Created by MJ Cullinane, the Crow Tarot exemplifies the majesty and mysticism of ravens and crows in all 78 cards. The tarot card meanings, which pay homage to the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith deck, are easy to understand if you’re familiar with RWS. If you’re not, an 86-page guidebook included with the deck walks you through upright and reversed meanings of each illustrated card filled with crows, ravens, and other members of the animal kingdom.

Printed on heavy cardstock, the full-color cards are traditionally-sized and are 5″ tall by 3 1/4″ wide and are stored in a sturdy, illustrated deck box. The back of the cards are printed with a repetitive pattern that appears the same in both the upright and reversed position. Art heavy and color-rich, each card is its own work of art and a mosaic of tea-stained borders contributes to the uniqueness of each card. Cullinane’s style, which I can only describe as a mixed media with a bold watercolor feel, is beautifully rendered lending a fresh, modern take on tarot.

The Crow Tarot delves deeply into esoteric imagery and does not include any human figures. In fact, art is predominant in each card. The Major Arcana cards are labeled along with the aces of each suit and their corresponding court cards. The remaining cards are simply numbered with roman numerals; you’ll need to mark the symbols of the cards rather than just relying on the card’s printed title.

Reading the cards is a slow, almost meditative process, because the images are rich and full of meaning. When I was working with this deck, I found myself naturally slowing down and leaning into three-card draws when I was short on time. Included with the guidebook is an 8-card spread, simply titled “The Crow Tarot Spread,” that offers you insight. Instead of shuffling and drawing cards in order, Cullinane encourages you to draw cards randomly and build the body of the crow. This tactic encourages you, as the reader, to slow down and review each card at a time rather than assess meanings at a glance.

The Crow Tarot strikes the balance between an artist’s exploration of tarot and a practical deck that encourages the reader to listen to your intuition, appreciate the art, and be inspired.

This review contains Amazon affiliate links. The Crow Tarot is also available at fine bookstores like Barnes and Noble.

Tags | tarot