"Connected and Free"

This past week I received in the mail, Connected and Free: The Alchemist's Oracle, a self-published deck by Lauren Aletta and Tegan Swyny. I hesitated a good while over this one as it felt so similar to The Wild Unknown Tarot but a youtube video convinced me that not only there was enough difference between the decks but the art work had a quirky and compelling beauty to it that made me want to explore further. So I bought it and this week I shall be pairing it up with The Wild Unknown Tarot for my daily draws.

It comes with its own very home-spun little cardboard box decorated in mehndi-style artwork. The effect is both charming and warm. Included was lovely thank you note, seen in the first pic, handwritten by the author full of good wishes. With the deck comes a LWB, no pamphlet this, it's a chunky little book, each card reproduced in b&w with a page devoted to its meaning written to look as though it's a page from a journal. The effect is quite distinctive in this age of mass-produced decks and books.

A lovely image of a swan with the title, Confirmation, the LWB goes on to say, "Continue to balance your inner and outer worlds, trusting that still small voice with each step." Make of that what you will but you could go deeply with simply the image and title alone.

This one entitled, Higher Knowledge, has a more resonant message, "Begin to lay the foundations through physical and energetic practices so you can breathe life into what already loves you."

The rest of the book is taken up with suggestions for spreads and developing your intuition, as well as ways to begin working with the deck. The pages are written white on black for a very striking and unique effect. Clearly an artist's eye has been at work here from start to finish. A few favorite cards follow...

~ Expectation ~

                                                                                                                                                                                    

 ~ Communication~

~ Decisions ~

 

~ Comparison ~

 And finally the card backs...

So many of the cards have this spare beauty to them it was hard to post just a few. I am quite looking forward to pairing up this lovely deck with the wonderful Wild Unknown Tarot and seeing how the dialogue between them unfolds.