The Gentle Tarot

Our latest interview is with Mariza Ryce Aparicio-Tovar, creator of The Gentle Tarot - An indigenous-made, colourful and uplifting, nature inspired tarot deck. Inspired by our natural environment, Mariza explores issues of mental health and self-love with hopes of advocating care for our planet and ourselves so that collectively we may experience our full potential.

Kickstarter - The Gentle Tarot

Where in the world do you call home?

Alaska has been my home since 2014. I presently live in a remote Alaskan community of roughly 4,500 people in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island in the Aleutian Island chain. We are out in the middle of the Bering Sea. The lifestyle feels different than any other place I have lived and even different from any other place in Alaska I have been. Life has a slow pace, which I really love. The year-round natural beauty and unique, supportive community is why Unalaska is home.

What was your first experience with oracles and / or tarot and when did you fall in love with it?

My first experience with tarot was in college, but I didn’t fall in love with it until after college in 2010. I had quit my job in Seattle and was about to hitchhike solo down the west coast to LA when a couple of close friends of mine offered me a reading. Every card in the spread gave me chills and the energy in the cards and in the room was like an introduction to a new friend. I have since practiced on my own.

What made you want to create your own tarot deck? What was your inspiration?

As mentioned above, the energy from tarot/oracle cards has felt like a friend. This friend has always felt gentle, patient, and loving and I had not come across a deck with art that had this kind of energy. Since 2012 I had wanted to illustrate my own deck, but it wasn’t until this past summer while working (even more remotely) on a salmon river far from reception and roads, I finally had the time and space to start. Daily practice this summer, with my sweet friend and co-worker Kanesia, also helped feed the flame.

Aside from your own deck, do you have a favourite deck? If so, which one?

It’s hard to name only one! I absolutely love the Brady Tarot, her craft is priceless.

Do you have a favourite card (either from your deck or just the card in general). If so, why is it your favourite?

The Tower is definitely my favorite. This may change at some point, but it excites me the most. Maybe I am just desiring upheaval or simply attracted to change. I love how a visual that would seem negative is in fact powerfully positive.

We are living in such crazy times. How has the pandemic affected your creativity?

Being creative is my stress relief. The more stressed or depressed I am, the more I create. Even before the pandemic, the state of the world was a huge weight on my emotional well-being (as I am sure it has been for most of us). Parallel to my stress levels, creativity has shot through the roof. Although I am thankful to have this outlet, I hope our world reaches a healthy equilibrium on all fronts.

What have been your challenges in creating this deck?

My biggest challenge was starting. It took me eight years to finally give it a go. It’s hard not to feel intimidated or question your right to interpret something so old. After starting though, and I began with The Moon card, I knew that my calling to create a deck was greater than my fear and doubt.

I love that you are so dedicated to the environment and will be planting two trees for every pledge, as well as using a portion of the pledges to donate to ocean and climate change research. Have you always been this environmentally conscious or was there some event that raised your awareness?

As an indigenous woman, having been raised to foster a relationship of honor and respect for our natural environment, taking care of our planet is simply common sense. Our survival depends on ecological harmony. The earth has provided fruitfully for millennia, our out-of-balance practices need to change.

How will you celebrate when the deck is finally published?

I am pretty sure that I will shed celebratory tears. :) I can still hardly grasp what has happened in the past five days since the Kickstarter launched. My ultimate celebration will be when I donate to the planting of trees (as of right now we are at 884!) and to ocean and climate change research.

What is on offer for people who pledge?

On offer is the First Edition Gentle Tarot deck and guidebook! The cards are classic 2.75” by 4.75” with 78 cards on 350gsm matte laminate paper with matte gold sides. The book will be slightly larger in size at about 3”x5” and both will come in a two-part box.

I also have Gentle Tarot earrings, session cloths, limited edition signed prints, tote bags, postcards, tapestries, and stickers. If we reach stretch goals I will be adding cozy wear and maybe even dresses!

In addition to Kickstarter, the Gentle Tarot website will be up soon. Please check it out to grab goodies you want and to stay posted! Also, my Etsy has Gentle Tarot items not offered in the Kickstarter campaign, such as mugs, full print tote bags, tapestries, and biodegradable phone cases.

Thank you so much for having me here! Nothing but love. Mari

https://www.instagram.com/mariinthesky

www.thegentletarot.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/mariinthesky

To be one of the first to get your hands on this stunning deck, pledge here:

Kickstarter - The Gentle Tarot

The Wild Wolf Tarot

Our latest interview is with Briona Jolie, the creator of The Wild Wolf Tarot - an earthy, minimalist 78 card Tarot deck surrounding the beauty and intuition of Wolves. This deck is meant to help people connect to their ancient wild instincts, and to embrace the many beautiful archetypes of the wolf.

Kickstarter - The Wild Wolf Tarot

Where in the world do you call home?

Physically I never felt more at home than I did in New Paltz, NY which is the town I lived and went to college in. New Paltz and places like it fuel my sense of adventure and love of nature, with beautiful tall mountains, lakes, and a relaxed artistic community. Emotionally, home is anywhere that is with my partner Dieter and our dog Storm.

What was your first experience with tarot/oracle and when did you fall in love with it?

My first experience with cards was when I brought my first oracle deck in my college town (it's where most of my spiritual awakening began). I bought this deck before ever having a reading, or even researching how to use cards and their exact purpose. I just went in knowing I wanted to explore what cards meant after looking at them with extreme curiosity every time I went to buy a new crystal. So I took home my first oracle deck which was a very early 2000’s deck called Universal Wisdom by Toni Salerno and I explored! I did some reading of the how-to’s but mostly played and intuitively began reading for myself by using the messages inside the book to guide the reading.

What made you want to create your own tarot deck? What was your inspiration?

I always thought having my own deck one day would be amazing, but I didn't start seriously thinking I would really feel the need to put those ideas to action until I started reading tarot for others. I desperately wanted to read from my own cards, to make the readings that more special. One night I thought to myself, I really need a wolf inspired tarot deck (considering my whole brand and heart is surrounded with the beauty of wolves). So I went to my search engine and realized that no one has successfully done it the way I felt a wolf tarot deck needed to be displayed. I then thought, well if no one has done it...then I guess it needs to be me. I also was extremely inspired by a friend of mine who created her own deck and was young like me Seeing more young women take leadership of their dreams and desires is so empowering, so after experiencing more women like that in my life I immediately went to my notebook to start writing and planning The Wild Wolf Tarot.

Aside from your own deck, do you have a favourite one?

Spirit song tarot by Paulina Cassidy. I actually found her deck when I was getting a reading done at a local shop near where I live now. As I was watching the reader explain my messages I remember half listening to her and the other half of my brain was saying, “What deck is she using? I’ve never seen an all animal deck before? I need to find this deck after.” Her deck was the first one I found that actually felt like it had my style written and illustrated on it, soft and minimalist.

Do you have a favourite card?

My favorite traditional card is “the moon” because it always shows two wolves and a moon as the image, I actually have a tapestry in my bedroom of this card because I just love the imagery so much. My favorite card in my deck I think has to be “The White Wolf.” This card expresses the message of the empress who holds divine femininity and strong intuition. I have placed this card everywhere on the branding of this deck because I just find the image my designer helped me create to be so striking.

How has the pandemic affected your creativity?

Aside from my job as a Tarot and Akashic Reader, I also teach kids art full time so you can say my sacral chakra is extremely open. That being said, It's normally hard for me to find time to honor the rush of creativity that is always trying to come out of and be expressed. The pandemic has honestly been a blessing because I finally have made time to express myself. Truthfully this project wouldn’t have happened until years down the road when I finally “made the time,” so I’m extremely grateful for the universe allowing me to see where I needed to focus my energy and finally create.

What have been your challenges in creating this deck?

I believe it's just been learning everything for the first time. I’ve never had any experience with launching a kickstarter before, or determining a budget and reaching out to printers before, so every step of this journey has been a completely new learning experience. So my biggest challenge has been remaining confident as I navigate this new terrain. That's when I turn to my wolf guides who remind me of my leadership in the decisions I make, it will all lead me down the right path.

You channelled this from your wolf guide Aleu. Do you believe she has been with you your whole life and has she inspired you to create prior to this deck?

Aleu has remained a prominent guide in my life ever since childhood. So strong in fact I decided to tattoo her face on my ribs which is a similar image mirrored in the card “The White Wolf.” Just like the card The White Wolf, Aleu inspires me to take leadership in my feminine. I find her when I feel confidence to create and share my creations, she also finds me when I take action on my intuition.

How will you celebrate when the deck is finally published?

I would love to do a fun trip to the mountains again with my partner and dog but with the pandemic It might be on hold for now. We will definitely have a great family day outside to celebrate, let go, and just be present in the vibrations of the moment! Then It will be quickly back to work to get the orders out to my backers haha

What is on offer for people who pledge?

I put a great scale of offers together ranging from $5-$300. Some of the rewards include art prints, a discounted offer on the official deck, readings with me, and an incredible opportunity to give back to the wolves! If we hit our stretch goals within the second half of the campaign I have lots of freebie offers for deck owners like limited edition cards and pouches!

To be one of the first to get your hands on this gorgeous deck, pledge here:

Kickstarter - The Wild Wolf Tarot

The Architect's Tarot

Our latest interview is with Yousef Bushehri, the creator of an architectural themed tarot deck. Each suit of the deck is inspired by a landscape theme and the cards of each suit can be lined up to create a single panoramic image. The combination of architectural imagery with the soft visuals of watercolours creates a deck that blends reality with fantasy.

Kickstarter - The Architect's Tarot

Where in the world do you call home?

That’s a complicated question for me. I was born and raised in Kuwait, which is where my entire family lives. I moved to the United States when I was 17 and have been here for 13 years. Right now I live in Atlanta, Georgia and I feel very settled here and have put down roots. I live the majority of the year in Atlanta but need to go to Kuwait at least once a year for a few weeks to be with my family. I guess I would call my home both Kuwait and Atlanta simultaneously.

What was your first experience with oracles and / or tarot and when did you fall in love with it?

2 years ago I was having a hard time sleeping for a few months and a dear friend brought me an amethyst and told me it would help. Even though this wasn’t anything I had ever explored, this was a person I trusted deeply and so I trusted her offer as well. The amethyst helped and it opened me up to a world that I hadn’t explored which included oils and crystals and herbs and, eventually, tarot.

I’m a big time gardener and I love giving and receiving seeds and plant cuttings and plant knowledge. it feels so anti-capitalist and empowers people’s independence and self-reliance. I think for that same reason I fell in love with tarot and the democratic nature of it. Unlike many large organized belief-systems, where the rules are passed down from established authority, this world of magic wasn’t owned or controlled by anyone and was open to everyone and however they choose to participate in it.

What made you want to create your own tarot deck? What was your inspiration?

I’m a trained architect and designer and my aunt taught me to paint as a child so visual art has always been a part of my life. After discovering tarot I began searching for an architectural tarot deck – one that plays with architectural themes like scale, procession, path, and entry – and wasn’t able to find one. At the time I also began exploring watercolour. One day while laying on the couch watching TV it occurred to me that I could practice watercolour and illustration by creating architecturally interpreted tarot cards. I did maybe 5 or 6 and I posted them online and people asked me when the deck would be complete because they really wanted one. Keep in mind I was only doing this as an exercise and did not intend to create a whole deck. But here we are.

I’ve drawn inspiration from lots of places - Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass, Greek temples, significant buildings around the world that I’ve visited, specific moments of my life, dreams I’ve had, videogames, literal representations of what the card is meant to signify. All sorts of places. My phone’s photo gallery is mostly images I’ve collected to base my cards on (as well as photos of my cats of course).

Aside from your own deck, do you have a favourite deck? If so, which one?

I have a copy of the Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tarot and I think its my favourite that I’ve come across. The level of detail is amazing and I continuously discover new things in each card.

I feel like there are 2 types of movies (this is relevant, I swear): in one type, when a character coughs, their cough will be relevant to the plot, in the other type of movie the characters cough for no reason other than to flesh out the world and detail it and make it realistic. I prefer the second type. I feel like the Ethereal Visions tarot fits under the second type if it were a movie.

Do you have a favourite card (either from your deck or just the card in general). If so, why is it your favourite?

Oh this is a hard one. From my own deck I have 2.

First is Temperance. I love the way the colours turned out and the way the world of the card bends on itself. I didn’t know what the word meant and when it was time to work on it I asked my friends to define it to help me understand the word.

Second is the 6 of swords. In most decks this card depicts a boat with one or two people, one sitting and one standing and pushing the boat forward. When I first came across the card I wondered where they were and so in my version of the card I zoomed out to understand their surroundings. In my version you can see the boat with the 2 figures in the bottom. This theme of zooming out of scale to understand the context is reoccurring in The Architect’s Tarot.

We are living in such crazy times. How has the pandemic affected your creativity?

I draw a lot of energy and creativity from my social life which of course was really hit hard by the pandemic.

When the pandemic started I focused a lot of my anxiety and confusion into working on the deck, but about a week or 2 into lock-down I felt overwhelmed by the world and felt like my creativity was blocked. Social media was being littered with toxic posts like “if you don’t finish writing that novel/writing your thesis/etc during this quarantine then it was never a problem of time. You’re just lazy” and I was very irritated by that mentality. People were flexing their “I’m making good use of this time at home” muscle online and it felt so disillusioned to me. So instead of feeling guilty about not having any creative energy or trying to force it I let myself rest and spent time reading and gardening.

A few months in I felt a surge of creative energy one night and I got right back to it – without realizing it I finished the minor arcana. While I still had the energy, I planned out what all the major arcana cards would be. I think by then I had come to terms with the state of the world. A few months ago I bought my first house and I think that helped my panic calmed down – It helped me feel safe – and by accepting that “this is what its going to be like from now on” I was able to tap back into my creativity or at least overcome the block.

What have been your challenges in creating this deck?

Mostly motivation and juggling responsibilities. Over the course of the year and a half of working on the deck it wasn’t a continuous exercise. It would be 2 weeks of focus where I would create 10-12 cards and then a month or two of art-block and the cycle would repeat. Of course I’ve also been working on my PhD as well as teaching, on top of having a garden and robust social life (which of course suddenly changed). It was a lot to be doing – but painting and illustrating is my alone time and what I like to do when I need to quietly recharge.

Another challenge that I hadn’t anticipated was that as I developed the deck I was also developing my artistic style and skills. I was getting better at painting and water-coloring and I would go back to the first few cards I made and remake them. It felt like as I continued the marathon toward the finish line I would come up with ways to improve the earlier pieces and the finish line would move a little further away.

One of the most unique details I have found about this deck is that you can line up the suits of cards to create one panoramic landscape. Where did this idea come from?

This is one of my favourite things about my deck and something that a lot of people have been really excited about. The idea comes from how I approach my architecture work.

On top of working on my art I’m also a PhD student and I teach first year architecture studio at Georgia Tech. I realized that most students, when creating their graphics for their projects, cut their images into rectangles and tile them, as one would for a PowerPoint presentation. This makes the image very static. I would encourage students to not think of their presentation as a series of images and to ‘break the box’ by pulling certain elements past the edges of the image. This makes it somehow come to life. A class-mate and good friend of mine told me this funny story: during finals week another student asked him for some feedback on her final presentation and he suggested that she “break the box to make the images more dynamic” and she said to him “wait…did you get that from Yousef?” (spoiler: he did).

In most tarot decks that I’ve come across the characters depicted are established. They usually are presenting a specific race and gender, you can tell about how old they are and what they are doing, but you aren’t given much context (re: 6 of swords). I was more interested in their story and where exactly these figures were so I focused heavily on narrative. I removed gender and race and age from the images and instead show you where they are, where they might have just come from, and where they might be going, so to speak. I also wanted to create a story for people who are using the deck – let them place themselves into the suit and follow along the story and maybe they’ll answer some questions for themselves.

How will you celebrate when the deck is finally published?

I have no idea. The whole experience since starting the Kickstarter campaign has felt like a dream – like I’m going to wake up at some point and it never actually happened. I think my way of celebrating would be to accept that people like my art and connect with it. Maybe I’ll have a bonfire and cook a delicious meal and let a feeling of accomplishment hold me for a while.

What is on offer for people who pledge?

Right now on the Kickstarter as a base pledge people can get a copy of The Architect’s Tarot. For a higher pledge people will get a signed copy of the deck as well as a signed large print of a card of their choice from the deck. At the next tier up, people who pledge will get 2 signed decks and I will recreate an original large scale version of a card that they can pick. I had a few extra pieces of 20”x30” watercolour paper laying around my studio last year and I thought I would experiment with large scale illustrations for a change. I recreated the 3 of swords and I absolutely loved how it turned out and thought it would be a special thing that people could have in their home.

The campaign does have 2 more stretch goals that I am very excited for and hope we reach – the first one is for an enamel pin and the second is for a tarot reading mat. I’ve already finished their designs and have contacted the people that would manufacture them. If we reach the goals, these will only be available for Kickstarter backers and each deck will be shipped with them and will not be available after the campaign is over.

To be one of the first to get your hands on this unique architectural deck, pledge here:

Kickstarter - The Architect's Tarot