Man, let me tell you about getting deep into the Book of Shadows Tarot. This wasn’t some casual flip-through. This was a mission. When I first got this massive thing, I knew it wasn’t just one deck—it’s two decks and one giant book that tries to explain how they fit together. People always look at this deck and get immediately overwhelmed, and honestly, I was too, at the start. I needed to drill down and create a proper resource, something that cuts through the fluff and gives you the hard facts you need just to start reading with it.
So, I dove in headfirst. I grabbed the whole kit, the two decks (Volume I: As Above, Volume II: As Below) and the original guidebook, which is thicker than most novels. My goal was simple: distill the essential “Deck Facts” so anyone, even if they lost the book, could know exactly what they were holding and how it was structured. I started by separating the information for each volume, because treating them as one unit is where everyone messes up.
Deconstructing the Two Volumes
First step, I identified the creators and the core concept. The book and the concept were hammered out by Barbara Moore. But the artwork is crucial here; it wasn’t one artist. The art style shifts dramatically between the two volumes, which is intentional. I extracted the key artists responsible for each volume just to get that foundational knowledge locked down. That’s the first bit of essential trivia people forget.
Then came the real grunt work: the structure. Everyone knows the RWS foundation, but the “So Below” deck changes things up massively. I pulled out the spreadsheet and started mapping the elements. This is where I literally hauled myself through the minor arcana definitions. In standard RWS, you have Swords as Air and Pentacles as Earth. But in the Book of Shadows system, the Wiccans’ elemental assignments often flip or change focus. This is the biggest hurdle for new readers.
I spent about three nights just cross-referencing the suits for the “So Below” deck. Here is what I hammered out:
- Wands: Stays Fire. Standard enough.
- Cups: Stays Water. No surprises there.
- Swords: This deck usually aligns Swords with Air, but in the Wiccan practice detailed here, Swords often lean toward Earth—representing physical action and practical challenges. This change needs documentation.
- Pentacles: This is where the Air comes in. Suddenly, your Pentacles are handling mental aspects, communication, and intellect. Total mind-bender if you’re used to the weight of RWS Pentacles.
I documented every single major switch and thematic overlap. It wasn’t enough to just note the elemental swap; I had to note the tonal shift in interpretation. For example, the 8 of Pentacles (Air in this deck) isn’t about physical work anymore; it’s about mental mastery and focused study. I wrote down these shifts using bullet points, keeping the language simple, like I was explaining it to a newbie who only knew the Rider-Waite standard.
The Essential Card-Counting Facts
I moved on to the Majors. Thankfully, the Major Arcana in both decks largely follow the standard RWS 22-card structure, but the imagery and interpretation in the “So Below” deck are heavily focused on the Wheel of the Year and Wiccan holidays. I created a quick comparison chart showing which major arcana aligns with which holiday or sabbat. For instance, the Ace of Pentacles in “So Below” usually ties into Mabon or harvest time, focusing the reading on gratitude and abundance based on ritual practice, not just simple money.
The whole point of this summary, and why I poured hours into perfecting it, goes back to a ridiculous moment last year. I was doing a massive spring clean, trying to reorganize my whole sacred space. I had packed away all my tarot books into boxes that were definitely not labeled. Then, a good friend called me up, needing a crucial reading. She was going through a major decision about moving continents, and this deck—the Book of Shadows—is the one she trusts most because of its dual perspective (spiritual vs. mundane).
I frantically dug out the decks, but the big, heavy guidebook? Gone. I had absolutely no clue which box it landed in. I was stuck with two decks in hand, trying to remember the nuanced elemental swaps and the specific Wiccan interpretations of the Majors under pressure. I literally had to wing the core facts, and I realized how absolutely reliant I was on that huge book just for the quick reference points. I pulled it off, thank goodness, but I swore right then that I would create the damn cheat sheet so that nightmare never happens again. I needed a clear, concise document that covered the bones of the deck—the facts you need when you are stressed and can’t find the textbook.
This massive effort was born out of pure, urgent necessity. It wasn’t just for sharing; it was me covering my own butt. This summary I compiled is the result of that panic, ensuring that if that book goes missing again, I’ve still got the structural blueprint of these two complex decks right here. It truly helps you see the pattern and stop tripping up over the elemental swaps that confuse everyone who picks up the Book of Shadows deck for the first time.
