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 into Green Glyphs like old friends. Green Glyphs is my attempt at bridging the gap [between the magical and the mundane], making something that is not overtly occult but more of a functional art piece that unfolds into… magic”

James R. Eads

Now, the box. I am not wild about the box. It’s very big and a bit clunky – given the cards themsleves are small, smaller even than regular playing cards – and the cardboard insert inside mine is already starting to fray and come untucked. I just don’t see the need for such a big, awkwardly designed box for such a small, neat deck of cards! Can we please all take a moment, though, to reflect on the chameleonesque wonder that is the inside of the box blending into the print of my rug…

The cards themselves are super cute. As I said, they’re little, so very easy to hold and shuffle compared to standard Tarot cards. They’re sturdy, with a mat finish, and gold glit edging which is so far proving very chip resistant. The deck comes with a guidebook that has a really thorough and interesting account of both the Green Glyphs project and Tarot as a whole, with example spreads etc., and then a relatively brief description of each card’s meaning. Some of the minor arcana cards differ slightly from the conventional/RWS interpretation, so the guidebook is very useful.

The cards themselves are pretty simple, with visible evidence of brush work and a lovely naive quality. Colour is also very important for this deck. The creator explains that “cards with a large presence of yellows and golds are generally uplifting and cards with orange are unfortunate”.

I really like this explosive, bright-yet-distant Sun (reminding us of the “small joys in life”), and this god’s eye view of the World. Judgement acknowledges the power and vitality of this card.

All the Cups show elephants, which work well with the suit. Eads explains that “elephants carry water” much like cups, adding that “if you look closely, a bowl of water holds the history of the entire universe, and then a single drop changes it all”. I think the links with memory and family loyalty also work well when using elephants for Cups. I particularly like the embracing elephants of the Ace, the elephant family of the Six, and the happy elephant in its lush valley depicted in the Nine.

The Knight of Wands as a high-energy kid on a rocking horse works really well. The creator explains, “they expel magic in a passionate but chaotic outburst”. And I love the Queen of Wands as a ballet dancer, effortlessly twirling in her gift.

A really lovely rendition of the Four of Swords, and the Queen of Swords, normally fairly no-nonsense, is really beautiful in this almost dreamy, star-filled depiction. Eads explains that the Queen is “the moon, well rested and clear of mind, charg[ing] through the bright sky, creating star after star with her magic”.

The Three of Stones (Pents) here is the ocean floor, giving a great example of the importance of collaboration and inter-connected eco systems. A gorgeous gentle giant King of Stones (Pents), who has learned that “if you give openly you will never yearn for more, as it will always come back to you in great abundance”. Finally, I love the monster claw literally uprooting the Tower – so sinister. Sometimes life just grabs us and shakes us, and there’s nothing we can do about it.

You can purchase the Green Glyphs Tarot via the creator’s website, or if you’re in the UK you can get it from the fabulous Wootique online store, which I heartily recommend.

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