my thunderstorm

Tarot Wishlist Archive

July 2022

I'm always trying to reign in my desire to attain more so I will share a running list of what has caught my attention and whether I will realistically acquire them any time soon. To help keep this into perspective, I have sorted my wishlist into four tiers: (1) Options for Next Purchase, (2) Strong Considerations, (3) Admiring From Afar, and (4) Do I Even Want This?

If you are interested in being a patron to fuel my writing, you can access my Amazon Wishlist here for mass market decks or buy me a ko-fi and leave a note if you would like it to go towards funding a specific purchase or project.

Tier I: Options for Next Purchase

These are the decks that I am currently researching and thinking about. Theoretically, if they are listed here then they I need to have sorted through a few key feelings such as how they will fit into my current deck rotation, whether I have something that would already serve a similar purpose, or if they break any of my aesthetic/reading preferences that might prevent me from getting pragmatic use of the cards.

>The Herbcrafter’s Tarot by Latisha Guthrie and Joanna Powell Colbert

Starting off strong with a second deck that I had written off until I saw more people working meaningfully with it! This time it was watching Free the Uglies pair this deck with other cards and doing environmental storytelling that was so evocative and special that it opened me up to reconsidering my initial resistance. To be fair, there are some aspects of this deck that typically turn me away (photorealistic painting, presence of hands in otherwise unpopulated scenes, heavy emphasis on the feminine.) Yet the warmth of this deck makes me curious to give it a try, especially to learn more about herbs and plants while still being able to read it intuitively as a tarot deck rather than seeking out a similar oracle.

Tier II: Strong Considerations

While I am not yet ready to spend money on decks in this tier, I’m still heavily considering them one day. There are a variety of factors that might lead into this such as not having done enough research into the design or even just the cost itself. Indie decks can especially wrack up in terms of pricing so I have to be deliberate with timing such purchases.

Children of Litha Tarot by Xia Hunt

My heart skipped a beat watching Katey Flowers Tarot in Practice video featuring this deck. It ticks so many of my preferences: illustration, color, animals, fantasy, immersive environments. I’m surprised how much I enjoy the names of the suits not being written on them, encouraging us to tap into our understanding of symbolism. Yet this isn’t a pip deck - the cards feature plenty for me to read intuitively to complement the numerological system. The darker inky borders would also provide my current library with something distinct since I have purchased far more light, airy decks in the past. The only thing preventing from purchasing this right now is the cost is out of my price point for the moment, but I it is on my radar and I look forward to seeing more from the artist since apparently she is gearing up to do a kickstarter for another project next year??

Lubanko Tarot by E.L.

This deck came up in my quest to find more queer-focused cards that weren’t RWS clones, which I will repeat ad nauseam just isn’t my style. Lubanko is such a dark, rich collection of images with a range, depth, and diversity. Watching flip throughs, E.L.’s interpretation of some of the cards that I find challenging to read and work with really ignite my imagination such as the Hierophant, Justice, and The Hanged Man. Although I have never dabbled in “shadow readings,” I imagine this would be well-suited for that purpose. The ability to support an independent, nonbinary artist is a huge bonus, too. As with Children of Litha, this isn’t in my budget right now.. but one day it will be mine.

Tier III: Admiring From Afar

As with other hobbies, I often have a “fantasy self” that wants something because I would like to be the kind of person who gets use out of it. This tier is for decks I want to acknowledge that I have admiration for even though I am unlikely to physically acquire them.

The Botan Tarot by A. Miyako M.

With soft watercolor artistry inspired by Art Nouveau and Japanese folk tales is breathtakingly beautiful. Linen yardstick is one of my favorites to shuffle too and it seems to handle beautifully in that regard from the videos I have watched. There are little flourishes that take the illustrations into a modern space such as the makeup and tattoos, but the symbolism is there in each major and the minors aren’t so pip-ish that I cannot interpret them intuitively on sight. If this deck were available for purchase right now, I would probably buy it in a heartbeat… but it’s not. And there have been no announcements so far regarding a restock so I trying to keep this one out of sight and out of mind until that changes.

The Paper Oracle Lenormand Deck by Eric Maille

When I placed my last tarot order through A Riffle in Time, I almost included this one with my order but felt that three decks at once was a little too indulgent. I’ve also never read with a lenormand deck before so I’m not entirely sure how much use this would get from me. Part of me wants to practice with a more affordable option - such as the Dreaming Way Lenormand, before committing to an indie version. It’s not yet available yet, but I am also deeply interested in the Endless Oracle that Eric has been illustrating this year and that might be a safer future purchase for me.

>Dreaming Way Lenormand by Lynn Araujo

Speaking of which… for the time being, I’m not committing to buying the Dreaming Way Lenormand, but I did want to acknowledge that it’s a purchase that I’ve considered. Even though I like the idea of having this companion to the tarot version of this deck, I’ve found that I’m far more interested in indie decks that trouble the gender binary of the original Lenormand or include other additional cards to make their version of this storytelling device unique. The Paper Oracle has a Nonbinary card and the Magpie’s Lenormand (which I’ve decided to pass on for now, especially since it’s sold out) has no people at all. Still, this one is tempting since I can find it easily sub-$15.

Orien’s Tarot by Ambi Sun

The artwork for this deck is utterly charming, adorable, and cozy. I love the merging of nature with heavenly bodies as a core theme here and even though the suits are pips, there’s still a little something to guide us visually through the story. If I’m being honest with myself though, I have so many animal decks that I am drawn to and the other darker color palettes that I mentioned earlier would add more variety to my library. Still, I can’t help the beauty of this artwork out of my head and since it has gone mass market it will probably stay on my wishlist until I can scoop it up at a good price.

Seed and Sicke Oracle by Fez Inkwright

Clearly I have a keen interest in acquiring botanical decks but I definitely don’t need them all! The color palette of this one gets me… it’s also at a good price point. But I’m not very practiced with oracle decks in general, which is where my main hesitation comes from. Do I want this because it will look pretty in photographs next to cards that I already own, or am I actually inspired by what kinds of stories I could conjure with them? More research is necessary before I can bump this up to higher categories!

The Language of Flowers Oracle by Cheralyn Darcy

Another “YouTube wants me to buy it” inclusion this time courtesy of Dawn Michelle from Boho Tarot. She did a review of this deck and included a segment where she paired it with multiple decks from her collection and that fascinated me so much. I can imagine this looking good alongside Tarot of the Divine to balance the fantasy with something grounded or even with Star Spinner Tarot for a similar reason (the color palette might even look better…) and then that buyer in me can also imagine this pairing beautifully with the Spacious Tarot which I don’t even own yet haha Since I’m pretty sure that I want to try Herbcrafter’s Tarot first, I think other floral decks need to be kept on the back burner so I don’t acquire too many at once.

Tier IV: Do I Even Want This?

Sometimes there are decks that catch my attention, likely because of the previous category, but I’m not even sure if I like them? I don’t know how to explain this haha Maybe it’s that I like the idea of them, or saw a cool picture of someone’s spread… but I don’t even know that my fantasy self wants them.

Yokai Yochi Tarot by buboplague

At the time this kickstarter launched, I decided to pass since I had budgeted my money on other things. More than that, I’m still not entirely sure whether this is a deck that I could easily read with. While I haven’t shied away from learning other mythologies to enhance my practice, I still think I like the idea of owning this an an art object more than I ever would with using it for journaling and meditation.

The Enchanting Förhäxa Tarot by M.J. Cullinane

Honestly… I think this is mainly on my radar because of Tarot YouTube and I’m not sure that I would have been as drawn to this had I discovered it on my own in the wilderness of tarot browsing. The design actually goes against several of my stated preferences featuring collage work, a heavy emphasis on the divine feminine, and even the theming of fey decks is not necessarily something that is up my alley. This also extends to a few of M.J.'s other decks that have caught my attention like Guardian of the Night or Grimalkin. I think I want to like them more than genuinely liking them, though that Racoon Magician card?? Perfection.

Heavenly Bodies Astrology by Lily Ashwell

Sometimes I cannot help enjoy the aesthetics of a deck. This has a crafty-collage-y feel, but for some reason I’m really taken by it. Maybe the color palette is getting me. Maybe it’s the thoughtfulness of how informative these cards could be for mapping out charts and cycles. I’m not sure, but I really like the concept of this deck a lot. Every reader I encounter online however says that they stopped working with it lol And I only have a casual interest in astrology compared to tarot. This seems like it should be an easy pass from me, but I still think about it sometimes.

Divining Poets: Dickinson by David Trinidad

Free the Uglies made a tarot video on tarot and poetry featuring a walkthrough and demonstration using Divining Poets: Lucille Clifton. It was really fascinating how she took snippets of poetry to make something new, especially as a writer herself. Then I learned they made a deck for Emily Dickinson and lost it. She’s one of my favorite poets and the idea of being able to shuffle up and carry her poems with me is so enticing. But… it still feels like a good chunk of money for something I could theoretically scrapbook myself as a fun project. Maybe I will do that… then I can fully customize the poetry, the letters, and I would be making something meaningful for myself instead of consuming more.

August 2021

Tier I: Options for Next Purchase

These are the decks that I am currently researching and thinking about. Theoretically, if they are listed here then they I need to have sorted through a few key feelings such as how they will fit into my current deck rotation, whether I have something that would already serve a similar purpose, or if they break any of my aesthetic/reading preferences that might prevent me from getting pragmatic use of the cards.

Tarot of the Unknown and Steven Universe Divinimation Oracle by Chris Smith of Quarter Press

After some careful consideration, I have decided that I am going to order this pair from Quarter Press as part of my autumn tarot preparation. There was a time when I had written off Tarot of the Unknown as being too close to RWS, too pip-ish, but you know what? It just makes me happy to look at these cards. I like how they’ve been renamed, the smaller size, the card backs, the price point, and how jovial and impish it seems. It has a great energy to it for autumn and I think it would pair decently with decks that I currently have with me such as the Dreaming Way tarot and Woodland Wardens oracle. The Steven Universe oracle looks adorable and it’s. Show that is so dear to my heart that I’m not worried about connecting with it. Visually, it looks like a great match for the Star-Spinner Tarot. I’m very curious about the Divinimation series in general, especially since I have seen SO few reviews of this on social media or discord, and think that getting a standalone pack would be a good way to dip my toes in the water.

Totally Unofficial Adventure Time Tarot Deck by Katherine Hillier

The more that I see Crochet Witch Tarot use this deck and talk about how much it makes her happy as a fan of the cartoon, the more my fondness for it grows. Even though the art style isn’t always 100% my favorite (I would prefer it to consistently either follow the show art relatively faithfully or commit to being in a different style re: Justice and the Moon), I think the creator did a good job overall of finding intriguing associations between a broad range of characters and each card, including the suits. It makes me happy to see flip throughs of the deck and I think I would get decent use out of it - especially when pairing it with Divinimation cards and Star-Spinner Tarot. Shipping from the UK is quite pricy, but the cost of the base deck is pretty low to off-set that. I'm not going to rush out and get it right now, but I'm pretty committed to getting it one day.

Tier II: Strong Considerations

While I am not yet ready to spend money on decks in this tier, I’m still heavily considering them one day. There are a variety of factors that might lead into this such as not having done enough research into the design or even just the cost itself. Indie decks can especially wrack up in terms of pricing so I have to be deliberate with timing such purchases.

Muppets Major Arcana by Madeline Priebe

Words cannot express how much this card set brings me joy. There are so many great choices from what I have seen from the previews (Gonzo as the Fool with Camilla instead of a dog, the Electric Mayhem bus for the Chariot, and pretty much everything from Robin as the Star through the stage as the World), but my absolute favorite card is Jim Henson as the Magician. Oh man… there are so many reasons why I find this utterly charming. If there is anything to know about me that I have not already spoken to at length on this site, it’s that I love puppets/puppetry. I’ve been enchanted by it since I was a little kid watching reruns of Fraggle Rock when I was too little to even know how to speak. Even though this is likely to not extend into the minor arcana, I would buy it in a heartbeat because I have such a strong connection to these characters that I can see using it as a kind of oracle solo card draw either on its own or to complement other decks.

Fyodor Pavlo Tarot by Fyodor Pavlov (Mass Market Edition)

Currently on pre-order with a release date of October 2022, this deck is so fascinating. While it adheres a little close to RWS for my liking, and the bold line tattoo-style isn’t usually my aesthetic, I can’t help being attracted to works by queer/trans artists. This might have my favorite Empress card (the spilling jug? Scandalous) and the Lovers are utterly delightful. I’m so unaccustomed to seeing trans bodies represented in tarot decks and it makes my heart soar. I think I’ll wait and see if the price drops a bit once it releases to the mass market. Otherwise, this one might sit on my wishlist at the very least.

Tier III: Admiring From Afar

As with other hobbies, I often have a “fantasy self” that wants something because I would like to be the kind of person who gets use out of it. This tier is for decks I want to acknowledge that I have admiration for even though I am unlikely to physically acquire them.

Children of Litha Tarot by Xia Hunt

My heart skipped a beat watching Katey Flowers Tarot in Practice video featuring this deck. It ticks so many of my preferences: illustration, color, animals, fantasy, immersive environments. I’m surprised how much I enjoy the names of the suits not being written on them, encouraging us to tap into our understanding of symbolism. Yet this isn’t a pip deck - the cards feature plenty for me to read intuitively to complement the numerological system. The darker inky borders would also provide my current library with something distinct since I have purchased far more light, airy decks in the past. The only thing preventing from purchasing this right now is the cost is out of my price point for the moment, but I it is on my radar and I look forward to seeing more from the artist since apparently she is gearing up to do a kickstarter for another project next year??

Lubanko Tarot by E.L.

This deck came up in my quest to find more queer-focused cards that weren’t RWS clones, which I will repeat ad nauseam just isn’t my style. Lubanko is such a dark, rich collection of images with a range, depth, and diversity. Watching flip throughs, E.L.’s interpretation of some of the cards that I find challenging to read and work with really ignite my imagination such as the Hierophant, Justice, and The Hanged Man. Although I have never dabbled in “shadow readings,” I imagine this would be well-suited for that purpose. The ability to support an independent, nonbinary artist is a huge bonus, too. As with Children of Litha, this isn’t in my budget right now.. but one day it will be mine.

The Botan Tarot by A. Miyako M.

With soft watercolor artistry inspired by Art Nouveau and Japanese folk tales is breathtakingly beautiful. Linen yardstick is one of my favorites to shuffle too and it seems to handle beautifully in that regard from the videos I have watched. There are little flourishes that take the illustrations into a modern space such as the makeup and tattoos, but the symbolism is there in each major and the minors aren’t so pip-ish that I cannot interpret them intuitively on sight. If this deck were available for purchase right now, I would probably buy it in a heartbeat… but it’s not. And there have been no announcements so far regarding a restock so I trying to keep this one out of sight and out of mind until that changes.

Believe in Your Own Magic Oracle and Cozy Witch Tarot by Amanda Lovelace and Janaina Medeiros

Maybe it’s because the tarot companion to the oracle is coming out next year, but I suddenly found myself wanting this deck despite having passed on it a long time ago as another affirmation deck that I’m not interested in using for my meditation practice. On top of that, I’m not really into Lovelace’s poetry style and haven’t read her full chapbooks so it’s not as though I am attached to the creator either. I think it’s Medeiros’s art that has won me over. I find the characters she has made endlessly charming and the environments they are depicted in are soft and comforting. From what little I have seen from previews, it also looks as though they might have more age diversity in the tarot (which I know was a complaint about the oracle.) I don’t know! The oracle is easy enough to find at a low price so I think I would wait and see if it’s worth it to me to snag a copy. Since I only have one oracle (two if you count the Spacious Tarot expansion) I don’t think I’d feel guilty indulging in this whim. If nothing else, I could wait until next year to pick up the two together.

How to be a Wildflower by Katie Daisy

This is another deck that Dawn Michelle used on Boho Tarot (and, more recently, from Waves of Your Soul's VR to herself for Good Mood Decks) and there’s something about the design that I keep coming back to… and yet I’m not a 100% certain that I love it. One side has a unique image-based design and the other side contains a written message. Sometimes it’s a quick affirmation and other times it’s a quote from a poet, artist, writer, and sometimes a psalm (which is my biggest reservation.) There’s something a little kitschy and pinterest-y about the Katie Daisy’s designs, but I also think they’re cute? Maybe sometimes I want that kind of thing? The box and cardstock look good and I was intrigued by how Dawn Michelle incorporated this as an oracle in her spreads. It’s on my radar, but I’m not all in just yet.

Tier IV: Do I Even Want This?

Sometimes there are decks that catch my attention, likely because of the previous category, but I’m not even sure if I like them? I don’t know how to explain this haha Maybe it’s that I like the idea of them, or saw a cool picture of someone’s spread… but I don’t even know that my fantasy self wants them.

The Herbcrafter’s Tarot by Latisha Guthrie and Joanna Powell Colbert

I had written this deck off until I saw more people working meaningfully with it such as when Free the Uglies paired this deck with other cards for environmental storytelling that was so evocative and special that it opened me up to reconsidering my initial resistance. To be fair, there are some aspects of this deck that typically turn me away (photorealistic painting, presence of hands in otherwise unpopulated scenes, heavy emphasis on the feminine.) Yet the warmth of this deck makes me curious to give it a try, especially to learn more about herbs and plants while still being able to read it intuitively as a tarot deck rather than seeking out a similar oracle. Though I originally had this in my “next purchase” section, I'm still not sure how this would work in my practice since it seems like such an aesthetic shift for me. So I'm going to continue to sit on it and see how I feel next month.

Thera-Pets by Kate Allan

Despite mentioning that affirmation decks aren’t my thing, I think there’s something charming about this one. Maybe it’s because the designs remind me of Neopets and tug at my nostalgic heartstrings. The messages seem soft and kind and a deck like this could have a practical purpose for drawing once a day or when I need that kind of pick-me-up. It’s also one of those decks that I imagine my wife would appreciate if I were to shuffle and have her draw a card to think about for the day. The one thing holding me back from moving this into a higher tier is that the card backings are really unappealing to me. I wish that they were simpler like paw prints and a logo. Deck modification isn’t really my thing (too much effort - aside from edging) so I think I would be stuck with these backs that I don’t enjoy looking at. Maybe that’s a petty reason to pass on a deck, but I would probably only pick these up second hand at a good deal.

Zodiac Tarot by Cecilia Lattari and Ana Chávez

Another preorder deck through US Games, but this time I’m a little less certain about my interest check. The idea of having zodiac correspondences printed on each of the cards (including the suits) is intriguing, but the figures look a little stiff. These aren’t environmentally immersive cards, which tends to be my preference, but I do enjoy the artist’s character designs. This is my nod to this deck being worth checking out, but I likely won’t purchase it for myself.