Athene Noctua, 2022
For more info, go to @Athene_arcana
As fellow tarot enthusiast, Swailes, from The Friendly Green Witch
slid this deck over to me, she was animated. "It's the most inclusive deck. And I've followed her from the start, and watched her do the artwork. It's amazing!"
Swailes is a vibrant soul with a taste for Kickstarter decks, and in the past she has shown me 2 other decks. The Leeds Tarot, a community project to unify artists through the tarot; and Alleyman's (which broke records as the most funded deck on kickstarter). With that info alone, I knew that the Unfolding Path Tarot was going to be a big deal.
Athene Noctua is a deck creator extraordinaire, with 4 decks currently on sale, and at least one more on the way. Seriously, go click that link at the top of the page, and follow her!
One thing her decks all hold in common is that they are inspired by the world around us. They feature animals and nature scapes, and vibrant florals, all in a contemporary style.
However the Unfolding Path sticks out as her only tarot deck (Rider Waite Smith style), and the one with a focus on people.
One look at this deck shows the emotive faces of people like you and I. The charm is that by far, the most inclusive deck I've ever seen, with race, gender, age, weight, ability, and relationship diversity throughout. The characters radiate out of the cards, and honestly, flicking through the deck is akin to walking through a city or marketplace, and seeing every person in the most beautiful light.
Let's talk about the artwork.
The back was the first part I saw. Beautiful watercoloured flowers on a watery aqua. It was sublime, in a soft and feminine and captivating way. I've never seen a similar back, but it really is a piece of art in its own right.
The card artwork is stunning watercolour. I actually, even as an artist myself, couldn't tell if they were created digitally or with watercolour, so I asked Athene. She clarified that she used procreate and used a watercolour brush. The colours, use of shadow and light, the pallette, everything is just so serene and yet so vibrant. She has pretty much bottled joy and emotion in every card. Most cards feature people, but some hone in on the cup, wand, pentacle or sword.
This is not the first contemporary deck, in fact it is clearly comparable to The Lightseers deck; not just in it's modern and instagrammable style, but the pallette and composition. If Athene was inspired by her forebearers, she has taken all the best bits and then finessed it. This deck feels more authentic because of the natural watercolour look. The range in terms of diversity has been taken up a level. And the pallette is sublime. The skill in creating the artwork is tangible. They look as though you could touch them and feel the grain of the paper. And the art really is radiant.
Now we must talk practicalities.
The cards are a tricky shuffle. There's no getting around it. The card just isn't nice. In fact it is a deal breaker for me personally (but remember I'm not many decks are a keeper for me!). They feel like flyer paper. They don't feel like they can take a bend or even much of a wiggle at all, and they stick together while shuffling. During the review, I laid them out for the photos and they were very difficult to pick back up as I didn't want to damage them while they're on loan.
The box is gorgeous, made of sturdy black canvas with silver foil for the title.
It does have a foam insert, and anything like that is a personal bugbear of mine. I'd rather see a smaller box that fit the deck well. Some of the cards had slid under the foam which made it difficult to get them out of the box. That's a personal big bear, but not a deal breaker for me- I just thought it was worth mentioning. I do love the addition of a sticker showing the authenticity of the deck, and think this could add value in future to boot.
The book is a pamphlet, which folds out. It's actually way less Spartan than a Little White Book-- it comes in glorious, thematic full colour. I really like this as a reader, as it contains accurate, concise, key words for each card. These are really all you need to get to know the meaning of a card and begin to understand the energy of that card. And use your own intuition. So I love it.
In summary, this is a gorgeous deck, and holds its head above water with some of the most popular decks on the market.
If you love contemporary, artist created decks such as the Light Seers, or even the Wild Unknown, this deck is one to add to the collection.
It stands out even among its peers as it is super diverse on every level, and offers a way wider range of representation than any other deck I've seen, and the skill and execution in creating the deck just emanate from it. And the pallette is dreamworthy.
Athene was also really warm and kind in answering all my questions during this review, and all her other decks are also very captivating. Go see for yourself at her Instagram: @athene_arcana