Way Home Tarot Deck Review

Deck – Way Home Tarot
Creator – Bakara Wintner
Artist -  Autumn Whitehurst 
Publisher - Independent
Date purchased - 2019

Introduction

I arrived home last Thursday to find a customs card on the doormat. I'm not usually excited about receiving a bill but in this case I knew it would lead me to the Way Home Tarot! So I happily trotted to the Post Office Depot after work on Friday and although I've just had this deck in my hot little hands for a week, I couldn't wait to tell you about it. 
I will preface my current excitement by saying that I hesitated initially about purchasing this deck, for two reasons, First is the annoying customs thing as I live in the UK: charges and delays. The second is that I thought it might have a similar feel to the Wild Unknown Tarot and I'd had some initial difficulties reading with that deck. If there was different categories for Tarot decks, then the Way Home, the Wild Unknown and the Eight Coins Tattoo decks would all be in the 'Alternative' section. There are even some similar images in the Wild Unknown and Way Home, with the Empress and Emperor both being depicted as trees. In the Way Home deck the Empress emerges from a heart and the Emperor from a brain. However, although there are similarities, the Way Home Tarot is an inspired creation with its own identity. For those of you who own the book "WTF is Tarot?" by Bakara Wintner, you may already be familiar with Autumn Whitehursts illustrations. Many of the line drawings have been fleshed out into the Way Home deck.  A few have been updated and some have been changed so let's dive into this delightful deck. 

What's Good? 

• The images are clear and easy to see and some have an almost 3D quality so you feel like you can step into the card or touch the items depicted there. If you wanted a deck to meditate with, these images would help you step into that world
• The colour palette is beautiful, all different colours from muted shades of white to pastels and brights 
• The card stock is good quality, thin with a satin smooth textured finish that makes them really easy to shuffle 
• The packaging consists of a two piece box with the card back design on the front with a lock in the centre and a little key pictured on the back. The inside of the box isn't lined giving the product a more 'homespun' feel
• There is no guidebook included but as "WTF is Tarot?" shows the deck, it can be used as a guide. It is one of my favourite books, with anecdotes about Bakara's experiences of the majors, so if you haven't picked it up yet, it is an excellent read 

What's Bad?

• The deck is bordered. In my opinion it really doesn't detract from the images but I know some folks don't like borders. Many cards are a pale or white background so you don't notice the borders but in those that you do, they don't have that shrinking effect on the images
• Diversity - the court cards have outlines of people with images inside but although they appear to indicate different sex and race, they all appear young and slim 

Favourite/Stand Out Cards

These two cards are the ones that stood out most on my first flip through. The 3D quality makes these three beautiful pearl cups really stand out from the oyster shell, an exquisite harvest. I'd seen the 10 of Pentacles on IG a while back and was already impressed by its beauty. I really want to dine at that table. 

I can hear the water lapping in the High Priestess card and almost feel the cool night air. I love it when an image is more than just visual. The Hermit card is a gorgeous image of a bear hibernating through the winter months. He's chewing on a fresh leaf showing he has all the nourishment he needs to see him through till he's ready to emerge in the spring. 

There are numerous cards where you can almost feel their invitation to step into them, starting with the rainbow energy swirling along the Fool's path. The heat is turned right up by the time we reach the Sun card but there are still trees and greenery lining the path showing that the sun can warm and illuminate without scorching and destroying.  

The 5 of Pentacles evokes a real sadness with its lost chances and fruit left to rot on the vine. We know that there is hope for the future though as the stalks and branches are strong and there will be new growth next year. This card has a bigger impact in real life than the line drawing in "WTF is Tarot". I'm not sure if this is pink gin in the teacups in the 6 of Cups but I think I can see little crying faces and other pink visions of times gone by (and I haven't touched a drop, honest). 

Summary

​This is the best deck for…someone who wants something a little bit different. The deck has that 'alternative' feel so if you like plants, animals and open spaces then this would be a great deck for you. I found it smoother, lighter and more relaxed than the Wild Unknown and wider ranging than the Eight Coins Tattoo. I have only had the deck for a short period but the images draw you in so I'm really looking forward to working with it more. 

Where to buy?

I bought my deck directly from Everyday Magic shopeverydaymagic.com in the US, they will ship overseas.