What is Tarot?
The Tarot originated as a game of cards in mid-fifteenth century northern Italy. Tarot was originally called Tarrochi, an Italian card game, an ancestor of the modern game of bridge, which uses the traditional four suits as well as a fifth suit.
This additional fifth suit is made up of 22 “trump” cards, also called the Major Arcana. The other cards are called the Minor Arcana, from Ace to Ten, and four “court cards.”
The symbols of Tarot were born from the Italian Renaissance but they did not become a popular tool for divination until the 18th century.
The Tarot deck that has inspired most modern conceptions of Tarot was created in 1909 by the artist Pamela Colman Smith, a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an English occult society based on ideas of Hermetic mysticism. It was commissioned by another member of the sect, Arthur Waite Smith, who wrote the deck’s accompanying text.
Last updated: March 15, 2025 04:51
Do the cards carry the traditional names from other Tarot decks?
I have renamed the suits, Earth (Pentacles), Air (Swords), Fire (Wands), and Water (Cups).
The court cards have become Root (Page), Voice (Knight), Heart (Queen), and Spirit (King).
Last updated: March 15, 2025 04:51
Are the cards digitally drawn or made with traditional mediums?
Every card was hand inked with India ink, painted in watercolor, and finished in colored pencil at 11 x 17 inches.
I worked digitally through the drafts of the deck, and the cover image you see is still digital, but it is in process as a traditional piece which will be the final image for the packaging and cover of the deck.
Last updated: March 15, 2025 04:51
I've heard it's unlucky to buy yourself your first Tarot deck...
I love this superstition because I love gift-giving. Here’s my work around for Kickstarter: leave me a note or shoot me an email / DM when you pledge a deck ([email protected] / @sophialitwak) and I will intentionally give you a deck bought by someone else.
This is an energetic work around, based in intention. I will hold you and the other person in my Heart and Mind, and switch the decks.
Last updated: March 15, 2025 04:51
What will the guidebook be like?
There will be a guidebook that fits inside the box with the deck (2.75in x 4.75in., 50 pages, black and white) that has meanings for each card, as well as an intention and a question. I am going to be formatting it soon and asking for feedback on Kickstarter! I also will have a PDF of the FULL guidebook available which will have poems and full meanings and intentions and questions for each card, along with a space for note taking. I want to format it for phones and to print out.
Last updated: March 15, 2025 04:51
Will you be sharing a flip-through of the whole deck?
Yes! I have versions that I have printed at home and gotten printed previously that I will be making a video of and sharing via Kickstarter updates soon :)
Last updated: March 15, 2025 04:52
I added add-ons and now my shipping cost is extremely high...
In the two weeks following the end of the campaign I plan to work through each backer’s pledge and adjust through a partial refund the amount that you have paid for shipping to more accurately reflect the rate that you will pay. This won’t be the exact shipping amount (unfortunately, these things keep changing) but it will be closer to the actual amount.
Last updated: April 11, 2025 01:04
Are the cards going to be on white or black backgrounds?
The standard deck will have the images free floating without borders – so they will have white backgrounds although the images themselves are all bordered in black.
The mini deck will have the images on black backgrounds. You can add the mini-deck as an add-on.
Last updated: April 11, 2025 01:04
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