Earth Whispers Tarot

Name of Deck: Earth Whispers Tarot

Author/Creator: Angela Tubb

Year Published: 2022

Artist (if different from Author):

Reviewed by: Havana @sparkledivinetarot

Type of Deck: Tarot

Number of Cards: 78

Is this a themed/character deck: No

Deck Presentation

Aesthetics: I received the deck in a simple tuck box. The card stock is plastic coated and very flexible. So flexible that I struggled a bit with shuffling. I don't mind because I'd rather have a really flexible deck than one that would trigger a cramp because the cards are too stiff. I'm not familiar with this type of plastic coating on the cards but it has a really smooth texture. The texture reminds me of linen finish cardstock without being slippery. They have a nice glide and spread well. The cards measure a standard 70mm x 120mm.

Guidebook: There isn't a guidebook for this deck but there is a print out with basic meanings. Each of the card titles are listed, including the title changes for some cards. For the major arcana, a brief sentence or two is provided. For the minor arcana, a couple of keywords are provided. Title changes for the major arcana cards include: Earth-Child (fool), Mother Nature (empress), Hierarchy (emperor), and Shadow Self (devil). The minor arcana aces correspond to the seasonal equinoxes. The court cards have been restructured as well. Sage, Architect, and seeker are supposed to represent Mother, Maiden, Crone energy. Festivals represent pages. The suits have also been renamed to Mind, Earth, Heart, and Spirit.

Is this deck eco-friendly: My deck wasn't wrapped in shrinkwrap so because of that I say it is eco-friendly

Is this a non-human deck: No

Real World Tarot

Are People of the Global Majority clearly represented: Yes

How many cards represent People of the Global Majority: 4

Is this deck representative of the Global Majority? (at least 85% People of the Global Majority): No

If not, what percentage of cards in this deck represent Humans of the Global Majority: 9%

Are there ambiguous Humans in this deck: Yes

Which aspects of the Human experience are represented:

Review

Earth Whispers Tarot is the culmination of 4 years worth of art from Angela Tubb, a self described anarchist, feminist, vegan, Pagan, Pisces with Sagittarius rising. This deck has a dream-like energy that is hard to place. It includes portraiture, abstract, surreal, and landscape art. It almost feels like it could be a collaborative deck but you can tell that all of the artwork was created by the same hand.

I applaud Angela for breaking away from the traditional RWS comfort zone with the structure of this deck. While there are some similarities there are changes that I really like.  I can see these changes being explored further into a system of their own. True to its Pagan spirit, Angela has introduced sabbats from the wheel of the year into the suits. I really like the addition of seasonal equinoxes as pages and seasonal festivals as Aces. Despite the fact that winter and summer have solstices, I get what Angela was going for with these changes. I'm particularly fond of these changes because it provides a seasonal aspect to a reading. I've had some decks in the past that make a point of including seasonal correspondences, however I wish more decks were intentional with this aspect. As mentioned previously, Angela has also retitled some cards and renamed the suits.

There are some choices in this deck that challenge my understanding and my comfort zone, which is appreciated. Sometimes we get used to our preferred aesthetics, that everything begins to look the same. When Angela contacted me to review this deck, she mentioned the Hierarchy card, formerly Emperor, was modeled after Donald Trump and the attitude of a megalomaniac who has to have it all. I had to sit with this for a bit because I am usually seeking out the benevolent qualities of the Emperor card. Having a more reversed interpretation be the upright image made me reconsider what messages I focus on when doing a reading. I try to stay positive for the most part but with this card, the fact that "absolute power corrupts absolutely," is hard to avoid.

There are other cards in this deck that depict individuals who look vaguely familiar. For example, The Hanged One looks a bit like Courtney Love. If this card was modeled after her, it would change how I interpret it, as with the Hierarchy card. I wish Angela provided a bit more background for the artistic choices she made when creating this deck, if only for context.

There was another card in this deck that I had a hard time with. The Shadow Self card, formerly Devil. For this card the guide reads, "Being a slave to your desires, the wanting that leads to dissatisfaction, and the feeling of 'I will be happy when..." My issue is that this card depicts what appear to be tribal masks. My eyes read these as possibly African tribal masks. They are similar to masks I've seen in videos of Traditional African Religious ceremonies. To pair such a negative interpretation with the word slave, and what might be described as African spiritual practices is INCREDIBLY tone-deaf. I doubt this was intentional but it was certainly overlooked. In 2023, we should understand that upholding white supremist, Christiaan, moral standards when referencing tribal traditions is incredibly problematic, even if you didn't mean to be. Especially from a Pagan deck. With that being said, I enjoyed the portraiture in this deck. Angela has a skill for capturing nuances, expressions, and emotions.

The combination of themes and subjects in this deck and the wheel of the year system make this a unique deck. As I stated before, I'd love it if more deck creators introduced the seasonal cycles into their decks. I think if you're a Pagan you might like aspects of this deck. Overall, I hope that if Angela decides to reprint this deck that she changes either the interpretation for the Shadow Self card or the image of the Shadow Self Card. I also hope that Angela elaborates on the creative choices she made while working on the images. I suppose if there was a more clear explanation, I might have had a better impression of the Shadow Self card.

Where to find a copy: https://www.angelatubbartist.co.uk/tarot