The Muse Tarot by Chris-Anne is a beautiful Tarot deck, with unique and striking designs. I love this deck and can really connect with it as it brings forth new energy to Tarot readings.
I am about to begin a new series of articles on Tarot deck reviews, and thought that the Muse deck was the perfect place to start! Let’s have a look at this wonderful deck and why you might want to bring it into your Tarot practice.
Table of Contents
What is The Muse Tarot Deck?
The Muse Tarot deck embodies femininity and provides a modern look to traditional Tarot. It’s a designer’s masterpiece with bright splashes of color and beautiful collages with feminine themes on each card.
I connected to this deck easily, and not just because I’m a woman. My designer’s eye finds this deck pleasing to look at. Because of their nonchalant nature, these cards are meant to be read with a lighthearted approach and playfulness.
It is created by Chris-Anne, who I am a big fan of. She has created quite a number of beautiful Tarot and Oracle decks with the intention to allow people to tap into their own magical energy.
The Muse Tarot deck is my favorite of hers because you really can’t find a deck like it! Every single card is a work of art, and I can spend hours connecting with this deck and going through each card. The energy, colors, and spirit of the cards are truly breathtaking.
The deck deviates from the traditional Rider-Waite as the suits have new names. Wands become Inspiration, Swords become Voices, Cups become Emotions, and Pentacles become Materials.
The Kings have also been changed and become Muses. If you have practiced Tarot for a long time, these changes are pretty intuitive. However, if you are new to Tarot it can be pretty confusing!
The Muse Tarot Deck Review
The Muse Tarot deck comes in a medium-sized box. You can tell that a lot of thought and design has gone into every single aspect of this Tarot deck, with fishes and flowers scattered on the box.
These reflect the different suits that are in the deck, but more on that later! I do love how the symbolism that is used on the cards spills out onto the packaging, it gives a sense of uncontainable magic.
When opening the box, we are greeted with a few lines of poetry printed on the inside of the lid, reflecting inspiration and magic. Again, the little touches like this reflect the amount of thought that has gone into this deck.
The Guidebook
The majority of Tarot decks that are popular today come with a guidebook that helps the reader understand the cards. The Muse Tarot deck is no different and has a guidebook that goes through each card in the deck.
The book is small enough to fit in your hand and is of medium thickness. It has information on each card, listing keywords that are linked to the cards. Even though the names of the Suits are different, each card carries the traditional meaning. For example, the Seven of Voices represents deception and trickery, much like the Seven of Swords.
Alongside the keywords is a unique description of the card that brings forth feeling and energy. It is quite a creative description, with imagery and metaphors dotted throughout.
This is a really nice way to understand the cards and gain new information on them, however, it can be confusing for beginner Tarot readers. The guidebook alone is not enough to understand each card, and therefore you will have to read up on the cards yourself if you are new to Tarot.
The Muse Tarot Deck Cards
The imagery on the cards is bright and colorful with strong feminine energy. You’ll see a female figure somewhere in the background on almost all the cards. The deck is rather diverse and contains striking symbolism. Animals, flowers, and the cosmos all influence the designs and bring forth new and exciting energy and ideas.
The designs on the cards are very different from traditional Tarot decks, but I feel the same energy is there. However, it can be hard sometimes to read the cards intuitively, especially if you are used to more traditional Tarot decks.
Card backs are of light green color lightly sprinkled with pink flowers around the top and bottom border.
The Major Arcana
The Major Arcana brings fresh designs to Tarot, and I absolutely adore the depictions of the cards. I love the Fool card in the deck and how it clearly brings the traditional meaning but with a fresh and modern twist. We can see the Fool leaping forward towards her adventure, unprepared but full of ambition and excitement.
I am also obsessed with the depiction of the Empress. This card is all about femininity and abundance, so what better way to show this than by images of planets and the universe! The power that this card contains is undeniable.
The Moon card is also one that has been significantly altered but still manages to contain the same energy as more traditional Tarot decks. Of course, the moon is still the main focus of the card, but the rest has completely changed.
The crayfish has become a person, gazing up at the huge moon above. The two dogs are now matching statues. Still, the card emanates anxiety and insecurities.
The moon overwhelms the card and the statues are looking away from its glow. There are two paths, one dark and one light that leads from the statues to the moon. This reflects decisions and the two sides that we all have inside us.
The Minor Arcana
Let’s look at the Minor Arcana cards now. I think these cards work well with dark and light, with the colors of the cards reflecting their meanings. Again in the Minor Arcana cards, we can see so much thought and design going into their creation.
The Suit of Emotions (or Cups) often will use water and sea life imagery to represent the element of water.
The Suit of Materials (Pentacles) will often depict flowers, reflecting abundance and material goods. The Suit of Inspiration (Wands) is full of color and energy.
Let’s take a look at the Five of Materials which would traditionally be the Five of Pentacles. This is a card that reflects poverty and needs, and we can see it clearly in the imagery of the card.
A hand is reaching out with a woman lying curled up on the floor. In the distance, there are roses and a golden structure.
I love the Ace of Voices, too, and how there is an owl on the card. The Ace of Swords reflects clarity and decision-making, and the light and sharp lines on the card really represent this well!
One of the unique features of this deck is horizontal cards, representing The Muse (King) of each suit. The energy of the cards is the same, bringing forth power.
The Muse Tarot Unboxing and Flip Through Video:
The Muse Tarot Deck Review Summary
- Quality: Matte card stock of decent thickness.
- Design: Borderless design, horizontal cards.
- Imagery: Beauitul and striking artwork, with a completely unique take on the Tarot.
- Difficulty: Might be difficult to read for beginners, as not all cards correlate with traditional Rider-Waite imagery. All suits are renamed, King cards are completely reworked and renamed.
I really enjoy this Tarot deck and the artwork is truly breathtaking. However, I know that it isn’t for everyone!
I recommend this deck for people who naturally connect to the divine feminine and who would like to get a deck with a fresh and modern approach to traditional Tarot. Whether you do readings for clients or daily draws for yourself, this deck will make a good companion in divination practices.
I wouldn’t advise this deck for beginners, however, because it does not have the traditional suits and imagery of many other Tarot decks. Plus, the guidebook is very minimal compared to others. Let me know what you think of the Muse tarot deck in the comments below.
Disclaimer: All reviews posted on this blog are honest opinions of its author and contain no promotional material unless stated otherwise.