Unlocking the Secrets of Tarot (& Life) with the Tarot of Secrets

The Tarot of Secrets by Tess Whitehurst; illustrated by Ana Novaes (Victoria, Australia: Blue Angel Publishing, c2025). Boxed set contains 78-beautiful, color illustrated cards + a 347 page guidebook. $32.95 (USD)--price is from Llewellyn.com

I've been waiting patiently for this deck, as Tess Whitehurst is a favorite author/creator of mine. I was not disappointed, it was worth the wait. She's written a number of books & decks (The Magic of Flowers Oracle, Oracle of Portals are two favorites of mine). This is bound to be a favorite of mine.

It's a large guidebook, yes but you're not going to get the history of the tarot here and a lot of emphasis on learning the Tarot. The vast majority of the book will focus on the individual cards themselves. There's a brief introduction, titled, "The Secrets are Within You" which includes subsections on, "How to Prepare Your Deck for Use", "How to Do a Reading With the Tarot of Secrets" (which includes four basic spreads), & "How to Do Magical and Spiritual Work With the Tarot of Secrets" (gives some ideas on how to use the cards for magical & spiritual purposes).

This IS what it says it is, "A formulary, catalyst & key" to the Tarot. The cards themselves are the main focus and it is truly an indepth dive into each card. Each card gets about 4 pages devoted to it's insights. It does include upright & reversed interpretations for those of us who read reversed cards.

Major Arcana cards are not renamed. Minor Suits are: Vases (Cups), Wands, Swords, Coins (Pentacles). Court Cards keep their familiar designations of Page, Knight, Queen & King). So this is very easy for any level of Tarot user to either for beginners, learn the Tarot, or for experienced Taroists, to add to their depth of knowledge on the cards.

Each card's interpretation is divided into the following sections:

• The Card's name is followed by a brief phrase describing the card's energy (for example: The Hermit: "Wisdom in Silence" and the 5 of Swords: "There must be a Way").

• The 1st section is called "Guidance" which gives readers some in depth ideas on how to work with the energy of the card.

• The 2nd section is: "Dynamics" which I understand to mean how the energy of a card may move or the power or force it may exert on the question being asked suggesting current patterns or possibilities.

• The 3rd section is: "Secrets" which focuses in on the secrets revealed by the card's imagery including the alchemical/astrological symbols placed on each card.

  
  

• The 4th & last section of a card's interpretation is in 2 parts, "Meanings & Messages of..." (containing bullet points of interpretations for upright cards) & "Meanings & Messages of...Reversed" (containing bullet points of interpretations for reversals).

My one caveat with the book (and it's the only caveat I have about this deck) is that it would've been nice to have (in the introduction) an explanation of these sections of card interpretations and why the card descriptions were divided this way (for beginners).

So let's take a look at some of these beautifully illustrated & colored cards which also contain astrological &/or alchemical symbols associated with each card...let's start with looking at some of the Major Arcana cards below.

I'm not going to discuss each card, just a couple examples. The Lovers (Divine union) for one...People can come together who are as different as night & day. They individually may have their own ways of approaching love & connection. The cauldron is the harmonious blending of the 2 souls. The yellow horse Death (Decay nourishes) arrives on has the alchemical symbol for "rot" branded on it. In the distance in the background is a boat ready to carry you forward into a new life.

Now let's go through the Minor Arcana, the book starts with some cards from the suit of Vases/Cups.

The 5 of Vases (From pain to healing) depict vases filled with "tears & heartache that must fall away. In the process of letting go of disappointments, heartaches, etc, a yellow parakeet flies out symbolizing breaking free to pursue new goals or opportunities.

Here are some cards from the Suit of Wands.

The 7 of Wands (The Wolf Mother is awake), The Wolf Mother is here to fiercely protect herself, her beliefs, goals, or those in her care from hostile forces. She must remain vigilant & ready again to stand up for herself or others & know when & be willing to ask for help if she needs it.

Let's move on to the Suit of Swords.

The 9 of Swords (Conquer your fear) depicts, on one side the ungrounded fears or misbeliefs we cling to, holding us back from making a move. The Center is the "chasm of worry & despair", which we must overcome in order to thrive. While the other side is the acceptance of the underlying truth & with that understanding comes the potential to calmly move forward.

Here are some of the Coins/Pentacles.

The 9 of Pentacles (Harnessed wealth) You built this city (so to speak)! You've put in the work necessary to create this beautiful lush, fertile, land & should take a moment (or two or three) to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Let's look at some of the Court Cards (samples from all 4 suits)

The Queen of Wands (Fabulous Diva) is indeed a fabulous diva (love that!). This card depicts her power as coming from her connection to the cosmos. She demonstrates her abilities by nonchalantly balancing herself on that sphere beneath her feet. The tree is described as "electrified nerve endings" indicating that "all her senses are awake, receptive, and on fire"!

Whew! That's a little tour of this powerful deck. Ana Novaes gives us a beautiful, unique, rendition of the RWS Tarot. Tess Whitehurst's in depth, alchemical analysis of the cards gives novices to professionals a lot of food for thought in her comprehensive guidebook. It's a 5-star performance in my mind. I recommend for all levels of tarot practitioners. If it seems too much for beginners? Buy it, take your time using/studying it...you will grow into it.

--reviewed by: Banshee ShadowWolf