Deck Review: The Journey Tarot Deck

I’ve been a big fan of The Journey Tarot Deck by Teagan Michael Turner ever since its inception (you can see me raving about it on Kickstarter here and here), and now it finally exists in the physical world (and in my collection :-)) it does not disappoint. I will say off the bat that this is a pretty pricey deck, probably one of the more expensive ‘new’ decks in my collection (we won’t mention the painful amount of money I’ve spent acquiring some rare secondhand OOP gems, looking at you Bonestone!) However, you can tell the money has gone on the excellent production values (the box really is a piece of art in and of itself!) and the time and care that has gone into the artwork. I mean, just look at this insta of the artist and creator flicking through their sketchbook for the artwork <heart eyes>. So I absolutely think this deck is worth the money, but it’s definitely not a casual buy (unless you are a minty lamb).

The deck is also not particularly straightforward to read from in a learn-by-the-book kinda way, though I personally find it very intuitive. I challenge anyone not to think TMT’s artwork is gorgeous, but I do think, as a reader, your experience of the deck will depend a lot on your personal preferences. I really enjoy reading with it, and don’t struggle to see what it’s saying, but that prob won’t be true for everyone. The creator acknowledges his path to creating the deck wasn’t ‘conventional’:

“As I navigated the world of tarot, I noted the thriving community of artists creating personal interpretations of the deck. Many leaned towards adaptations of the Rider-Waite deck. But rather than follow the well-trodden path, I was drawn to a less conventional approach. Despite understanding traditional symbology and its implications, I was intrigued by the idea of creating a deck that didn’t rely heavily on these symbols.”

The upside of this is you can tell this is a really personal deck, and I think this sings to out to the reader, making it a deck I really like to use for personal readings and self-work.

Onto the deck. The box, guys. THE BOX IS SO PRETTY. Here are some more gratuitous pictures of the box #boxporn:

The Most Beautiful Box In The World contains the deck, printed on sturdy, premium cardstock with a soft matte finish (very easy to shuffle), and the small colour guidebook, which details a brief description of the card meaning, some keywords, and a poem that the creator has composed for each image.

Here are some of my favourite cards from The Journey Tarot Deck.

I really love how the figure of the Star is tipping one of her cups over her own head, even as she pours her second into the waters. For me this shows the importance of self-care and self-love, a message that I think is key to this card. Hope is not a finite resource. It’s important to allow ourselves to be hopeful for our own futures, in the same ways we are for those we love, and others in need. Your cup of hope will always replenish, no matter how much you give out to others. Make sure you apply the same gentleness and care you gift to others in your dealings with yourself.

Turner has chosen to re-title Judgement/Aeon as ‘The Liberation’, which I think works well for the card, and I like the way the shape of the rainbow path mirrors the silhouette of the figure. No one else can tell you what your destiny should be. We each have our own bespoke callings, shaped by our own skills, attitudes, and experiences.

A pretty traditional Tower card, but the art is just stunning (I think visually the Tower is my favourite card in the Tarot, so I’m always a big fan of a traditional depiction). I also love the little red flag in the foreground, it made me smile (especially given the Tower is not normally a smiling sort of card!) DO NOT IGNORE THE RED FLAGS THAT OFTEN LINE THE WAY TO ‘TOWER MOMENTS’ FOLKS!

I really like Wands Court cards ‘made’ of fire (see also The Curious Travels Tarot), so find this Queen very beautiful. A really heartbreaking Five of Pents, with the cached treasure so close, just out of reach. And a whimsical 8 of Air (though at least she’s figured out if she releases the balloons one by one she can gradually descend back to solid ground).

The gorgeous illustration for the Page (Acolyte) of Cups gives me big mermaids-in-Atlantis vibes, and definitely is evocative of the idea of emerging intuition, your subconscious skills and abilities slowly rising from the depths as you figure things out. The black clouds blocking out the sun to signify the apathy and lethargy of the Five of Cups are fabulously creepy. And given the bath is my Absolute #1 Happy Place, I’ll always be a fan of a steaming hot full bath as a symbol of physical indulgence and pleasure, as in this Nine of Cups.

I have to admit, the Hanged Man in The Journey Deck isn’t particularly intuitive to me. TMT explains, “if you jump in, you will drown in the tumultuous waters”, thus stressing the need to wait and reflect before taking action, but I wouldn’t necessarily take that from looking at this card. However, it remains one of my favourites because it’s just such a bloody gorgeous drawing! Like something out of a fairytale. The symbolism for the Knight of Pents, on the other hand, comes through to me loud and clear. My learning mnemonic for the KoP was ‘slow, steady gains’, and this image makes me think of The Tortoise and The Hare: ‘slow and steady wins the race’.

This is a truly stunning, high quality deck that you can tell was a real labour of love for its creator. So if you like the look of it, I def recommend saving up to buy it, despite the fairly hefty price tag!

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