The companion book is set up as a "traveler's report." The premise is a traveler who visits the land of
the Cat People then writes an anthropological report on the land and the people. Along the way we learn about the deck as well. The book is arranged as follows:
- An introduction.
- The Traveler's Report. This section goes over the land of the Cat People looking at topics like ecology, religion, economy, and cats. It's like reading a travelogue into a mysterious and magical land. This is mostly descriptive and reads a bit like a reference book.
- The Major Arcana. Vapala, The Diamond Kingdom. This chapter features an introduction describing the kingdom. You then get the entries for each card. Each Major Arcana card entry includes descriptive text, one to three paragraphs, divinatory meanings, and reverse meanings. Note that in this deck Justice is VIII and Strength is XI. Judgement-XX is labeled Rejuvenation. The remaining cards maintain their traditional names.
- The Suit of Swords: Thnossis, the Ruby Kingdom. Minor Arcana card entries are the same in terms of material presented as the Major Arcana. In the Minor Arcana chapters, card entries are arranged from King down to Ace.
- The Suit of Wands: Twahilic, the Emerald Kingdom.
- The Suit of Cups: Azhengir, the Topaz Kingdom.
- The Suit of Pentacles: Kahúlawe, the Sapphire Kingdom.
- Reading the cards: The Ten-Card Spread. This spread is a variant of the Celtic Cross.
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| The Moon-XVIII card |
The book does not really include basic instructions on reading the cards, so beginners may need to supplement with a basic Tarot book. The companion book overall is good as it combines the travelogue element with the Tarot card meanings. If you enjoy an element of fantasy and world building along with your Tarot, you'll likely enjoy the world the author has created. I found the stories interesting, and I know I can spend more time studying the cards and book. Can you read the cards without the book? Yes. The art is mostly within Rider Waite Smith (RWS) tradition, but you may get a lot more depth if you read the book.
The art on the deck is beautiful and creative. The author, who is also the artist, delivers an immersive setting where people and cats live in harmony. The art is colorful, a bit subdued. It has a nice exotic element that evokes a fantasy world well. As I mentioned, the art leans to RWS, so if you can read RWS then you can use and read with this deck. It can work for intuitive readers too given its expressive art.
The cards measure about 4 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches. The art does have a white border. The borders do not bother me, but your mileage may vary. The art on the card back is reversible. All cards are labeled. The cards have a soft glossy finish that makes them easy to slide and shuffle. All cards are fully illustrated. Note also that this edition also has a small white book with the deck. The little white book is a very condensed version of the regular companion book.
Overall, I really liked this kit, and I am glad I got it with the book. I like the concept and enjoy the art. It can be good for beginners, though it feels more for intermediate to advanced Tarot readers. This is a deck I can go back to down the road that offers an interesting take on Tarot. If you want something a bit different than the usual, take a chance on this deck.
5 out of 5 stars.
This kit qualifies for the following 2022 Reading Challenge:
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