The Heartspun Tarot by Erin Haldane

History and intention of the Heartspun Tarot

I had known for many years that I wanted to illustrate my own Tarot deck, both as a way to push myself as an artist as well as to grow mentally and spiritually through my studies. In the spring of 2020, with the outside world feeling far away and confusing, it seemed the perfect time to fully commit myself wholly to this project; to explore the inner realms of understanding as well as gain perspective on the reality of my physical situation. This deck has been the culmination of many hours, days, weeks, months, and years of work. To begin, I cut and labeled each card and then chose randomly one card at a time to study and illustrate. Once all the illustrations were complete, I watercolored each image starting with the Major Arcana and then proceeded chronologically through the Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. I based the majority of my illustrations off of Pamela Colman Smith’s artwork in the Rider-Waite deck and researched the meaning behind the images and symbolism primarily through Rachel Pollack’s book Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom. I wanted the images I created to have an intuitive symbology to those already familiar with the Tarot as well as be a universal stepping stone for those wishing to delve deeper into the study of the images. I chose to include animals rather than human forms in the majority of my deck as a way to both add an extra layer of metaphor, as well as provide an accessible entry point so that any person may be able to see themselves reflected in the narratives of the cards. Though I had originally intended to create the deck for just myself to use and study, the lessons I have learned and the magic I have discovered felt too exciting not to share. It is my hope that this illustrated Tarot can serve others as a means of discovering deeper knowledge of self and those around them, provide assistance through divination/spiritual guidance, or simply entertain as a colorful, whimsical, storybook journey through the cards.

I want to thank everyone who has purchased this deck. Every single one was hand-assembled, packaged, and lovingly mailed by myself, and I’m excited to announce that I sold over 1000 copies in 4 years just through word-of-mouth, markets, and online reviews! While the deck is currently out of print, I hope to reissue it in the future, as well as provide a complete book of descriptions and suggested layouts.