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Mindscapes Tarot: An 80-Card Deck & Guidebook
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 31, 2025
You can see this review with images and links to spreads and the complete flickthrough at https://draft.blogger.com/blog/posts/...
I. First Impressions
Unboxing Experience: The deck comes in a two part box with a soft, slightly velvety feel. It's wrapped in plastic. When you open it, the book is resting on top of the cards, which have a paper band keeping them in place.
Artwork Style:
The hand-illustrated oil pastel cards are exquisite. The Minor Arcana’s seasonal progression creates a living timeline within a single location — an orchard that grows and flourishes, mountains that erode and rise, seas that swell and calm. Dramatic cards stand out beautifully against lighter, natural tones, making moments of tension or change visually striking.
More than any deck I’ve used before, Mindscapes invites storytelling. Each image feels like the first frame of a longer tale, ideal for writing prompts or narrative spreads.
II. The Cards
Card Backs:
All cards share a non-reversible background, subtle in its charm and detail.
Major Arcana:
Strength is 8, Justice is 11.
Two extra cards, The Catacombs and The Great Work, add layers to the deck’s journey.
Each Major includes the number in Roman numerals, the name, astrological symbol, and a unique sigil.
While the meanings correspond broadly to the RWS system, the images often explore new interpretations, making them feel fresh and thought-provoking.
Minor Arcana:
Each suit unfolds in its own landscape: Branches in lush orchards, Tides at sea, Spires among mountains, Stones in a desert city.
The suit name is written at the bottom; frames feature subtle color variations for identification.
Court cards are from the point of view of the character, placing you inside the scene and enhancing narrative immersion.
Card Stock and Size:
Standard tarot size with slightly thicker, matte-feel cards. Shuffling is easy, and they have held up beautifully over several weeks of use.
III. The Guidebook
Writing Style and Readability:
The guidebook is clear, approachable, and informative. While the print is a touch small, the descriptions are rich, explaining both symbolism and design inspiration.
Card Meanings:
Majors: two pages per card, covering keywords, visual cues, a detailed image description, and a suggested action or meditation.
Minors: similar coverage, offering depth without overwhelming.
Spreads and Techniques:
The book includes two spreads and tips for connecting with the deck. The overall message: trust your intuition and do what works best for you.
IV. In Use
Intuition and Connection:
The art captured me immediately, but the deck didn’t give up its secrets at once. I had to study, explore, and find familiarity in the new imagery. Once attuned, the deck became responsive and surprisingly deep. This isn’t a “pick up and read” deck; it rewards time, patience, and reflection.
Clarity of Readings:
Readings improve the more you engage. While there were no instant “aha” moments for me, repeated use revealed rich insights. My querent appreciated the thoughtful interpretations, and the deck’s storytelling potential became increasingly evident.
As I explored the cards through a daily diary, they revealed characters, fleeting moments, and sparks of inspiration that went beyond typical tarot readings.
Suitability for Different Skill Levels:
Because of the renamed Minors, extra cards, and non-standard images, Mindscapes Tarot isn’t ideal for absolute beginners. However, for anyone familiar with tarot or deeply engaged with art and narrative, it’s an invaluable addition that can deepen your practice and expand creative thinking.
Suggested Spreads for Storytelling
One of the most unique aspects of the Mindscapes Tarot is how naturally it lends itself to narrative exploration. Here are a few spreads that showcase its storytelling potential:
1. Interview Spread
Pull cards to “interview” the deck as if it were a character or guide.
Questions can include: Tell me about yourself, What are your strengths?, What should I learn from you?
This spread draws on the deck’s symbolism to highlight its personality, guidance, and advice.
2. Story Snapshot Spread
Choose two or three cards to inspire a short, episodic scene.
Let the imagery suggest characters, actions, or conflicts.
Great for diary entries or creative writing prompts, as each card can spark a fleeting moment, emotion, or encounter.
3. Inner/Outer Spread
A two-card spread highlighting inner dynamics vs. outward experiences.
Especially effective for introspective storytelling, helping the reader or writer explore how internal states influence external events.
Example in Action
In my own exploration, I used the Story Snapshot spread to follow a single narrator through small, episodic diary entries. Cards like the Hanged One prompted quiet reflection, the Moon added fleeting, dreamlike unease, and Cups brought moments of joy and connection along familiar paths. The Queen of Branches even appeared as a rare, inspiring presence, sparking new ideas and action at just the right moments. Using the deck this way highlights its narrative potential - each reading can unfold like a short story, with characters, settings, and emotional beats that linger long after the cards are put away.
Final Thoughts
This is a beautiful, nuanced deck that adds immeasurably to your tarot practice. It shines when you allow it to tell a story, when you linger with the images, and when you let its landscapes and characters enter your imagination. Give yourself time to get to know it - and let the cards get to know you. The journey is as rewarding as the insights it provides.
I. First Impressions
Unboxing Experience: The deck comes in a two part box with a soft, slightly velvety feel. It's wrapped in plastic. When you open it, the book is resting on top of the cards, which have a paper band keeping them in place.
Artwork Style:
The hand-illustrated oil pastel cards are exquisite. The Minor Arcana’s seasonal progression creates a living timeline within a single location — an orchard that grows and flourishes, mountains that erode and rise, seas that swell and calm. Dramatic cards stand out beautifully against lighter, natural tones, making moments of tension or change visually striking.
More than any deck I’ve used before, Mindscapes invites storytelling. Each image feels like the first frame of a longer tale, ideal for writing prompts or narrative spreads.
II. The Cards
Card Backs:
All cards share a non-reversible background, subtle in its charm and detail.
Major Arcana:
Strength is 8, Justice is 11.
Two extra cards, The Catacombs and The Great Work, add layers to the deck’s journey.
Each Major includes the number in Roman numerals, the name, astrological symbol, and a unique sigil.
While the meanings correspond broadly to the RWS system, the images often explore new interpretations, making them feel fresh and thought-provoking.
Minor Arcana:
Each suit unfolds in its own landscape: Branches in lush orchards, Tides at sea, Spires among mountains, Stones in a desert city.
The suit name is written at the bottom; frames feature subtle color variations for identification.
Court cards are from the point of view of the character, placing you inside the scene and enhancing narrative immersion.
Card Stock and Size:
Standard tarot size with slightly thicker, matte-feel cards. Shuffling is easy, and they have held up beautifully over several weeks of use.
III. The Guidebook
Writing Style and Readability:
The guidebook is clear, approachable, and informative. While the print is a touch small, the descriptions are rich, explaining both symbolism and design inspiration.
Card Meanings:
Majors: two pages per card, covering keywords, visual cues, a detailed image description, and a suggested action or meditation.
Minors: similar coverage, offering depth without overwhelming.
Spreads and Techniques:
The book includes two spreads and tips for connecting with the deck. The overall message: trust your intuition and do what works best for you.
IV. In Use
Intuition and Connection:
The art captured me immediately, but the deck didn’t give up its secrets at once. I had to study, explore, and find familiarity in the new imagery. Once attuned, the deck became responsive and surprisingly deep. This isn’t a “pick up and read” deck; it rewards time, patience, and reflection.
Clarity of Readings:
Readings improve the more you engage. While there were no instant “aha” moments for me, repeated use revealed rich insights. My querent appreciated the thoughtful interpretations, and the deck’s storytelling potential became increasingly evident.
As I explored the cards through a daily diary, they revealed characters, fleeting moments, and sparks of inspiration that went beyond typical tarot readings.
Suitability for Different Skill Levels:
Because of the renamed Minors, extra cards, and non-standard images, Mindscapes Tarot isn’t ideal for absolute beginners. However, for anyone familiar with tarot or deeply engaged with art and narrative, it’s an invaluable addition that can deepen your practice and expand creative thinking.
Suggested Spreads for Storytelling
One of the most unique aspects of the Mindscapes Tarot is how naturally it lends itself to narrative exploration. Here are a few spreads that showcase its storytelling potential:
1. Interview Spread
Pull cards to “interview” the deck as if it were a character or guide.
Questions can include: Tell me about yourself, What are your strengths?, What should I learn from you?
This spread draws on the deck’s symbolism to highlight its personality, guidance, and advice.
2. Story Snapshot Spread
Choose two or three cards to inspire a short, episodic scene.
Let the imagery suggest characters, actions, or conflicts.
Great for diary entries or creative writing prompts, as each card can spark a fleeting moment, emotion, or encounter.
3. Inner/Outer Spread
A two-card spread highlighting inner dynamics vs. outward experiences.
Especially effective for introspective storytelling, helping the reader or writer explore how internal states influence external events.
Example in Action
In my own exploration, I used the Story Snapshot spread to follow a single narrator through small, episodic diary entries. Cards like the Hanged One prompted quiet reflection, the Moon added fleeting, dreamlike unease, and Cups brought moments of joy and connection along familiar paths. The Queen of Branches even appeared as a rare, inspiring presence, sparking new ideas and action at just the right moments. Using the deck this way highlights its narrative potential - each reading can unfold like a short story, with characters, settings, and emotional beats that linger long after the cards are put away.
Final Thoughts
This is a beautiful, nuanced deck that adds immeasurably to your tarot practice. It shines when you allow it to tell a story, when you linger with the images, and when you let its landscapes and characters enter your imagination. Give yourself time to get to know it - and let the cards get to know you. The journey is as rewarding as the insights it provides.
August 15, 2025
Se eu só pudesse escolher um único baralho de tarot para o resto da vida, seria este. O foco na paisagem para comunicar os significados e as narrativas do tarot, a riqueza e o detalhe das imagens, a ambiguidade de cada carta, os pequenos sinais de figuras e das suas actividades (sem nunca deixar a importância da paisagem na evocação de narrativas), a perspectiva fluída desenraizada de uma única cultura e aberta a uma interação entre culturas e linguagens, o jogo entre a visão exterior do natural e a visão interior das nossas vidas humanas, a expansão - e, mais ainda, a transparência - com que as imagens falam dos seus arquétipos e histórias de modos que outras imagens que se focam no retrato algumas vezes acabam por velar... Tudo sobre este baralho e a abertura que ele traz não só à tradição do tarot como à nossa própria intuição é das coisas mais primorosas que eu já vi num conjunto de cartas. É um baralho pensado com tanto rigor e atenção... Ao mesmo tempo, tendo como material o pastel de óleo, existe uma naturalidade e manualidade no traço que dilui as formas umas nas outras e que vai para além da rigidez dos contornos singulares possíveis dos corpos que aqui se evocam. Tudo existe numa simbiose e, se o posso dizer, numa ecologia verdadeiramente colectiva, plural e livre. Para não falar do livrinho que acompanha este baralho, onde cada imagem é acompanhada por um pequeno parágrafo capaz de abrir novas perspectivas às cartas, muito evocativo por si só, e onde se aponta para os símbolos presentes em cada carta, que revelam corpos nos traços livres do pastel de óleo. Que belo conjunto de imagens! E que enorme campo de possibilidades que este baralho guarda, para os mais diversos tipos de práticas.
Este é, realmente, um dos melhores baralhos de tarot que já vi, e um que comunica comigo de um modo muito especial, relembrando-me de mitos, situações, figuras, arquétipos, lugares que me dizem muito e que, nesta plasticidade livre de qualquer fixação numa "imagem singular" (apesar de a ter, o que é mesmo muito curioso), existem em contaminação uns com os outros, numa simplicidade que é de admirar. Ainda nem li com ele e já me sinto profundamente envolvido nas suas imagens, que, apesar de serem imagens "fixas", nada têm de fixo, sendo elas capazes de nos abrir caminho a mundos inteiros absoluta e concretamente possíveis em nós mesmos e sempre em mutabilidade...
Eu diria que é exatamente para isto que o tarot existe: para abrir caminho a esses mundos e narrativas eternos - a essas "mindscapes" ou paisagens mentais - em que nos vemos entretecidos nesta nossa "singularidade" e para nos dar a ver esses mistérios, tão mágicos e naturais, que construíram escolas e ecologias distintas ao longo da nossa história, e que constroem, continuamente, a nossa própria vida no contexto da teia imensa de seres que habita este mundo vivo.
Este é, realmente, um dos melhores baralhos de tarot que já vi, e um que comunica comigo de um modo muito especial, relembrando-me de mitos, situações, figuras, arquétipos, lugares que me dizem muito e que, nesta plasticidade livre de qualquer fixação numa "imagem singular" (apesar de a ter, o que é mesmo muito curioso), existem em contaminação uns com os outros, numa simplicidade que é de admirar. Ainda nem li com ele e já me sinto profundamente envolvido nas suas imagens, que, apesar de serem imagens "fixas", nada têm de fixo, sendo elas capazes de nos abrir caminho a mundos inteiros absoluta e concretamente possíveis em nós mesmos e sempre em mutabilidade...
Eu diria que é exatamente para isto que o tarot existe: para abrir caminho a esses mundos e narrativas eternos - a essas "mindscapes" ou paisagens mentais - em que nos vemos entretecidos nesta nossa "singularidade" e para nos dar a ver esses mistérios, tão mágicos e naturais, que construíram escolas e ecologias distintas ao longo da nossa história, e que constroem, continuamente, a nossa própria vida no contexto da teia imensa de seres que habita este mundo vivo.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews