• Deck Name: Wise Earth Medicine Tarot
• Author & Artist: Created and illustrated by Lalania Simone (https://cosmicseedstudio.com)
• Publisher: Weiser Books (https://redwheelweiser.com)
• Recommended retail price: $24.95 USD
• ISBN: 978-1-57863-863-5
• Reviewer: Cadence (Instagram: @temperanceandtruth)

I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to review the Wise Earth Medicine Tarot, as I was already a fan of Lalania Simone’s first deck, Tarot of the Cosmic Seed. Lalania’s other decks include the Oracle of Awakening and the Myth Weaver Tarot, a recent Kickstarter. Unlike Cosmic Seed, which began as an indie deck, it appears that the Wise Earth Medicine Tarot was created to be a mass market deck from the beginning…though the quality of the deck leans towards indie with the lovely card stock and gilding.

Lalania is both artist and author, something that brings a certain level of authenticity and coherence to her decks. The art—as best as this non-artist can describe—is digital art with a collage-style look.

My first impression of the cards was that they seemed more like an oracle deck. The size, lack of human figures, and the keywords all felt very oracle-like to me. A quick look in the guidebook revealed that this was the intention: while each plant, animal, and insect was specifically chosen to align with its particular tarot card meaning, the deck can also be used as an oracle deck with the keywords on the card. I’ll admit to wondering if, in this oversaturated tarot and oracle deck environment, we really needed yet another plant and animal deck – and what this deck had to offer that would differentiate it from many others.

Let’s take a look at the Empress, depicted as a bear with cubs. And not just any bear, but a grizzly bear, a species native to my home state of Montana in the US. To say that they are fiercely protective of their cubs is an understatement; on the other hand, they can also be seen “playing” with makeshift toys in the wild, rolling around with their cubs, and enjoying soaks in the creeks. The keywords of creative, sensual, and nurture make perfect sense, both aligning with the Empress as well as the nature of the grizzly bear. Each entry in the full color guidebook has a general tarot meaning as well as a section called Medicine, which can be seen as a way to manifest the highest, most evolved characteristics of each card, as well as why the particular life form represents this idea. For the Empress, the creator begins, “The bear stands in her power. She knows her worth and reminds you to know yours”.

The minors are chosen just as wisely. The suits are labeled with their elements (Fire, Wind, Water, and Earth), and each suit has a corresponding background color. The flora, fauna, and insects chosen make sense: for instance, all of the Water cards contains life forms that are associated with water (4 of Water is a clam; 6 of Water, a penguin). Even the more subtle associations make sense; like the Fire suit, which includes the fire ant, porcupine, and tiger lily, all associated with warmth and/or a fiery nature. The porcupine with its defensive quills as the 7 of Fire? Perfect! The tiger lily as Queen of Wands, with its bright orange, showy flowers and competitive nature in the garden also aligns perfectly. The Air suit includes creatures that fly: 3 of Wind is a magpie, and 4 of Wind, a cicada; while the Earth suit features lifeforms that are slow, nurturing, and/or resourceful: 5 of Earth is a raccoon, and 6 of Earth, an elephant.

The 7 of Earth is an Iris, and the keywords shown are tending, patience, and growth. In the language of flowers, the meaning of the Iris is faith, wisdom, and positive change, and it seems that the creator considered this association in her approach. In the Medicine section for 7 of Earth, the creator writes: “The Iris is a flower that symbolizes the value of patience. After it has been planted, it can take several seasons to produce flowers…[it] teaches us to work diligently towards our goals…[knowing] there is a point where you need to take a step back and let the magic happen in its own time.”

This deck will appeal to those who like realistic-looking life forms with a twist. All of the central figures are adorned with beautiful line and dot work that somehow doesn’t look out of place. This is Lalania’s gift!  Also, wildlife art is notoriously difficult to get right—the fauna figures in this deck are exceptional. In terms of accessibility, it is worth noting that there is a complete absence of any traditional Rider-Waite-Smith, Thoth, or Marseille imagery, lending the oracle feel to the deck. Nonetheless, the guidebook has an overview of the structure of tarot, and—along with the abbreviated but powerful meanings—the deck is still suitable for beginners. In fact, it may help beginners by preventing them from relying heavily on the imagery, as many beginners tend to do with the scenes in the Rider-Waite-Smith.

The deck arrives in a sturdy, two-piece box. The card stock is fantastic, with a matte, satin finish that shuffles great right out of the box whether you riffle or overhand shuffle. And back to that gilding: these cards are gilded in a shiny, kelly green that is smooth to the touch and serves as a bold reminder that this deck is Earth-centered at its core.