Tarot of the Sidhe

Tarot of the Sidhe

By Jewel

I was ambivalent to write a review of this deck after only spending a month working with it, but the Sidhe told me to so here I am. I can only hope to do it justice.  I was there on Aeclectic when Emily began the journey of creating and was sharing it with us, and purchased my copy as soon as it was published by Schiffer in 2011.  Despite my early love for the deck it was not until recently that I felt its call and fell under its spell.  The Tarot of the Sidhe is not only a work of art, but it takes you on a transformative journey and awakening that I have not experienced with any other Tarot deck.  What Ms. Emily Carding has created is not only a great tarot deck but a portal to the Sidhe.  In close to 30 years of working with the Tarot I have never experienced a deck that communicated with me via Clairsentience (through feelings and emotions) until this deck.

The Tarot of the Sidhe was originally published as a Majors only deck by Adam McLean in 2006, and was later published as 78 card deck by Schiffer Books in 2011.  The art was channeled by Ms. Carding in her meditations with the Great Glyph of Sidhe which is a recurring symbol throughout the Major Arcana cards and is pictured on the backs of the cards.  Ms. Carding’s strong connection to the Sidhe opens a portal for the rest of us to enter if we are willing to put in the time and connect with the Sidhe.  She also wrote the 96 page companion booklet that accompanies the deck. 

The art work is raw and beautiful, untamed, strong and vibrant.  Having been channeled, this is not a deck where cards were planned, reworked and fine-tuned over time.  These images are Ms. Carding’s visions into the world of the Sidhe, and illustrated as the visions came to her before they could fade. The imagery is incredibly powerful, and her deep connection to the Sidhe is palpable.

The cards measure 3 ½” X 5” with a ½” black borders all around, with the titles in white at the bottom of each card.  The backs are black with the Great Glyph of the Sidhe in white with a little purple, and are non-reversible.  The packaging is customary and exceptional quality of all Schiffer Books decks with a sturdy box, quality card stock, and the companion booklet sitting atop the cards.  The box cover shows the art work of The Sun card, and the booklet cover shows the art of the Moon card. 

Though the Tarot of Sidhe has the traditional Tarot Structure of 22 Majors and 56 Minors, with four suits, the art is original.  No clone here. Justice is at VIII and Strength the XI.  Some Major Arcana cards have been renamed as follows:  The Hierophant is called The Elder and the Devil became Pan.  The four suits are Dreamers (Water), Warriors (Fire), Dancers (Air), and Makers (Earth) and are elementally based.  The court cards are King, Queen, Prince and Princess.

The 96 page Tarot of the Sidhe booklet includes a Forward by John Matthews who has worked with Sidhe for over 30 years.  In his forward he speaks about the Great Glyph of the Sidhe “…an image carved in stone at one of the great Sidhe sites of Ireland, which was recognized by many as a potent symbol and has since appeared in writings, dreams, and art …”  Who are the Sidhe exactly? as described by Mr. Matthews “Some have portrayed them as fallen angels, others as aliens; but for the most part they are perceived as glorious otherworldly figures of great power, whose connection with our world is deep and lasting, and almost certainly predates our own appearance on earth by many eons.”  The book continues with a wonderful introduction section by Ms. Carding where she shares how the deck was created and her deep connection to the Sidhe, who the Sidhe are, the structure of the deck, and how to use and care of the cards.  The next section is about the Major Arcana which include the Sidhe speaking in their own voice, keywords, and artist notes.  The Minor Arcana section is quite different. It includes a short four-line poem and keywords.  There are no pictures or sketches of the cards in the booklet.  The last section of the book is about using the cards, and includes The Pentagram Career Spread, The Hexagram Relationship Spread, and the Septagram Spread of the Whole Self.  Following the spreads there is information on Meditation and Other Uses for the cards which includes meditation, entering a card, Altar focus and most importantly a section on Connecting with the Sidhe. 

In the month I spent with this deck I established a very strong connection to it and the Sidhe.  Even before starting to work with the deck I found myself compelled to pull it out and look through the cards, and before I knew it I was doing things that were not normal for me such as sleeping with the deck by my bed, placing a quartz crystal over the deck at night, and then exchanging energy with the Sidhe.  When I started working with the deck I did a deck interview and, interestingly enough, as its “limitation” I got the Maker Prince which shows an image of the prince with his hand on a tree and his faithful companions by his side … the deck’s limitation was that it required a connection.  All the strange (for me) behaviors became an “AHA!” moment when I saw this card.  The Sidhe had me bonding with them prior to me starting to work with the deck!  They were preparing me!  I know I sound like a crazy lady, but that is the truth and it was all communicated via Clairesentience.  I responded to those feelings and emotions. I found the deck to promote a desire to connect to the natural world, moon cycles, and vibrations.  As a result of working with the Sidhe, I have a stronger connection with Faerie, nature, am integrating Lunar practices into my life, and have reconnected with my interest in Crystals.  I have become more aware of the world around me.  The Tarot of the Sidhe has now become a very personal deck for me, as I have found its power of transformation to be healing, life-enriching, and profound.

In my personal opinion, this is not a “plug and play” deck, if you want to really experience it you have to dedicate time to get to know and to connect with it and through it the Sidhe.  Once you do, the world of the Sidhe will open up to you.  I recommend this deck to anyone who wants to dedicate time to have a deep personal experience, someone who is open to respond to the Sidhe once they have connected with them, and who is not afraid of the naked truth.  This deck is no holds barred, and tells it like it is.  The price of this truth is to assimilate the message and do something about it or the Sidhe will keep pounding in that truth until you do.  It is a transformative experience and one that teaches the power of personal responsibility for the self.  The deck is great for meditation and spiritual practices.  This is an amazing deck, and as Bonnie Cehovet noted in her review of the deck “The Sidhe will take you places you only imagined.”

Emily, thank you for this great gift.  I have only scratched the surface but I am in for the journey.  Thank you for opening the portal to the Sidhe.