Review: The Butterfly Wisdom Tarot

The Butterfly Wisdom Tarot

Author: Starla Yilmaz

Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing, June 2025

Description: 78 Cards, 144-page guidebook, box with magnetic closure lid.

Card Size: 2 7/8 by 4 1/2

"Soon after an intense healing phase of my life, I had a vision. Butterflies cross-stitched onto white canvas, each one the focus of a Tarot card, forming one giant tapestry. Once my eyes cleared and the real world returned, I laughed."

Starla Yilmaz's deck, The Butterfly Wisdom Tarot, includes my three favorite things, cross-stitching, the Tarot, and writing. In the Introduction, she shares her own healing as she moved from vision to the reality of creation. I found her words moving and inspiring. I've struggled for years attempting to find time for my creative writing and Tarot reading, and of course cross-stitching. I heard a whisper, "Your road is similar, a combination of your skills would lead you in the right direction." No, there's no plan for cross-stitching such a huge project, but it gave me something to think about.

~~~~~~~

The Butterfly Wisdom Tarot, in just one quick reading, gave me a direction to head in. I can't wait to dig deeper into this deck and find more inspiration.

Spread: Situation, Action, Outcome

Question: How can I find a peaceful medium/balance in my life?

The 9 of Swords revealed that my current situation is one of pushing forward through the pain, the stress, and the unbalance I am experiencing at this time. The 9 of Cups suggested to keep working toward my goals no matter how hard it may feel in the moment. The 2 of Cups showed by continuing to move forward I will find the healthy balance in my relationships that is needed for my success.

~~~~~~~

The Cards are made of good quality, thick card stock making the deck a little too thick for riffle shuffling. But, hand over hand shuffling works just fine. To be honest, I usually use the hand over hand with all my decks now, for consistency, but also to avoid deck damage.

The Butterfly Wisdom Tarot tickles my soul. I can't think of any other way to say this. 

The card backs are a beautiful blue and white background, with two butterflies facing each other. The individual cards are ringed in the colors of their suits: Majors - a dark blue, Wands - red, Cups - a light blue, Disks - yellow, and Swords - grey. The colorful, detailed butterflies stand out on a black and white background. 

The only issue I had with this deck is the card holder in the box holds onto a few cards. I've managed to pry them out a couple of times without damage, but I fear eventually I will bend the end of one. I plan to insert a ribbon to avoid destroying the stuck cards. 

In the Introduction, Starla Yilmaz, goes over details of how she came about producing this deck. She mentions the guidebook, "I tried multiple different ways of structuring the guidebook before I settled on micro fictions."

After the Introduction, Using this Deck shares some thoughts on getting to know the deck, including a method of shuffling sure to give you a "sufficient randomized" deck to do your first reading. This section also has many suggested spreads, including an intriguing technique for Yes/No questions.

The Major Arcana section covers each card in two pages: the name, card image, key ideas, micro fiction, and thoughts for deeper interpretation.

I absolutely love the micro fiction, but I would have liked to have seen some card description. 

The Wheel of Fortune features the Peacock Pansy. Starla did a great job with the stitching of these butterflies, and each one is identified in her micro fiction.

Deeper Interpretations present you with writing prompts and/or a question to ask the Tarot. "What cycle could be coming to an end in your situation?"

The Minor Arcana, separated into suits, includes the name, key ideas, micro fiction and thoughts for deeper interpretation.

The 9 of Wands micro fiction begins, "An American copper butterfly wanted to build a fence to protect its favorite flower. Things went fine until a human caught sight of the butterfly. Possibly entranced by the butterfly's orange shine, the human grabbed hold of her wings."

The short piece is one of resilience, persistence, and working against all odds to complete your project/job. 

And then when you think the guidebook is done, Starla introduces a wonderful additional section: Healing Patterns and Prompts. "Included here are several healing patterns for you to stitch if you feel called to do so." Cross-stitching instructions are not included, but she refers to her YouTube channel for newbies. Also, she has added a stitch called the overstitch, which you can find demonstrated on her YouTube channel (@starlayilmaz)

Each Healing is presented with images of the completed patterns (Beginner and Advanced), information about the design, a writing prompt, and thoughts while stitching. Detailed patterns follow, with color keys. Three healing patterns are included: Finding Balance, Showing Yourself Love, and You are Strong and Powerful.

The guide closes with Recommended Resources and a short Author Bio.

I'd recommend The Butterfly Wisdom Tarot to cross-stitchers for the beauty of the stitches, writers for the prompts, and any tarot reader from beginner to experienced. This deck is sure to touch a special place in many hearts. 

Grab your copy at  Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing.

(Review Product supplied by Schiffer Publishing)

Review: The Westwood Tarot

The Westwood Tarot
Artist: Yasmeen Westwood

Author: Kalliope

Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing, September 2024

Description: 78 cards, 254-page guidebook, book-style box with magnetic closure lid.

Card Size: 3.5 x 5

"Through her artistic vision, Yasmeen invites us to explore this whimsical tapestry of magic, woven into the cards, where the boundaries of imagination are limitless and the extraordinary awaits."

The Westwood Tarot is a beautiful, mystical deck. As you open this book-style box, you can feel the energy in the cards. Everything about this deck is breath-taking.

Based on the images of the Rider-Waite Deck, the cards are easily identifiable. Yasmeen has brought a whole new light to the Tarot with this deck. It's simply amazing.

The cards are a little larger than a regular tarot deck, but are easily shuffled hand over hand. The deck has gold edging, that doesn't flake off everywhere.

The guidebook, written by Kalliope, is also top-notch. I always love it when these two artists get together, the results never disappoint.

After a brief Welcome, and a short piece on the Creation of the deck, the author shares the Pathways of Empowerment with an overview of the Five Cs - Center, Clear, Connect, Call, and Close. 

Divining the Cards goes over what to expect in each card's description: Mnemonic, Image, Keywords, Scene, Categories, Magick, Wisdom, Spirit Guides, and Quotes. The Major Arcana also includes Further Indulgence. The Magick of the Courts are replaced with Astrological Sign and The Movement of the Knight.

After a brief look at The Suits and The Courts, we enter The Major Arcana - 69 pages of magical, intuitive words. Each card's description is covered in 2 to 3 pages.

My only criticism with The Westwood Tarot is the binding of the guidebook. It doesn't want to open fully, as you can see in the image of 12 The Hanged Man.

            Mnemonic

            Hanging on a limb,

            to see another way

            Perspective is king,

            at the end of the day

            Just stuck in a moment,

            in a pocket of time

            Surrender by trusting,

            that all will be fine

Further Indulgence - "The Hanged Man embodies the essence of the Norse god Odin, inviting you to embrace divination through runes. ..."

The Minor Arcana spans 168 pages. Each card description is explored through three pages.

As you can see in this image, the spine strings are being pulled tight. 

Light - "grieving, not seeing eye to eye, not all is lost, learning from your mistakes, ..."

Shadow - "hurt, despondent, feeling rejected, disappointed, loss, despair, ..."

Scene - "... Turning to look, she sees two more cups but these ones a filled to the brim, bow bringing the total to the Five of Cups. Apologetically, her rueful eyes rest back on the moon and she wisely says, "I'm sorry.""

Each card is presented with category meanings, which includes Love, Career, Wellness, and Finances. 

Category - Career - "Feeling let down at work and unappreciated, finding it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand. ..."

Magick - "... It's in the moment when all seems lost that the magick of the Five of Cups comes in, offering you a glimmer of hope."

Words of Wisdom - "I will no longer build my home in the hearts of people that didn't mean to say "forever" after the words "love you.""

Spirit Guide - "The Penguin, a steadfast spirit guide, waddles into your life, helping you navigate life's ebbs and flows. ..."

Quote - "Nothing grieves more deeply or pathetically than one-half of a great love that isn't meant to be." ~ Gregory David Roberts.

The author closes the guide with Spreads: a few three-card spreads, a love five-card spread, and a nine-card spread.

The Westwood Tarot has definitely found a home on my shelf. 

I would recommend this deck to any reader: novice, expert, or anyone in between. My go-to starter deck for a new reader is the Rider-Waite deck. The Westwood Tarot would easily fit into the category of an alternative first deck.

Grab your copy at Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing.

(Review Product supplied by Schiffer Publishing)

Review - Decode Tarot

Decode Tarot: Master Meanings, Reversals and Combinations

Author: Debra Zachau

Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing, September 2024 

Description: 176-page paperback book

Book Size: 6 x 9

"One single card is not a complete reading because each card you lay down tells more of the story."

"Decode Tarot takes you from reading upright only along with traditional meanings into specific combinations, crosses, and reversals that have proved accurate by testing them over thousands of readings and client feedback."

Master the Minors, Master the Courts, and Master the Majors.

After a short introduction, Part One: Mastering the Minors begins with a brief look at the Tarot cards as a whole, separating them into sections, and a glance at the different suits.

The Suits And Their Personalities is very revealing, although I would have liked to have a little more on this topic. The Celtic cross is covered briefly, along with reversals, combinations, and timing.

Timing: "I never waiver from a one-month format and assign 30 days to each card."

As you begin the journey through the Minors, you'll see the number/element, main keyword(s), an image from the Rider-Waite Deck, information about the card, combinations and reversals. This is not the typical list of combinations. The author explains the reasoning for the combinations and gives examples. 

There are reading examples throughout, but also full readings.  Within the Master the Minors, there are two full readings. One is "I Just Lost My Job!". The author explains what she sees within the cards and then explains how she presents the reading to the client. She also gives a gem of information about the last card of the Celtic Cross. 

"If the last card is not a Major Arcana, I keep laying down cards, each representing 30 days, to see how long this phase will last."

Part Two: Master the Courts starts with a Traditional Overview Of The Court Cards, followed by Here Are My Exceptions to These Rules That Have Served Me Well. 

"Pages are dependent people, whether they are under 18 of age or an adult, with limited capacity to support themselves."

Each Court is presented with images, a brief overview, a list of people and characters who fit within the family, and a deeper dive into the family, with combinations and reversals. There is another full reading in this section, along with other gems of knowledge. 

"Generally, I read Kings and Queens as people first and energy second."

Mastering the Majors begins with an introduction to the Divine Councils: Guardians, Teachers and Mentors, Guides, and Angels.

The Journey of the Fool opens the door to the Major Arcana. After each card's name and an image, the text walks you through a summary of the card, including meanings, reversals and combinations.

"The World completes the road from the young novice with the heroic Fool's heart to a well-rounded and wise conclusion described by the World."

"If this life's journey was expressed in a straight line, it would look like this:" Debra Zachau shares her thoughts on the Fool's Journey through each of the Major cards.

A short conclusion page wraps up the guide.

I did a few personal readings, using the Decode Tarot. The overall readings did not change, but I felt they went a little deeper because of the added knowledge of the cards. 

There was only one thing in this whole book I found a little off-putting. The author does not believe one should read for themselves; therefore, the text refers to the client as a reference point. 

I, personally, have never had trouble reading for myself. I've reached out to others on occasion to confirm to myself I wasn't mis-reading because of my closeness to the situation. They've always come back with very similar readings. I believe you can determine whether reading for yourself results in good readings. 

I highly recommend Decode Tarot by Debra Zachau to anyone, and everyone, interesting in learning or diving deeper into the Tarot.

Grab your copy at  Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing.

(Review Product supplied by Schiffer Publishing)

Review: Lisboa Tarot

Lisboa Tarot - Tarot through the Streets of Lisbon

Author: Beth Seilonen

Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing, 2023

Description: 78 cards, 128-page guidebook, box with magnetic closure lid.

Card Size: 3 x 5

"The Lisboa Tarot was inspired predominantly by a summer visit to the city of Lisbon, Portugal."

The Lisboa Tarot is printed on thick card stock. The deck measures 1 1/2 inches thick. They shuffle fairly well hand over hand. The images have a slightly blurred effect. The colors blue and yellow are predominate in this deck, a little too much for my taste. The images are simple, yet in a way complex. 

"The people that are showcased in the cards are statues found throughout the city." 

The King of Cups - "This King card was inspired by the statue that stands in the small plaza outside the Santa Casa da Misericordia." 

The Four of Wands - "This card was inspired by the gazebo that sits in the Jardim da Estrela. One can find impromptu dancing there in the evenings, with lots of positive vibes."

XI Justice - "This card was inspired by the central figure found in the pediment of the Assembly of the Republic, the Parliament."

The Guidebook, after a short preface and introduction to the deck, dives straight into the cards. Each Major Arcana is presented with its number, name, and a small image. The upright and reversed meanings are given, followed by the details about the image.

The Minor Arcana cards are first presented with an explanation of the overall suit. Each individual card has its name, a small image, the upright and reversed meanings, and details about the image.

The author ends the journey by sharing two spreads, a 5-card (for making choices) and a 7-card (for planning). A short conclusion and about the author section completes the small guide.

Overall, I enjoyed exploring this deck. I wasn't exactly captivated by the images, but the guidebook presentation is worth exploring. Based on the Rider-Waite system, this deck would make a nice addition to the shelf. The readings I did were accurate. I just didn't feel much of a vibe with them.

Grab a copy at  Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing.

(Review Product supplied by Schiffer Publishing)