Pagan Otherworlds Tarot: A Review

This is the deck. As in, “the” deck – the one that hits all the right places, the one I can’t put down, the one with all the right feels, overflowing with soul.

My ideal deck would have:

• reversible backs
• little-to-no text on the card fronts
• not a single card I don’t really like
• been produced by an independent publisher
• the feel of a very useable work of art
• quality artwork
• an essence of timelessness 
• excellent card stock
• card images that are complete and balanced, but not overfull 
• at least slightly illustrated minors (enough for the intuition to dig into)
• art that clearly highlights traditional card meanings 
• that special “something” 

So, that said, the Pagan Otherworlds Tarot fulfills each and every item on this list. It’s a tall order, I know. But like I said, this is the one!

The down and dirty:

• 78 cards 
• 1 additional Major (the Seeker)
• 5 “Luna” cards (representing the moon cycle)
• Strength VIII, Justice XI
• Page, Knight, Queen, King
• reversible backs with a beautiful floral image
• high quality tuck box
• mainly RWS styling with some influence from Marseilles
• excellent stock with a linen finish
• company: Uusi
• creators: Linnea Gits and Peter Dunham

This deck arrived to my home wrapped in a foam sheath upon which a small sprig of cedar was attached. A cloth card bag featuring the company’s name (Uusi) was included along with the shipping invoice. Each deck features a different herb or plant – some people received their decks along with lavender, or sage, for example. It’s a beautiful touch.

The box itself features the same design as the card backs, and feels like it was produced by someone who really knows, and loves, cards. This is the case, of course. Aside from this deck, Uusi has created a number of playing card decks, a Tarot deck called the BRuT Tarot, and they are currently working on a third Tarot deck called Eros: The Garden of Love. (They do make a few other things, such as advent calendars and wooden knife racks!)

Small details like a custom paper stamp that seals the tuck box and small printed messages in the fold of the box top add to the exquisite experience of handling this creation for the first time.

When I pulled the cards out of their box I noticed immediately that they move effortlessly over one another – no stickiness, no slight catching that sometimes occurs with matte finishes. These cards were meant to be shuffled, and I even think that the process of shuffling was intended to be a part of the overall enormous pleasure of preparing to read with this deck. If you have it, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

I have heard some people express concern that the numbered Minor Arcana may be “pips” however this is not really the case. Yes, each card shows the correct number of elemental items for the suit, and no, there are no people (for the most part). But if you look at each card you will find an abundance of scenic imagery that connect with traditional RWS meaning.

Take for instance the 4 of Swords. With three swords upright (blades downward) and a single sword perpendicular to them on the ground, it mirrors the RWS version which shows three swords hanging on a wall over a stone knight, with one sword horizontal along the tomb.

The 7 of Wands shows one upright rod with six others crossed in front of it. It certainly gives the impression of advocacy, standing for what you believe in, rising to meet a challenge.

The 4 of Wands shares an unmistakable connection to the traditional RWS version, with four rods standing upright and decorated with celebratory garlands.

Even the 3 of Wands features an ocean in the background with ships either coming or going.

The tree in the 8 of Pentacles exudes the idea of growth and development. In the 5 of Cups you’ll notice that the three central cups are upside down, while the two on either side are upright. The skull below calls to mind past regrets, and mourning.

All of the Court cards are stunning. I particularly love the Queens and the Knights. There is such elegant movement in the shape of the horses that the Knights ride. Here we also see the 6 of Swords showing a boat riding through water!

Just look at this Queen of Pentacles...

The Majors are sedately spectacular as well. The Hierophant is dressed in animal skins, and holds a stang in his right hand. He is the keeper of tradition, the village vitki.

The Chariot shows a warrior in a cart pulled by two energetic rams, one black, one white.

The Sun depicts a quite traditional child riding a white horse, a kindly celestial orb floating above.

This morning I pulled a card asking, “What energy should I honor today?” I pulled the Ace of Pentacles, inviting me to count the many blessings in my life.

One of those happens to be the Pagan Otherworlds Tarot, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Week Ahead: Finish What You Start

Last Monday I drew two cards to highlight the predominant energies for the week ahead: Queen of Cups and High Priestess. Both were very relevant themes, and so on this Monday I decided to do to the same. After shuffling and cutting the deck I noticed that the "shadow card" was the High Priestess, forming a sort of thread of connection from one week to the next.

The two principal cards that I drew from the Giants Tarot were Death (Hela) reversed, and the 8 of Pentacles (Olvalde and Sons):

Hela is the goddess of the underworld, and Olvalde was an etin renowned for his ale-brewing skills.

This pair tells me that I'll be working diligently to tie up loose ends, to finish what I've begun, to work toward closing out projects. Indeed there is one rather large project that I've been wanting to finish for the past two weeks, but it keeps getting pushed off due to other urgent, more immediate issues that have been cropping up here and there of late.

Along another vein, when I see Olvalde and his kids on the 8 of Coins card, I see myself and my three kids making magic happen in the kitchen. So just maybe we'll see what fun we can cook up this week. Teaching the kids to make meals is such an 8 of Coins activity, and watching them grow into competent little chefs who can whip up some very nice grub is extraordinarily satisfying.

Have a happy week, everyone!

Update: It was indeed a productive week! I made a lot of progress on a pile of files I had been needing to tend to, and one of my team members ended up helping to revise the dregs of that big project that had been on the back burner.

Mimir's Well and the 8 of Earth

As I've previously mentioned, I'm participating in an Instagram challenge for the month of June which focuses on connecting to spirit guides. A card I've pulled several times in relation to my guide's strength, the purpose of my guide's presence in my life, and what I'm developing at this time, has been the 8 of Pentacles. In fact I've pulled it three times from three different decks! The prompt for today asked about the way(s) in which my guide is helping my spiritual evolution. From a new oracle deck - Das Germanische Götterorakel - I pulled Mimir's Well, and as I was shuffling Aar (representing the nameless Eagle who lives atop the World Tree) came flying out at me, so I considered it as well.

At first glance I wasn't sure if Aar was the Giant (in Eagle form) that creates the winds of the worlds, or if it was that which lives in Yggdrasil's branches, but I was able to clarify that using the "little white book" and Google Translate (this deck is in German-only, and while I did study German for a couple of years long ago, I certainly don't have enough to navigate all of the text in the booklet!).

"Weitsicht" means "farsightedness" which was my first clue. And it felt meaningful in light of the prompt. This eagle was only briefly attested in the lore, and never received a proper name (that we know of), but it is said to hold a great quantity of knowledge. Being a bird that lives in the World Tree's highest branches, it makes sense then that the bird's keen eyesight and lofty vantage point would provide insight and enhanced perspective (as well as close kinship to the cosmos and divine center of the universe).

I was moved when I turned over the card to see Mimir's Well, showing Odin drinking from the water after having sacrificed one of his eyes in exchange for wisdom. I love how his eye peers out of the well's water, both calm and alert, surrounded by the reflection of the stars. I heard a video once, not too long ago, by Maria Kvilhaug (her YouTube channel is Lady of the Labyrinth), where she discussed Odin in depth. While Odin is a wanderer, an ever-thirsty seeker of knowledge and understanding (often considered male traits) Maria discusses the eye in Mimir's Well as his calm, cool, feminine aspect - that part that receives wisdom and connects to the universal knowledge and intelligence of the cosmos; two equal sides of the same coin.

My brief write-up for the Instagram challenge was this:

Wisdom and farsightedness. Odin sacrificed an eye for a drink from Mimir's Well of wisdom, located under one of Yggdrasil's roots. The great Eagle perches in the highest branches of Yggdrasil, and thus knows much of what transpires throughout the worlds below. What wisdom do my sacrifices offer me? How does perspective help me to be more accepting and open minded, and to see the bigger picture?

As I was navigating Instagram's sea of "tags" I discovered something that I had posted from the Shadow Work October challenge last year: when asked about our deepest potential I had pulled the 8 of Earth (Chango from the New Orleans Voodoo Tarot) and Terra (from the Earthbound Oracle).

About this duo I had written:

"I think it's really interesting how both cards connect: 8 of Earth is the Sun in the first decan of Virgo, and Terra shows the sun rising over a bountiful land. The 8 of Earth is strength and patience, dedication and skill, success through learning and the application of hard work. In this case it is also Chango, King, wielder of lightning and passion, a great diviner in his own right. All along this challenge the tale has been that I must learn to own my inner fire, to brandish it, to free my full potential and embrace my personal power. Chango is a great teacher for that. Terra mirrors the rootedness in earth that forms the foundation of how I interact with the world (Capricorn sun and ascendant) and the place I feel most "me": in the forests and mountains, in the rivers, and among the wildlife. The sun rises, showing that my greatest potential lies in harnessing the strength of my earth connection, but also in awakening my own fire, my Aries moon energy.

I love how the river water tumbles forth and down toward even more fertile land, suggesting layers of reality all joining and interacting; the 9 worlds and three levels of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. The water at the very foundation of the card image  might be Mimisbrunnr, the well of sacred wisdom and knowledge where Odin sacrificed his eye in exchange for a taste."

Here again I had the 8 of Earth and Mimir's Well in connection to each other and my own personal development and potential, a consistent theme over the past nine months (hm, 9!).

There is a lot for me to ponder here. I sense some journaling in my future ;-)

Be Ever Grateful

This morning I "pulled" the 8 of Bolers/Pentacles from my Buckland Romani Tarot app as my daily draw. I thought, "Ah, makes sense, I'll be slowly making my way through work today...." Mmhm. I got ready to go, my husband and I dropped our younger daughter at school, and we set off toward my workplace. As we were within a few blocks of our destination, the car suddenly shut down and refused to restart. It wasn't the battery; I knew it was something worse, I just didn't know what. We were at a dead halt in the middle of a very busy, very fast road, but fortunately a couple of friendly passersby helped Jorge to push the car into a nearby parking lot. I mused to him: "You know, you'd have thought I would have pulled the Tower or something, not the 8 of Pentacles. Seriously." We called for a tow, and while my husband sat waiting to be taken to a mechanic, I walked the rest of the way to work to meet my class.

Buckland Romani Tarot

Later my husband called me and said, "Not good news. The engine is useless, and they say that it doesn't make sense to repair it - we need a new car." Oh shit! This was the second part: "Since I have no way to get you, see if you can find a ride home." Yes. Over a year ago I was run into by a texting-while-driving sort, and our other car was totaled. We took that as a sign that it was the right time to downsize, to save money, to lower our carbon footprint. So we were a one-car family. And now we were suddenly, and without warning, a no-car family in a city with terrible public transportation, where having a car has become essential.

On my way back to my office after class I took a detour and saw that my director's office door was slightly open. I didn't know what I was going to say, but I decided to say hello. I had written an email to my colleagues asking for a ride home, and she'd just seen it. She said hi, and asked about my situation. I told her that it would probably impact my next day's teaching schedule, and asked for ideas about how to manage it. Suddenly she said, "You know what? Just take my car!" I called her "crazy" several times, and also thanked her a few times, and soon I was on my way home, in her little blue Nissan. On the way I stopped at the mechanic to pick up my husband. As he was paying for the inspection, I sat patiently in the waiting room. Suddenly I got the joke:

My view from the car repair shop waiting room

I was in a car repair shop. Just like the one on the 8 of Bolers card. You know, within reason, taking into account the cultural context and decade. I laughed. And then I took a picture. You have to appreciate the way the universe works, no matter how dire the circumstances, really.

So we were a bit stuck. We had a repair quote exceeding $7000, no car, a kid in school who would eventually require a ride home, and I had to teach again the next couple of days. I couldn't keep my boss's car forever. This was a true WTF moment, though a true gem was the moment when my husband actually handed me the estimate, and as I reached the final price I just started to laugh, and he laughed right along with me. Because what else is there to do? If someone hands you a repair quote that high for your only vehicle, that is just about all there is to be done about it.

As we drove home I said to Jorge, "You know, this really does suck a lot, but there are so many ways in which we are fortunate today. Gabriel wasn't in the car with us when it shut down in that busy zone. Those men helped to move the car to a safe place. We were only a few blocks from work, so I wasn't too late for class. My director handed me her keys, and now we can pick Lourdes up from school. The tow was covered by our insurance." The list later expanded to include the fact that our insurance company secured us a rental car on the same afternoon, allowing us to return the borrowed car. We went to a dealership (which normally I passionately hate - sales, in general. Not a fan) and the fellow that helped us was nice, very relaxed, very open and non-pushy. He even broke into song at one point. Instead of wanting to run away as fast as I could, I found myself wanting his business card! (This is a true rarity).

When our foray was over for the evening (we still have no car of our own, and have more insurance stuff to deal with tomorrow) we went home, finally. As we entered the house, a glorious aroma of garlic and spices wafted toward us. Our oldest daughter had prepared dinner: a trout chowder that she had found the recipe for online. It was really good.

I checked the mail. There was the Earthbound Oracle that I wasn't expecting until tomorrow, beautifully wrapped in tissue paper, with an art card, a sticker, and yes/no flipping coin on top:

Earthbound Oracle still boxed and wrapped

The point is: be ever grateful. Life throws some major twists and turns into our paths, and many of them are unexpected and unforeseen. We can't always change what happens to us, but we can always choose how we see the circumstances in which we find ourselves. In even the very difficult moments, there is light.