Rejoice tarot lovers! A new classic is out in the wild and available for purchase now! I’m talking about “Everyday Witch Tarot” by Deborah Blake with art by Elisabeth Alba.
Imagine the Rider-Waite tarot and then infuse it with witch whimsy and you have the “Everyday Witch Tarot”. The 252 page “Guide to the Everyday Witch Tarot” that comes with the deck is a fabulous, full color, affair. The card descriptions are written in an accessible manner and sometimes give you a new perspective.
A handsome devil of a mage with dark hair, a pointed black beard, and a swirling black cape is offering money to a male witch and an ice cream cone to a young female witch. While he is smiling and pleasant, a pointed tail curls out from underneath his cape and his eyes have a reddish gleam. Each witch has a cat who is trying to pull them away and is being ignored. A volcano smokes in the far background. The mood is ominous but not hopeless.
Contrary to what you might think, the Devil doesn’t represent some evil being who comes in from the outside world to lure and ensnare us. That would be easier to fight than the reality, which is that each of us has devils that we have created for ourselves: addiction, bad habits, obsessions, and unhealthy decisions that we cling to long after it is clear that they are leading us in the wrong direction or holding our lives hostage. Temptation can be so hard to resist. That makes this seem like a scary, hopeless card, but it isn’t. We often hold onto the devil we know because we are more comfortable with the negativity and dysfunction we are used to than we are the idea of starting over and creating something better. But you can do it. You chose this devil, and you can choose to say “no more.”
I offered this example to give you a taste of Blake’s writing style to be found throughout the book, but I picked this particular card to warn you that kitty cats abound in this deck. It’s no surprise considering Magic the Cat oversees most of Blake’s projects. But the cats in this scenario are attempting to help? Obviously written by a cat lover. We all know that although cute, cats are more than happy to let you screw up. (See examples of cats being adorable, yet evil here.)
Let’s get real though, when considering buying a tarot deck you want to see the art. ALL THE ART! Well, we ain’t doing that here, but I did want to show you a few more examples of the great job artist Elisabeth Alba did bring “Everyday Witch Tarot” to life.
The back of every card has this adorable and classic looking design.
Also, here the joyous The Sun.
It’s no secret that Deborah Blake is my sister from another mister, but in all honesty this deck is a modern classic. Llewellyn would be stupid to ever let this go out of print because “Everyday Witch Tarot” is a deck that will be enjoyed again and again as it is rediscovered by each new generation of tarot reader.
Learn more about “Everyday Witch Tarot” here!