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Title: Celestial Unicorn Tarot
Author: Calista & Leeza Robertson
Art by: Eugene Smith
Publisher: Llewellyn
Number of cards: 78
Card size: 4.5 x 2.75 in
Box size: 6.5 x 5 x 2 in approx
Guidebook pages: 188
Purchased or gifted?: Review copy provided by Llewellyn
Absolute favorite card: The Sun
Other favorites: (in order from most beloved) The Hanged Unicorn, Strength, Ace of Cups, Four of Cups, The Moon, Seven of Wands, Ten of Swords, Ace of Swords
Season: Summer
Sabbat: Lammas
Sign: Aquarius
Element: Spirit
Deck compliment: Horse Wisdom Oracle
Collective Pull: Death

Add to your altar

First Impressions

I won’t lie, this is not the kind of deck I gravitate towards. Llewellyn will often send me decks they’re excited about and this was one of the more recent ones. Which of course means I’m happy to review it but I also won’t lie and say I was excited about it when I saw it. I’m much more of a moody, earthy vibe and typically stay away from very bright, colorful decks like these. They remind me of my time—many moons ago—working at a company called Sage Goddess which was an experience! This is the sort of deck that would fit right in there—-bright, colorful and featuring your more friendly mythical creatures. I’m more of a Baba Yaga and Persephone girl myself. Having said all of that, I have had many and I do mean many decks that I didn’t resonate with artwork wise but loved when I started working with it. So, let’s get into this one and we’ll see if I change my mind by the end.

The Packaging

I never have anything negative to say about Llewellyn’s boxes as they are always well done. They’re sturdy and feature full color printing. I will say that the last few tarot decks I have gotten from them have been in smaller boxes which actually, I really like. Bee Tarot and Witch Sister Tarot are my top two favorite decks of all time from Llewellyn but the boxes are a bit big and bulky to store. This current size is perfect in my opinion.

Per usual, it has a book fold top with magnetic closure, platform to house the cards with a ribbon to pull them out, and printing on the inside cover. There isn’t anything of note in terms of printing. No foil or special detail but the box is vibrant and the matte printing quality is well done. Some special detail would’ve been icing on the cake but I don’t feel like I’m missing anything at all.

The cards themselves are a touch thin but Llewellyn’s cards are usually a bit on the thinner side. They shuffle well and so far, I’ve shuffled them a lot and dropped them at least one by accident and they’re holding up. So I don't think the thickness of the cards is an issue here at all. Sadly no gilding on the sides. I’ve ranted and raved about this plenty of times with Llewellyn decks so I’m not going to go into it again. But, I just want to say, a unique blue on the sides would’ve been gorgeous.

You also get a card stand inside of the box. This is also something I’ve ranted about as I don’t care for it. I love the idea, just not the execution.

The Guidebook

Something else Llewellyn usually does exceptionally well is their guidebooks and this one is also very nice. It includes:

An introduction
A very nice section about unicorns
A section about tarot
How to do a reading
Five spreads
A conclusion page
And a note page

You really get a lot of information in this guidebook. It's clear the writers have done a lot of research on unicorns or at the very least, have a good understanding of how they want unicorns to be represented in this deck. They’ve even assigned a unicorn lineage for each of the major arcana cards. I think the guidebook is well done. I always like to see a lot of information beyond just the card’s interpretations so as far as guidebooks go, they get an A for sure.

For each card, you get a list of keywords, a unicorn message, card meaning and reversed meaning. And then for the major arcana cards, you get all of that plus a section called “Rise Like a Unicorn” which is a ritual or practice. You also get useful information at the start of each suit so be sure to check that out as well.

Theme

Obviously unicorns are a key part of the theme but it goes much deeper than that. I don’t know too much about unicorns but I’ve learned a lot from this deck. For instance, there are many different types of unicorns and unicorn lineages according to the guidebook. And the celestial part of the theme comes from the idea that unicorns are travelers of different dimensions. Also that unicorns come from all sorts of places from different realms to star systems to different periods of time. So the theme is much deeper than I expected it to be. I didn’t really get the whole celestial thing at first but now having read the guidebook, it makes total sense. And, it brought a depth to this project that I really wasn’t expecting to find.

*The Hanged Man, Four of Cups and The Moon*

The Artwork

Alright, it's time for art talk. Again, this is not my style of art but I’m not saying it's bad. There’s only two kinds of art and neither of them are bad. There is art that you love and art that isn’t for you. This just happens to be art that isn’t my kind of vibe. Having said that though, there are some cards which I quite like. My favorite among them is the Sun which is one of the more earthy pieces in the deck. It’s warm and bright and pretty positive. I think it represents the sun card beautifully.

“There are accounts of unicorns throughout the ages in Greek natural history, Indian and medieval cultures, and even in religion texts, such as the bible—all refer to the existence of unicorns.”

I’m also quite partial to the moon. I love the half moon in the background. This is one of the more minimal cards in the deck but I think it captures the spirit of the moon’s traditional meaning well, just like with the sun.

In terms of overall style, it’s on the colorful side which one would expect with a unicorn deck. The unicorns come in all kinds of styles and colors so you get a good variety. Don’t expect to see 78 images of white unicorns with rainbow horns and thank goodness for that. I’ve noticed for cups cards, the unicorn’s hair is water and then fire for wands. But you also have really dark unicorns, some with wings, some that are brown plus, there are other animals sprinkled throughout the deck.

Own Celestial Unicorn Tarot

Reading With this Deck

So far, there’s been a lot of energy and movement in my readings. I’ve pulled cards like the Chariot, the six of pentacles and the eight of wands many times while working with it. I’ve also pulled the Magician more than any other card. I’ll say that so far, this deck has been pretty encouraging. With the exception of pulling Death for the collective pull, I can honestly say I haven’t come across as sad or more shadowy card yet.

And you know, I really needed the motivation. I’ve been working on renovating my altar room by myself and it’s taken a huge toll on me. I planned to do this over the course of two weeks which is now closer to two months and I’ve been feeling burnt out and like this whole thing has been a waste of time. So these cards really showed up for me. They made me feel like I could keep going and that the effort would pay off.

I don’t consider these cards to be overwhelmingly positive, just present with my current situation. They aren’t negative either. It’s like they tell me exactly what I need to hear at any moment—no less, no more. And I really appreciate that. That’s what a tarot deck should do. It should be honest but encouraging. Show you what’s going on but also how to overcome it. Earlier I said let’s see if I change my mind about this deck and while yes it's true, I don’t super resonate with the art, I can honestly say this is a super solid deck with a pretty amazing guidebook. Would I purchase this if I saw it in a bookstore? No, probably not. But if you’re reading this now and you need a good deck that will support you, let me tell you that this deck is definitely a great choice to have on your altar.

Collective Pull

If you’re reading this now, I have pulled Death for you. We’re taught to believe death is the end, not because we know this to be true but because we don’t know what comes next. It's a mystery and an enigma. And because we cannot understand it, we do our best to avoid it. The lack of control death offers can feel like too much to experience. It doesn’t matter that your current existence hurts, or frustrates you, makes you feel small or takes more than you have to give. It doesn’t matter because you know what to expect. You know which pains await you and you know how to defend yourself against them. But death offers no such certainty. It could be so much better on the other side but also so much worse. Very few are willing to take the gamble.

But when Death appears in a reading, an ending stops being a matter of choice. The end of something is upon you and you can kick and scream all you like but you’ll have to transition anyway. This card reminds you that death doesn’t have to be a difficult experience. You can choose to go willingly and let a new beginning unfold or you can do all you can to resist, even knowing your efforts will be in vain.

Let death be a friend who lovingly guides you to a new existence. New doesn’t mean the end of the road. You’re allowed to make a turn and to go a new way. And yes, death may come for you many times and each time it will feel like a heavy weight to bear. But you can make a conscious choice to make the best of death, however and whenever it appears.

Season, Sign, Element and Sabbat

I chose summer for the season because the deck is so vibrant. I associate bright, rich colors with the summer season. Perhaps you do too? It's when the earth is at her most vibrant and while I know unicorns are not horses, I do feel they have a similar energy. I associate horses with summer so there you go. Which is also why I chose Lammas. Horses have always felt right in the space between Lammas and Mabon. That’s when I feel more connected with them and I feel the same about unicorns.

I chose Aquarius the zodiac sign because of the celestial connection. Pisces would be a good fit too but unicorns are by nature unusual creatures which is an Aquarian sort of energy. And I chose spirit for the element because of the celestial connection to different realms and dimensions.

Who is this deck for?

If you love unicorns, then add this to your cart. If you want to learn about unicorns, then also add this to your cart. There’s a lot more information in here than I could’ve imagined so if you’re interested in unicorns at all, I think you’ll be surprised by how much you can get out of just reading the guidebook, let alone working with the cards.

I think this is a great deck for you if you’re a person who thrives on imagination, fantasy, and myth. This is a great deck to connect with your sense of awe or to reconnect with the playful part of your being. And those who are fascinated by star magic and cosmic archetypes might also find this deck to be worthwhile to add to your collection.

Deck Companion

I’m sure there’s probably some kind of unicorn oracle out there but as I mentioned, unicorns aren’t really my thing so if you know of one, drop it in the comments so other readers can see if it works for them. But that doesn’t mean I’ve left you without a pairing. Earlier, I said unicorns carry a similar energy to horses and I think Horse Wisdom Oracle makes a good match for this deck. Many of the colors found in Celestial Unicorn are also featured in Horse Wisdom Oracl and there’s definitely a majestic quality to them.

And if you want to learn more about Horse Wisdom Oracle, be sure to check out my review here.

Purchase Horse Wisdom Oracle

Thanks for reading all the way through. If you found this review to be helpful, informative or entertaining in any way, please be sure to leave a comment down below. It really helps me know what you’re enjoying so that I can provide more content based on what you love. In the meantime, please enjoy a variety of photos from this deck.

And of course, if there is something you’d like me to consider reviewing, please comment below or email me at hello@spiritelement.co