#liminal11

Liminal 11 has the special editon of Seed & Sickle Oracle by Fez Inkwright up for pre-order starting today! Seed & Sickle Oracle is another earthly work from Fez, joining her books “Folk Magic & Healing” and “Botanical Curses and Poisons”. 

This special edition comes with a copper gilded Seed & Sickle deck, 2 guide books for dawn and dusk meanings (progress & reflection), a green velvet deck bag, an A5 sketch book, a card for number and authenticity, The Citadel oracle deck, and a custom tin box to hold everything in. If The Citadel deck is anything like the White Numen tarot special edition, it will be exclusive to this set.

This edition will be shipped on the same day as the regular edition release, November 9th. The regular edition can be bought in bookstores worldwide starting on the same day, but does not come with the copper foil gilding. 

Pre-order the Seed & Sickle special edition here!

I have been very work-focused lately (in a healthy way, please take care of yourself first). That means I am trying to squeeze in my blog reviews (tarot in my life is never stopping, though) to give myself a breather. It's time for the Luna Sol Tarot, produced by Darren Shill and Kay Medaglia at Liminal 11. This deck is not new to me, as what you'll see today is its newer edition - in fact, it's a deck I've known and worked with for three years!

I tend to label my decks (mentally) to easily locate them in my collection for the moments when I need something particular. What has stood the most about the Luna Sol is its inclusion and its softness. It's a gentle, charming deck with revitalized symbolism, and lots of characters that "invite you in with moments of delicate vulnerability"; being "an uplifting, healing tarot deck that reflects our beautifully diverse world". Indeed, the Luna Sol makes space for everyone. The palette choice, leaning on pastels, is the very first thing that made me smile. The artwork feels soft, but not blurry or diffused. The diversity of the characters promotes a more realistic, inviting environment - and of course, it highlights the issue of representation.

I mentioned a “revitalized symbolism” because the cards feel really modern and fresh. The diversity and the laid-back and honest vibe of the characters encourages deep conversations with oneself. And the artwork is so pretty! It features thin lines of different colours (instead of just using black) and the shapes feel organic. There's a natural flow into the card, even in the moodiest ones - allowing for an easy way to weave thoughts among different cards that may seem contradictive at first.

Let's go over the differences between the editions. The box now is the same as the usual Liminal 11 boxes, with a magnetic slipcase box. The backs in the second edition feature the same design, but they are borderless. The cards are a sliver taller than in the first edition, and in terms of the finish, the second edition is more matte - the first edition was not glossy to start with. The cards are the same, and if I were to find a difference, I would say that in the second edition the illustrations appear either darker or a little bit less saturated - and I feel that in the second edition the textures show better. In this edition there are also two extra cards: Wu Wei and Duality.

The booklet has new features, with the inclusion of new pages, its being in full color, and having a hardcover. It includes a foreword, an introduction, information on how to read the cards, tips, spreads, and information on the cards themselves. This information is more extensive on the majors (which also include a quote for each card) and shorter, but still very valuable, in the minors.

I don’t even know how to start this review because of how excited I am. This post features three shining aspects: an incredibly beautiful deck, from a company that delivers incredible production quality, by the hands of an artist that is local to me. I am talking about the White Numen Tarot by Alba Ballesta González, published by the wonderful folks at Liminal 11.

This review will cover the limited edition, and there’s something I want to highlight right from the beginning as I believe this makes the edition radically special: it contains the exclusive Golden Constellation Oracle, a 31 card deck by Alba in a different style that is not available anywhere else, and that will not be available once the limited edition sells out. Since the limited edition and the deck themselves feature lots of glorious details, I have decided to make a separate post for the Oracle so you can see it better (going live tomorrow). Back to the deck itself: the White Numen: A Sacred Animal Tarot is an 80 card deck inspired by ancient rituals and stories of sacred animal spirits, creating a path to human reconnection with the natural world and spiritual realm.

Its soft but powerful artwork with delicate lineart and beautifully graded hues works wonderfully for the human characters, the animal characters, and those in between; as well as providing nicely shaded backgrounds that feel complimentary but unobtrusive, and focus the attention on the foreground. There’s a wide palette all over the deck, but the suits have colour associations, working on limited palettes for each (as you can see in the pictures). The cards manage to be simple and rich at the same time, and honestly, they are just striking. Take a moment to check out the two extra cards, the White Numen and the Black Numen). You can appreciate an overlay of a soft grainy texture, like the cards come out from a haze, misting them with a touch of dreamlike quality.

I could talk about these cards all day. You can feel how they connect to ancient times and rituals while somehow being modern and relevant. The mini hardcover booklet is a great companion (and one that is also present in the standard edition) and both the deck and the booklet come in a sturdy magnetic slipcase box. But let’s talk limited details: the gold edges are exclusive from this edition, and while the velvet bag is also available in the standard one, you can only get it at Liminal 11. Both decks (remember about the Golden Constellation!) come in a custom tin box in gold and blue, accompanied by a custom tarot cloth, two sticker sheets, and deluxe prints of the bonus cards (117×195 mm). Of course, it includes a signed and numbered authenticity card!

Warning: raving ahead! Most of you know the Modern Witch Tarot already (which I reviewed here). Following its huge success, Liminal 11 has gone a step beyond and recently launched the Modern Witch Tarot Journal, a delicious journal-meets-guide hybrid. In this post I’ll go over the Special Limited edition, which was released just a few days ago.

But first, let’s get to the journal itself. It is lavishly illustrated with all new full-page colour artwork by Lisa Sterle, and has a delightful faux-leather cover with the Modern Witch logo embossed on the back. It features over 250 pages (!) of uncoated woodfree paper, as well as a ribbon bookmark. The journal in the limited edition also includes a back pocket (with 12 sticker sheets!) and sparkling holo patterned sprayed edges. But there are more extras. The illustrations you see in the main picture are the 8 mini-prints of all of Lisa’s new original drawings. The shine you see coming from the pictures belongs to the 5 decorative bookmarks: metallic gold tarot card on super-thick cardstock. It is strictly limited to 1.111 copies, and includes an authenticity page signed and numbered by Lisa Sterle.

This is more than a journal, more than a guidebook, more than a combination of both. I will go over the different sections: after a table of contents, a foreword, and a wonderful introduction (including beautiful words about self-discovery), the thick of the book appears. Card Meanings includes different sections to build your own personal reference guide and log your keywords, correspondences, reflections and reversals for each card (with one page for each major, half for each minor, and space for card combinations). Tarot Readings is for recording your readings and interpretations, with space both for shorter and more complex readings. Tarot Spreads is for collecting your favourite spreads, learning to create your own, and seeing a couple of great examples.

It continues! Once the most insightful, reflective sections are over, there are a few focused on resources. Tarot Decks includes space for deck interviews and a deck inventory (for up to 90 decks). Books and Online Resources is good to record all your favourite tarot books, blogs (*wink*), or social media. My favourite element on this section is the room for daily challenges, including an example Modern Witch Challenge. Finally, Tarot Circle includes a directory of the people in your tarot circle, professional readers, meetings and events. I love how it is divided into inner circle and outer circle, including a very important reminder to include contacts of professional colleagues in fields like psychology or law.

More goodness from Liminal 11! This time, I am presenting the Cosmic Slumber Tarot (by Tillie Walden) in all of its glory: the Special Limited Edition, strictly limited to 1.111 copies, only available from Liminal11.com, and never to be reprinted again! This deck ask a question: if the Universe were to sleep, where would her dreams lead? Liminal 11 adds: “hand-painted and bursting with colour, The Cosmic Slumber Tarot evokes imagery from subconscious and subliminal states. It’s a tarot deck energised by a soulful warmth from award-winning comics prodigy Tillie Walden”.

Let me start with the deck in itself: this is a radiant, vibrant work of art where colour plays a huge role. The palette is very saturated, leaning towards warmer hues without leaving aside rich blues and purples. Its lines are very organic, in such a way that characters, elements and symbols flow in each card, as well as connecting seamlessly with each other. Under the strength and power of the artwork lies a tenderness that can be appreciated in the small details, and in the extremely well-chosen symbols. These cards aren’t only visual pleasure, but also a beautiful tarot experience that walks in the verge of dreams and reality. One of my favourite examples to illustrate this is the Tower, with its three hands that make us wonder: whose hands are these? are all three destroying the Tower?

The deck features 80 cards, with The Morning and The Night as extra guests. The minors are scenic, and in them colour remains important within each suit (for example, greens are almost exclusively found on pentacles). The characters’ faces are lovely, and convey lots of meaning. The hardcover book, at 56 pages, is a great companion. I particularly love the intro to the deck, as it really encapsulates its energy and intention: “dreams allow us to connect what does not fit together [...] This deck is about the peace [of] deep slumber, [with] the Universe revolving and dancing as she sleeps”.

The Special Limited edition enlarges this experience. In the round tin box, there are more goodies than the deck to be uncovered. First of all, the deck itself has mirrory silver edges not found on the standard edition (though the awesome magnetic slipcase box is included). The embroidered velvet tarot bag can hold the cards without the box into place, and the illustrated 3-panel ‘stained glass’ triptych looks absolutely delightful in the reading table. This edition also includes a custom cotton reading cloth, and one of my favourites: the ‘Sketchbook’ booklet featuring Tillie’s original sketches for the major arcana. This is topped by a signed and numbered authenticity card.

News from the fine people at Liminal 11! Home of the Luna Sol Tarot (reviewed here) and the Modern Witch Tarot (reviewed here), they have some surprises for 2021:

New edition of The Luna Sol Tarot. I believe the new packaging will be like that of the newer decks vs the previous tuckbox. I can’t wait to see it!

The New Chapter Tarot, “a story, a journey, a self portrait of change”. Looks great!

Mystical Medleys, a tarot deck inspired by the iconic vintage cartoons of the early twentieth century.

To be honest, I am not feeling bored (not for one second) during the lockdown. I have lots of (remote) work to do, and the commuting time I save, I can invest in my hobbies. I am still working out (I am so thankful for the ever deserted rooftop terrace), and of course, I am absolutely basking in my decks. I have been following the development of today’s find, the Modern Witch Tarot, ever since I reviewed the Luna Sol Tarot from Liminal 11.

Created by Lisa Sterle, this is a modern, fresh, lively rendition of the RWS. Its hugely popular Ten of Swords (which dubbed “Everything is Fine” was the first card created, and which can be found as an extra card in the deck) has resonated with many folks for its sheer beauty, modern approach, and wonderful message (after all, the girl is still very much alive). With a very similar palette to that of the RWS (but with twists and more texture), this is a vibrant deck with many details to love. Its all-femme diverse characters, their clear facial gestures, the inclusion of contemporary elements and fashion, and the sleek precise artwork create cards that you can’t take your eyes (and your mind) off.

The cards can be extremely surprising. I can’t stop thinking about the magnificent sukeban Five of Wands, which shows that, despite its clear roots in tradition, the cards are approachable, familiar and current. In terms of design, There’s a thin black border framed by a bigger white one, with the card names on the bottom. The cardstock is very nice, on the thicker side, and you can see from the pictures that the borders are very white (instead of greyish as it happens with most decks).

The 56 page hardcover booklet features a foreword, an introduction, messages from the cards (longer in the majors), information on how to read them, and spreads. The deck comes in a beautiful hard sleeve box, and a black velvet bag with a black sateen lining on the inside and the Modern Witch emblem embroidered on the outside in gold. These are exclusive from the Liminal 11 webshop, so you also get a catalogue and a postcard from the upcoming White Numen Tarot.