I’m not huge into astrology and I got this deck as a gift. Originally, I was pretty disappointed, but I decided to give it a try. I might be a new age hippie by most accounts, but I draw the line at hard-line astrology among other bits of the late 90’s New Age movement. It might sound hypocritical or ironic, but who said spirituality necessarily had to make sense all the time?
That being said, I think the Numinous deck is great. It is flexible and compares itself to Tarot cards. It fits in as an accessible divination method as well as an astrological mnemonic system. I was split on this system originally, but I’ve grown to appreciate it.
The cards are nice, the art is effective and aesthetic, and the descriptions are useful. It also tries to touch on a more abstract, modern form of astrology which makes it more understandable to explore a new system. The system is more self-contained than a tarot system (more limited number of competing interpretations), but it remains accessible by placing the key concepts on each card.
Modern Astrology
The general astrology concept that birth chart and location determines fate is a bit hard to swallow in modern times. There are just too many people born in proximity who lead vastly different lives. Modern astrology tries to reconcile this as a softer pushing or pulling of the strings of fate. Free will, environment, and luck can override these factors, but the chart still governs the initial trajectories and inertia.
This modern system explores astrology without committing as hard to the principles of astrology. You can go as deep as you want without failing to buy in at some level. This is a much easier sell than most astrological systems which require blind obedience to a system which may or may not fit with your beliefs.
Astrology is either fate or inertia. One might be believable and the other might not depending on the spirituality and religion of a practitioner. You don’t have to jump in blindly, you just have to buy in a little. The ask is just so much less than with traditional astrology even though it can grow into it.
The Cards
The cards themselves look and feel great. This isn’t the ideal litmus of a divination deck, but it definitely plays a roll. There’s a reason I like the Shadowscapes Tarot or the Everyday Tarot most, and shy away from decks like the Essential Tarot for my own practice. The art feels like a mix of the Shadowscapes Tarot with a bit of realism.
The cards are larger and about in line with standard tarot cards. They feel crisp and sturdy compared to some decks, but they aren’t quite the best cards I’ve owned (that award goes to the Everyday Tarot). As long as you don’t shuffle them too hard, they should last quite a while. They’re about on par with most good decks, though there are decks which are substantially nicer on the market too.
This deck excels because it isn’t a new tarot to memorize, it’s a system with the descriptions and archetypes written on the cards. You don’t need the book to make a basic interpretation once you understand the basic classification of cards. There’s a much lower ask to get familiar with this system which makes it attractive.
Unlike tarot, you can employ this system in a day without having to consult the book if you read it right. Arguably, it’s not as complete for the details, but the descriptions are so vague that if you target the system correctly, you can get a much more involved picture. The ask goes from the interpretation of the answer to the formation of the question. The interpretation still matters just as much on other levels, but a good question rules out some of the ambiguity. You can add or remove depth depending on how you interpret each side of the question.
Exploring a New System
While this work buys into astrology wholesale, it also provides enough wiggle room that the more skeptical can get value from it. The term “numinous” comes from “the unknown”. There is a soft and hard interpretation built in from the beginning about this deck and the system it comes from.
You don’t need to believe in astrology wholesale to enjoy this deck, and it even works as just another divination method. It indirectly hammers this point further and further by tying cards back to other systems. You can either buy in deeply, or you can use it like a random oracle deck. This may not be the original intention, but it is the implication depending on how you read into the system.
I like this system as it provides something completely alien without stepping away from the concepts of the western esoteric system. You get a reading which isn’t like most, but also doesn’t feel like an arbitrary, foreign system. Buying into astrology can help, but you can also view it as a symbolic system and tool. It looks good, feels good, and works as something new and interesting for divination.
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