“The fairies were asking me to create a tarot deck about them! … Now this deck has taken on a different meaning for me. I have not made it for my use alone. I have made it as a way for the fairies to communicate with other people because that is what they asked of me. So this deck is a gift from the world of Faery to those individuals wise enough to understand that fairies are all around us. They help us in sometimes baffling or confounding ways, but their true intent is to impart lessons that encourage our growth.” – From the companion book to the Twilight Realm: A Tarot of Faery
With colorful chalk-like pencil drawings amid black backgrounds, the Twilight Realm A Tarot of Faery by Beth Wilder offers a fresh take on Tarot imagery, as well as magical messages from the faires.
A child-like pixie reaches for bubbles in the 9 of Rings, while glowing purple sprites frolic among cascading waterfalls in the 10 of Cups. One fairy has horns, while others have feathers. Some seem part animal, while others appear as elves or dwarves. A galloping unicorn serves as the Strength card, while a fierce dragon guards the bountiful spoils in the 3 of Swords. Even humanlike spirits present gifts in this unusual deck.
Accompanied by a 175-page guide book detailing upright and reversed meanings, as well as grayscale images of each card, the Twilight Realm Tarot of Faery kit comes with a sturdy rectangular box with a magnetic flip-top lid that encases both the deck and the companion book.
Measuring approximately 5 x 3 ½ inches, the cards have borderless Major Arcana cards while the Minors have a thin, lined color-coded border (Rings are green, Swords are red, Cups are blue and Wands are lilac). Although Wilder, who is both the deck artist and companion book author, equates Wands with Air and Swords with Fire, apart from the lined border (and the companion book explanation), most Tarot enthusiasts may not even recognize the alternate association.
The reversible backings of the cards show a crosshatch design with a ring of white and purple flowers connected by greenery in the center. The court cards follow the Page, Prince/Princesses, Queen and King designation (the feminine suits of Rings and Cups have Princesses instead of Knights while the masculine suits of Wands and Swords have Princes).
The Twilight Realm A Tarot of Faery heralds a wonderful addition to Tarot (and kudos to Schiffer Books for creating such lovely box sets!). I’ve been working intermittently with this deck for about two months now and find it to be accurate and surprising. Those who rely heavily on imagery for intuitive information may find some of the simpler, abstract depictions a bit challenging to interpret, but with Wilder’s able treatment of card meanings, any troubles will likely be hurdled after careful study.
Below are 18 images from this deck:
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