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Title: Blood Moon Tarot
Creator: Sam Guay
Publisher: US Games Inc
Number of cards: 78
Card size: 5 x 2.5 in
Box size: 7.5 x 5.5 x 2 in approx
Guidebook pages: 144
Purchased or gifted?: Review copy provided by US Games Inc
Absolute favorite card: Temperance
Other favorites: (in order from most beloved): The Hermit, The Star, Nine of Skins, The Emperor, Five of Honey, The Tower, The Devil, Four of Honey, The Lovers, Ace of Songs
Notable detail: Hardback guidebook and matte burgundy edges
Season: Early Fall
Sabbat: Mabon
Sign: Virgo
Element: Spirit
Deck compliment: Herbana Witch Oracle
Collective Pull: Judgment

Indulge Yourself

First Impressions

My very first impression is that I love the packaging and that I’m pretty surprised by how much US Games really stepped it up with this box. I’ll get into that more in the next section but I am genuinely surprised by how luxe this project is. There’s so much to love with this deck and a few things I would’ve liked to see more of. I don’t have the original version of the deck though so just being transparent that I can’t compare the different editions. But from what I understand, the original version of this deck is quite popular so I’m really eager to work with the new mass market edition so let’s dig in.

The Packaging

Ok, this packaging is super luxe for a US Games deck. I am quite happy to say this is quickly becoming a regular thing from this publishing house. The box is nice and large and features beautiful matte gold details on the cover and sides. I really like the color of the box as well. It’s a deep burgundy or perhaps a muted oxblood is more apt which matches the name of the tarot perfectly.

The card stock is a bit thin but has a nice linen texture. The cards sit inside of a platform housed in the bottom of the box which is a rigid two piece box. It has a red ribbon to lift out the cards and guidebook and a nice print that matches the back of the cards is featured inside.

The stand out details however, are the hardback guidebook and the matte burgundy edges. It’s pretty rare to find a hardback guidebook and to be quite fair, US Games is the ONLY publisher I’ve personally seen doing this to date. I have several independent decks with hardback guidebooks but nothing mass market other than Matt Hughes’s last two decks which are also from US Games. I was super surprised to open the box and see this super luxe detail.

But then I pulled out the cards and saw the burgundy sides and gasped. I love the color and I love that they’re matte which is also something US Games has done with Matt’s decks. All of the publishers are changing their packaging and rightfully so but what I love about US Games is that they aren’t trying to copy what everyone else is doing. They’re coming out with unique ways to set themselves apart and I really appreciate that. This is how you make a project memorable. I don’t think all of the publishers and frankly commerce brands in general really think through that first opening experience.

I recently got an order from a new brand I had never ordered from before. The box was way too big for what I got , the items were in cheap bags (one of which broke upon opening), and everything was tossed into the box without any care or consideration. And I ended up returning everything. The opening experience was poor but so was the quality of what I ordered and the experience lingers. Opening a deck for the first time is not unlike unboxing anything else. Little extra details show care for your customers. That little bit of extra money makes a deck feel worth the cost and you know what, when you have to choose between one deck and another, you’re probably going to go with one that you know will deliver a quality experience. So well done US Games. I hope you make more decks just like this because trust me when I say, us consumers notice.

The Guidebook

The guidebook as you know is hardcovered and features full color printing throughout. I really love the full page images of the cards, especially for a deck with such rich symbolism. There’s a lot to look at for each photo and having a larger image is really helpful for tired eyes which we all have, let’s be real. We live in a world of screens and overstimulation so often minute details in small cards are missed. Inside of the guidebook you will find:

An introduction
The card meanings
Reading your cards
Five spreads

I will say, I’m a little disappointed that there wasn’t more in the general spaces of the guidebook. I just find myself wanting more information about most decks these days. Specifically for this one, what was the inspiration behind the name? How does that tie into the overall experience of the deck? Is there something we need to know about the blood moon which influences the work here?

I often find myself loving a deck but not feeling a clear sense of its foundation. I understand the desire to make a deck to represent your own journey but I guess I just want to connect with the vision of a project in a deeper way. And I’m seeing this in readers too. I get so many messages from readers when it comes to my own tarot decks, wanting to connect with these details and I find myself wanting that from other creators as well.

Aside from the general name of the project, the creator has left little anecdotes and explanations within the cards themselves or at least for the major arcana. Perhaps the story behind the tarot’s name will be in there too but I have yet to find it. I particularly enjoyed the explanation for Temperance and the creator relating emotions to her creative process. I would have loved to see some of these stories for the minor arcana too, even just shorter, more condensed versions.

I do love the renaming of the suits and there is an introduction for each one, detailing the reason behind the name change. There is a pretty good explanation of the symbols you’ll find throughout the suit as well as a general explanation about the element associated with the suit.

And the spreads section has a good selection of spreads to choose from. I especially love the Pathways spread which gives you alternative paths to take. I like more unusual spreads like this.

Theme

I can’t say that I’ve been able to identify a super clear theme but the introduction details the creator’s desire to illustrate her own journey and to show the tarot through her own lens. And in the Rider-Waite tarot doesn’t really have a theme either so it's not like you need one to make a tarot deck but it does help to understand how one tarot deck is different from another.

The Artwork

Ok so now to the art. It’s dark, muted and moody which is exactly why I was interested in this deck. I tried over the summer to be a “bright” girly. I got my color analysis done this past spring and found out I am a true spring for any of you who are familiar with this system. And if you’re not, it more or less means I’m supposed to wear the brightest, warmest colors I can find. So think super true to color reds, oranges, and yellows. But here’s the thing, the colors I wear are the colors that are in my house and within my decks, and everything in my life. I have a color palette so I shift everything in my world to match it.

Where am I going with this? I tried to enjoy much more bright colors in my tarot and oracle decks too and found that bright colors are just not for me. I love the moodiness. I love the earthiness. I love the depth and the darkness both in my decks and in the colors of my life. And I have found that decks like this in general are just so much more soothing to the nervous system. They feel grounded and nurturing in a way bright decks just don’t seem to do, at least not for me.

I’ll start with Temperance which is my favorite card out of this deck. I couldn’t really identify why I liked it at first, just that I knew it resonated with me. It's perhaps the most unusual Temperance card I have ever seen. In the guidebook, the creator talks about how fire and water are opposites but how they naturally co-exist in some places of the world. For example oceanic volcanoes which is what this image reminds me of. I really enjoyed this perspective. Most interpretations for Temperance are about the general idea of balance but this really hones in on something I think so many people can relate to which are suppressing emotions. I think this image and the guidebook as well really open Temperance up in a way I haven’t experienced in a long time for this card.

“The process of creation, the things that we make with our hands and hearts are filled with personal power and meaning.”

Another favorite is the Hermit. I just love how dark this card is and then you have this glowing egg thing down at the bottom. It reminds me of feeling like you’re at rock bottom and unexpectedly finding there is light there too. According to the guidebook, it's actually a meteorite but my first thought was truly how hitting rock bottom often becomes a catalyst for a spiritual journey back towards yourself.

Ok one more card, The Tower. Just because I love this card so much. There’s a woman down below who’s holding up this totem pole for lack of a better description on her head. The top of the tower is collapsing while she’s doing her best to keep still and keep the tower from falling completely. I love that the tower sits on top of her head. It feels so accurate to what the weight of expectations and beliefs and falsehoods can often create until it becomes so heavy there’s no choice but to let it come down. It reminds me of misalignment. Things that are in alignment with us should not feel like they weigh us down. They should lift you up and bring joy, not burden to your life. But alignment begins with having a strong foundation. When building a house, if one measurement is off, then every other measurement that follows will be off too.

That’s why knowing who you are and your true, core beliefs and values is what establishes everything that comes next. Your goals, your choices, your trajectory. It’s all built from a base that needs to be strong enough to hold all of that. And when that base isn’t strong enough, you get a tower moment. You pull the tarot card. I don’t know if that’s what the creator intended in this card but that is what I saw and I think it's a really good way to portray this card. Mostly because it doesn’t feel negative but it does feel accurate.

Own Blood Moon Tarot

Reading With this Deck

In the spirit of transparency, I have to admit that lately I have not been able to read as easily. I’ve really been struggling with connecting to my intuition; my guides and ancestors have been abnormally quiet. I’ve also been struggling with the aging process of my parents and all of the emotional weight that comes with that. I tend to be a “worst case scenario” sort of person despite my attempts to be positive and to have faith that the universe does indeed have my back. So anytime I get a headache, I immediately think something dramatic like “it’s an aneurysm” or anytime my mom forgets something, my mind immediately assumes it's dementia. Thank god for therapy and spiritual tools otherwise I’d completely fall apart.

So when it came time to start doing readings with this deck, I wasn’t excited because I was an emotional wreck. But you know what, I found this deck matched my energy well. I pulled so, so many dreams (cups) and songs (swords) cards. And that makes sense because as you just read, my emotions and thoughts have completely run away with me. The energy and chaos of my reading reflected how I felt. But it also gave me a sense of peace. I pulled Page of Dreams (cups) which reminded me to trust in my intuition. That yes, there’s some worry but deep down, I know it’s not as bad as I’ve made it out to be. I also pulled Four of honey (pentacles) in one reading and I realized I had been stuck in just one scenario. Clinging to one outcome for dear life even though it upset me.

We associate the four of pentacles with hoarding money but that’s such a limited understanding of this card. It’s also about fear of the unknown. Clinging to something because you want to control things without all of the information. For some, that means hoarding money thinking you won’t make more. For me, it means clenching the version of things that make me feel like I can do something about it.

I also pulled the Fool and the magician fell out when I asked the deck to tell me what it thinks of me. I had to chuckle because there are four main cards that I pull to represent me the vast majority of the time and it's been that way for coming up on a decade: the devil (1st place), the empress (2nd), the magician (3rd) and the fool rounding out last. It happens so often that I just throw my hands up in surrender now.

But I appreciated the pull so much because it reminded me to have faith. To not mentally doom scroll. To take a deep breath and let the path unfold while also remembering that I have tools at my disposal and I’m a pretty fucking powerful human being. I could be humble about it but the truth is that when I have believed in my spirit, I have manifested incredible things.

What I’m saying is that the deck seemed to see me. It saw me for the mess that I have been but it also saw me for who I am when I get out of my own way. It acknowledged that shit is hard for me right now but it didn’t let me drown in self-pity. You really can’t ask for more than that. Regardless of if you’re connected to the art or love the packaging or thought the guidebook was amazing. At the end of the day, what’s important is that a deck meets you where you are and helps you to walk the path that leads to your highest good.

Collective Pull

I pulled Judgment for you. This card is often portrayed as a spiritual entity calling you to a higher purpose. But really, this card is about you calling yourself to a higher expression. It invites you to reflect upon your choice, your fears, your desires and your goals to understand what is truly valuable to you moving forward. This is the moment when you get to decide who you want to be rather than leaving it up to chance. Will you continue to let your past be the only story you’ll tell or are you ready to write a new one?

We all have past experiences we’d so desperately like to forget. But the richness of this card is that your past doesn’t have to be the only way to see yourself. You can’t change what’s happened to you but you can make the best of it. You can examine it, reflect upon it, and use whatever silver linings you can find to fuel what comes next. And if nothing else, you can offer yourself closure. You can understand how your past has brought you to this point and then close the door on that journey to find completion and clarity.

What do you need to face right now? Not because you’re broken or fractured but because you need to send it on its way? To rise above it rather than feeling as though you have to stay stuck in this place.

Season, Sign, Element and Sabbat

I went with early fall for the season. It would be so easy to say deep fall because its called Blood Moon Tarot and it's a bit moody but then I look at cards like the suit of honey or skins and I see a clear association to the sun and fire and warmth and things that just don’t feel appropriate for deep fall, not fully. But to me, early fall is where fire and water meet. Like all seasons, the earth doesn’t just change in an instant the moment we hit a solstice or equinox. It's a gradual shift from one energy to another. The days are often still very hot during the first weeks of fall even as the nights are growing cooler. The busyness of summer hasn’t released its hold either even though we feel the desperate need to slow down and seek comfort. This deck doesn’t feel like it belongs in one space or another. It feels more liminal just like those early fall days.

I suppose Virgo matches that energy too. Virgo is the sign of purification and hard work. It’s the sign that begins the shift from the first half of the zodiac to the second which is significant. The first half of the zodiac wheel represents inward facing themes and goals. These are the signs of “I, me” and everything that comes along with that. Personal finances, how you communicate and express yourself, and your emotional understanding. Whereas the second part of the zodiac wheel is much more outwardly facing. This is much more about “us, we” and focuses on themes like philosophy, shared resources, partnerships and the collective consciousness.

So Virgo occurs just before that shift from one half to the other and of course also sits at the gate to fall. I can’t explain why but this deck really feels like a transitional energy. It feels like the creator was trying to get somewhere in making it. You can see this in the suits especially. The suit of skins represents shedding skins. And then I think of the suit of songs and what is a song but a story? Something that shares the journey of going from one place to another. Or dreams which is the liminal space between the conscious and subconscious mind. So that’s the energy I’m picking up and what’s prompted me to focus on that energy in this section.

I’m going to go with spirit for the element again, tapping into that liminal energy. It's a very earthy deck and yet it feels like it exists more outside time and space. It feels cosmic but not in the stars and moon aesthetic sort of way. It just feels like looking into someone’s imagination. Peeking inside a world of potential and chaos.

And for the sabbat well, I’ve had the hardest time with this choice but I chose Mabon because it is the fall equinox which of course is exactly the time of that transition I was talking about earlier. That time when you’re neither here nor there but seeking your way to something that will make you feel held.

Who is this deck for?

This deck is for the reader who loves a little mood in their magic. Someone who isn’t looking for neon optimism or overly precious imagery, but something that feels lived-in, deep, and a little haunted in the best way. If you’re drawn to earthy palettes, muted tones, and artwork that feels like it crawled straight out of a dream you half-remembered, Blood Moon Tarot is going to feel like home.

And honestly, this deck is for the reader who’s in a season of transition — emotionally, spiritually, or just in the general mess of being human. Blood Moon meets you where you are without coddling you. It reflects the truth of whatever you’re holding, even when that truth comes with shaky hands and worst-case-scenario spirals like me. If your mind has been running away with you or your emotions feel bigger than your body, this deck seems to know that territory well.

Deck Companion

I keep most of my decks on a shelf, all together so that I can browse them and select the one that calls to me. This is what I do when I’m looking for a companion deck unless there’s one I already have in mind. I didn’t have a sense already in mind with this one so I scanned my shelf and the Herbana Witch Oracle jumped out at me. The aesthetic isn’t the same and yet it is, especially on the Herbana Witch cards with figures. There’s a similar energy about the two that felt right when I placed them together.

You’ll probably look at the two together and feel like they don’t match at all, especially aesthetically. And the themes don’t really have any overlap either. But there’s a dreamy, organic, flowy energy about both decks that seem to speak to each other. Blood Moon Tarot seems ethereal while Herbana Witch Oracle brings a groundedness without making it feel too mundane.

You can see my review of the Herbana Witch Oracle here.

Buy Herbana Witch Oracle

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