The illustrations for the Cosmic Wisdom Tarot has this nostalgic and heartwarming animations-of-your-childhood storybook style to it that is then paired with one of the coolest tarot card meanings guidebook I’ve come across.

I love the creative mind-map layout for the card meanings. Each card comes with a definitive “this card means yes” or “this card means no” in the case of asking a yes or no question to the cards. I love the bullet points of keywords and single-sentence thesis for each card, upright and reverse, and then the breakdown of symbolism, which is also going to help you learn the RWS system.

The Cosmic Wisdom Tarot is outfitted to be a great beginner’s deck, if you or someone you know is looking for one, because in addition to the RWS-keyed deck art, the guidebook does a great job presenting the tarot as a versatile tool, whether you are interested in learning it for divination, for self-discovery and personal growth, spiritual cultivation, or for inspiring your creativity.

The compositions juxtapose different timelines, so for instance the Five of Cups has a Victorian vibe to it, while the Four of Swords is modern age.

Oh I really resonated with this iteration of the Four of Swords, someone sitting atop their camper van, watching the northern lights, with a piping mug in hand. I love some of the unique symbolism and associations for the Cosmic Wisdom Tarot’s Four of Swords — the northern lights are symbolic of connection to ancestors and the road less traveled; the hot cup of tea is for healing and comfort; and the glowing laptop you see inside the van, unattended to, is a message to unplug and reconnect with nature and the self.

While the court card titles keep to the traditional Page, Knight, Queen, and Cups, I love the more expressive pictorial courts in this deck. Rather than just having portraits, the court card illustrations guide you on how to interpret those cards. The Page of Cups gives the clear impression of discovering something fortuitous; the Knight of Cups is about the stamina to wade through and swim across the stream to get to the other side of where you want to be — creative problem-solving.

Hopping back to the Majors, I love this Justice card. Pictured around the table are the elders, symbolic of wise counsel. You have the feather of truth, which is also an omen of messages from spirit. The dominoes represent cause and effect, actions and consequences. The pink roses, Libra’s flower, reminds us of the astrological correspondence.

In The Hanged One, we see Yggdrasil, the tree of life, runes for knowledge and divination, and swans for life and death, and surrender. You’ll find all of these details in the guidebook.

This is what the guidebook pages look like. I really appreciate Ethony’s layout design, and it’s going to motivate more users of the deck to read the deck’s guidebook.

This layout enables the book to be un-intimidating and approachable.

Oh my, such an exquisite Queen of Pentacles! I also love that, as you’ll note per the guidebook page entry for this card, the tarot symbolism works in harmony with the cultural associations for the various symbols, like the color red here, the rabbits, the headdress, etc.

I love the out-in-nature landscapes, which help to transport the reader to those locations, to feel connected to nature even if you happen to be indoors in a city apartment.

Reading with the Cosmic Wisdom Tarot is like a beautiful getaway. I feel so much calm and peace, being fully at ease, when I’m reading with this deck.

The attention to detail as each card tells its story is what brings the Cosmic Wisdom Tarot to life. There are so many memorable scenes, like the Nine of Wands pictured above. The framing with that striking black and gold (matching the card back design) evokes sophistication, luxury, and mystery.

On that note, the quality of this deck is exactly what you’d want — a matte finish on the cardstock with the perfect level of slip for shuffling, and the magnetic flap keepsake box. The edging is this prismatic holographic rainbow sheen (you can look up YouTube video walk-throughs of this deck that showcase this a lot better than this blog post).

If you like how approachable and relatable to modern sensibilities that decks like the Light Seer’s Tarot or Modern Witch Tarot are, then you may very much like adding the Cosmic Wisdom Tarot to your deck collection as well.

This is a great choice of a deck for tarot readers who value accessibility, a sense of social inclusion and cultural diversity, or are looking for a deck that will be easy to use for any RWS reader.

FTC Disclosure: In accordance with Title 16 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 255, “Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising,” I received the Cosmic Wisdom Tarot as a gift. Everything I’ve said here is sincere and accurately reflects my opinion of the deck.