Welcome back to our ongoing Decan Walk! Today, we continue our journey through the zodiac by exploring the Sign of Libra. This is the 7th Zodiac Sign we’re exploring, a pivotal point in the astrological wheel where the focus shifts from the self to the other.
Let’s resume our Decan Walk by exploring the Zodiac Sign of Virgo, and the three Virgo Decans. The cards we’re going to look at are the 8 of Pentacles (Sun in Virgo), the 9 of Pentacles (Venus in Virgo), and the 10 of Pentacles (Mercury in Virgo).
Let’s resume our Decan Walk by exploring the Zodiac Sign of Leo, and the three Leo Decans. Here, we are going to look at the 5 of Wands linked with Saturn in Leo, the 6 of Wands linked with Jupiter in Leo, and the 7 of Wands linked with Mars in Leo.
Our Decan Walk has brought us into the Zodiac of Cancer. Today, let’s explore the three Cancer Decans and understand how the imagery of the 2 of Cups, 3 of Cups, and 4 of Cups embodies Venus in Cancer, Mercury in Cancer, and the Moon in Cancer, respectively.
Today we are continuing on our Decan Walk, with the 10 of Swords, which is associated with the Sun in Gemini. This Decan starts on June 11 and ends on June 20. Let’s find out how the energy of the Sun in Gemini shows up in the imagery of the 10 of Swords across the Rider-Waite-Smith, Tarot de Marseilles, Thoth, and Telos Tarot decks.
Today, let’s dive into the image of the 9 of Swords, connected with Mars in Gemini, and understand how Astrology has influenced or shown up in the card imagery. On our Decan Walk, we are now in the second Decan of Gemini.
As we continue our Decan Walk, we will look at the 8 of Swords, which is associated with Jupiter in Gemini. These 10 days, from the 21st of May to the 30th of May, are linked with the first 10 degrees or the first Decan of the Sign of Gemini.
Let’s continue our Decan Walk into the 3rd Decan of Taurus, which is linked with Saturn in Taurus. This is also associated with the 7 of Pentacles from the Tarot. Let’s get into this Decan and understand what’s going on.
Today, we continue our Decan Walk journey, delving into the fascinating world of Astrology through the lens of the Tarot Cards. This is the Decan of Moon in Taurus, which is linked to the 6 of Pentacles. Let’s study the Astrology of this pairing and explore how these energies manifest in the card’s meaning.
Taurus season has begun! Let’s continue on our Decan Walk journey with the 5 of Pentacles. Associated with the first Decan of Taurus, here we meet Mercury in Taurus.
Welcome to the Decan Walk. In this third and final Decan of Aries, we have Venus in Aries, which is associated with the 4 of Wands. Let’s discover how the Astrological energies show up in the different card images.
Continuing our Decan Walk with the 3 of Wands that is associated with the Sun in Aries. Let’s see how the Astrology connections and energies show up in the card imagery of the 3 of Wands.
Our Decan Walk Journey begins with the 2 of Wands, which is associated with Mars in Aries. First, let’s explore the Astrological and Tarot aspects and then see how they show up in the imagery of the 2 of Wands Tarot Card.
Astrology and Tarot are connected with each other. As many of you know, I have been flirting with astrology for some time now. Recently, I decided to learn it properly. I tend to view everything through the lens of Tarot, my first love. So, this year, I decided to embark on a journey, a “Decan Walk,” to understand astrology through the Tarot. Starting in March 2025 and continuing until March 2026, this year-long journey will help me learn and understand Astrology through the Lens of the Tarot. The plan is to learn the basics of Astrology through the connections between Astrology and Tarot.
I found Robin Scott’s Urban Tarot Deck as I was navigating through the labyrinth that is the Internet, and ended up in love at first sight! ? This gorgeous deck is the result of a result of a very successful Kickstarter campaign in 2012.
The Urban Tarot Deck draws inspiration from the various locales of New York City — the streets, the buildings, the parks, the monuments, the people — everything about this lively and vibrant city is the source material for the images of this deck.
The latest news that I’ve heard is that the Urban Tarot Deck will be published again through U.S. Games Systems. However, Robin still has about 200 copies of the deck (as of 6 March 2017) — which could very well be considered to be the ‘First Edition’ ‘Collectors’ copies. ??
Psst: Deck Collectors! Get yourself a copy while the stocks last!
Each card is about 2 ¾ inches wide and 4 ¼ inches tall, with rounded corners. The surface has a smooth finish and the card is thick, but not too thick. The cards shuffle well during readings.
The back design of each card reminds one of the subway maps that you can find all over NYC. The card back is totally reversible, so if you use reversed cards in your reading, this deck is perfect!
The card images of The Urban Tarot Deck are so gorgeous, that I wished that they covered a bigger area on the card. However, this wasn’t a deal-breaker for me.
Psst: I also hear that this is going to be fixed with the US Games version.
You can see the card images on Robin’s site. And if you are into using Tarot Apps, you can find The Urban Tarot App on the App Store as well as on Google Play.
The Urban Tarot Deck doesn’t come with an LWB, but there is a full-fledged book that you will have to buy separately. The book features full color images of each of the cards on one side, and a detailed description of the card imagery on the other. You will also find information such as the source of inspiration in NYC, and the models who posed for the pictures. Another wonderful thing about the book is that the edges of the pages are colored to sync with the suits — so it makes searching for the card meanings quite easy!
In my personal opinion, this deck is perfect for those who have a good base with Rider-Waite-Smith based card imagery, and want to explore the Thoth based imagery. This deck features images that are a beautiful amalagamation of both. So visual storytellers can find peace while working with Thoth-based symbols as well.
Although the book provides a lot of information about the various places and situations and people who inspired the designs, and why a certain sort of imagery was used, you may benefit by reading up on the Thoth system to take your readings to the next level. However, even without that, using a storytelling approach, you will still find the images beautifully expressive and informative.
One thing I do miss is having reversed card interpretations. But that isn’t a deal breaker either. If you’ve worked with Tarot for a while, and you use reversals, it isn’t rocket science to figure out the interpretations. ?
Here are some of my favorite cards from The Urban Tarot Deck!
The deck follows the Thoth system. Therefore, Major Arcana 8 is Justice, and Major Arcana 11 is Strength.
Also the Court Cards follow the Thoth system of nomenclature and hierarchy. Starting with the Princess card, we move up via the Prince, the Queen, and finally, the Knight card.
The Suit of Pentacles is called the Suit of Disks.
And yes, unlike the Thoth deck, these cards have stuff going on in the background of the suit images — which totally makes this deck a great mix of the best parts of both Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth systems.
I have had a ton of fun reading with these cards. Not only are the images deeply evocative, but they are also highly relateable. These are images not from some fantasy land, or imaginary place, or historical space and time. These are images from the world we live in, and see all around us. They are real, raw, and poignant. And they make a whole lot of sense.
I even made a video about this deck where I talk a bit more (as usual) and give you a peek at the cards. Take a look…
https://youtu.be/gGrLWybxkHI
Robin has been so generous by sending me another copy of the deck and book (which she signed, btw!!) for a giveaway. So get on it, and make sure you’ve entered! The contest ends 31st March 2017.
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a Rafflecopter giveaway
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What did you think of this deck? Did you like the images? Did they speak to you just like they did to me? And if you already have this deck, what are your experiences with this deck? Tell me in the comments…
