- Deck Title: The Butterfly Wisdom Tarot
- Created and written by Starla Yilmaz (Instagram: @starlayilmaztarot; webpage: Starla Yilmaz – Writer, tarot deck creator, and cross-stitcher.)
- Publisher: Red Feather Mind Body Spirit (REDFeather) – June 2025
- Recommended retail price: $29.99 USD
- ISBN: 978-0-7643-6923-0
- Review: Cadence (Instagram: @temperanceandtruth)
The Butterfly Wisdom Tarot, created by Starla Yilmaz, is a work born of healing. The creator used a unique medium—cross-stitch—to create a full tarot deck, with butterflies as the subject of each card. Butterflies are a symbol of transformation, and this deck is meant to serve as a healing modality for all. Even without reading anything about the meaning of the work, this deck has a gentle feel. To my knowledge, this is the first published tarot deck to use cross-stitch as the art medium. One of the most charming aspects of this deck is that the author provides actual cross-stitch patterns for us to try in the guidebook.
Let me begin by saying that I know nothing about cross-stitch, despite the fact that both my mother and daughter are cross-stitch beginners. Which is to say that I know nothing about the time and effort that goes into this craft. My first impression was that the cards felt a little bare. The butterflies are colored, and the rest of the work is black stitching on a white background. As I studied and worked with them more, though, I could see how many tiny details went into the work, and I realized how much time each card must have taken to create. I think that the cross-stitch-as-tarot-card effect works best on the cards in which a lot of detail is included. I still feel that some cards seem a bit bare (The Lovers, The Hanged One, and The Star are a few examples, pictured), but the vast majority of the deck has plenty of visual interest. I’ve included photos of the cards that I found to be particularly striking.
In addition to the art medium, another unique aspect of this deck is that the guidebook meanings are presented as [fictional] short stories that represent the card meanings. At the end of the stories, a section called Thoughts for Deeper Interpretation contains questions/prompts for consideration. Let’s look at the Tower. The image is gorgeous. The story is about sister butterflies that build towers. One takes time to build a strong, solid foundation, and the other simply wants to build the tallest tower. A storm comes, and the tall tower topples to pieces. The other Tower also has damage, but the strong foundation survived, so that sister can rebuild her tower without overwhelm because she’s not working amidst complete ruin.
Another example is the Page of Wands. In this story, a butterfly and a preschool boy become friendly. One day, the boy arrives at school in tears, explaining to the butterfly that his mother didn’t find his drawings “real enough”. The butterfly then pushes a new sheet of paper and crayon to the boy and poses, so that the boy can draw the butterfly. The Thoughts for Deeper Interpretation include questions about feeling inspired, about children in your life and their interests, and messages received. The stories are simple, but they can sometimes feel a bit forced. On the other hand, for beginners, this could be a really unique way to develop associations for the card meanings rather than the usual attempts at rote memorization. The deck follows the Rider-Waite-Smith system.
The deck comes housed in a perfect-sized smaller box (3.4 x 1.75 x 5.25 inches) with a magnetic closure, and the guidebook is 144 pages. The card stock is a matte satin and a bit stiff. I found it hard to riffle shuffle the deck, but an overhand shuffle worked great. Each element is represented by a color-coordinated cross stitch border. The reversible card backs are stunning. They are also cross-stitched images and feature a geometric, almost stained glass-like background with two butterflies.
This deck is published by Red Feather, and I am generally a fan of their decks, if not always a fan of the cardstock. Red Feather tends to publish very unique decks that are unlike anything else offered in the mass market realm, and the Butterfly Wisdom Tarot is no exception. If you are a crafter, or someone that enjoys the cottage-core aesthetic from the side-lines, this deck will appeal to you.
0 Comments