The Wandering Moon Tarot

Our latest interview is with Rachael - the creator of The Wandering Moon Tarot. The deck is a hand illustrated tarot deck with a black and white aesthetic, bringing a more intuitive feel..

The deck has a clean, crisp, black and white aesthetic. It's full of symbology and drawings inspired by the cosmos and the universe. stars, moons, planets and constellations. There's also all those pretty things that make life nice, like feathers and cute hand tattoos, as well as astrology and crystals.

The Wandering Moon Tarot

Where in the world do you call home?

Home for me is in Geelong, Victoria. I'm very blessed to live so close to the water.

What was your first experience with tarot and when did you fall in love with it?

Since I can first remember there has been a tarot deck (one of those mass produced RWS decks) sitting in my bookcase. I don't know where it came from or how long it's truly been there. No one remembers purchasing it or receiving it as a gift. It sat on the shelf unopened for years and years. I eventually got around to opening it up and looking at the artwork and I was hooked from there on. I knew the deck didn't suit 'me' so I found an indie deck I absolutely loved and that's when I well and truly fell in love.

What made you want to create your own tarot deck? What was your inspiration?

The creation of my deck came from the need I have to draw. it's what I do every single day. It began from a sketch I posted online of my take on the Death card. I loved the process and sketched a few more cards of the major arcana. I noticed how much better I understood the cards once I'd drawn them in my own style. Once I started I couldn't stop.

I took inspiration from my crazy obsession with the night sky and the cosmos. That's why I changed the suits of pentacles to 'stars' and the suit of cups to 'moons'. I am fascinated by the universe and all it contains. I tried to channel that energy into the deck as best I could.

What would you say is unique about your deck?

I think what makes the deck stand out is the black and white aesthetic. That, along with the more modern and minimal designs, is what makes the deck truly it's own.

I've also taken people out of the deck. As in, there are only a few cards where a human figure is shown.

How long have you had the idea for the deck for and how long has it taken you to create it?

I've had designs for certain cards sitting in sketchbooks for a long time. When people would ask me if I'd ever consider doing my own deck, I'd tell them that it's always been a dream and that I'll get around to it someday. The deck was created without much of a plan and I let each new step or challenge present itself before I'd attempt to tackle it.

From posting the first design of the Death card, to beginning the Kickstarter campaign, it can't be more than a few months in which this all happened. Once I sat down with the intention to sketch each card, the glow of energy swept me up and away. I couldn't stop drawing and didn't want to.

We are living in such crazy times. How has the pandemic affected your creativity?

I think being in lockdown and the uncertainty of it all helped to give me a new type of energy to work with. Being creative was a great way to escape the bleak images being seen on screens and the peace and quiet has given way to a much better focus.

What have been your challenges in creating this deck?

The entire deck and the packaging have all been done by hand. There was no 'erase' feature I could turn to. if an error was made, most of the time it meant starting that whole card over again. It did make things more difficult, but I feel it gives the deck another level of uniqueness. The deck is imperfect and that's exactly what I wanted.

The cards are black and white sketches. Were you tempted to add any colour?

Not at all!!! I love colour but it's not part of who I am artistically right now. A huge reason why I specifically wanted black and white cards was to limit the 'visual noise' and ensure the cards message and emotion was able to be translated to the reader.

How will you celebrate when the deck is finally published?

I think I'll be able to fully relax when it's published and shipped out to all the backers. That's where I see the real hard work having been completed. To celebrate that phase ending, I think I'll stay clear of my office for a few days and enjoy doing absolutely nothing 😊

What is on offer for people who pledge?

For the kind souls who pledge, the deck which is now as luxe and high quality as can be, is on offer. Each deck comes with a cute enamel pin of the Queen of Moons design and the deck arrives in a Wandering Moon stamped calico drawstring bag to keep it safe.

There are prints available also, the backers can choose from The Lovers, The Empress, or Strength as their design.

To add some black and white aesthetics to your tarot collection, click here:

The Wandering Moon Tarot

The Fantasy Art Tarot Deck

Our latest interview is with Mercedes Auman - the creator of The Fantasy Art Tarot Deck. The deck is filled with unique artwork by Mercedes and has the fantasy realm in mind. A lot of the designs and characters within this deck are from Mercedes' previous artwork and stories that she has created over a few years.

Each card is hand drawn, inked, then painted in watercolour - gold ink is added to certain pieces. Each card is then scanned, placed in photoshop, and edited. A long process, however one that is certainly worth it to produce such a beautiful deck.

Kickstarter - The Fantasy Art Tarot Deck

Where in the world do you call home?

Buffalo, NY

What was your first experience with tarot and when did you fall in love with it?

Actually, my mother first told me about tarot. She would visit this place called Lily Dale a few hours from our home. It’s a place full of mediumships and spiritual healers and she likes to travel there once every few years. However, I never physically experienced tarot cards until I was in college. Unfortunately, that first encounter was a bad experience. I had a reading from a friend who was brand-spanking new to tarot and honestly didn’t know what she was doing yet. I felt awful afterwards. When I told a different friend about my reading they explained to me that was not what tarot is about and that it should never make you feel down, but help guide you or lift you up to work toward being your most authentic self. Then a few years after college my close friend who does tarot reading and is an empath re-introduced me to tarot and really put it all into a different perspective for me. She really opened my eyes to how loving it can be.

What made you want to create your own tarot deck? What was your inspiration?

Honestly, my friend that I mentioned above. She is very comforting and explains everything in detail, and she has a very loving aura. She even commissioned me once to make her very own personalized deck exactly how she envisioned each card. Just going into detail and feelings and visuals of each card with her really showed me the depth and emotion of tarot, and the visuals alone really made me interested and inspired to draw some of the cards and characters how I envisioned them.

Aside from your own deck, do you have a favourite deck? If so, which one?

I absolutely love the Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tarot Deck by Matt Hughes. It is a beautiful and very detailed yet simple deck. It is created in an art nouveau style, which I adore. Each card has gold foil. As soon as I saw his deck I knew I needed to support the Kickstarter of it. I needed this deck, Matt Hughes has beautiful artwork. I actually own his recent Dreamscape Oracle deck as well.

Do you have a favourite card (either from your deck or just the card in general)? If so, why is it your favourite?

My absolute favourite card no matter the deck is the High Priestess hands down. The first time I learned about her I was like, “yes this is the one. She is my favourite card.” I love everything about this card and how it looks. The High Priestess is beautiful, full of wisdom, knowledge and intuition. The High Priestess is very spiritual, she has a lot of meaning and I was immediately drawn to her.

We are living in such crazy times. How has the pandemic affected your creativity?

It has been both positive and negative. If anything, it made my creative juices flow more. Being in a pandemic and having to break down our working schedules, I got to be home quite a bit in the beginning of 2020 and that allowed me to work on more art and not get distracted. The negative thing however is it put a pause on commissions from coming in because people really weren’t looking for art (and understandably so). I know so many people that were laid off and weren’t able to get an income. No one wants to spend money on art. They need to focus on bills and make sure they can get food.

Oddly enough though, it was a blessing in disguise. Being in quarantine allowed me to focus on artwork for myself and gave me the opportunity to come up with my tarot idea and sketch out all of my designs.

What have been your challenges in creating this deck?

Time. There aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done as fast as I’d like, along with researching and figuring out international shipping. I’ve never done this before and I really wanted to try and offer the lowest price that I could find while getting a box to ship that I could fit everything in. My eyes were bloodshot from staring at my computer screen for so long reading, watching videos and researching for the best shipping.

This deck is based on your fantasy artwork – what sparked your interest in this genre of art?

I have loved the fantasy world since I could remember. Everything is mystical and magical with the fantasy genre and as a child you of course want magic to be real. And as I got older, not only do I still want magic to be real, but I believe the unimaginable can come from fantasy art and stories. It is a get away from the world, especially as of late. Fantasy takes you to a world of magic and dreams.

How will you celebrate when the deck is finally published?

A lot of relaxing for sure. Probably have a nice dinner with family and my boyfriend but, lots and lots of relaxing. I don’t want to touch my computer for months after this.

What is on offer for people who pledge?

Of course, the Tarot Deck itself along with its booklet.

I offer two types of stickers, Zodiac Stickers and black and gold simple tarot stickers, both holographic. A bookmark with 2 crystal illustrations, front and back, that I designed, cardstock prints and posters of artwork from the Major Arcana in my deck are all available. And my favorite stretch goal reward, if we reach it, is a decorative tarot spread mat with a design I created printed on it. It will be a nice mat to lay out all of your cards on to view and to do readings.

To add a little magic and fantasy to your tarot collection, click here:

Kickstarter - The Fantasy Art Tarot Deck

·Website: http://www.mercedesauman.com/

·Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MercedesAumanArt

FAUNABELLE Tarot

Our latest interview is with Juanita Benedicto (Astrologer and Tarot Reader), one of the creators of FAUNABELLE Tarot Deck. A compassionate and kind tarot deck for children and the young at heart. Along with Nicola Allan ( a children's artist), they have created a tarot deck featuring an illustrated cast of animals subtly loaded with symbolism. The accompanying guidebook offers warm-hearted meanings for each card appropriate for kids ages 3-12. But this deck is not for children only, it's for anyone who needs a little more kindness, compassion and beauty in their life.

Kickstarter - FAUNABELLE Tarot

Where in the world do you call home?

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico!

What was your first experience with tarot and when did you fall in love with it?

I first got involved with tarot when I turned 30. I was going through a divorce, had moved across the Country (USA) and had just finished grad school while starting a new career while single-momming it with my two little girls. I didn’t have any friends yet in my new town and felt overwhelmed with responsibilities. I turned to tarot for advice and as a way to tune into my inner strength. It was an invaluable experience and I’ve never stopped turning to tarot.

What made you want to create your own tarot deck?What was your inspiration?

Children’s illustrator, Nicola Allan, and I began meeting to let our dogs play in a giant soccer field. This was last March 2020 when the entire world was closing down due to Covid. We like to think that the spirit of this deck brought us together. It needed Nicola’s illustration’s skill and my embodiment of tarot. I also used to be a children’s librarian. Given our histories, this disembodied creative idea saw its opportunity and within a few weeks of meeting with Nicola and her dog, this idea presented itself to us! Our inspiration is bringing more kindness and compassion into the world!

Aside from your own deck, do you have a favourite deck? If so, which one?

I use the Rider Waite with clients as I appreciate the symbolism of the cards. We migrated much of its symbolism into our own deck, Faunabelle. My favorite deck for myself is Lumina Tarot. The personality of this deck and its energy are deeply spiritual which supports my outlook on life.

Do you have a favourite card (either from your deck or just the card in general). If so, why is it your favourite?

My favorite tarot card is The Star. I pulled it for my New Year’s card in 2017. After a time of a lot of job instability and loss, it gave me a healing hope to begin a journey of empowerment. In Faunabelle, my favorite card is The Hermit. I love how we’ve created a wise Raven of the woods who is self-sufficient with her indigenous crop of Three Sisters. The symbolism of self-discovery and containment in the card appeals to me, very much, as does the witch in the woods archetype. We chose Raven to represent our Hermit. Raven symbolism is connected with crone energy, introspection and self-knowledge which I love for Virgo, its astrological correspondence.

We are living in such crazy times. How has the pandemic affected your creativity?

It’s given me the precious space and time to devote myself wholly to my work. If I didn’t have protected time as I do now, because socializing is out of the picture for me, I would not be able to pour myself into this project while maintaining my astrology and tarot practice.

What have been your challenges in creating this deck?

There have been very few challenges. The biggest one for me would be spending time on the not-so-fun parts such as researching vendors and figuring out shipping!

This deck is created for use by both children and adults alike. What skills or knowledge do you think children will gain from playing with the tarot and do you think the cards should be explained to them or allow them to rely on their intuition?

Just like adults, children have ups and downs. They need something they can turn to for comfort at times. Sometimes they turn to books. Sometimes to stuffed animals. Sometimes to a parent. The tarot will be another helpful tool to turn to. In doing so, they’ll gain the skill to see things from another perspective. Using tarot will stimulate their creativity as well. I imagine them creating little stories for our major arcana ambassadors for instance. What’s the Devil up to in that suit? Who are the other elephants behind The Emperor? A guidebook accompanies the deck. They words have been thoughtfully distilled into a kind and compassionate interpretation. Children will be able to rely on their imagination and use the guidebook. The two are not exclusive.

How will you celebrate when the deck is finally published?

I’ll take a day off! Or ten!! I’d love to be able to take a little trip somewhere and not touch my laptop for a week! :)

What is on offer for people who pledge?

We’ve got a bunch of goodies: the deck itself, now bedazzled with gold sides as we’re reaching our stretch goals! The guidebook. A tote bag, large stickers, notebook, a tarot reading via Zoom, enamel pins, and a little velvet bag to enclose the cards. We have different combinations of items paired at the varying tiers. We’ll also have a pre-order store which will enable folks to include more items when they pay for their pledge.

To bring some kindness and compassion to your life with this beautifully illustrated deck, pledge here:

Kickstarter - FAUNABELLE Tarot

·Faunabelle Tarot: Website + Instagram + Facebook

·Juanita Benedicto: Website + Instagram

Nicola Allan: Website + Instagram