Witch Sister Tarot ~ Full Walkthrough With My Overall Thoughts.

[@jamieloom22]

Thanks for the walk thru and your first impressions. I think that breaking with traditional christian titles is appropriate for a witchy deck and that the Hierophant, Devil and Judgement have been reimagined. There is no Devil in paganism and the Lord of the Forest has more earthy energy.

[@cieratripp]

Just ordered mine ❤ so excited to work with this to do some inner work.

[@SunshineDawn7]

I don't think someone new to Tarot would have an easy time with this deck,however if you know your RWS cards it is easy to put the meaning to the numbers if you are a seasoned RWS reader. It was easy for me to get the suits in my head right away and the court cards. I agree the devil card is quite different but as she explains in the book the devil in Scottish is a bit different than our traditional meaning ,he is a bit more complicated in Scottish history The book is handy and i Adore the images. Julia put so much time and effort into this deck and like the Tarot of the Hidden Realms it is becoming a fast favorite of mine. I have Scottish blood in me as well maybe that is why i am so drawn to this deck. Julia also wrote the book herself as i am sure you have already discovered. Thank you for the lovely walk-through Simon🙏and Giselle's cloth was the perfect backround for this deck 🥰🥰🙏🙏💜💜

[@the_hermits_cave]

Wasn’t it just! 😝

[@SunshineDawn7]

Perfect! I adore her work 🥰💜@@the_hermits_cave

[@hollybigwood8939]

Card stock is very important! Nothing to get over! Artists, publishers need to know we care deeply! What good are beautiful images if the card stock is thin and flimsy? Half my enjoyment is in the hand feel while looking at deck or shuffling. The feeling of having something luxurious is rare for me. Tarot is about the only extra I give myself. Cheap cards destroy my experience and it’s the quickest way for me to resale a deck.

[@the_hermits_cave]

⬆️ This!

[@SpiritofAvalon]

So just watching this I am connecting to the deck already and different things are coming to me with the images, I am now very glad my copy is on its way to me 🥰 I don’t think this can really be read in the traditional RWS way from what I can see, I think it’s more like its own system. I do think I will be able to work with it though and am looking forward to receiving mine. Thank you for another great walkthrough my friend 😍❤️

[@the_hermits_cave]

You are so welcome and I’m so pleased you like it 😍

[@BarbaraRuth202]

I was thinking the same thing Sandra, re maybe treating this deck as 'it's own system'. I have one or two decks where I have ended up doing this and it has made them much more likeable and easier to read with, for me at least. x💕

[@BarbaraRuth202]

What a beautiful deck with such skilful and gorgeous artwork! The portraits are so natural and evocative. Love it! I do tend to agree with 'Spirit of Avallon's comment though, ie that it might be best to ditch trying to read it as an RWS system deck, and maybe treat it as a different 'system' of it's own, if that works for you.Thanks as always for a fascinating walk through and for your very interesting thoughts Simon. X🙏🙏😍

[@the_hermits_cave]

I totally agree!

[@fattima7913]

The artwork is fabulous but.... I have mixing feelings with this deck, i wish the deck was more rws close base because a bunch of faces with out proper context relate to the tarot system is no working for me, i mean the Aquarian tarot is portrait base but you can see the suits represented . Maybe as a Oracle..🤔

[@jamiemorris3526]

I appreciate the time you take on the guidebook. Thank you!

[@the_hermits_cave]

My pleasure!

[@conniec7303]

This is something else......So much Beauty! Thanks Simon 💝

[@the_hermits_cave]

You’re welcome ☺️

[@Rootedintherealms]

Excited to see your review. Getting it tomorrow. I never knew that about the tarot of hidden realm. So im guessing if u order it now. You will get the regular llewelyn cardstock which isnt thick.

[@the_hermits_cave]

Yes you do

[@crowquilltarot]

This deck is shown at the top of Amazon's (US) tarot page, but not for sale there. Glad for the link; thank you.

[@the_hermits_cave]

How strange! And no worries at all

[@elspeth6807]

I’ve been avoiding all walk through of this until mine arrived! Now it’s here I shall make some time later to watch this and open mine along with it! So excited!

[@the_hermits_cave]

Have fun! 😍

[@SilverSparkles22]

Being a Scottish Witch this is calling my name. 💚🤍💜

[@quirkymoletarot7613]

Mine is due from Oneness tomorrow. I might just be camping by the front door ready to grab it as soon as it arrives.

[@the_hermits_cave]

I know that feeling!

[@dawnnicholson9675]

A big thanks to Oneness Emporium for getting this deck out as soon as they received their delivery.. I received mine within two days..so happy to get this. I love this deck..such a primal and ancient energy. I'm looking forward to working with this beautiful deck. I will be ordering a backup deck for sure. ❤❤

[@the_hermits_cave]

Enjoy ☺️

[@golden1789]

Beautiful stunning artwork but as another commenter mentioned, too portrait centric, something that I feel is happening more and more... I would have liked to hear a little more reading from the guide book to understand what is 'witchy' about the deck...

[@jinxminx55]

julia jeffreys made this deck after doing a collaborative art project about scottish witch isobel gowdie, a real woman who confessed to being a witch in the 1600s. her confessions form an extensive document on scottish folklore and beliefs about witches, and she still resonates with artists and musicians. some of the people depicted are historical witches like isobel. there are hares throughout the deck as they are an important symbol in scottish witchcraft. some cards depict traditional practices. the guidebook has a reference to celtic deity or belief and/or scottish folklore and witchcraft in pretty much every card. a ton of research went into this deck.

[@golden1789]

Thank you so much for this information.@@jinxminx55

[@ravenmorningglory9410]

Love this

[@WandSS]

Pants! The cardstock is such a turn off. Beautiful artwork though. Llewelyn please up your game 🙏 Thanks so much for your honest review, Simon. I don't interact much, but never miss your content 🤗✨️

[@the_hermits_cave]

Thank you, I appreciate your support 🙏🏼❤️

[@star_seed_tarot]

Artwork is absolutely stunning but it almost feels like this deck should have been an oracle rather than a Tarot “reimagined”. If you say you are following a system like the RWS but barely keep any names or imagery of said RWS then it’s a completely different system. Most of the majors have different names, the suits are different and the court cards are different. I don’t know, I’m not a big fan despite the undeniably gorgeous artwork. Thanks for the flipthrough Simon 😊🥰

[@the_hermits_cave]

You’re welcome, Moran. The artwork saves it for me, as I’m not a fan of too much change to my tarot archetypes and structure 🙏🏼❤️

[@chrissyplanteater2892]

Love the fool card very intense ❤

[@lellyloo]

Beautiful deck but like you I couldn’t connect the Lord of the forest with the devil, surely he should have been the emperor?. If I got this deck it would be for the art, I think I would struggle as I,m a RWS hardcore reader and something inside me fights when the interpretation differs, Thankyou for this walkthrough Simon, thoroughly enjoyed it 💕

[@the_hermits_cave]

Yes! He would’ve been a perfect Emperor!

[@LouValcourt]

I think the artwork is beautiful but as another commenter said, I wish it was more RWS based. I think this would have been a great oracle deck rather than tarot. I’m on the fence about adding this to my collection. 🤔

[@the_hermits_cave]

I think I’m of the same mind, after using it for a few days.

[@DavidWilson-hd6iz]

Great deck. I agree about the Devil card.

[@chrissyplanteater2892]

Hate when they change the titles it’s hard enough for beginners and stops me getting these gorgeous decks x

[@demeldapenkitty7937]

Gorgeous artwork but it's going to take a bit of study.

[@the_hermits_cave]

Agree, on both points!

[@renata_of_the_craft]

Yes indeed, the 'Devil' card is an issue. To me it sticks out very much, not so much because of the lack of the usual RWS imagery, but the lack of the traditional meaning usually attached to the card. Nor was there another card which could have taken on the RWS meanings for the traditional interpretation. To me it felt a bit of a disappointment, felt the artist needd to place a male into the Major Arcana and decided for easiness to use the 'Devil' card. Otherwise an interesting deck, not too sure about the changes felt necessary for the Suits. But beautiful artistic images certainly, but beautiful images aren't really enough.

[@the_hermits_cave]

Overall I’m impressed with the deck, I just need to see how it reads for me.

[@jinxminx55]

I don't think that's the reason she has a male as the devil. there are also male figures on the sun and lovers cards. in the guidebook, jeffreys says that there is testimony about the devil by scottish witches/women accused of witchcraft, but this is a different figure to the christian devil. I think she therefore changed the name to a more pagan version of the devil figure to encompass this difference. in their confessions, women spoke of the devil coming to them, often shapeshifted into an animal, and calling the woman to come with him. it gets at one's animal nature and also at that sort of temptation for a woman to leave her home, her domesticity, and go be wild and animalistic in the forest. for me, there's certainly enough of the RWS devil aspect there to read with and it brings in issues of human morality vs innocent animal nature that goes beyond just a binary good and evil reading.

[@jinxminx55]

the more I think about it, the more I feel like it's a great choice for the devil card. a witch would be tempted by the devil to give in to her animal nature and abandon her work at home - a temptation that creates a very real pull between the individual and their pleasure and the community and their morals and requirements. a lot of us are conditioned to see the lord of the forest, pan, etc. as "good", as the downtrodden force of nature that has been drowned out by christianity and modernity, but nature is brutal as well, it's dangerous, it's difficult. as well, it's easy to see prosecution of witchcraft as a misogynistic oppression and power grab, which it was, but also survival in a village or town wasn't as easy then as it is for many of us today. in the 1600s what did we know about the causes of disease, for example? social order gains importance when the margin of survival is smaller, and if people believed someone was a witch working against the community, that was a frightening threat. I feel like it brings up a lot of complex issues and is a good reminder that positive and negative card readings aren't simple absolutes.

[@cuddlykoala5992]

Witches are female, warlocks are male….

[@the_hermits_cave]

Not true, men can be witches too.