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Created By: Tanja Moss @plamennoe__serdce
Publisher: Modern Magic Press
Number of cards: 86
Card size: 4.75 x 2.75 in
Box size: 5.25 x 3.25 x 1.5 in
Guidebook pages: 35
Purchased or gifted?: purchased

Absolute favorite card: Three of Cups
Other favorites: The Star, The World, Two of Cups, Ten of Cups, The Hierophant, The Empress, First Quarter Moon, Ace of Pentacles, the sun cards, the Lovers, Queen of Pentacles, The Hermit, Nine of Cups

Notable detail: Moon phase cards, sun cards, Independent deck
Season: Summer
Sabbat: Lammas and Mabon
Sign: Leo
Oracle Deck compliment: Seasons of the Witch : Lammas

First Impressions

I’ve been chasing this deck for a while now. Probably a year before actually purchasing it. It's quite expensive, let me just say that upfront and to be honest, I did not want to spend $100+ on it but I just so happened to have found it on sale on Etsy for $45 which may have been a mistake on the shop’s side because immediately after I purchased it, it went back up to $90 and not long after I got my order, the shop had sadly closed. It was a strange occurrence but I’m happy that I got it nevertheless. It’s $68 on Modern Press’s website but keep in mind, its an international brand if you live in the USA. Regardless, when I got it, I absolutely loved the imagery which is of course, why I stalked it for an entire year. But more on that later, let’s start where we always start, which is with packaging.

The Packaging

The box is ok. It's a semi-sturdy box that holds the cards perfectly well but it's not the best box I’ve ever seen by any means. However, it does the trick and that’s good enough for me. The only thing I’d complain about is not having thumb tabs on the sides to make it easier to open. The cards are definitely on the thinner side. I don’t mind thin cards at all really but these are just a touch thin and bend rather easily so keep that in mind. But they shuffle beautifully which is why I like thinner cards anyway as they are so much easier to shuffle than really thick cards. I prefer to do what’s called a “riffle” shuffle which is how I learned how to shuffle when I was a kid. My mom’s family is from Las Vegas so cards happened a lot in my house. Anyway, I really don’t care to do the “overhand” shuffle technique but that’s often the only option when cards are too thick.

Sadly, the deck that I have doesn’t have gilded edges which I think is a real shame. A bright gold would've really made this deck spectacular but I do see that there is a version that is available now with gold edges. The deck doesn’t come with a physical guidebook and you can’t purchase a separate one, at least not one that I could find which is also a shame considering the price. But you do get a PDF guidebook which you can access via the QR code on the back of the box.

The Guidebook

Ok so you get the PDF guidebook but it is pretty basic. You get a short interpretation of each card; the moon cards get a bit of a longer entry but that’s about it. There isn’t any information on tarot itself, no spreads, nothing on how to use the cards or anything else. Even the old school, little white booklets had more to offer so I would say, if you’re a beginner in need of a more advanced entry, get yourself a separate book. I don’t love the guidebook but some of my absolute favorite decks of all time have less than desirable guidebooks. I’m just a little picky because I write oracle guidebooks for a living. I’ve also published indenpently and I have plenty of friends who wort with printers indenpently so I know how much it actually costs to produce a deck and frankly, not having a guidebook isn’t saving that much.

Having said all that, the provided interpretations are enough to get by, especially if you’re a more seasoned card reader. And if you don’t need the guidebook then you will be absolutely fine.

Check out my interview with Mystic Mag

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Check out my interview with Mystic Mag 〰️

The Artwork

Now to the good stuff, the artwork because that is really what makes this deck shine. Its sooooooo pretty!! It reminds me a lot of an older deck called the Deviant Moon Tarot but much more warmer and not as creepy. I love the color palette of golds, yellows, blues and browns. It reminded me so much of the color palette from Seasons of the Witch: Lammas and that made me love this deck even more.

“Accept life with the simplicity of a wise man and a child, rejoice in every favorable circumstance, and enjoy its simplest gifts without unnecessary questions or worries.”

My favorite card is the three of cups which is kind of surprising because I’ve never really cared for this card in any deck. But this one is so warm and inviting. This may be weird to say but it's giving Sex and the City vibes but in tarot form. The girl at the bottom with that bright yellow hair really just made me so happy. Like, it's hard to not feel brighter when you look at it. I just had a positive experience when I looked at it and it spoke to me deeply.

My favorite feature is probably the sun cards: the Rising Sun, The Midday Sun and the Setting Sun. Keep in mind that the box says there are eight bonus cards but I think there are actually nine if I counted correctly. Anyway, I love having the three different sun cards. I found that to be an unusual feature that I can honestly say I don’t remember seeing anywhere else. I especially love the Setting Sun, featuring an older gentleman. I feel you see the crone archetype a lot but not also the elder male so I’m pretty pleased to see it here.

Purchase The Solar Kingdom Tarot

But there are so many cards that I love and every time I pass through them, I find a new one to appreciate. Probably because they are just so warm and that is the energy that I am loving in my life right now. As a matter of fact, on the day of writing this, I had just did a beautiful ritual of turning a tired broken part of my spirit into a beautiful woman, clothed in bright yellows and golds and this deck reminded me of what I say in that ritual even though I had bought the deck months before. For years, I was only attracted to darker, shadowy decks. I thought I had gotten over shadow work years ago but I’m realizing now, I’m just barely ascending out of it and the decks I have been loving lately embody the light in the most beautiful ways.

And one last note of the artwork is that I love the use of swans spread throughout the deck. I love swans and although I typically think of them as winter creatures, they do have a regality about them that fits perfectly with the Leo zodiac sign which is of course, ruled by the sun.

Reading With this Deck

My first reading was maybe not what I wanted but made a lot of sense. I interviewed the deck of course and while I wanted this deck to be one of manifestation and creation, it spoke more to me finding my personal power which was unexpected. But it was even a little bit deeper than that. I really pick up the energy of Leo in this deck which is all about regality and stepping into your empress or emperor energy. Funny enough, I did a podcast interview recently and part of it was getting a tarot reading. The reader told me that I am the empress and that I needed to embrace that. Which is even funnier still because earlier in the interview, she asked me what tarot card I consider myself to be and I said, I would like to say the Empress but I’m probably the hermit.

Doing the interview with this deck basically confirmed what she told me and feels lined up with a lot of other things that have been happening in my life. So while it wasn’t what I was expecting to see, it definitely made sense for me personally. I like a deck that surprises me and this one did exactly that.

Season, Sign and Sabbat

The season had to be summer. I mean what other season represents the sun like summer does? So that was an easy choice. As for the zodiac sign, I feel I had to choose Leo as well, the sign ruled by the sun. Which of course led me to Lammas, the sabbat that occurs on August 1 (Feb 1 for the Southern hemisphere) and of all the sabbats, has the most solar-like energy. Honestly, this one wasn’t hard to place at all. It's very clear the sun was the main theme and I’m not made about it.

Who is this deck for?

Leo’s, this deck is for you and that includes Leo risings as well. It's all day regal, solar energy in a deck and I think you will really vibe with its energy. But I think anyone who is seeking personal power and wants a daily deck that embodies this energy will like this deck too.

I think it's just a touch advanced for a beginner. The lack of a nice guidebook for me is a bit of an issue considering the bonus cards. If it didn’t have that then I would’ve said it would be fine for a beginner if you just buy a different tarot book however, you’re not going to find meanings for the bonus cards so that’s something you need to take into consideration.

Oracle Deck Companion

I do really make an effort to choose different oracle decks besides my own. Of course I love them but there are so many amazing creators that I feel should be celebrated because let me tell you, making an oracle deck is no easy task. But, the beautiful thing about the Seasons of the Witch Decks is that they really embody the energy of their respective seasons. Lammas for example has that beautiful golden mood with dusty blues spread throughout and if I could summarize August in color form, it would be what you see in this deck. And there is no better time to work with the energy of the sun than in the middle of summer.

When I was looking through the Solar Kingdom Tarot, I noticed the same golden palette with a background of blue which kept bringing Lammas to mind. So I laid out all of the cards from Lammas and the Solar Kingdom Tarot and I got that familiar sensation I get when I know something feels right.

This has been the best companion that I have found for Seasons of the Witch: Lammas and frankly, I don’t have another oracle deck that feels more right for the Solar Kingdom Tarot. If you can, I would highly recommend getting the Solar Kingdom Tarot, not just for Lammas but for the entire season of Leo and even the rest of the summer.

Thanks for reading all the way through. If you found this review to be helpful, informative or entertaining in any way, please be sure to leave a comment down below. It really helps me know what you’re enjoying so that I can provide more content based on what you love. In the meantime, please enjoy a variety of photos from this deck.

And of course, if there is something you’d like me to consider reviewing, please comment below or email me at hello@spiritelement.co