Apologies for not sharing a deliveries update sooner, as I know many of you are waiting anxiously for info on the status of your pre-order.

We are now almost two weeks in to having started packing and shipping the decks out. It feels like we’ve done a lot and have made a lot of progress, except then I look at how far we are down the list of pre-orders and we haven’t even finished the first 200 yet. Eeps! So I guess the progress is not as fast as it feels to us! =)

I write up these status updates assuming you are like me and would want all the info that I would want if I were the buyer, but if it’s more than you care to know, no worries, just scroll, skim, and skip around.

So… one of the drawbacks of running a pre-order for what was almost a whole year is that by the time you get around to delivering the decks, especially in this inflation-happy economic climate we’re in, all postage prices have gone up. Argh.

U.S. shipping per deck went up $1.00 for orders of 1 deck or 3 decks, but stayed the same for orders of 2 decks, because of eccentricities in the US post office weight tiers. The international shipping tiers went up by $2.00 and $4.00 respectively, while Australia and New Zealand shipping went up by $7.00. (Ouchies for us!)

But we are absorbing that cost and not passing it on to those who pre-ordered. So if you’ve pre-ordered, don’t fret. You’re fine. No changes.

But effective today and onward, you will notice that the pricing tables on that Order Page has changed.

We noted to you that we are shipping the decks out chronologically by your date of pre-order. This is mostly true. However, actually we have several different streams:

• Domestic single deck orders
• Domestic two-deck orders
• Domestic multi-deck orders
• Canada/Mexico single deck orders, another line for two-deck, and a third line here for multi-deck
• All other international single deck orders, and another separate line for two-deck international orders, and ye another line for multi-deck international orders

So you would be sorted into one of those nine lines and then in that line, your order is packed and shipped chronologically, within that line category. Which means in theory someone whose order is dated after yours could possibly get their decks sooner than you do because their line moved faster.

After doing this since 2018, we’ve just found this process to be the most efficient, most organized, and least susceptible to human error. The three regional prongs are based on the mailing requirements and differing postal processes. Then the sub-three streams within each of the three regional prongs are based on the physical packaging we need to use to ship out the decks, and package weight.

I’m in charge of anointing the decks and packing them sealed into their bubble wrap packets, then sorting them into eight different boxes for the eight lineaged Orders (the eight different certificates of authenticity).

Oh, and of course, I’m also in charge of numbering and signing each certificate.

I’m just using an Ultra Fine Sharpie ink pen for numbering and signing the certificates, but first I consecrate the pen with sandalwood incense, and of course not just any sandalwood incense, but sandalwood incense hand-made and blessed by Buddhist nuns in a Tainan monastery where one of my aunts is a shi fu (teacher nun). Also I think technically from a religious perspective I am no longer supposed to identify her as an auntie, and she’s just a shi fu.

I make my own anointing oil, which is a combination of macerated oils (not essential oils), which basically means I submerge the sun-dried ingredients in a carrier oil, heated slow and low, then left alone for three months before they’re combined. Then once combined, the combination anointing oil is left alone for another three months.

I apply the anointing oil over the shrinkwrap, which is then covered by these fun magnets I custom-ordered.

The basis for including the magnets with every deck order (and I’ve been doing this since the 2018 First Edition) is Eliphas Levi’s principle of the magic chain being a magnetic or magnetized current, and azoth, the universal alchemical solvent, is moved by that magnetized current.

Once the decks are sealed into their bubble wrap baggies, I’m basically done with my assembly line responsibilities. =)

James coordinates with you via e-mail, prints out the mailing labels, and then grabs decks at random from my eight boxes to package in the shipping boxes. Then, because his work schedule is more flexible than mine, he’s the one who takes them to the post office.

I would like to claim that both of us fold the shipping boxes, but if we’re being fair, he folds like 5x more shipping boxes than I do. =P

For the second printing, we decided to order enough inventory projected to last for the rest of this year and into the next, so if you haven’t pre-ordered and would like a deck, please feel no rush.

Oh, a fun throwback to when we were packing and shipping the Vitruvians around this time, 2019. It showed up on my Facebook memories feed and brought a nostalgic smile to my face.

In case you weren’t around for that, I had stacked the decks in a way like Legos to build myself a kingdom…. the Kingdom of Vitruvia. So while James was packing the decks for shipping, I was over in that corner building with the decks like toys… only for it to get quickly dismantled, as you can see in the picture above to the right. =/

In case you’d like to see some comparison photos between the first printing of SKT Revelation and this currently available second printing.

The box design remains substantially the same, with very minor tweaks to coloring. Certificate card back designs did change though.

Left in all these photos is from the first printing and to the right is the currently available second printing. Card back design changed color. =)

I did update the LWB quite a bit. I’ve been noodling and noodling at the text throughout the last two years per experience. I want the LWB to be part of the divinatory experience if you want it to be. So you can totally pull a card and look up its meaning in this LWB, and it’s not just a canned textbook card meaning. It’s written in a way so that you can fully integrate it into your reading interpretation.

The coloring change really took the entirety of the year to get to the point you see it at now. Like you wouldn’t believe how hard this was! You can scroll through past status updates to see photos of some of the did-not-pass coloring samples we got. At one point they were berry tones, which… why. How. Who knows. These are the esoteric mysteries of deck production.

You can really discern the coloring difference when you look at the reds and blues.

I also asked the printer to go with warmer tones, not cooler. You’ll see that the first print run had cooler undertones, whereas this second print run has warmer undertones.

The blues here, for instance! Look at the change! If you really analyze it, it’s the most subtle smidge of change to the coloring, but the end result is quite a totally different vibe.

The above is another card that showcases the cool tones (left) vs. warm tones (right) rather prominently.

All the card images remain the same except for two, and the changes are minimal, as you can see above in the Ten of Chalices (Cups).

I really like the Ten of Swords in this deck for some reason. Rather than being scary, it now feels empowering, without it getting too fluffy.

And that’s what one of our hallways looks like now– for storage of packing and shipping supplies. =)

Stay tuned for more updates (though they may be few and far between, as I am currently… ahem… busy). And yes, if you didn’t pre-order and would like to order, yes, order any time. It’s still called a “pre-order” because if you put in your purchase now, you’re still going to have to wait a few months, as we are in the process of packing and shipping the mega batch of actual pre-orders.

ORDERING INFO FOR THE SKT REVELATION

We’ll end with a fun video clip panning all the shipping boxes we had to hand-fold one by one: