The Black Violet Tarot Deck Review

Deck: The Black Violet Tarot, Cherry Blossom Edition
Creator/Artist: Heidi Phelps
Publisher: Independent 
Where you can buy this deck? This edition is sold out but a new edition of the original black and white version is being released by Rockpool and can be pre-ordered at the Oneness Emporium 
onenessemporium.co.uk/products/black-violet-tarot-rockpool-tarot

The strapline on the back of the box says this is a deck for Artists and Dreamers. I think it's a February deck. Or maybe even a March deck. I did think at the beginning of the year that it would be a January deck but this edition is just too pale pink and blossomy to be stuck in January. It's a deck full of female presenting, silhouette figures with a black, white and cherry blossom colour palette and it's quiet. It's not going to shout it's message to you, just say it calmly and evenly. 

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me come back to my weird month allocation thing. Why is it a February/March deck? Well, it's partly due to that gentle feel. Like these women are going to help you plan your year ahead with their messages and guidance with an uplifting and optimistic outlook. They're not jumping up and down and cheering, they're just having a quiet word. 

Of course if you want to, you can start your year on any date you choose, so this might turn out to be your June or July deck. Whenever you decide to work with it, its RWS inspired images and delicate artwork will give you clear and easy readings straight out of the box. If you read with Ethony's Bad Bitches Tarot or Liminal 11's Modern Witch and love the feminine energy, this would be a great option to go for. It's a little bit more refined and subdued than either of those decks, so it won't give you a slap around the face, just a little bit of a nudge.  

This version of the deck, if you do manage to get your hands on an out of print copy, comes in a two-piece box, decorated inside and out in the same black, white and delicate cherry blossom pink. The card stock is fabulous. It's a smooth playing card matt satin and although it's not edged, the card colourings show through so you won't need to worry about edging it. 

The new black and white version by Rockpool, with an expected to ship date of June 6th, might be a different quality in terms of card stock, so look out for some walk throughs on YouTube maybe closer to the release date. But for my copy, I can vouch for it's shufflability in riffle and bridge and overhand. 

It's interesting that the least calm card in the deck is the Tower card. For this silhouette style art to be able to convey that meaning quite so clearly, I have to take my hat off to the artist and creator. Well done, Heidi. There is a guide book that comes with the deck in the box and it's a slim volume but very well written and original content, not just a jumble of keywords. So I'll leave the last word to the creator, "this deck is for anyone who wants to reflect on any aspect of life - joyful or painful, meaningful or mundane - to tap into their creativity and artistic voice."

Three extra cards, an errant Page, Snowdrop and The Woods.