So yesterday I pulled out this She Wolf tarot deck I bought months ago but never really used. Felt kinda guilty staring at the fancy box collecting dust, so I decided – screw it, today’s the day I figure this thing out.
First Impressions Were… Interesting
Opened the box and wow – the cards felt huge in my hands! Thicker stock than my old Rider-Waite deck, almost awkward to shuffle. Started trying to riffle shuffle like I usually do. Nope. Cards flew everywhere. Settled for just pushing ’em around on my coffee table, mixing ’em real slow. Felt clumsy as hell.
Figured I’d try a simple one-card daily pull. Closed my eyes, pushed cards around haphazardly for like, 10 seconds, and grabbed one randomly near the middle. Pulled out “The Moon”. My first thought? “Great. Confusion. Perfect.” But I remembered the She Wolf guidebook specifically talks about trusting gut feelings with this deck. Okay fine.
Actually Trying To Understand It
Snatched the guidebook off the table. Instead of reading the whole page, I did what felt right: I just stared at the dang card. Big wolf howling at a crescent moon, dark woods, weird spiral symbols floating around. Kinda spooky. Asked myself: “What’s jumping out? What feels heavy?” Honestly? That moon looked super lonely. Made me think I’d been avoiding something all morning – answering an email I was dreading. Lightbulb moment right there! Didn’t need the book’s three paragraphs.
Encouraged, I tried a three-card spread after lunch:
Card 1: What I Need to Focus On (The Hermit)
Card 2: What’s Holding Me Back (Nine of Swords – upside down!)
Card 3: Potential Outcome (Four of Cups)
My reaction? Mostly confusion. What’s the Nine of Swords mean upside down here? Guidebook talked about release from anxiety. The Hermit card? Old man with a lamp on some rocks – obvious “go inward, do your own thing” vibes. Four of Cups was someone sitting under a tree ignoring a cup being offered. Felt like: “Stop worrying so much, do your own quiet thing, don’t ignore opportunities that are there.” Was it crystal clear? Nah. But a mood? Definitely got one.
What Finally Clicked For Me
Here’s what worked by the end of the day:
- Look First, Read Later: Stare at the art hard. Let the feelings or images hit first BEFORE touching the guidebook. Those wolves and moons tell their own stories.
- Upside Down? Don’t Panic. At first, reversals freaked me out. Learned to just see ’em as a different flavor or a “blocked” energy, not necessarily “bad.” Way less intimidating.
- Guidebook as Backup: Used the book more like a dictionary for quick checks (“What’s the symbol here?”) instead of letting it dictate the whole meaning. Made readings way more personal.
- Keep it Simple, Stupid. Started with one card. Then three. Didn’t jump into some giant Celtic Cross spread right away. Baby steps are key with this deck.
End of the day? The She Wolf deck doesn’t feel like a stranger anymore. It’s got its own rhythm – less super rigid definitions, more dreamy, gut-level stuff. Got the sense it won’t hold my hand much. But once I stopped overthinking and just looked? That’s when those wolves started whispering.
