Cardinal air: chaos magic, willpower, telepathy

The aerialist reminds us of the possibilities of this card, just as the telepathic lamb controlling the swords above her head: it is possible to wield mass, force, and energies that feel chaotic in the service of a singular goal.

Cardinal air: Bonds, Promises, Endurance

This is the engine of storytelling – in any story, there is a winnowing of options, a set of choices that become a single choice. This is what makes the story resonate – we can feel the experience of the characters as they grapple with what we must, every day.

Cardinal air: hoodwink, meditation, play.

This scene could be from a play or a photoshoot. The figure could be sitting for a portrait, or waiting for a lover to release them from a game.

Mutable earth: Homecoming, mortality, transition

This card feels like a hopeful and homely card to pull - it gives a sense of things being in their rightful place - but the ten gives a sense of the next transition to be to something else, another stage of life. For some of us, that transition is into the realm beyond life, and the spectre of death haunts this card and decan.

Cardinal earth: cathedral, winter, resources, the unknown

The Five of Pentacles appears to be about stuckness, and scarcity, but it can teach us a lot about the luminous mysteries.

Fixed earth: receptivity, plenty, earthly pleasures

If we keep frenetically trying to force our way through the world, we will lose sight of the luscious opportunities being handed down from the clouds.

Mutable water: confusion, hidden meanings, the moon, intuition

In this card, the figure doesn't notice the moon, and doesn't seem aware of how its guiding force is helping them on their way. The moon in the Eight of Cups is at once a sliver of waxing crescent moon and a full moon, or perhaps it is an eclipse.

Mutable earth: protection, spaciousness, sacred boundaries

The card in this deck offers so much comfort through that connection, modelling a form of self-knowledge that is formed through consultation of existing traditions, nurtured through understanding our place in a lineage, and strengthened through community.

Mutable earth: late summer, sexuality, harvest

Her serenity is apparent, the bird sitting peacefully on her head, the armful of produce, her calm view of the field, and a gentle hand on the pentacles, as though she isn’t too attached to them, doesn’t need to control them. There is plenty, she seems to tell us, there will be enough.

Cardinal fire: heat, fire opals, intensity

A story is about the moment of unstoppable inevitability of knowledge or action: think of Greek tragedies, folk tales, revolutions, mysteries. Humans are wired to be hungry for these kinds of stories, because they help us to understand a chaotic and sometimes brutal world.

Mutable water: surrender, liminality, balance, suspension

When we are used to experiencing adrenaline, or the effects of trauma, rest and relaxation can feel counterintuitive: allowing our muscles to relax can give a stronger sensation than our familiar contractions.

Fixed earth: homecoming, celebration, safety

Fours tend to represent stability and support, in the Modern Witch deck, the four wands have been made into a shelter, gateway, or portal decked with festive foliage.

Cardinal water: queer mermaids, watery dreams, emotions, rain

Of all the court cards, the page is the youngest and has the most raw and childlike relationship with their suit. Cups are the symbol of emotion, and the Page of Cups has an unfiltered relationship with their intuition.