The Windy Path Tarot

Thank you for stopping by to read about the Windy Path Tarot. I have an update as of May 19th: all of the art for the cards has been completed and work on the guidebook is underway.

The major arcana in this tarot is based on the Fool’s Journey from the Rider-Waite deck. There’s a similar structure for the minor cards, where pentacles=earth, rods=fire, cups=water, and swords=air, however the focus is on the physical aspects of these elements, informing a unique narrative across the suits.

Follow two cats, Clerodendrum and Rhododendron, on a quest to protect the planet, to help us find simple ways to preserve and renew our connections with the natural world. How do we connect in a world that is constantly changing? How do we lessen our impact when years of automatic conveniences have defined our lives?

In the Windy Path the lessons and trials of the tarot become the framework to listen.

Two cats weave through fire, air, earth, and water on a journey to love and preserve nature. They are the elements just as we are. We are all energy.

The common artistic thread of the deck is a chalk pastel mountainscape, the original artwork is featured in The Fool. The mountains transform into the sturdy rock wall of the Strength card, shroud us in night under the stars of The Hermit card, erupt as the giant volcano of the Tower, and form stalagmites in the Emperor’s cave. The mountains continue to transform throughout the realms of the major arcana.

Then, they change color to represent the elements in four suits. The aces represent beginnings and creation, and the fives represent the pinnacles of pollution. Next, we seek balance and work hard to bring homeostasis, learning from mistakes and growing. We dedicate ourselves to the path in the tens by committing to listening to animals, planet Earth, and our hearts. This lens aims to bring awareness to the changes that anthropocentric behaviors and beliefs have on our ecosystems and how we might move out of these thought processes to bring a balanced relationship with our sentient non-humans and increase wild populations.

The Ace of Water from the Windy Path Tarot. With Cat Over Clock Watermark, do not copy.

The approach is mixed media, with the bulk graphic art and collage using Sketch Book. I collage together my own photography (with curated additions), watercolor, pastel chalks, and quite a bit of sparkle. I’ve also collaborated with my husband who illustrated six original cats that I’ve modified in action and color throughout the deck. No Artificially Intelligent tools, or AI generation, has been used in the creation or the concepts of the Windy Path.

The 8 of Earth finds us taking care of what we cultivated in the 7 of Earth.
Death

The current deck is an expansion of a picture book I created for my niece’s graduation. As I began work on the expansion, I saw a Fool’s Journey emerging with an environmentally conscious theme.

Original cover from 2022 featuring the creator’s attic mural.
8 of water, walking a new path, ignoring the voices that say we can’t make a difference.
In the 7 of Fire the cats teach us to stand up, hold our ground and root ourselves in purpose.
The more we focus on helping, uplifting, and loving life on the planet, the better the vibration and the stronger the result! Leaving behind superstitions and stories can refocus our energy into creating safe echosystems for all life forms, especially for those who have wrongly been described as scary, evil, or filthy.