Indie Decks
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Deck Review: Sawyer’s Path Tarot
Prepare yourselves for some serious gushing because I really really really LOVE this deck, the Sawyer’s Path Tarot by Jamie Sawyer. It’s fun but it’s also deep. The art manages to be both quirky and cute, but strangely haunting and emotive. I first saw it on @tarottidbits78’s beautiful page and was like “oh noooooo” because I’d promised myself no more decks, especially not (understandably) expensive indie ones with international postage costs, but the minute I saw it I knew it HAD TO BE MINE! I bought it as a pair with the Tarot 336, and I also got the Tarot Transitions, but I’ll introduce them all separately, because they all have very different…
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Deck Review: The Prismatic Tarot
I’ve had this deck for over a year now, but I decided it was a good time to finally review it as the creator has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the second edition. This is a chance to get hold of a copy of this deck, which has been OOP for a while, so if you like it, now is your opportunity! I have the now sold-out first edition (which I am reviewing here), but the creator, Kelsey Showalter, has confirmed that there will be no major changes to the second edition, just some minor touch-ups, and a swap to more slippery cardstock to aid shuffling. The Prismatic Tarot is…
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Deck Review: Genius Garden Tarot
Eeeeeek, I can’t believe how quickly this deck went from me falling in love with it on Kickstarter to being in my hot little hands. Seriously, the creator and artist of the Genius Garden Tarot, Jessi Huntenburg, runs a tight ship. This is the swiftest and most professional Kickstarter campaign I think I’ve ever backed! Huntenburg describes the ‘genius’ of the Genius Garden Tarot as “the unique spirit of your higher self, the directional arrow that points you toward your most creative potential”, adding “genius isn’t a title that’s reserved for the quickest or most accomplished among us. Instead, it’s a gift that’s given to each of us at the…
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Deck Review: Green Glyphs Tarot
The Green Glyphs Tarot is part of the latest collection from legendary Tarot creator James R. Eads (he of Prisma Visions fame). I really like its simple style and muted palette; for some reason it reminds me of the 50’s art my grandparents used to be in to (and the overall G-Plan-chic vibe of their house when I was a little kid). Eads writes about how he created the Green Glyphs collection (there’s also a Lemonard and some Rune cards) to feel purposefully familiar. “It finds itself in your daily life. A yellow butterfly. A day old cup of coffee. The Sun. The Moon. You. Me. It’s all there, woven…
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Deck Review: The Forager’s Daughter Tarot
Having seen it in a few other people’s collections, I initially decided to get the Forager’s Daughter Tarot (Afterlight Edition) because I really liked the concept of it as an artwork (as opposed to thinking I’d necessarily work with it a lot). I was not disappointed – the art in this deck, and the quality of the cards, really is stunning. If you collect Tarot/pretty, clever things then this deck is a really worthwhile addition to your collection. The artist and creator, Jesscia Lei Howard grew up surrounded by nature (a forager’s daughter!), and it is this love for the natural world, and the gifts it gives us, that is…
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Deck Review: The WayHome Tarot
I got the WayHome Tarot after it had sat on my wishlist for a little while. I was a bit uncertain about it, and now I own it I do find it a bit of a mixed bag. I feel some of Autumn Whitehurst‘s art, while gorgeous, is internally incongruent and it gives a haphazard vibe to the deck I don’t always connect to. But there are so many cards where the imagery is so clever that I am OBSESSED. Simple. Perfect. On point. You can tell the co-creator, Bakara Wintner, has a deep affinity with the message of the Tarot, and she has an uncanny knack for making difficult…
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Deck Review: The Botan Tarot
The Botan Tarot by Addi Miyako is just super beautiful, really dreamy and soft, like falling into a bed of petals. I was really lucky to come across a reasonably priced secondhand copy, as at the time the deck OOP. The artist has now launched a second edition which you can (pre)order here (UK) as well as some other online stores (please check the artist’s webpage for authorised stocklists). The Deck: Look, Feel, and Finish The deck comes in a simple but stunning deep purple slipcase/shell and slide box, and the cards are then further held by a lovely peach ribbon. My one tiny quibble with the box is that…
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Deck Review: The Twice Told Tarot
I fell in love with the Twice Told Tarot when I saw it on Kickstarter last year, and immediately backed it. Created by Travis McHenry, alongside artist David Scaglione, its quirky style really appealed to me. Unfortunately the Kickstarter was cancelled – boo. But then the deck was included as a possible add-on to McHenry’s next project, the True Oracle of Nostradamus – hooray! So I bought the TOoN just to get my hands on the Twice Told Tarot (as I thought that would be the only way to get hold of a copy). Turns out you can currently pick up a copy via the Bloodstone Studios online store –…
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Deck Review: The Curious Travels Tarot Deck
I sadly missed the Kickstarter for the Curious Travels Tarot Deck by Arozear (Amelia ‘Mia’ Rozear) 💔. But then discovered the artist was releasing a mass market version with US Games ♥️ (NB the mass market version is now available, and you can buy it through a variety of retailers, e.g. here). Even better, they then did one last print run of the indie version, which I managed to get hold of. This made me v v v v v happy as I’ve had my heart broken before by missing out on the indie versions of gorgeous decks. My only sorrow is not being able to get one of the…
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Deck Review: The Healing Waves Tarot
The Healing Waves Tarot is currently out of print after a limited run, and I was after it for aaaaaages before I found a secondhand copy that wasn’t gougingly expensive (it was still pretty pricey though!). It’s definitely worth snapping up if you can find a reasonably priced secondhand copy. Otherwise you can join me in hoping that the creator, Nawan Junhasiri, does a second print run and/or works with a mass market publisher to release a prêt-à-tarot version [UPDATE: see postscript at end of post for more info, this sadly seems very unlikely]. Unfortunately the guide book is only available as a passcode locked pdf, and as I bought…
