- Elemental North Tarot
- C.A. Mallad – Illustrated by Amanda Noteman
- US Games, Inc. https://www.usgamesinc.com/elemental-north-tarot
- Recommended retail price: $24.95
- ISBN: 978-1-64671-219-9
- Date of publication: 2024
- Country of origin: USA
- Tarot system: Rider-Waite-Smith, combined with runes and elemental energy
- Card stock: Mass market, average thickness and weight
- Packaging/guidebook: Rigid box and lid (sturdy). The guide is comprehensive and includes interpretation of the runes, astrological, numerological and elemental information depicted on the cards.
- Reviewed by: Mary du Plessis
I was both intrigued and perplexed when I began examining this deck. The illustrations are overtly shamanic, with the RWS interpretation inside the elemental symbol of each suit and major arcana, and several staves embedded with Nordic runes running vertically down the card.
The cards are standard size. The stock is of average thickness and weight, and not too slippery. The cards should hold up fine if treated with care. The box is a well-constructed base and lid design that’s both secure, and easy to open.
The guidebook is packed full of information that includes card definitions, astrological and numerical influences, elemental aspects, and detailed explanation of the runes drawn on each card.
I was able to identify some of the runes on each card, but not all. I’m not proficient in this method of divination, but the guide provides helpful additional insight, and those who read runes may appreciate the connection that bridges runes and tarot.
The illustration inside the elemental symbols is what really piqued my interest. The images are easily identifiable to their RWS counterpart and often bear an interesting twist. Strength is represented as a bear, rather than a lion, as a nod to the Michigan roots of both the creator and illustrator. The Ten of Cups is depicted as a happy family of otters, floating along the river current, and the Queen of Wands is represented by her black cat resting beneath her crown, amid a bouquet of sunflowers.
The cards shuffle as well as any mass-market deck. I’ve worked with this deck for several days but have yet to conduct a reading with them. I have instead chosen to study one card at a time, in depth, paying special attention to the myriad visions that the illustrator (Amanda Noteman is a talented tattoo artist) incorporated as her interpretation of the classic symbolism of the Rider Waite Smith system.
This deck would be particularly useful as a meditative journey, for personal insight, tool. This may change as I spend more time connecting all the aspects of the cards, including the talismans within the rune staves, as the creator intended, but for now I’ll leave you with the message conveyed to me by The Wheel of Fortune:
The tree represents our connection to the cosmos (trees reach for the sky), while keeping grounded (roots in the earth). The card number, ten, portends the opportunities presented by new beginnings, and the overall energy of this card is positive – but it’s up to us to either make the most of any situation, or let it pass by.
Your mileage may vary!
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