The Magical Nature Tarot called to me in a beautiful and unique voice. I was even more moved once I understood some of the process behind the creation of this deck. The art in this deck is arresting. It’s a collage style deck co-created by artist Marjorie Morgan and Tarot reader Rebecca Guanzon. Both the inks and the paper upon which the deck is printed are comprised of natural plants and foraged materials. The eco-herbage card stock used for the cards and tuck box is soft and requires gentle handling.

 

Images have a three dimensional quality. They leap to life from their backgrounds. Colors are rich and dreamy; earthy and fecund. The effect is all just very pleasing and very comforting.

 

One slot that I was hoping this deck could fill is to be a p.o.c. compatible deck that succeeds without trying too hard or being too obvious. One of my first readings with the Magical Nature Tarot was for my oldest son who is a radical black artist. The reading went very well. This deck is totally going to work. I have a number of aesthetically pleasing decks that simply fall short — way short, in this regard.

 

Perhaps the most impactful restructuring of Magical Nature Tarot is the approach to the court or ‘face’ cards. The ‘Coven’ cards aim to transcend the inherent heaviness of gender and hierarchical models. We are encouraged to slowly re-imagine how the different ways of being: ‘Seeker’, ‘Apprentice’, ‘Mentor’, and ‘Ancestor’ move through the different elements of the four suits.

 

It takes time to build a friendship with a new acquaintance. That time can feel obligatory and onerous. Or it can be a joyful unveiling and discovery. I’m looking forward to slowly savoring this journey. There is real depth here. We are urged to take that time. This is a very tactile deck. The online guidebook often instructs us to work with our breath and to feel into our bodies to understand a card’s meaning.

 

The Magical Nature Tarot is a gentle revolution that unfolds one card at a time. Subtle paradigm busters can sink in and then expand outward in your consciousness such as ‘Healing is not linear. Time is not linear’; ‘Boundaries are spell work. “No” is sacred’; and ‘Rest is a radical act’.

 

Or, you can simply enjoy this deck for its aesthetically pleasing loveliness. Immediately accessible within the Rider Waite Smith tradition, it also reads very well intuitively.

 

A curious aspect of this deck is that it is an animistic creation. The plant and metal collaborators who populate every card bring through potent medicine and magic. For example, there is the use of Coreopsis (Tickseed) to open pathways of luck and fertility; and the exorcism energy of pokeberry in the 8 of Swords. Information on the medicinal and magical properties of the twenty-five different plants and foraged metals appear in the guidebook.

 

The virtual guide is a living, ever evolving work that suggests a number of ways to work with the deck in addition to traditional tarot card readings including meditation, bodywork, herbalism, somatic practices and psychic development. A monthly online community gathering is also offered. The Magical Nature Tarot is co-published by Wild Soul River and Marjorie Morgan.