Andrews says in the forward to the book included with his deck "Nature has a mystical wisdom that we may ignore but ultimately cannot deny. We live in a time in which we become so wrapped up in our daily lives we often lose our sense of wonder at life."

The artwork is well done in a style that she calls "surrealism and suspicious realism." This is a lot going on in each of the cards and a lot to think about. The art fills up most of the cards with a simple boarder with the name of the card on the bottom, in English. The images are of the 1970's. You won't find any kings, queens, or knights in this deck. Instead is a car, hang glider, electric guitars, and a typewriter. There are images of musicians and especially of the circus.

The deck is organized in the traditional manner with the Major Arcana, and the Minor Arcana of four suits, pentangles are called coins. But many of the names have been changed, ex.the Magician is the Juggler and the Empress is now Lilith.

I don't have a feel for this deck yet, but as I go along and write about the cards I'm sure one will develop. In any case I can tell it will be an interesting deck to work with.

Although often seen as a pest, the coyote has expanded its range and learned to adapt to a multitude of different environments. For this reason, it serves as a reminder to remain adaptable and for the greatest success to continue to extend endeavors in spite of opposition.

Description of the Fool:

The Fool is one step from the edge of a cliff with a bright sun above, the mountains beyond, and a small white dog behind trying to get his attention. The Fool is facing to the right rear of the card with his head turned to the right and up so that we see it in profile. He is caring a staff, with a small bag attached to it, resting on his left shoulder. He has a beard growing on his chin and blond curly hair that reaches almost to his shoulder. He wears a green fool's cap with a yellow ball or bell on the tip. His pants are blue with a patch on the right knee. The tan boots reach nearly to his knee. His wears a colorful tunic with big yellow sleeves, tied with a belt at the waist leaving the front and back to reach down to his knees. This tunic is purple with some yellow, red and black. On the back of the tunic is a single rose while he holds a flower in his right hand. His expression is of intently looking at something and about ready to smile.

The ground the fool walks on is bare except for a few stones and a couple of small flowers in the lower left corner. The mountains beyond are all white with the valleys in shadow. The peaks are sharp and it looks cold there. The sun is in the upper right corner lighting the sky nearby. Away from the sun the sky is dark as on a clear night. There is a single star showing directly above his head. The star has a silvery trail flowing off to the left of the card.

Quoting from the LWB by Birgit Boline Erfurt:

"0 The Fool"

"The figure of The Fool is modeled after one of my friends, Erik, who died several years ago. I selected Erik to represent the Fool because of his childlike and inquiring nature. There in nothing that Erick did not want to investigate. He traveled all over the world in his thirst for new experiences."

"In the Fool's right hand is a flower that he picked along the way. His possessions, to which he does not attach much value, fit in a small pouch. The multicolored clothes of the Fool show undisciplined and varied emotions and drives within him."

"Erik's friends tried to warm him that he was going too far, as does the little dog that barks at the Fool's heels, but he did not listen. nothing held him back. The dog also symbolizes the urges that drive the Fool, oblivious to worldly concerns. Lacking any goals, without means, he is compelled by instinctive forces toward the edge of the precipice. The lack of structure in this card, as contrasted to the other Major Arcana cards, denotes the chaos of an unordered and completely free life."

"The Fool has no specific astrological sign or planet but is associated with the element of air."

"Interpretations: Blind impulses. Extravagance. Recklessness. The unexpected."

"Reversed Meanings: Vanity. Exaggeration. Problems caused by impulsiveness."

My thoughts:

I can see that this deck is a very personal one for the creator. She has worked many things from her life, especially people she has known, into the deck which must make the cards resonate with her deeply. I wish that I any talent, even a little, to draw or paint. To create a deck as she did must be a very rewarding experience.

While I like the card, it feels cold to me. The warmth of the sum and the yellow in the clothes is not enough to drive the cold from the mountains and night sky away. It is only in the fool's face that I find any emotion. This Fool's journeys in a cold land where he'll not find the emotions and experiences to bring warmth. This is quite a different Fool that I see in the Robin Wood Tarot, who I see as being warm, alive and very much in the moment. The Karma Tarot Fool is gazing off somewhere else and does not notice his where he is. So he is one whose faces danger since his mind is elsewhere. Will he heed the dog's warning?

I am drawn to the star and its trail, though I did not see it at first. This, along with the sky being part day and part night, makes the scene mysterious. It is not the ordinary experience but rather one that brings some wonder into ourselves. A sense that the universe is a much larger and more wonderful place that we normally experience in our day to day life. This Fool's innocence allows him to seem wonders where ever he looks.

Tom Granvold