What Happens When You Pair a Poet with an Artist?
I know my poetry friends will understand this one – but how could I resist a deck with a book written by a Pushcart Prize winner? I could not.
Here’s the deal: This deck is so much more than a deck. It truly is a “Pathway to Creativity”. The text for each card contains astrological insights, a card description, insights, musings, and a creative practice. And that’s just the book.
The cards themselves are both subtle and yet brimming with symbolic imagery. For example, the Strength card (Major VIII) shows a lion sitting in the middle of a lotus flower – telling us that true strength comes from within. And yet, the card invites us to examine our Wild Animal Spirit. In fact, the Creative Practice for Strength is imagining meeting your wild animal self in everyday life. See the wild you meditating in the garden, texting in the bath, and then journaling what your wild animal self revealed.
Are the Minors Unillustrated?
At first glance I thought the Minors were unillustrated. But then I went through them again and realized they each have a subtle element – a message almost hidden within the elements of the card.
In this 8 of Pentacles you can see the honey bee hard at work – mirroring the craftsman seen in a typical RWS deck. As I said, the pips may seem unillustrated but they’re really not.
The Details
The deck comes in a heavy box with a magnetized side closure. The accompanying book is close to 200 pages and is beautiful, informative, and simply poetic – not a surprise as the author won a Pushcart Prize for Poetry.
The deck and book set is published by Red Wheel/Weiser and is available on Amazon for $40.
This is a deck that I’ll probably save for working on Self.
