Forest of Enchantment Tarot

I am blown away by the quality and the beauty of this deck. The art for each of the cards is beautiful and tells a magical story with each card. The weight and quality of the cards is lovely. They are a little slick so as to glide smoothly out from a draw, but not so slick to be slippery or actually stick to each other like some other decks’ cards. I have large hands and the size of the cards feels large to me - those with smaller hands may have challenges comfortably holding the deck. They feel great to me, though...like I need to be present to the cards as I handle them. One of the reasons why I love this deck so much is the companion book it comes with. It’s printed in 100% color, with full-page images for each card to help see the amazing details. The way the author crafts the wisdom of each card is positive without being a “positive” deck: shadows and challenges are there and presented in relatable ways. My favorite thing about the book, though, has to be its organization of minor arcana by number instead of suit. Each number starts with a generalization of what the number represents in the overall deck’s journey, and provides key phrases to sum up the essence of each suit’s take on that number. This is followed by a full-page discussion of each card, paired with its full-page illustration. This approach is deepening my understanding of deck’s progression and helps bring new insight to old cards. If you’re thinking about this one, do yourself a favor and enter this Forest of Enchantment. It’s a wonderful journey!

Forest of Enchantment Tarot, by Lunea Weatherstone and illustrated by Meraylah Allwood, was published by Llewellyn in October of 2019 as a deck/book set. The deck is based on our journey through the dark forest like characters from fairytales. You enter the forest, walk the path, face the trials and challenges that lie within the forest, and come out the other side changed by the experience. Each reading is a new journey and a personal fairytale in the making. As noted in the companion book introduction “The forest is part of the human psyche.” It is a dangerous and exciting place, a place that can contain terrors and gifts, “…it is a place you pass through to get somewhere else.” The deck does not reference any specific story but is inspired by forest tales and you will recognize some familiar tales such as Little Red Ridding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Arthurian legends, and The Frog Prince to name a few. The deck is populated by witches, wizards, faeries, elves, dwarves, animals and mythical creatures. The art of this deck is simply beautiful, and the images draw you into the forest. The watercolor paintings are rich yet soft and the images carry an aura of mystery and magic. A couple of my favorite aspects of this deck, aside from the theme, is that it is borderless and that the same attention to detail and quality were given to the Major and Minor Arcana. The card titles are contained in a small gold metallic ink scroll with black italic lettering at the bottom each card which blends in nicely without detracting from the imagery. The scenes all take place in forest and will remind you of fairytales, fantasy books, and folklore. It is evident that a lot of thought and care went into the creation of this deck. From the renaming of the suits from traditional cups, wands, swords and pentacles to what you will actually find within the Forest: Visions, Spells, Challenges, and Boons respectively. Elemental correspondences are your traditional Visions/Water, Spells/Fire, Challenges/Air, and Boons/Earth. The majority of the Majors have been renamed as well to go with the theme of the deck, and will be covered in a the next section of this review. The imagery of the Major Arcana is quite different from the RWS but reflect aspects of the traditional RWS meanings. As noted above many of the names of the Majors have been changed: The Fool becomes The White Heart, The Magician becomes The Enchanter, The High Priestess becomes The Wisewoman, The Empress becomes The Green Mother, The Emperor becomes The Forest Lord, The Hierophant becomes The Oldest One, The Lovers retains its traditional name, The Chariot becomes The Faery Wind, Strength retains its traditional name, The Hermit retains its traditional name, The Wheel of Fortune becomes The Enchanter’s Wheel, Justice becomes The Huntsman, The Hanged Man becomes Suspension, Death becomes Black Shuck, Temperance becomes The Forge, The Devil becomes The Liar, The Tower becomes The Folly, The Star becomes Starlight, The Moon becomes Moonlight, The Sun becomes Sunlight, Judgement becomes The Council of Animals, and The World becomes The Wide World. Though the variations seem great, when you start working with the deck you quickly understand that they are a translation of the RWS to fit the context of the theme of deck without really detracting from traditional Major Aracana meanings. In addition with the change in names of the “scary cards” (Death, Devil, Tower, Hanged Man) it can make the deck quite suitable for squeamish querents. The renaming makes sense and works very well. I particularly like Temperance as The Forge as it gave me whole new perspective on the delicate balance implied by this card. Though a significant amount of the imagery is quite different in many of Minor Arcana cards 1-10, they do follow the Raider-Wait-Smith (RWS) system. Where the deck deviates from this system is with the Court Cards in naming and slightly in meaning. Kings are Keepers, Queens are Weavers, Knights are Seekers and Pages are Children. Again, as with the Majors the renaming of the Court Cards is very appropriate in carrying over theme. In addition, as a whole I think they would be helpful to beginners in understanding the nature of the court card ranks. It breaks them down into levels of maturity and energy, and where there focus lies. From the companion book: Keepers “are exemplars of their suits, often acting as teachers or guides. Keepers are protective, wise, experienced and in command, they are all Wizards, each a master in his own sphere of expertise.” Weavers “are the initiating spark, the muse, the catalyst, the push out the door that leads to glory. Weavers bring out positive qualities in others, whether through nurturing or by judicious application of tough love.” Seekers “have a quest to fulfill, and the quality of action is common to all four seekers.” Children “are changing all the time rather than being set in their ways, and they tend to get into predicaments more than other people cards. Some are careless, some foolhardy, and some are just curious.” The cards are typical Llewellyn card stock, which many consider a bit flimsy, but I find it thin but of good quality and great for those of us who riffle shuffle. They do not stick nor clump. They measure about 4.5” X 2.75”, a great size for all sized hands. The backs of the cards have a mirror image of an owl sitting on a branch at night, the moonlight is at the center of the backs of the cards and are reversible though reversed card interpretations were not included in the companion as Ms. Weatherstone does not use reversals. Based on this fact, I would like to point out that the deck was not designed with reversals in mind though they can be used. The deck comes with a 228-page companion book, titled Your Path Through The Enchanted Forest, written by Ms. Weatherstone. Her writing is clear, interesting, and engaging. The book is full color and glossy, with a full-page colored image of each card. Gotta love that! The Introduction starts out with some information about The Forest and what it represents, followed by sections on: Tarot Basics including The Forest Journey: Major Arcana which speaks to the renaming of the Majors, and Forest Tales: Minor Arcana which talks about the renaming of the suits; Care and Feeding of Your Deck, about deck care; Frequently Asked Questions that focus on beginner level questions such as the best way to learn tarot, should one memorize meanings, should one read for oneself, etc.; How to Use Your Cards: this section gives some tips on learning to use or becoming familiar with a new tarot deck, how to use the “Closer Look” section on each card, using reversals, and shuffling. The second section of the Companion book focuses on The Forest Journey (Major Arcana). Each card includes a description, a meaning at glance (keywords), and “A Closer Look” which includes something specific found in the image for the reader to look at more closely. The third section of the book is Forest Tales and is about the Minor Arcana cards 1-10. Information about each card is structured as it is in the Major Arcana but the descriptions for each card is shorter. Section four of the book is titled Forest Folk and is about the Court Cards. Again descriptions, etc. follow the template set forth in the Majors but like the Minors the card descriptions are shorter than in the Majors. The Final section of the book is titled Spreads and includes the following spreads: Your Day in the Forest (1 card) – your basic daily draw. The White Heart (2 cards) which is a variation of the previous spread using 2 cards. Breadcrumbs and Moonstones (up to the reader how many cards) – this spread is designed to help you decide strategies showing what works and what doesn’t. The deck is divided into two piles: breadcrumbs which are the strategies that won’t work, and moonstones which will work. It is a progressive reading and the reader can choose from 2 cards to as many cards as they want. The Owl’s Advice (6 cards) for situations where you need more information. Shining Eyes, Creeping Feet (9 cards) this reading to help one gain clarity when scared or stressed. First you find something that represents something you fear or are stressed about in the situation, then you go back and find something that encourages or gives you hope. This spread really ties into the overall theme of trials and gifts found within the Forest. The Council of Animals (1 to 12 cards) this spread is on getting advice from an animal counselor. Each of the 12 animals on The Council of Animals (Judgement) card has advice for you in a particular area. You can council with all 12 or however many or few you wish. Lastly, pages 209-228 are pages for you take notes if you like writing in your books. This type of thing is totally wasted on me, but I am sure there are some that will like that. There is no bibliography or appendices. I found my readings with this deck to be profound. I felt like I was in the Forest of Enchantment, on the path, and part of a personal fairytale. The imagery of the cards was gripping during the readings. This is a very atmospheric deck and theme is executed beautifully and completely within the tarot structure which is not an easy thing to do. Nothing feels forced or like a stretch. The messages are straight forward and perfectly represented in the imagery on the cards. I really enjoy using this deck when I am at odds with something in my life and not sure how to move forward. The readings helped give me a sense of direction. This deck is not “fluffy” or childish. It does not shy away from harsh realities. It puts you up close and personal with your issues. This is a deck I will use and enjoy for many years to come. This deck is a true delight, full of mystery, magic, choices and options. I love how it just transports me into the Enchanted Forest to face my trials and challenges with thought and prudence. The deck is gender balanced. I would recommend to all levels of experience with the Tarot despite the changes in the Majors and Court Cards. The book provides any guidance needed to successfully use the deck. The tie into the RWS is there, just stripped of esoteric symbolism. The archetypes remain clear. I would recommend this deck to intuitive readers; fans of fairytales, fantasy and folklore or persons who like themed decks; writers; and readers that enjoy delivering the readings as stories. If you are looking for a racially diverse deck this one might disappoint, unless you count species diversity as the deck does include humans, elves, dwarves, animals and mythical creatures. If you are looking for esoteric symbolism this is not a deck for you. There is nothing I would consider offensive in this deck, and there is no nudity. I would be comfortable using it in readings for teenagers and adults. I would also not hesitate to use it when reading for squeamish querents.

A green, forest-y, and fairy tale vibe in this deck, and the art is wonderful. There are people, animals, a lurking troll, a giant, and other folklore creatures to test you/help you through your trek through the forest. I've classified my Llewellyn decks by the elements. This is my fire deck; it seems to really require me to focus/concentrate with extra willpower when I use it (compared to my other decks). There are a few cards that diverge from RWS trad. meanings enough to be a bit jarring, and some have complained about the fish King of Visions (Cups). But it makes sense to me that he is a shapeshifter, completely at home in his element. However, I'm kind of creeped out by the Queen of Visions, who looks too vacant and passive as she's transforming into a mermaid. Most of the cards, though, are brilliantly done. My favorite is the 6 of Spells, showing the local folk marveling at the wyvern coming out of its shell. The facial expressions are amazing, considering the illustrator did the originals in a size very close to the size of the cards. There's also a fair amount of humor in the depictions, which adds to the deck's charm. If you're a fan of fairy tales or fantasy stuff, you won't go wrong with this deck.

It came a day early too! It comes in a box...the larger size, with a magnetic catch. Works great. When you open it up you see the BIG guidebook - gorgeous. It features full size color pages of all the cards. The deck is in a pocket with a ribbon to help pull it up. I have smaller hands so the size is perfect for me. I can shuffle them easily. Some decks are really hard for me to shuffle. This one is a good size for me. I also don't like real thick stiff cards. So the card stock thickness is neither too thick or overly thin. Again, because it's not real thick I can shuffle this deck well. This deck changes the tarot to match an enchanted forest. I haven't used this deck yet (just got it today), but I like the way it's set up. It shows all the Aces, Ones, Twos, etc, together. I think this will help me remember the cards better too. Maybe after I give a few readings I'll come back and give you more feedback on what I think of what's written in the guidebook. My energy around this deck so far, I think can boil down to one word... it feels "homey." You know...the feeling of being in front of a warm fire with family or close friends gathered with you. I look forward to getting to know all the characters and taking a journey with them. Yes, I highly recommend this deck.

This is my first tarot deck. I have been using it every day for nearly three months, and it has been immensely helpful to me in recognizing and dealing with repressed emotions. I chose this deck because I felt that the art was very friendly and approachable without being too cartoonish. I still agree with that assessment. Meraylah Allwood did AMAZING work on the illustrations and Lunaea Weatherstone kept the deck and its accompanying guidebook (which is substantial--this is not a little booklet) true to the spirit of tarot. The suits and some of the cards go by non-RWS standard names, but the book includes a key to let you know what their equivalent is so that you can consult other books and resources if you would like. I have consulted Lisa Chamberlain's Tarot for Beginners as I've started using card reversals (these are not included in the book that comes with the cards) and I have found that Weatherstone and Chamberlain's interpretations of the cards are pretty similar, so even though this is a nonstandard deck, it won't handicap you moving forward if you eventually decide to work with some more standard decks. I actually really like the suit names in this deck. "Challenges" just seems more accurate to me than "Swords." I'm also finding that I quite like the lack of reversals in the book. What reversals seem to do is divide card meanings into two separate meanings, leaving less room for ambiguity and intuition. If you're using these cards as a predictive tool (i.e. to tell the future), I could see why you might like your interpretations to be more specific, but because I am more interested in their ability to help me draw out my emotions as a psychological tool, the room for intuition and ambiguity is actually helpful to my goals. The guidebook has 207 pages of illustrations, card meanings, general information on tarot, standard deck equivalencies, and directions for 6 different tarot spreads. This is enough to give you a very solid groundwork in tarot. It took me a couple of months of daily spreads before I felt like I had sufficiently gotten to know my deck and was ready to move on to additional books/resources. The advice/life principles given in the book are very down-to-earth, commonsense things that everyone needs to hear sooner or later. These cards have seen heavy use over the last 3 months and aside from a few nicks in the edges (mostly on the backs), they're holding up pretty well. Part of me wishes they were a little more plasticky like high-quality playing cards, but I also recognize that would make it more difficult for them to decompose when they've reached the end of their useful life, and I would rather not ruin the earth with extra plastic garbage if I can help it. This deck is great for collectors and beginners alike. I highly recommend it. If you have a friend interested in getting started with tarot or oracle cards, this is a solid choice. I am so glad I chose it as my first deck.

This is my love letter to this deck. I bought it only a week ago, but I have really fallen in love with it. I learned to read tarot on the Universal Waite deck (Rider-Waite) and that is a good deck for learning tarot--very classic images--but it can be brutal and direct. And since I read reversals with it, it can read me to filth. This deck is very gentle. It is like a fairy tale being written for your life. The pictures are beautiful, delicate, but also remind me of fairy tale books. I have always loved forests and fairy tales, so this felt like a good deck for me. But wow---this deck is sweet and gentle and carries mystery with it in a way that I've not seen. It invites you in. The accompanying book for the cards is well-written--and the cards still carry the same divinatory interpretations as the classic Rider-Waite, so you are never lost, really. This deck is more inclusive, more spirited, I think, than the Rider Waite. I don't read reversals with this deck (and the book doesn't have reversal meanings, but if you needed them, I'm sure you could apply your Rider-Waite knowledge to them. ) so I look forward to the readings a bit more, lol. But the pictures really work the greens and blues and browns, making it feel unified--like the same forest--and every scene is kind to the people in it, giving them the humanity and ingenuity they deserve. I never felt that with the Rider-Waite...there's not a lot of empathy in that deck. Rider-Waite is very representational action. Here, even the animals are participating in the cards. They seem involved in your story. I'm a fantasy writer, so of course the images appeal to me... and make me feel like I'm living a fantasy, or at least as if I am being spoken to by a fantasy. The cards are printed well, lightweight, easily shuffled, crisp, and come in their own beautiful box with a magnetic lid for the book too. It's just a classy way to create a deck and market it. I feel soooo happy with my purchase. I couldn't have found a better deck to speak to my spirit, my heart, my mind, than this deck. WELL worth the price.

I want to start this review with what I think is the most important information to know. If you read, nothing else of my review read this: I would not at all suggest this deck as a beginner deck for anyone. Regardless of if you feel a draw or connection to the deck, it does not lend itself well to learning tarot becuse everything is chnaged from your traditional decks. Honestly everything except the numbers are changed, which is laid out in the guide book. Every Major Arcana card (except The Lovers, Strength, and The Hermit) has a different name. For example The Fool is instead The White Hart and the The Chariot is The Faery Wind. Some changes are more similar to their orignial name light The Star to Starlight. All the suits have a different name: Challenges, Visions, Boons, and Spells. The court cards have changed as well: Child, Seeker, Weaver, and Keeper. I would personally recommend to start with a more traditional deck first so that you can be go into it already comfortable with each cards' meaning and place in the deck before you moving on to this deck. Packaging for this deck is very durable and looks lovely on your book shelf when storing them. The box has a magnetic flap closure and inside has a companion guide book and the tarot deck itself. My favorite thing about this tarot is the companion book. It is the same size as the storage box and it the biggest campanion book of any tarot I've come across so far. The book is glossed paperback and full color. Also in the back on the book there are several blank pages for notes, which is lovely. There are some lovely insights in each cards detail page. I rarely read the guide books, just skim them, but I did read this one through. This is a good nature deck. The animal and nature cards are absolutely beautiful and are the stars of the deck, but I wasn't quite a fan of the cards with people on them. I felt no connection to those cards and there are quite a lot of them, so it wasn't ideal, but others may not have this issue. I was really excited about this deck and so drawn to it when I purchased it that it came as a shocking disappointment to not feel connected to those cards. I adored the backs of the cards, which has two flying owls(incuded in picture) and which prevents you from knowing whether a card is reversed or not until you flip. I know some people don't do read cards reversed and so this wouldn't be an concern for all, but I do and it was a major plus for me. These cards a high gloss, which on the one hand prevented the cards from sticking and aided in shuffling, it also created a light glare. I'm not much a fan of the gloss finish on these cards as any overhead and tabletop lights and lamps cause glares across the cards, as you can see in the picture despite my best efforts. This isn't a big issue, but it often prevents you from easily seeing all your cards at the same time during a reading. Overall not my favorite deck, but fun to do a reading with now and again and is a great addition to any tarot collection as it is so unique from other decks.

I love the whole concept of this deck. Just like the rws tarot deck symbolises a journey. So does this, but this deck is your journey through the dark forest to find out who you are and how you can cope . The artwork is reminiscent of an old Grimms fairytale book, eerie and beautiful.the cards are glossy but dont stick and their size is average so shuffling is not a problem. Probably what I like most are the unique and inspiring spreads included. Much like season of the witch they are a breath of fresh air, no Celtic cross or 3 card in sight ! Hooray! And they even have little rhymes to say whilst shuffling to focus your mind

After having these cards a month or so I have decided to edit it from 4 stars to 5. Even though I feel the card need to be a little bigger and a bit thicker they still deserve 5 stars. Ok so I feel a bit torn given this 4 stars. I kind of deserves 5 stars but a few things that are important to me effects this. First the negative. The cards as others say are just TOO thin. I have had several tarot decks and this is the first time I can't really relax shuffling them. they bend if you are not careful and I can tell that within a short time they could get a bit damaged. It takes some of the joy of shuffling them away. These are not the cheapest cards so they could have used a bit better quality card and also made them a bit bigger. Even though I did not want to knock a Star off I felt I needed too. Ok, I love these cards! I feel happy looking at them and I do believe within a short time I will really bond with them. I have always felt connect to nature and the fairy tale side of these cards sings to me. There is something about the White Hart' The Fool' card that speaks to me . It almost feels a bit alive. I can see my intuition will have a big part with these cards and already I sense different meanings compared to traditional ones. The book that comes with this deck is beautiful. There is just something about this deck that I sense will be good for me even if I have had it for only a few days. i would gladly buy these again if they made them better card stock and also increased the size of the card again. i would also hate to put anyone off buying these with my negative comment as I am glad I bought them. I am just a bit concerned how poor the card stock is.

Uno de los mazos más bellos que he visto sobre la naturaleza. Las ilustraciones son espectaculares y el libro es completo y a todo color. Viene en caja dura y las cartas no tienen caja a medida, así que tejido una bolsa.

Questo mazzo si caratterizza per la confezione molto curata (scatola di cartone con magnete interno invisibile di chiusura, alloggiamento interno in cartoncino in tinta verde pastello come 'culla' per le carte e una linguetta di raso per sollevarle, libretto di istruzioni molto ricco, patinato e completamente a colori ), le illustrazioni dettagliatissime e la splendida gamma cromatica. Gli amanti del verde, degli animali e delle creature magiche dei boschi probabilmente lo ameranno molto. A livello di significati e interpretazione fornisce un approccio alternativo e complementare a quello RWS classico, cambiando i nomi degli Arcani Maggiori e anche il genere delle figure alcune carte e rinominando i semi anche per gli Arcani Minori; il tutto rimuovendo i riferimenti religiosi e di corte cristianeggianti in favore del mistico e del magico della Natura e del 'pagano' . Forse per chi volesse usarlo per divinazione, al di là di uno sforzo di adattamento e memorizzazione delle corrispondenze, le carte hanno un tipo di patinatura che potrebbe renderle quasi 'scivolose' al tocco e quando si mescolano. Ma come carte da collezione sia il mazzo sia il libretto risultano eccellenti e piacevoli da sfogliare :) , tra i migliori per qualità prezzo specialmente se trovati in promo e sotto i 25 euro. --- Consegna e spedizione ottime, sia le carte all'nterno sia la bella (e voluminosa) scatola contenitore sono arrivate incellophanate e senza un difetto.

me gusto mucho un mazo de tarot muy hermoso, me llego a tiempo y en buen estado.

Det här dom vackraste och mjukaste skogsväsen och sagovärldar, jag någonsin tidigare upplevt 🎁 Den har även en väldigt bra bok tillsammans, med alla bilderna. Den förklarar sammanhanget, på ett helt annat sätt. Ett man förstår bättre och älskar, lite extra 🦋👑🩷🕯️