An Interview with my Shadowscapes Deck

An Interview with the Shadowscapes Tarot

5..........6
......4.....
3..........2
......1.....

a deck interview with my cards (spread by FireRaven) - seen at Acelectic Tarot Forum (Spreads Thread)

The Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law is without a doubt one of the most beautiful decks I have ever seen. The art is exquisite. I confess that I am often drawn to decks based on the art rather than on how similar they are to the RWS in terms of scenes and symbolism. That propensity of mine set me up for a challenge when I decided to interview the Shadowscapes deck.

I am looking forward to reading the Shadowscapes Companion, written by Stephanie, along with Barbara Moore, but I wanted to try to experience this deck from my own perspective first. I want to thank Stephanie Pui-Mun Law for giving me permission to post images from this deck here on the Tarot Notes blog.

Initially, I almost expected the deck to decline my request for an interview. It seemed to be a sort of "look but don't touch" deck, so beautiful and refined that my attempt would be clumsy at best and offensive at worst. So I was surprised when the deck's booking agent responded to my inquiry by asking when and where I wished to do the interview.

For refreshments I decided on rainbow sherbet punch and lemon coconut cookies. At a few minutes after the appointed time, I heard a light tapping at my door. As I opened the door, waves of lavender, rose, and honeysuckle drifted over me. The room was filled with transparent ribbons of gentle violet, saffron, turquoise, and mauve. The Shadowscapes Tarot had arrived.

I took a moment to savor the scents and colors, then started the interview. Somehow, I was not surprised when the cards chose to respond in a series of blank-verse poems.

1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic?
EIGHT OF PENTACLES

Like the spider weaves its web
I weave a world of pictures, stories, and dreams.
My threads are delicate yet strong.
To be caught in my web is to be transformed,
To be shown that creating the life you desire requires
Diligence, a love of beauty, and a willingness to persevere.

2. What are your strengths as a deck?
TEMPERANCE

In a single, simple circle
Are both Yin and Yang
Swirling, curling, giving and taking from each other.
I share with you the power of opposites perfectly balanced,
Of dragons blue and yellow,
Mixed and mingled,
Flowing into a lavender sky.

3. What are your limits as a deck?
FIVE OF WANDS

All around me and within me,
Foxes leap and dart and prance.
I see and smell and hear and move
In all directions at once.
If you cannot decide which fox to follow,
Perhaps that is your limitation, not mine.

4. What do you bring to the table -- what are you here to teach me?
THREE OF CUPS

I bring azure and sapphire and Persian blue,
To teach you how to feel, how to contemplate,
And to show you what lies within.
I bring jade and moss and sea green
To teach you how to heal, how to grow,
And to show you harmony in the midst of discord.
I bring three golden chalices
To teach you how to drink deeply of love, joy, and beauty.

5. How can I best learn from and collaborate with you?
THREE OF SWORDS

When your spirit, the swan, lies on a slab of stone

Pierced with the swords of sorrow, shame, and suffering,
You can learn from me that your spirit will rise again,
Swim again, fly again.
Join forces with me and I will lift you up.

6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?
KING OF WANDS

Together we are like the lion
Powerful, regal, courageous, proud
Like Leo, ruled by the Sun
Certain of who we are,
Confident in our knowledge and strength
A creature of Fire blazing a trail,
Warm, bright, alive.

I thanked the Shadowscapes deck for providing these thoughts. Lovely colors and scents washed over me once again and swirled out the door. It's obvious that this deck is more than just a pretty face!