I bought Stephanie Pui-Mun Law’s Shadowscape Tarot on a whim because I wanted to learn Tarot and I didn’t like the cards I had. These cards look great, feel great, and are easy to use. I like them for their mystical nature and the elegance of the associated imagery. The pastel lavender theme on the box sets the expectations for the coloring of each card; each card is a subtle ebb and flow of imagery with a subdued aesthetic.
Let’s go over how to purchase Tarot cards, why I like these, what I found these useful for, and anything to be aware of when purchasing. See how this set ties into your spiritual pursuits.
Purchasing Tarot Cards
Purchasing Tarot cards is a very personal process. You need the cards to resonate with you and to fit your personality and your expectations. Overly mystical looking cards probably won’t feel right doing a reading for materialistic endeavors. Overly simplified cards aren’t going to help much with spiritual readings.
Why are you learning Tarot? Your motive affects what cards you should shop for. A Thoth Tarot deck probably isn’t what you want if you want traditional Tarot cards. The standard (or slightly modified) Rider-Waite deck is probably more in line with what you want if you’re following some occult course or if you’re more of a traditionalist. Pick a deck that fits what you want to do and ignore any tradition which doesn’t further that goal.
What I Love About This Deck
I bought this set to focus on more spiritual endeavors. This set is gorgeous and the imagery makes it surreal. The cards are big without being massive. The imagery evokes a fantasy feel without being a flight of fantasy. Most of the figures have an elvish appearance. The pastel coloration makes the world subtle and organic and resolves the supernatural scenery.
These cards read well compared to many decks I’ve used. The fantasy element makes the interpretations feel less rigid than some decks. The included booklet helps with a few spreads (1 standard, 2 less standard spreads) and has short descriptions or interpretations of each card.
While this will be reiterated on in the cons section, this deck does not include readings for reversed cards. I actually love the rebalancing of the cards to be self-contained without twisting the imagery to get a secondary meaning. The deck is as it is, but it does require reading the booklet to a degree.
Physical Properties
The deck comes in a standard box that looks nice, but definitely isn’t all that slated for long-term usage. I buy a separate box or use a tin for any deck I care about, so it didn’t matter that much to me. Just something to be aware of with the deck.
I like this box personally for these cards:
These cards feel great to me. The deck I got is on robust card-stock and feels high quality (like the kind playing cards are on). I’ve used this deck for over a year and they’ve yet to show any notable wear and tear. The cards are in line with a standard size Tarot deck and are substantially larger than normal playing cards.
A booklet with interpretations of each card as well as a few example spreads is included as well. The booklet is extremely small and each card is allocated about a paragraph for the description or interpretation (some show, others tell).
Cons
This deck is a much more mystical interpretation of the standard Tarot. I wouldn’t suggest it for standard Tarot readings unless you’re more familiar or if you are willing to take this deck as your new standard. It’s a solid deck, and is absolutely enchanting with its appearance, but it definitely isn’t the standard Tarot.
I used it as my first real Tarot deck I bothered learning to any degree. Ultimately, it’s basically something like the Thoth deck; it isn’t the standard, but it’s closer than any “oracle cards” or similar. It doesn’t include reversed readings and the standard readings are little murkier than standard Tarot in many regards. All of that aside, it helped me learn the standard Tarot because I could keep with it.
The interpretations or descriptions of each card are just that, interpretations or descriptions. The flow is natural, but some cards show you what they mean and are open to interpretation while others tell you what they mean. Some are cryptic while others are hard to misinterpret.
There are many reviews with issues about the quality of this deck. I feel I got a fine deck, but apparently some people have had different luck. The box the deck comes in isn’t anything to write home about, but the contents were great for me.
Using This Deck
The surreal aspect of this deck makes it best slated for a more mystical Tarot. I bought it to ask and meditate on more spiritual questions. The imagery and the booklet both lend themselves to this being the most natural interpretation of the cards in this deck. Questions about jobs and work are just going to leave you confused or answering a deeper question you didn’t know you asked.
Many of the card descriptions are more a description of what the card means than how to necessarily interpret the card itself. How does the situation relate to the imagery you see and how does that relate to your question or situation? Connect with the image in the card and the description in the booklet to make sense of the text.
Conclusion
This is quite literally my favorite Tarot deck I own. The imagery is gorgeous, the cards are solid, the system it teaches is simple. It’s robust, aesthetic, standard (enough) Tarot (so you can use it with whatever book you like) with less standard interpretations (which makes it more flexible), and it’s affordable.
I like to meditate on the cards for spiritual questions or thoughts. The coloration and art makes the cards relaxing without being sleepy. If you’re new to Tarot and this resonates with you, you can always adapt it with the more standard readings later. If you’re used to Tarot, you can use the booklet to have alternative readings to expand the system. All in all, this is a great deck.
Get a copy here to support local bookstores, or get it here: