Designed and created by the award-winning Tillie Walden, The Cosmic Slumber Tarot is a beautiful, hand-painted tarot deck bursting with colour and warmth.
Deeply wrapped in surrealism and the subconscious, The Cosmic Slumber Tarot finds parallels between the world of omens, portents, archetypes, miracles, and revelations. Dreams are only part of the equation as this deck also takes inspiration from the cosmic and the cosmos.
Tillie Walden
Based in Austin, Texas, Tillie Walden (born in 1996) is a cartoonist and illustrator. Tillie created this wonderful deck whilst working alongside her knowledgeable assistant Beth, who would spend her days telling tales of tarot cards whilst Tillie continued working to create imagery for The Cosmic Slumber Tarot as she took inspiration from Beth and her wonderful stories.
Tillie is a graduate from the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont, she is now a two-time Eisner nominee and Ignatz Award winner, each year she continues to gain new praise and awards for her wonderful, clean yet detailed illustrations as her following and popularity continue to grow ever stronger
Packaging
The Cosmic Slumber Tarot arrives in a sturdy, cardboard, magnetic-close case, two-piece case which unlike past Liminal 11 products opens and closes at the base of the deck, thus reducing the chance of the inner packaging/ cardboard holder accidentally falling or coming loose from the packaging.
Though I adore the design and colour of this case, I was slightly disappointed to find that part of the packaging has been padded with plain, brown cardboard which is sadly glued inside the beautiful case – this perhaps could have been avoided if sizing had been correct upon printing and is perhaps something which may be considered and altered in the future.
The Cosmic Slumber Tarot is available either as a standard or deluxe deck (which arrives in a larger, circular tin and includes a tarot pouch), I was sent the standard deck to review but was rather lucky to also receive a lovely tarot pouch for this deck which is made from a lovely turquoise blue, velvet featuring a matching logo. Should you fancy ordering a deluxe copy of this deck, the pouch is included.
The Guidebook
The Cosmic Slumber Tarot comes with a sweet, little, fifty-six page, colour-printed, hardback guidebook. The guidebook features a contents page, a foreword, an introduction, information upon the major arcana, a single-page guide upon each of the major arcana cards including a colour-print of the card, information upon the minor arcana and a paragraph upon each card, a guide upon how to read the tarot, five simple spread examples, and a single page explaining the two bonus cards which are included within the deck.
The Cards
The Cosmic Slumber feature beautiful, symmetrical (thus reversible), vibrant, orange, and yellow card backs. The cards are high-quality GSM and feel glossy to the touch, yet seem to sturdy whilst shuffling. Though this deck is not edged, it is simply beautiful in design.
The Major Arcana
Other than the Magician being renamed as ‘The Magus’ and the World being renamed as ‘The Universe’ the major arcana cards featured within The Cosmic Slumber Tarot follow the traditional Rider Waite set up and are easy to understand and to work with.
These beautiful, hand-painted cards are so vibrant, colourful and so joyous to read, they really are a pleasure to work with.
The Minor Arcana
Though Tillie has renamed the suit of wands/ staves as ‘Torches’, the minor arcana also sticks closely to the traditional Rider Waite set up. Each of the suits follow a particular colour scheme; the torches featuring deep purples, whilst the cups feature shades of blue, the swords feature tones of red and the pentacles feature earthy, shades of green.
The Torches
The Cups
The Swords
The Pentacles
The Bonus Cards
The Cosmic Slumber Tarot is said to be a deck based upon the concept of the peace that we feel whilst in a deep slumber and the excitement that we experience upon waking. Included within The Cosmic Slumber Tarot are two additional cards – ‘The Morning’ and ‘The Night’. Having worked with this deck for the past week or so, I feel that these cards make perfect sense and fit wonderfully within the deck.
Here is a short video-walkthrough guide that I have put together further explaining The Cosmic Slumber Tarot.
Reading With The Cosmic Slumber Tarot
I have been working with The Cosmic Slumber Tarot to carry out readings for just over a week now. Given that this deck is Rider Waite based, I find this really easy to understand and to use – the imagery is busy yet very clear offering numerous meanings and concepts within readings. I personally have really enjoyed using this deck, I am particularly fond of the bonus cards which fit perfectly into this deck – readings are a joy to carry out using these cards and as a result, this deck now sits alongside my favourites on a special shelf.
Purchasing & Pricing Information
The Cosmic Slumber Tarot standard edition retails at £21.99 and can be purchased directly from Liminal 11. The Limited Edition of The Cosmic Slumber Tarot is also available from £75.00 and features numerous extras including original artwork, a tarot pouch, a special tin and a reading cloth.
As of November 2020, The Cosmic Slumber Tarot may also be purchased from Amazon for £17.03
To Summarise
The Cosmic Slumber Tarot is a beautiful, hand-painted tarot deck ideal for readers of all abilities. These wonderfully, vivid, colourful cards are perfectly printed, super to shuffle and are a joy to work with.
For further information upon The Cosmic Slumber Tarot or alternative Liminal 11 products visit https://liminal11.com
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Product Rating
Disclosure: I was sent the above product for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.
2 comments
Yes, Liminal 11 knows how to find talented authors. I also highly recommend reading graphic novels by Tillie Walden. These are very touching and sincere stories. Thank you for review!
You are welcome