Hey everyone, I want to share with you all my recent project – making my own tarot deck! It’s been a wild ride, and I’m stoked to walk you through how I did it.
Getting Started
First off, I had to figure out what tarot even was. Turns out, it’s this ancient card game with a bunch of symbolism and history. There are two main parts to a tarot deck: the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. Major Arcana are the big-deal cards like The Fool, The Magician, and Death. Minor Arcana are more like your regular playing cards, divided into four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. I spent a good chunk of time just reading about this stuff. It was a lot of information, but honestly, pretty fascinating. I grabbed some books and hit up the internet to get a basic understanding.
Designing the Cards
Once I had a handle on the basics, I started thinking about the design. This was the fun part! I decided I wanted my deck to be super personal. I’m not much of an artist, so I thought about using images that mean something to me – photos, maybe some digital art I could whip up. But then I realized, maybe I could actually try drawing them. So, I grabbed a sketchbook and some pencils and just started doodling. I’d look at a traditional tarot card, like The Hermit, and think, “What does this card mean to me? How can I show that in a picture?” It was tough at first, but after a while, I found a picture that can make sense and started to get the hang of it.
Putting It All Together
After I had my sketches, I needed to turn them into actual cards. I found these blank playing cards online that were perfect. I scanned my drawings, cleaned them up a bit on my computer, and then printed them out. Then it was just a matter of sticking the printed images onto the blank cards. Let me tell you, that was tedious work! But seeing my drawings slowly turn into a real deck was so satisfying. Every time I finished a card, I got this little rush of excitement.
Giving Them Meaning
So, I had this deck of cards, but I wanted them to feel truly mine. I remembered reading somewhere that you should write down your thoughts about each card. So, I started this journal thing. I’d sit with each card, look at my drawing, and just write whatever came to mind. It felt a bit silly at first, like I was talking to myself. But then I started comparing my notes to what the tarot books said, and it was actually pretty cool to see how my interpretations lined up. It made the cards feel way more connected to me. After I finished all 78 cards, I feel like I’ve created something truly special.
Final Thoughts
Making this tarot deck was way more work than I expected. There were times I wanted to just give up, especially when I was staring at a blank page, trying to come up with a design. But pushing through those moments was worth it. Now I have this deck that’s totally unique to me, and it feels amazing to use it. If you’re thinking about making your own tarot deck, I say go for it! It’s a journey, for sure, but it’s one that’s totally worth taking. It’s not just about having a cool deck of cards; it’s about connecting with yourself and exploring your own thoughts and feelings. And that is pretty awesome.
