Living Earth Tarot Deck
This deck was advertised in Green Egg Magazine. Although there were no pictures from the deck, for $10.00 I decided to take a chance. The images are black and white, or more accurately, brown and white. A handwritten note I received with my deck states that the images were originally done in color, but not printed in color. I assume cost was a consideration. It's a shame too because the art looks like it would be quite charming in color, vice brown. The cards measure 3" X 5". There are 22 Major Arcana, but they are unnumbered. Each Major Arcana card is associated with a flower or plant. The Major Arcana are:
| Dreamer | Protector | Artist |
| Harper | Midwife | Hermit |
| Warrior | Rememberer | Merchant |
| Nurturer | Journeyer | Healer |
| Teacher | Philosopher | Learner |
| Magician | Dancer | Builder |
| Gardner | Guide | Shaman |
| Judge |
The suits are Flame, Wave, Stone and Feather. The Court consists of Child, Youth, Adult
and Elder. The art is fair, though it was probably good in color. The poor printing job is
a serious flaw. The images are fuzzy, and of uneven color quality even in the shades of
brown. There is a border around each card. In the Major Arcana, the card title is in the
top of the image and the associated plant is in the bottom. In the Minor Arcana and Court
Cards, the card number/name and suit are written in the top of the image and a one word
meaning is written in the bottom. The meanings are non-traditional. The Minor Arcana and
Court Cards are illustrated from nature. The suits of Flames and Waves depict animals. The
suit of Stones is illustrated with stones in various scene
s, and the
suit of Feathers is illustrated with birds. The Majors are multicultural and the deck
seems to be Pagan oriented. There is a good mix of male and female. It looks like the
original images had squared corners and when the deck was printed the squared corners show
in the borders even though the corners are rounded. The backs are
plain gray and the poor printing job shows here as well in the many different shades. The
card stock is thin and flimsy.
There is a 4 page little booklet that comes with this deck. It states that the deck presents the vision of its creator and that it is designed to be used by all, "no matter their color, sex, religion, land of origin, age or orientation." There are some general suggestions about reading the cards and a diagram and explanation of the Celtic Cross Spread. Suit correspondences with the elements and directions are provided, as are numeric correspondences. Brief, upright only meanings are provided for the Major Arcana. The Majors are listed with numbers in the little booklet, but no numbers appear on the cards themselves.
This deck has the potential to be quite charming, but the poor print quality makes it almost unusable. The deck comes shrink wrapped, without a box. I hope this artist finds the means to reissue this deck in color. As currently published, I recommend it only for hard core collectors and possibly for those who are looking for a nature oriented deck, if they can stand the poor quality.
See more cards from the Living Earth Tarot Deck
- The Living Earth Tarot Deck
- P.O. Box 218
- Orient WA, 99160
- Price: $10.00
