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Title: Unbridled Spirit Tarot
Art by: Tina Tack Anderson
Author: Dianita
Publisher: Llewellyn Books
Number of cards: 78
Card size: 5 x 3.5 in
Box size: 6.5 x 5 x 2 in
Guidebook pages: 199 (see note under guidebook section)
Purchased or gifted?: Review copy gifted by Llwellyn Books
Absolute favorite card: Two of swords
Other favorites: (in order from most beloved) The Moon, Justice, The Hermit, Five of cups, The Star, Queen of cups, Ace of wands, The Empress, Eight of pentacles, Queen of wands, The Devil, Page of swords, Two of cups
Notable detail: Kind of includes a card stand?
Season: Summer
Sabbat: Lammas
Sign: Sagittarius
Element: the convergence of earth and air
Oracle Deck compliment: Horse Wisdom Oracle
Collective Pull: Six of Wands

First Impressions

In the spirit of transparency, I didn’t ask for this deck but publishers will routinely send me review copies of things they’re excited about or feel I would enjoy. And I’m always grateful to receive these things. Unbridled Spirit Tarot suddenly arrived one day and white thankful for it, I wasn’t really excited about it. It didn’t seem like my kind of deck so I sat on it for a few months to be honest. And then I took some time away from reviews over the winter to regroup so I’ve had this for a while, left unopened, still in plastic. I did make sure to add it to my review list though so when it came time to review it, I went into it with little expectations. Well I was wrong.

I loved the deck! There’s a few packaging issues but I’m really surprised by how much it resonated with me. I found myself falling in love with so many images and I absolutely loved reading through the guidebook. I also knew which oracle deck to pair with this tarot instantly. It's another deck Llewellyn sent me which I need to add to my review list. I intended to review it last September but couldn’t get the photos right so I parked it. Now, I’m so excited to get the review up because it's honestly the perfect companion to Unbridled Spirit Tarot.

The Packaging

The box is your standard large sized Llewellyn box. It has the magnetic book fold top, a platform inside to house the cards and a nice big guidebook. One thing that’s puzzling me about this deck is the inclusion of this dark blue plaque thing. I think it’s supposed to be a card stand but the cards don’t really stand up. They kind of limply fall to the side so it’s not very effective. It’s also branded with Llewellyn and not the theme of the tarot deck. It’s something I didn’t expect to have and honestly wish it wasn’t there. It doesn’t add anything in my opinion but did take away from the experience.

Another thing that’s bumming me out is the thickness of the cards which actually might be the reason why they don’t sit up in the card stand. These are pretty thin. I actually prefer thinner cards but these are pretty flimsy and I find they bend quite easily while shuffling. The texture is nice though. It's a canvas-like matte texture.

They’re also not gilded which isn’t out of the ordinary for Llewellyn decks and something I wish they would change. I would absolutely love to see bright red sides or a rusty red color to match the deck. I think that would’ve really made this deck sing.

The Guidebook

My favorite thing about Llewellyn tarot decks is how meaty the guidebooks are. They give their authors space to share a lot of information. For those of you who are interested in getting your own decks published, you should know that word count is a big thing. You don’t get as much space as you want to write as much as you want. Typically, my decks are capped at about 15K words for an oracle and about 30k words for a tarot deck. I know that seems like a lot but 30k words divided by 78 cards is just under 400 words per card which doesn’t leave room for an introduction, how to use the cards, spreads and anything else you’d like to include in the book. To give you more context, this guidebook section here is 444 words.

This doesn’t seem to be an issue for Llewellyn. I don’t know for sure because I haven’t been published by them but I am always impressed by the amount of information included in their guidebooks. There’s a good sized introduction, a section on the history of tarot and horses, a tarot basics section including frequently asked questions which is a really good idea to include (might have to borrow that), a quite thorough section on how to care for your deck, and several spread options. The guidebook is 199 pages so you know you’re getting a lot of information here.

Note: the back of the box says 312 pages but the guidebook itself is only numbered to 199.

For the cards themselves, you get a short explanation of what’s featured on the card. It's really just one line with things like the name of the figure or practice featured. You get the message of the card which is called the “Unbridled Spirit of the Message. You get the reversed meaning which is labeled “With blinders on.” And finally, you get an exercise to go with each card. I loved the exercises because they aren’t your standard “read and affirmation” or “close your eyes and meditate on the meaning.” That was innovative five years ago but so many people do it now that it just feels stale and saturated. I find these exercises to be really quite practical. For example the eight of pentacles suggests learning how to time block while the queen of cups suggests giving a gift to a loved one even if it’s cooking a meal for them or putting together a care package. Some exercises are more spiritual in nature but I’ve found a lot that are real things for real people with real responsibilities and I really appreciate that.

The Artwork

One thing that really surprised me about the art is the inclusivity. You get a lot of representation in this deck. You get many cultures, all shapes and sizes, men and women and mythical beings. You really get a little bit of everybody here which is always nice to see.

My favorite card is the two of swords but I almost went with the moon which I’ll describe in just a bit. The two of swords is just so peaceful. I love calm, soothing cards these days and the colors on this image are magnificent. This is another card that I would love to have as an art print. There isn’t really a consistent color palette with this deck. You get the full gambit of colors but there is a consistent tone. Everything is a bit dusty, muted, and relaxed. It seems bright but really the colors are a bit toned down or desaturated which I love.

“The companionship of animals and the use of tarot have a wondrous and divine connection; they both provide immense support to the soul and can bring about emotional healing.”

The moon card is so good and I almost missed it. I don’t especially love the color palette. What I love is the horse skeleton reflected in the water. What a fantastic representation of the moon card. Ugh, what’s lurking beneath the surface, hidden in the shadows, begging for you to come and explore: it's such a beautiful way to portray this card.

Another favorite is the five of cups. It's a sad card for sure. A little girl and an older man are visiting a grave and the little girl is clearly heartbroken. What I love about the card is how it represents real life. How life is just plain hard sometimes and bad things happen to good people all of the time. It really struck me. It brought me to tears because of how real it felt. I really appreciate the rawness of it. And I guess that’s what I love about this deck: it feels real. Yes there are magical things like the Devil card but overall, it just feels like a snapshot of real life. I love fantasy but I’m a realist at heart and something about the humanness of this deck has comforted me.

Purchase Unbridled Spirit Tarot

*With Tarot Companion - Horse Wisdom Oracle*

Reading With this Deck

Reading with this deck has been a mixed bag of ups and downs which I actually see as a good sign. It means this deck isn’t overwhelmingly positive or negative but a good balance of both. And actually, I drew Temperance for the deck’s personality. It's just like the artwork and the exercises in the sense that readings feel practical. I feel like it’s just honest and straightforward.

Collective Pull

I’ve drawn the Six of Wands for you. This is a card of achievement, success and a door opening for further advancements. It appears when people are taking notice of you in the best possible way. They’re interested in what you have to offer and what you can do and you may even find praise is becoming especially abundant. This is your moment to bask in your glory. To accept the well wishes and pats on the back knowing they’re the result of a job well done.

There’s two things to watch out for when the six of wands appear. The first is to accept praise without letting it go to your head. You’ve earned this and you should allow yourself to feel proud and confident. But, there’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance.

The second thing is not to rest on your laurels. Life is a series of finish lines without end. You finish one race and then training starts for another. You hit one goal and then set a new one. There’s always more to learn, ways to improve and grow, and new trends, technologies or techniques to try. Give yourself this moment in the sun but remember that legends and masters are not one trick ponies.

Season, Sign, Element and Sabbat

Summer is the season hands down and autumn as a secondary choice but I really associate horses with summer. Horses represent freedom, power, agility and travel which are all things associated with the summer season so I didn’t have to think too hard about this choice at all. I also associated horses with Lammas for these reasons although I also like horses for Mabon. So I would say the space from Lammas to Mabon is the perfect time to pull this deck out.

I went with Sagittarius for the sign which isn’t a summer sign but corresponds well to the same themes, especially travel and freedom. Not to mention the symbol for Sagittarius is a centaur which is half man and half horse and what’s more perfect for a tarot deck about the connection between man and horse?

With the element, I’m trying something different. I’ll often mention more than one element but here, I’ve specifically said the convergence of earth and air. When I was thinking about the element, I started thinking about horses running through plains. Their hooves stomping on the ground while air blows in their manes. In these moments, horses are completely immersed in both air and earth, in a way that synergizes the two. Elements aren’t really meant to exist on their own. They come together to create the world around us so combining elements actually feels more natural than having them exist individually. When working with this deck, consider what it feels like to engage both air and earth. How can they work together to inform a deeper part of your practice?

Who is this deck for?

If you like cowboy culture or style or general southwestern style then I think you’ll like this deck. It reminds me of Yolanda Hadid’s house. Not in look or style but the general sense of cowboy culture and the connection to the land around you. I grew up in the deserts outside Los Angeles where cowboy culture is alive and well and horses sometimes run freely through the streets so in a way, this deck feels like home.

And even if cowboys aren’t your thing but you love horses, then I think you should give this deck a try too. It's also a really good option if you’re someone who appreciates inclusivity. It's less common to have a deck with only one race or body type but it does happen perhaps more often than it should. You won’t have this problem here at all.

This deck is also beginner friendly thanks to the meaty guidebook. So if you’re looking to gift a deck to someone who doesn’t have a lot of experience, I’d highly recommend this one.

Oracle Deck Companion

I had a deck in mind for the companion straight away. The Horse Wisdom Oracle is so perfect. There’s an obvious connection with the horses and just the general energy of both decks fit like a glove. I had intended to do a review on Horse Wisdom Oracle but as I mentioned in first impressions, I had to delay it. But these work so well together that I’ve decided to review Horse Wisdom for next week so be sure to come back here if you’d like to know more about it.

Buy 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