Description
Created by Cedar McCloud, the Numinous Tarot is a deck that strives to bring a variety of experiences to the wonderfully complex symbolism of the Tarot.
Rendered in beautiful and luminous watercolor and inks, the Numinous Tarot shows the beauty of diversity in the world, from body type, ability, race, to gender identity and expression. These things are not used as symbols in and of themselves; rather, they are there to show the infinite ways that all people can experience magic and mystery, especially those who are often excluded from it.
Read the Little Red Tarot review of the Numinous Tarot!
The Numinous Tarot is a 79-card Tarot deck with fully illustrated pips and one extra card called The Numinous. The suits, court cards, and some of the Major Arcana have been renamed to fit the mystical theme of the deck and/or remove gendered titles. The court cards have been changed to easier to understand, gender neutral titles: Kings = Mystics, Queens = Creators, Knights = Explorers, Pages = Dreamers.
This edition of the Numinous Tarot is printed on quality 350gsm cardstock with a textured matte linen finish and contains a new version of the extra card, The Numinous. The cards are standard Tarot size, 2.75″x4.75″.
The deck is accompanied by a 200+ page guidebook written for readers of all levels, including beginners. Both the guidebook and card titles use all gender-neutral language. Both deck and guidebook are packaged together in a sturdy box with a ribbon for easy access.
“Since 2003, Tarot has been a huge tool in my life for self-discovery, healing, shadow work, and fun! Divination with cards of such deep symbolism can be a powerful way for anyone to connect with themselves or with others. However, not everyone can find themselves in the imagery of most Tarot decks on the market today; although the landscape is changing, most decks are still extremely heterocentric, ciscentric, white, and feature thin able-bodied people only. It can be very difficult to find depictions of non-white, queer, disabled, and plus-size bodies in Tarot, which means that many readers and querents aren’t seeing their lives reflected back at them in the cards – my queer, trans/nonbinary self included.
I wanted to create a deck that features ALL of these people, and does so in a way that’s mystical, magical, and full of color. I also wanted to write a guidebook that is equally inclusive – so I did!
If you’ve never read Tarot before, you can start learning with this deck and book! Yes, it is different than many more “traditional” decks or interpretations, but if you identify with the values and message of the Numinous Tarot, it may be easier for you to understand and connect with than others.”
CONTENTS:
- 79-card tarot deck printed on quality 350gsm cardstock with a textured matte linen finish, cards measuring 2.75″x4.75″.
- 200-page guidebook with detailed exporation of each card and guidance for
- Deck and guidebook presented together in a sturdy box with a ribbon for easy access.
Caroline (verified owner) –
This deck is a wee cracker! When you use the cards it’s like having a chat with a good friend, who’s not afraid to tell you it straight at times. It’s such a welcoming a deck which is always there for you with a hug. The guidebook is packed full of wise advice and is beautifully written and is a wonderful companion to this deck. Really enjoy the colourful artwork and the energy of this deck. It’s a joy to use.
Grace Quantock –
This is, I think, my favourite deck. It’s the one I most see my world reflected in. It also features wheelchair user, folx using crutches & walking sticks/canes. As a disabled woman, I appreciate seeing my body reflected in the cards. I can’t recommend this deck enough for the beautiful artwork, heart-felt & moving guidebook prompts & stunning artwork.
Gem Kennedy (verified owner) –
I can only echo what others have already said in their reviews of this beautiful deck. I’ve held out for a long time on purchasing a deck because I could never find anything that considered marginalised identities (I’m queer and non-binary) and didn’t feel spiritually bypassing. Then I found this deck and knew I had to have it.
The cards are so beautifully illustrated and everyone I’ve used these cards with has loved them. The book is very insightful and leaves room for your own interpretation too.
If you’re thinking about buying this deck, do it! You won’t be disappointed.
A special thanks to Little Red Tarot too for supporting various marginalised groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s even better buying a queer tarot deck from a company that practices what it preaches!
Analena (verified owner) –
This is my first deck so I dont have much to compare it with but I am in awe of this deck! First of all it is beautifully designed, so many details in the cards, which really helps to interpret their unique meanings. Then it is also super inclusive with such a diverse representation of bodies in all shapes and colours etc. As a nonbinary person myself it was very important to me that I would not be confronted with a binary gender representation in my deck and the numinous tarot deck does a wonderful job at making me feel seen. And lastly, the guide book is super detailed and really helped me with my Tarot practise and learning how it all works. So all in all, this deck is amazing, you can really feel the love that went in creating it.
Moreover, the store provides excellent service, my package arrived within a couple of days, shipping internationally, it was beautifully packaged and I have no complaints :)
Anna (verified owner) –
This deck is so beautiful, so rich and liberating. It makes me happy to work with it, to look at it. The accompanying book is very well elaborated, with attention to well-being.
Michelle Heinrich –
The Numinous Tarot is one of the most beautiful and exciting decks I’ve worked with in a long time. I’d been searching for a queer-friendly deck for years, and what I found was also the perfect deck for personal, interior exploration. Noel Arthur Heimpel has created a deck which recognizes our trauma, needs, darkness, and pain and helps us transform those into growth, acceptance, light, and affirmation. Its glorious colors and images help guide and empower.
One of the aspects I love most about the deck is the rich, diverse representation. With people of all colors/ethnicities, body shapes, ages, gender presentations, physical abilities, styles, and more, it is easy to recognize ourselves in the cards. And yet all the diversity never feels forced; each and every card feels perfectly crafted to what it represents. I’d been using animal/symbol-based decks for several years in order to avoid possible issues relating to the presentation of humans, and the Numinous Tarot was a breath of fresh air. It feels extremely accessible to all, even to those of us who are not young, fit, traditionally beautiful, white, and skinny. At the same time, Heimpel cleverly removes some of the often-troubling “people aspects” of the Court Cards. Pages become Dreamers, Knights are become Explorers and Kings and Queens are Mystics and Creators, respectively. Personally, I find this helpful in my Tarot work because it allows me to think more on the roles these cards play than give in to the temptation to read them as specific people.
My only slight qualm is that they are kind of hard to shuffle. But, to be fair, my weirdly small hands and stiff fingers make all decks hard to shuffle. So, don’t take my word for it! At the same time, somehow this deck makes me feel like my weirdly small hands and stiff fingers are perfectly fine, beautiful even.
The deck also comes with a fabulous guidebook that details the Fools Journey in charmingly lyric language. I can be one to ignore guidebooks, but I’ve read this one cover to cover several times. The guidebook also suggests some unique and interesting spreads that are perfect for certain situations, which I found to be an excellent bonus.
All in all, I highly recommend this deck. It’s a friendly deck, full of love and positivity, while still recognizing that we may need to journey through darkness and self-discovery to get there. Its imagery is bright, colorful, and accessible to all, but it not all glittery unicorns and rainbows. This is a deck that deeply embodies what it is to be human and helps us to become our best selves.
Beth –
Thank you for this warm and detailed review Michelle! So glad you are enjoying this deck – and I agree completely, it is beautiful and important in all the ways you describe <3
Beth x
Katalin Patnaik (verified owner) –
Absolutely fantastic deck, the most diverse I have ever seen until date. It came in a beautiful and secure packaging too, thank you Little Red! <3
Beth –
You’re welcome Katalin! So glad you are enjoying your new deck – I agree, this is a very special one :)