Alright folks, let me tell you about my journey with the Ethereal Visions Tarot. You know, sometimes you just see a deck and it just… hits you. That’s how it was with this one. I was scrolling online, probably when I should have been doing something else productive, and those shimmering gold accents just caught my eye. The Art Nouveau style, the dreamy colors – it pulled me right in. I kept seeing bits of it pop up here and there, and finally, I just said, “Screw it,” and ordered it. Had to have it.
When that box arrived, man, the unboxing was an experience. The box itself is sturdy, with that gorgeous gold foil everywhere. Pulled it open and those cards, wow. Each one hand-drawn and colored, and that gold foil isn’t just decoration; it really makes the details pop, gives the whole thing a luxurious, mystical vibe. It truly is a work of art, Matt Hughes really put years into this.
I shuffled them for the first time, felt the weight, the smoothness. They’re a bit larger than some of my other decks, which was a little weird for my hands at first, but I got used to it. The card stock felt good, not flimsy at all. I decided to give it a proper “deck interview,” you know, asking it about its strengths, weaknesses, what it wanted to teach me. My usual way of breaking in a new deck.
Now, this is where “getting your readings clear” really comes in. My first few readings with it? A bit… fuzzy. I mean, the cards are stunning, but some of the imagery, while beautiful, felt a little different from the Rider-Waite Smith (RWS) decks I was so used to. Like, the guidebook that comes with it is nice, full-color even, but it gives pretty basic info, not a super deep dive for every single card, especially for someone who might be expecting strict RWS parallels.
I remember pulling the Hanged Man, which is usually a card about surrender and gaining a new perspective. But in the Ethereal Visions deck, the imagery shows this guy actively holding onto a rope, almost like he’s hanging on for dear life, not gracefully suspended. It threw me for a loop. Same with The Star – usually about hope and serenity – but in this deck, it felt a bit darker, like you have to dig deep inside yourself to create your own light. Not bad, just… different, and it made my initial interpretations a bit jumbled.
So, I realized I couldn’t just rely on my old RWS memory bank. I had to actually learn this deck. And by learn, I mean really sit with each card. I started a dedicated journal just for the Ethereal Visions. I’d pull a card, look at the art, and instead of immediately thinking “what does the Nine of Swords mean in RWS?”, I’d ask myself, “What does this Nine of Swords show me? What’s the feeling here?” I mean, the art is so rich and evocative. The gold really draws your eye to certain elements.
I went card by card. For the Major Arcana, Matt Hughes added two extra cards, “The Well” and “The Artist,” which I thought was super cool and added even more layers to explore. I spent time just meditating on the images. For the Minor Arcana, I noticed that while they often mirrored traditional suit meanings, the artistic leanings of Art Nouveau gave them a softer, more emotional feel. The Five of Cups, for example, felt more wistful than devastating, still about loss, but with a gentle resignation. The Ten of Swords, even, felt less brutal and more ethereal.
It was all about slowing down. Instead of rushing to a “yes” or “no” answer, I started asking open-ended questions. “What energy is here?” “What am I being asked to reflect on?” I paid attention to the expressions on the figures’ faces, even if sometimes they felt a bit distant, like they were looking through me, as some folks have mentioned. But even that distance started to tell a story – a sense of grander, ethereal perspective.
After weeks of this deliberate practice, things began to click. The deck started speaking to me more clearly, not shouting, but gently guiding. I found it excels at introspection, digging into emotions, and offering a nuanced view of situations rather than blunt answers. It really encourages personal insight. It became a powerful tool for self-discovery for me.
Now, when I reach for my Ethereal Visions, I know I’m in for a deep, reflective session. It’s not the deck I grab for quick, surface-level inquiries. It’s for when I want to understand the underlying currents, the subtle energies at play. It’s become one of my go-to decks because I put in the work to understand its unique language. It reminds me that every deck has its own voice, and sometimes, you just gotta shut up and listen for a bit to truly hear it. And man, when you do, the clarity you get is just something else.
