Deck Review: Chrysalis Tarot by Toney Brooks and Holly Sierra

A little while back, I was given the Chrysalis Tarot as a gift.  It was on my wish list after I found myself drawn to the illustrations over and over.  To be honest, the intensely vibrant, minutely-detailed art is not normally my style, but my imagination was continually captured by the artistic and spiritual choices in this deck.  The authors specifically designed this deck to have a more feminine energy than the classic Waite-Smith. They showcase feminine spirituality in various facets, from gentle and loving in the Sorceress (the High Priestess) to powerful and destructive in Kali (the Tower).

The feminine energy of this deck isn't done at the expense of some masculine balance; for example, the authors include Papa Legba as Strength. This brings me to another highlight in this deck: Brooks and Sierra conscientiously drew from a variety of global spiritual traditions while creating this deck, and the result is a wildly rich deck featuring more people of color than we often see, at least from major publishers. I would be very interested to hear feedback from folks whose cultures and spiritual traditions are represented.

Structurally, the Chrysalis Tarot replaces the four traditional suits, calling them instead mirrors (cups), stones (pentacles), spirals (wands), and scrolls (swords).  These suits seemed pretty drastically different to me at first, but the illustrations are so good at presenting an accessible meaning that they are not hard to read.  I struggled a little bit with the court cards; instead of assigning a consistent "page-knight-queen-king" schema, the court cards are organized as "The Troupe."  Each of the sixteen court cards has its own unique title; for example, what would be the page of scrolls is The Pilgrim, while the page of spirals is The Mime. If this sounds like a lot of new meanings to memorize, don't worry: The traditional ranks of the court are also listed on each card.

I think the Chrysalis Tarot would be a great deck for somebody familiar with Waite-Smith imagery who is looking for something to stretch them. It's consistent and accessible enough to be easy to read, but diverges from traditional imagery enough to provide a challenge and fresh interpretations.  If I had one complaint about the deck, it's that the cardstock is a bit stiff for me!  I use this deck less than I would if it were just a tad easier to shuffle.

Below, I'm showing you a Get To Know You spread for this deck. Originally taken from TABI, this spread gives some insight into how to be successful with this deck.

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What is your most important characteristic?

I cannot, for the life of me, figure out if "Bella Rosa" is a reference.  I've looked it up and can't find much, so I'm going by the the "beautiful rose" in her hand and the lush, Venetian carnival-type outfit (y'all, I want that jacket).  The Devil can be a card about acknowledging the parts of us that we'd rather keep hidden, which is consistent with Bella's mask and elaborate costume.  This card tells me that the Chrysalis Tarot will be useful for examining aspects of myself that I'm reluctant to face.

What are your strengths?

The glassy, watery droplets that form the nine of mirrors convey the atmospheric touches of this deck really well; there are so many illustrations that you feel like you could reach out and grab. A celebratory card, the nine of mirrors suggests that this deck's strength lies in connecting with joy, and reframing issues in a positive light.

What are your limits?

As you can see, Brooks and Sierra have renamed the High Priestess, designating her as the Sorceress.  As far as limitations go, this deck isn't one for connecting to my hidden, inner femininity. While this is a bit ironic, given the authors' goal to center the feminine, I think the feminine energy in this deck will serve me in other ways.

What are you here to teach me?

The bird on this card would be a great representation for the Chrysalis Tarot; its rainbow coloring and intricate, stylized detailing can be found throughout this deck. The ten of mirrors tells me that this deck is here to teach me to find some contentment and happiness with my life in the moment.

How can I best learn and collaborate with you?

The Illusionist takes the role of knight of stones, or knight of pentacles.  The Chrysalis Tarot LWB includes suggested interpretations for court cards, and I've decided that the Illusionist is telling me not to overthink things too much if I want to be successful with the Chrysalis Tarot. Note the arched border around the Illusionist; all the court cards have this additional embellishment, setting them off from the rest of the major and minor arcana.

What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?

The art here is an example of the global perspective the authors tried to bring; we see a desert landscape sprawling out before a goddess-like woman, who gazes above at scrolls unfolding into shapes evocative of Arabic script. Correlating to the eight of swords, the eight of scrolls is a card that encourages us to find some good in a situation that may otherwise seem hopeless; this deck has the potential to help me reframe issues in a more positive way and reduce worry.

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The Chrysalis Tarot, with its art evocative of a fabulous children's book, is a deck with great potential to help me look at uncomfortable aspects of myself, and reframe them in a more positive, hopeful way.

What do you think of the Chrysalis Tarot?  Do the vivid illustrations catch your eye?  What do you think of the alternate suits?  Could you imagine yourself using this deck?  Share your thoughts in comments!

Cross-Deck Comparison with Two of Cups

You may have noticed that most, if not all, of my Readings and Closer Looks are done with the Waite-Smith deck. Indeed, some tarot readers do stick to one tradition, and all my decks are based roughly on that same deck. However, tarot artists interpret Waite's and Colman Smith's work in so many weird, robust ways, that there is still plenty of variation to explore. When I began to move into other decks, I wanted to challenge myself without being too overwhelmed by new meanings or inscrutable artwork.  There are many decks that cleave very closely to the Waite-Smith, but other ostensible "clones" seem entirely disconnected at first glance.

This cross-deck comparison looks at the Waite-Smith and three other decks in the same tradition, each with different levels of abstraction from the original imagery. I hope it gives you some insight into how to be flexible with different decks while still relying on the system you've already learned. We're looking at the Two of Cups across the decks listed below: 

• Universal Waite: Art by Pamela Colman Smith, coloring by Mary Hanson Roberts. Published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. (Note: I refer to this deck as my Waite-Smith deck.)

• Tarot Mucha: Art by Giulia F. Massaglia and Barbara Nosenzo. Published by Lo Scarabeo.

• Shadowscapes Tarot: Art by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law. Published by Llewellyn Publishers.

• Wooden Tarot: Art by A.L. Schwartz. Published by Skullgarden.

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Let's start out with our Universal Waite. Simple, clear, and accessible, this imagery conveys a sense of romantic love by evoking a sense of formal commitment.  Facing each other, exchanging cups (as one might exchange rings or vows), framed by some divine winged lion, the two characters play their parts with little ambiguity.













The Tarot Mucha interprets Waite-Smith imagery through an art deco lens.  Though not drawn by Alphonse Mucha himself, the art evokes his style.  Our winged, lion-headed caduceus still frames the picture, and a pair of actors still exchange cups.  This illustration, however, exchanges the stiff formality of the Waite-Smith for willowy lines and postures of repose. If the Waite-Smith shows a scene from a play, the Tarot Mucha is its real-life correlate.  Interpreting the meaning will not be much of a challenge.








I've written about the Shadowscapes Tarot before, and I'm happy to have another chance to show it off. This deck has us moving further away from the classic Waite-Smith imagery; notice that Pui-Mun Law has removed our weird winged lion dude, and our characters are not really exchanging cups in a ceremony (though you will see there are still two cups in the picture).

This artist conveys her meaning through a sense of movement and intuition. Instead of two humans exchanging an item, we have two nymphs/dryads/ents literally wrapping around each other, with a cute little heart ornament hanging above them, like a sprig of mistletoe encouraging a kiss. Glowing golden fish linger nearby, blurring the lines between earth, water, and sky.

While drastically reinterpreting the Waite-Smith deck, Pui-Mun Law calls on her own tools to convey the same meaning. Interpreting this deck won't be too hard, but will become much easier the more you work with it.



Finally, we have the Wooden Tarot, one of my current favorite decks.  By far the most surreal version we've seen, this two of cups forgoes human actors altogether.  Indeed, you'll note that it's not even the two of cups; the Wooden Tarot replaces cups with blooms.


This bloom may at first look like a single blossom, but it actually appears to be two flowers back to back, creating one large double bloom. This suggests to me the synthesis of two things becoming one. The suit of blooms in the Wooden Tarot very strongly convey a sense of tenderness to me, so I can extrapolate that meaning into the synthesis of two passions into friendship or love.

Here, we have a card that is technically based on Waite-Smith symbology; however, interpreting this card in isolation will work better if you are familiar with the deck as a whole.

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What do you think, folks?  Of these two of cups, do you have a favorite? Does seeing the same cards across several decks give you any insight into the meaning?  Let us know in comments! 

Deck Review: Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

I was very pleased recently to purchase the Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law.  This deck is well-loved by the tarot community for its lush, detailed, evocative illustrations.  The deck essentially follows Waite-Smith conventions, but even where the symbology doesn't match up, the feel of the cards lends itself to intuitive readings pretty easily.  I'm not generally somebody to drool over soft watercolors, but the sheer skill in Pui-Mun Law's execution--combined with the dynamic energy in the cards--has me seduced.  Apparently, Pui-Mun Law has a background as a flamenco dancer, and that movement is very clear in the illustrations!

The cards are a bit bigger than playing cards, but much smaller than my Universal Waite-Smith; the Shadowscapes deck is actually the perfect size for my hands.  The backs are reversible (in case you want to read reversals), featuring a lovely circular design evocative of carved stone, seemingly illuminated by stars. The cardstock quality is firm but with enough give for easy shuffling.  Pui-Mun Law has associated each suit with an animal, a device I always love.  Wands are foxes, providing the suit with a clever, fiery energy.  The fish and aquatic creatures in the suit of cups conveys the watery world of love and emotion.  The swans, with their aloof nature, are a perfect fit for the airy suit of swords.  Finally, in an interesting twist, pentacles are accompanied by lizards and dragons of varying shapes and sizes (traditionally, salamanders and lizards are historically associated with fire, and thus the suit of wands). 

Below, I have a selection of cards that I pulled for a deck interview spread (I took this one from Little Red Tarot, who credits TABI).  I learned a lot about the deck and its uses through this exercise!

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What is your most important characteristic?

This card is a great example of the swirling energy present throughout the deck.  The Knight of Cups has confidence in the compass provided by his emotional reality.  He sees beauty and love everywhere.  This deck believes in the validity of dreams, and in celebrating that which is true and beautiful. 

What are your strengths?

I quite like this take on the Eight of Swords. While the large, frantic swan is trapped amidst the thorns, the tiny, nimble hummingbird can navigate them with little danger.  This deck shines as a source of calm when facing a crisis or stressful situation. 

What are your limits?

Pui-Mun Law's Temperance features a turbulent balance between yellow and blue, warm and cool, light and shade.  The meaning of this trump card--balance and cooperation--is very apparent in the illustration.  As a limitation, this deck may not always provide a balanced view.  It will be a good source of assurance and comfort, but probably not the deck to go to if I need a harsh wake-up call. 

What are you here to teach me?

What a delightful card to pull!  The Magician calls on all the elements in balanced measure, as represented by the hanging adornments fastened to his wings (each represents a classical element, and thus, a suit).  This deck will be a good source of strength and motivation towards manifesting my goals. 

How can I best learn and collaborate with you?

This card is really breathtaking.  The swirling energy so common in Pui-Mun Law's art is evocative of the nautilus, a perfect crown for this King of Cups. The ropey texture of the kelp gives this card a unique feel, and the dignified turtles give a special weight to the king in a suit mostly characterized by small, whimsical fish. I especially like this card as an echo to the earlier Knight of Cups.  I am reminded to approach this deck with patience, and expect and accept from it compassion.

What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?

The Two of Swords can represent an impasse or stalemate (when teaching myself card meanings, my mnemonic for this card was "between a rock and a hard place.")  I have since learned that the card can also be read as tranquility and acceptance for the pauses in our lives.  This deck, then, is not here to get me all the way to my goals and tell me everything I need to know; instead, this deck will help me find tranquility when I feel stuck.  

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It looks like my relationship with the Shadowscapes Tarot will be less about finding balanced, complicated truths, and more about reconnecting with my most authentic emotional self. I can think of no better guide than Pui-Mun Law's delicate, luminous art.  

Is this a deck you could see yourself using?  Is this the first time you've seen it?  Let us know!