Okay, so listen up. You all know I’ve been hunting this deck, the Tarot of the Cosmic Seed, for ages. Every time a new print run drops, it vanishes in minutes. People are dropping $70, $80, sometimes even more, on the secondary market just based on two or three Instagram photos and some flashy marketing copy.
That’s nuts. I hate blind buys. I told myself, I need to get my hands on this thing, film every single card, and put it out there so people can actually see what they are dropping their hard-earned cash on. I needed to provide the practical record so you could make an informed decision, not just an emotional one based on hype.
The Hunt and the Setup Chaos
The whole process of actually getting this third edition copy was a minor nightmare, making me feel like some kind of international artifact smuggler. I set an alarm for 3 AM PST, because that’s when the new stock was scheduled to drop internationally. I woke up totally groggy, hit the refresh button 700 times, and somehow jammed my credit card info in faster than anyone else. I was shaking, trying to beat the bots and the resellers.
They claimed “signed copies” for the first 100 people who ordered. Did I get a signed copy? Who knows. The tracking number didn’t work for two weeks, just saying ‘label created’ while I paced my apartment. I swear I aged five years waiting for this thing to cross the country.
When the actual shipping box finally landed—and I mean, landed, the mailman practically tossed it onto the porch—I realized my usual phone setup wouldn’t cut it. To properly capture the foil stamping and the paper quality that everyone raves about, I needed serious, professional light. The kind of light that usually blinds me.
I spent three hours rigging up two soft boxes and my old Canon DSLR, the one I usually only use for taking terribly blurry pictures of the cat. My living room looked like a low-budget movie set. The tripod kept slipping every time I tried to adjust the angle. The focus kept failing because the metallic ink was reflecting too much light. It was a complete disaster technically, but I pushed through because I knew you guys needed this footage to truly judge the artwork.
Why This Deck Matters Right Now
Why did I go through all this trouble just for a deck of cards? Honestly, it’s about timing and perspective. Remember back in February when I had that huge burnout scare? I seriously considered shutting down the blog and just going back to selling car insurance. I was exhausted, totally empty, just feeling like I had hit a creative wall that I couldn’t climb over. I felt stale.
My doctor told me I needed to find something that sparked new growth. Something grounding, but also a little wild and inspirational. I was browsing online one night, feeling miserable, and I stumbled across the original Kickstarter description for this Cosmic Seed deck. The name itself just clicked with where I was: the idea that even in darkness, there’s this little core of potential waiting to sprout. It resonated hard.
I missed the funding, but I promised myself that if I could push through that tough patch—if I could survive the winter of my creative life—I’d eventually acquire this deck as a kind of trophy for making it out the other side and embracing the possibility of a new beginning. So yeah, this isn’t just an unboxing; it’s a personal record of surviving a really terrible few months and using this beautiful chaos as inspiration.
The Actual Unboxing and Card Details
Alright, so I finally peeled off the mailing label and broke out the box cutter. The first thing you notice is the box itself. It’s hefty. Not cheap cardboard—we’re talking solid, matte finish, maybe a little too tight, honestly. Took me a good minute to slide the lid off without ripping the sides. The smell, though. Oh man, that new book smell. It hits you instantly. It smells like quality ink and possibility.
I pulled out the guidebook first. It’s thick, perfect binding, and color-printed. Definitely not a LWB (Little White Book) at all. I flipped through it quickly; the descriptions seem incredibly thoughtful, not just copy-paste RWS definitions. The artist really put work into explaining their deviations from standard iconography.
Then, the cards themselves. I grabbed the whole stack. They are thick, maybe 350 GSM, and the edging is the first thing that really pops—a deep, metallic, almost gunmetal grey. Not quite gold, which is nice because everyone does gold. It feels unique.
I took the time, shuffling them once, twice, testing the stock and the flexibility. No sticking, which is a major win for a deck with heavy printing and foiling. Then I started laying them out for the close-up video, card by card, getting the lighting just right for each one. This is where the magic happens:
- The High Priestess: The foiling on her cloak is incredible. It looks like the night sky literally trapped in the card stock. It’s subtle, but shines blindingly when the light hits it.
- The Tower: This one is appropriately brutal and dark, but the scattered geometric shapes really sell the “cosmic” vibe. It’s not just a falling building; it’s a structural collapse of reality itself.
- The Four of Swords: Usually a pretty boring card, but here, the figure is floating in deep space, completely suspended. It perfectly captured the necessary stillness without being sleepy.
- Suit Pips: They kept the suits traditional (Wands, Cups, etc.), but the execution is totally abstract and vibrant. It’s a bold choice, and I had to pause the camera on several of these just to appreciate the layered textures and the ink bleed.
After filming all 78 cards, which took me another two hours of detailed close-ups and focusing adjustments—my neck still hurts—I finally realized the truth. Was the 3 AM alarm worth it? Was the chaotic camera rigging worth the headache? Yes. Absolutely yes. This deck is a powerhouse. The art is consistent, the quality is top-notch, and it doesn’t just feel like another recycled Rider-Waite clone. It has its own voice and its own cosmic engine.
If you were hesitating, wondering if the official pictures online did this justice, let me tell you: they don’t. You need to see this texture, this color gradient, and that metallic edging in motion. Hopefully, this video saves you the panic buy or the heartbreak of buying an inferior imitation. Go watch the footage now. Seriously, hit play. I’m exhausted, but I finally captured the visual record you needed.
