The pictures in Tarot card decks are centered on a particular theme, and often follow either the Rider-Waite-Smith system or the Thoth system. The Druidcraft Tarot Deck is based on the themes of Wicca and Druidry and follows the Rider-Waite-Smith system. Created by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, and Will Worthington, these exquisite cards have been a favorite of mine ever since I got them many years ago. If you are curious, you can visit the deck’s website and even read an interview with the authors. There are some other interesting things on the site that you can also read about.

Meanwhile, lets just dive into the review of these really brilliant cards.

The Cards

The cards of the Druidcraft Tarot Deck are larger than your usual Tarot card decks. As it is, the Tarot cards are a bit bigger in size compared to your regular playing cards (they measure about 8 ½ inches X 5 ½ inches), making them a bit difficult to handle for beginners. However, if you do read the cards regularly then you might be used to the larger size. But the cards of the Druidcraft deck are even larger in size, and make the shuffling process quite tough and makes for difficult handling.

When I use this deck, I generally avoid shuffling them by hand. Rather, I just put all the cards face down in a pile and mix them up by hand, on my spread cloth.

The LWB / The Book

The Druidcraft Deck comes accompanied by a 192-page book that is really well written. For those among us who are not conversant with Wiccan and Druid lore and traditions, this book has a lot of interesting references and stories that connect the images with the related myths and stories.

Contrary to other books that accompany most decks, this one talks about the Court Cards and the Minor Arcana first. Then it goes into the depths of the Major Arcana.

I would recommend to all those who buy this deck to read the book from the start to the finish in the order that the matter is presented. The Introduction is really very detailed and goes into basics like the history of Tarot and the various sources of inspiration for the deck. The Introduction also talks about the story of Ceridwen and Taliesin – the main story that is contained within the pictures of the Major Arcana. Not only is it a great read, but also full of the symbolism and teachings incorporated in the Wiccan and Druid systems.

The section on the Court Cards also talks about the 16 personality types and how they connect with the 16 Court Cards of a Tarot deck.

A black-and-white picture of the card with a few keywords printed below the picture, its upright meaning and its reversed meaning, accompany the description of each card. Major Arcana card descriptions also include a bit about the Significance of the Card, and the Message of the Card.

At the end of the book is a section that talks about how to use the cards in a reading, and even includes a few interesting spreads.

The Majors

The Major Arcana, as mentioned before, talk about the story of Ceridwen and Taliesin. Through these 22 pictures, we see the deeper spiritual truths that can be uncovered within this story and understand some of the inherent principles that drive the Wiccan and Druid traditions.

The cards are really a wonder to behold. Each one of them has very intricate detailing, displaying the beauty of Nature in a wondrous and appealing way. Probably this is the only reason why I don’t complain much about the size of the cards – if they had been any smaller, these brilliant details might have gotten lost.

The Minors

The Minor Arcana are also equally beautifully detailed. As I have said before, they follow the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, and show us pictures with people doing something or the other which then leads us to their meanings.

The Court Cards

Instead of the usual Page-Knight-Queen-King set, the Court Cards are named Princess-Prince-Queen and King. In my world J this brings about a very interesting balance of male and female energy into the set of Court Cards. No complaints there!

Each of these people have a distinctive personality and can truly add a lot of color and meaning into a reading when they come up.

Reading With The Druidcraft Tarot Deck

Reading with the Druidcraft Tarot deck is an absolute pleasure. I feel as if I have landed right into the middle of a fantastical, mythical time and start telling a story. Not only does this deck lend itself well to regular professional readings (clients are verrry impressed with the images!) but I have found myself coming back to this deck for those creative, storytelling readings.

I have used this deck many a times to come up with creative solutions that involve a bunch of storytelling exercises with clients. I have also used this deck to come up with interesting plot twists in my own stories.

The images of the Druidcraft Tarot Deck cards can always bring a smile to my face!

The Cards I Liked

Ah! So many cards (78, actually), and all of them are my favs. So this is a tough one! So I am going to talk about the 5 most favorite cards of mine from this deck.

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The Hermit

Why this one? Seriously, do you have to ask? I love this Hermit. And I totally dig the wolf that walks beside him. And what gorgeous colors for the sky! Ahh! I could so easily lose myself into the card!

The Moon

Well, this is one of the cards that I inevitable look out for in any deck. If I can connect with the Moon card, then I can connect with any other card. And this card does so follow the Rider-Waite-Smith imagery… and yet, the picture is more evocative!

Rebirth

I love the way we see the child emerge from the temple in this card. Rebirth, over here, depicts the completion of the initiation process, and in essence signifies a new beginning for the individual on his spiritual / life path.

Queen of Wands

Apart from the Moon card, this is the next card that I look at in any deck. The Queen of Wands and I have a very special bond (I find her to be a lot like me – or is it the other way round?). I mean just look at her sitting there with a cat crouching under her throne and a fire burning in the background. Her face conveys all of the determination and aggressiveness that personifies all the Wands people, while her eyes show us her warmth and sincerity.

Six of Swords

This is one card that tells quite a story. Lovely sunset colors in the sky combine with the reflections of the boat on the water. One simply can’t take eyes away from the somber, yet hopeful faces of the man and the woman sitting in the boat.

Two of Cups

We see a love story that is about to begin in this card’s picture. This is the card that truly depicts the uncertain and hopeful energies of the beginnings of relationships. I can’t help loving this one!

Two of Pentacles

I simply love the picture on this card – the young woman juggling the 2 pentacles while in the background a ship is caught up in the stormy waves! Seriously how can you not see a story in that one?

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Your Turn

Do you have this deck? Do you want to get this deck J ? Have you done readings with this deck? What have your experiences been with the Druidcraft Tarot Deck? Which are your favorite cards?

Lets talk about it in the comments section below.