect with the panda’s approach. This is a character driven deck.

Some of my favourite characters

Some of my other favourites characters are XI Justice and XII Hanged Panda. Justice just makes me smile. In the LWB Kimberly writes, “Just so you know — this is MY sacred space, so I make the rules” which this panda’s actions reinforce. This version of the card talks to me about boundaries and making decisions that support your peace rather than choosing things that are likely to niggle at you afterwards. It’s about deciding what you deem to be acceptable, acting accordingly, and then taking ownership of your decisions.

So many stories come to mind when I look at this card. Some equate to a gentle “back up,” others not so much, which suggests another aspect to the card. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself when necessary. If a subtle approach doesn’t work, then don’t be subtle!

The Hanged Panda brings to mind You Tube panda videos which in turn reminds me to take a lighter approach and let things take the time they need to take. Taking things slowly allows you to see the current situation in ways that pushing through often prevents you from seeing. Hindsight is wonderful but seeing things in the moment can be lifechanging?

The Pages are also amongst my favourite which is fitting for a deck that Kimberly claims is perfect for Inner Child work. On her website she suggest using the deck:

• when you want to soothe, comfort & reassure your inner child that they’re safe with the panda’s sweet & affectionate presence 💖
• when you’re wanting to celebrate your joy, playfulness and whimsy with your inner child & the pandas 🌈
• when you and your inner child are up to some giggly mayhem and you’re enlisting the panda’s help to conquer the world together 💪

If you visit her website I’d recommend signing up to her newsletter. Her writing is a pleasure to read. That’s why I also recommend purchasing the extended guidebook but I’ll get to that later. There’s a bit more I want to cover about the cards first.

The Wonder Edition that I have includes five additional cards. There’s Witchy Panda pictured earlier, Caffeinated Panda, Imagination Station, Dream Space, and Stargazing Panda. They’re great additions. I can relate to Caffeinated Panda yet whenever I use this deck Imagination Station is my stalker card. Dream Space is one of my favourite cards simply because I love the artwork.

Physical aspects

The cards are 7 x12 cm, edged in a soft green, and printed on 350 GSM paper with a matte UV finish. Spot gloss details add a nice touch to the reversible card backs. The cards fan okay and shuffle like a dream. All in all the Way of the Panda Tarot is a well put together deck that really is a pleasure to work with on all fronts.

The suits are Cups, Wands, Swords and Pentacles with Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings making up the Court. With the exception of the Hanged Panda, the Major Arcana retain standard RWS nominations with Strength VIII and Justice XI. The Major Arcana cards are numbered using Roman numerals but for some reason this doesn’t carry over to the book. Though this is a simple observation rather than a criticism.

The Way of the PandaTarot Guidebook

I’ll start with the 97-paged, perfect bound, LWB, (or little black & white book as Kimberly calls it), that accompanies the deck first. The book opens with “Once Upon a Panda” in which Kimberly briefly shares her love of panda videos and how she believes the pandas can help us. Next is “Use this deck for…”, and “Once upon a Tarot” which explains what tarot is and the layout of a deck.

“Your Tarot Journey: Tips on beginning your tarot journey” follows. I love the opening paragraph.

Always follow your heart. If you are just starting out, you may be a little unsure where you should head next. The pandas want you to know that it doesn't really matter where you go or where you end up. You are free to pause, to sprint, to tumble down a hill, to move at your own pace. You get to do it your own way, in whatever way that works for you. It's your journey. Go wherever you want to go. Stay curious and find your own tarot path.

Then in the next section she moves on to explain “How to Use This Booklet” before giving a brief precis of The Book of Pandas. This is the 275pp additional guidebook. Now as someone who promotes reading deck guidebooks I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I recommend this book. But for different reasons than you may expect.

This book makes me smile as much as the cards do. As Kimberly writes, “Every panda in this deck has a name, a story and offers unique musings on tarot and life.” I have been thoroughly enjoying discovering each pandas origin story and their unique takes on the world. Plus, each Major Arcana card has a card-specific spread and journaling prompts to work through. This book definitely isn’t a quickly thrown together add-on. It clearly shows how intimately connected Kimberly is with each panda in the deck and her love for the pandas is infectious.

But back to the book that comes with the deck. Both the Major and Minor Arcana receive the same attention. I’ll give you an example of both a Major Arcana and a Court card so you can get a real feel for Kimberly M Tsan’s approach to the meanings. I’ll start with The Chariot and then move on to the Knight of Wands. Neither book includes card images.

VII The Chariot

Panda Message: Run? Don't be ridiculous. Pandas don't run! We dread any form of muscle activation. We roll when there is an incline available, but when we really need to go somewhere, we ride! Sprouting wings on our bikes to fly, reaching for the sky. Nothing can stop you once you've locked on your target! You are already a winner, and you only lose when you don't play. So are you game or are you game? Vroom vroooooooooooom vrooooooooooooooooom!

Light Attributes: victory, momentum, purpose, alignment, success
Shadow Attributes: impatience, aggression, stubbornness, colossal pettiness.

Knight of Wands

Panda Message: Everybody's kung fu fighting - dun dun dun dun dun dun! Hyah! Wo-pah! Nothing stops me. I ain't afraid of nothing! HI-YAH! YOU THERE! WANNA FIGHT TO SEE WHO'S STRONGER? 

Light Attributes: thirsty for adventure - in love with action, speed and adrenaline; fast and furious.
Shadow Attributes: impulsive, temperamental, selfish, solves problems with fists or unnecessary aggression.

From the first time I looked at the Knight of Wands I heard the kung fu sound effects so it made me chuckle to see that she had presented the card that way. The song Kung Fu Fighting was on my brother’s Mind Bender album and I’d listen to it all the time. This was a walk down memory lane and now I associate this card with him and it adds another layer.

Spreads

I get the feeling that Kimberly M Tsan likes creating spreads. Even in the LWB she has included a generous number of panda-based spreads. To be honest when I looked at the spreads I wasn’t sure how I’d find working with them. But I was pleasantly surprised. They showed me way more than I expected. The spreads are:

• The Panda Spread (4 cards)
• The Kung Fu Panda (3 cards)
• Cute but Fierce (3 cards)
• The Celtic Panda (10 cards)
  • This is a panda-fied version of the Celtic Cross which makes this spread much more beginner friendly
• A Warm Bearhug (3 cards)
• Caffeinated Spread (3 cards)
• Stargazing Spread (4 cards)
• Witchy Panda Spread (5 cards)
• Dream Space (4 cards)

So, regardless of how cutesy these spread titles are, these pandas really shouldn’t be underestimated. Neither should the deck itself.

Wrapping it all up

As Kimberly M Stan claims, and my deck interview confirmed, the Way of the Panda Tarot is anti hustle culture. This deck wants you to slow down, take your time, relax, have fun and reconnect with the parts of you that know how to do that. In a world that is always encouraging us to do more, be more and have more, this deck reminds us that it doesn’t always have to be that way. It’s okay to strive, (for me it’s part of who I am), but the Way of the Panda Tarot reminds that it’s okay to rest and relax as well. I doubt there are many of us who couldn’t benefit from heeding that call, so this deck is invaluable.

Publishing details

The Way of the Panda Tarot is an indie deck created by Kimberly M Tsan. It is available at her website

Fables Den

This post features the Wonder Edition published in 2023.