Deck Review: Ostara Tarot

One of the first decks I bought (after a vintage Morgan Greer deck) was the Ostara Tarot created by the four-illustrator team of Krista Gibbard, Eden Cook, Julia Iredale, and Molly Applejohn. It’s a really gentle deck, and was largely pretty beginner friendly. Also, one of my cats (Cat Stevens) became oddly obsessed with it, which I take as a good sign, given how discerning kits are. The below photo was taken after I extracted it from his thieving paws (those gilt edges are not claw friendly!) I photographed this deck with the beautiful wisteria that I lovingly planted and nurtured in my old garden (I love living by the sea, but I miss my old garden. It will take years to get my new one as nice), as I felt it had the same soft, stunning energy.

The Vernal equinox, Ostara, wakes the city after winter. Crocuses poke through withered lawns and the sun catches on high-rise glass. The first fringes of green appear in the woods… We look to the fresh sun for a voice of reason to pull threads and themes out of life and make them clear… Our [deck] pays homage to the natural world and those romantic moments in history where we return to nature”

Molly Applejohn

The deck is a collaboration between four artists, who met each other at art school (love this!), and on the whole this works well. One artist takes charge of each of the four Minor suits, and each Minor is assigned an animal (or family). The Majors are likewise divided between the four creators. On the plus side, this gives each suit a really unique and bespoke vibe, which is particularly helpful when you’re learning, as the stylistic differences aid recognising the symbolic differences between the suits. Occasionally when I’m doing a spread, I’ll find some of the differences in drawing style a bit jarring, but, tbh, as someone who loves a good magpie deck, it doesn’t bother me! If you’re someone who likes uniformity in your deck images though, you might struggle more with this. The deck generally sticks to the traditional RWS symbolism, “while also exploring themes of wilderness, surrealism, and feminine intuition“.

I’m not wild about either the card stock (too gloss, too slippery, subject to the standard dings and dents that effect most glossy gilt edge cards) or the box. The box itself is cute, but the cards jiggle about inside (despite the flimsy plastic card divider – ribbons work so much better for this) and get (further) bashed, as well as mixed up (not necessarily a bad thing, obvs). So if this is going to be a working deck for you, I’d ditch the box and carry them in a pouch or custom card box. The guidebook is really beautifully designed and set out, with a double page spread for each Major and a single page for each Minor, containing the standard key words, and specific + general card meaning, both upright and reversed.

The Moth High Priestess is generally badass, and I really appreciate the use of so much clever symbolism on this card. We have the moth itself, a creature most active during that magical, liminal, in-between time of dusk, as we cross the border from day to night. The moth is really such a great way to represent the High Priestess’s position as a conduit between the external world and our internal mysteries, as well as her focus on intuition, and the importance of stillness and patience. The Moth High Priestess is also holding a pomegranate, with its call back to the legend of Persephone, another Queen of the Inbetween; her life divided between the Underworld and Earth (I write about this at great, rambling length in my High Priestess blog post if you’re interested!)

Temperance as the source of both predators and prey (reflecting one of the card’s core themes of natural balance) is really clever. As the LWB states, “everything in the world hinges on balance… It takes developing a special thoughtfulness to understand the duality of the world and to accept your place within it“.

This horned, tattooed Emperor is beautifully illustrated (and gives me major James McAvoy as Mr Tumnus vibes!). The Tower is similarly stunning, and my inner girl swot loves this bookish Hierophant. I always enjoy an emphasis on books as a way of showing shared, collective wisdom in Hierophant cards, as well as candles showing enlightenment.

I really like this rendition of the Knight of Pents, slogging through the blizzard with his trusty steed. The guidebook notes, “whatever your quest, it will be an uphill battle. The reward will be in the journey, if not in the destination. Lessons will be carved from hardship, but learning them will prove worthwhile“. You can sense the pain and anguish from the whale in the Ten of Swords, yet you somehow know he’s not finished quite yet, and will live to see another dawn.

The suit of Cups is illustrated by Eden Cooke, and I really love their art style. Delicate and nostalgic, like something from a half-remembered childhood fairytale. The two birds nestled into each other in their nest is so adorable, and the messy superficiality of the Seven of Cups captures the spirit of the card. The Ten shows two lovers safely wrapped in the octopus’ embrace. I’m not 100% there with the symbolism, but I think the drawing is just absolutely gorgeous, and the gently glowing jellyfish give me that whimsical HEA feeling I think a Ten of Cups should give!

This is a really reasonably-priced, charming deck that ca be enjoyed by both novice and experienced readers.

Deck Interview with Ostara Tarot

1. Tell me about yourself? What is your most important characteristic as a deck?

The Empress. This deck is a nurturer and a comforter, a provider of loving guidance. It’s here to encourage me to live in my wild, natural body, and listen to what it’s really telling me.

2. What are your strengths as a deck?

The Queen of Wands. The deck reiterates its nurturing qualities. It’s honest and sincere, sympathetic to my problems, but looking for practical answers. It wants to help. It wants to move things forward for me.

3. What are your limits as a deck?

The Ace of Wands. This deck is a gentle deck that encourages forward movement, but slowly, and with humility. It is not one for providing sudden insights or unexpected gifts. Rather it’s about the slow work of introspection and grace, learning to be kinder to my self. It’s not a combative or forceful deck, and is more focussed on my relationship with my self than with others.

4. What do you require from me in return? How can I best collaborate with you?

The Knight of Cups. The deck needs me to share in its dreamy, romantic qualities. I need to be ready to explore my own inner world, and to pay attention to the messages in my dreams.

5. What is the potential quality of our relationship?

The Sun. Simple and joyous! This deck is here to provide me with lucidity, optimism, and wonder. It wants me to come and play in the Empress’s garden.

6. In what space / with what type of query will you best communicate?

The Two of Wands. A space where I’m ready to engage in careful planning; to help me when I’m concerned things are stale or losing their lustre. When I want to seek comfort, yes, but also when I’m ready to move out of my comfort zone. The Queen of Wands is just waiting to bustle in and help me do the work to start planning my next steps. I need to be ready to develop the vision I need to make necessary changes, even if they are at a slow pace.

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