When I was a kid I found one of my moms tarot decks and laid out all the cards. She got really upset I was messing with her stuff but I thought the cards were so beautiful, I wanted to look at them more but she wouldn’t let me touch them. So When I first bought my own Tarot deck when I was 20 I was so happy, I set out all the cards , every day and just loved them. Now I personally own almost 100 decks. I love them. I love to do readings. I love to sit with the cards. Tarot means so much to me personally. I love that each deck can speak to you in a different way. I set out to create my own tarot deck but put that project down at least 7 times as something “too difficult” well I finally created Painted Tarot which was my first Tarot Deck and funded on kickstarter, it was so freeing but I felt like I learned so much from the experience I wanted to create another deck. I created Cats in Space Tarot and was narrowly funded on kickstarter. I was told by so many people that projet was a good idea and I think it was too niche. But then doing some self healing I got really creative and made an oracle deck, Love Thy Self. Which was also funded on kickstarter. I wanted to come back to tarot and I wanted to create a tarot deck that was really for me. So I made this Deck, Black Cat Tarot. This is my 4th Deck that I have created and I am so proud of it. I have learned so much about myself, about tarot with each deck. This is definitely my best one yet.
I hope that someone does a reading with my deck and they find some clarity and insight into themselves. I believe tarot is a very important tool. I really believe in tapping into your own knowledge and power. Cats are so wise, you hear of cats sitting on hospital beds before people die. Cats are mysterious and wise creatures and we can learn so much from them. I connect with black cats so personally that thinking about them in tarot has deepened my practice. I connect with these kitties and I hope others do too. There’s a special deck for every person. and theres a deck that is an occasional use Deck. I think this deck can be both. For some people I hope its their go to, for others I hope they at least find entertainment in the cards. Maybe they will really connect with a card and my imagery can connect them more deeply with that cards meaning. It is a deep deck in the sense that symbolism is important for each card, but also its just pretty adorable in fun. Things can be multidimensional and purpose can be determined by the user. I hope my deck makes people happy. Like a fat purring kitty on your lap 🙂
Why did you choose black cats specifically rather than cats in general?
Oh great question! Ok so I started an LLC 3 years ago. I was talking to my mentor at the time and he told me I needed a name for my business that was loose, because I was offering: event planning, design and pilates, etc and I needed an umbrella term that I could mold to fit where my career path took me. He told me not to think inside of a box. I was going to call my business “Thea’s Event Planning”. He told me to go home and think about it, so I went home and I sat in my room and my black cat Boo came up to me and sat in my lap, as she does whenever she can. I wrote out hundred of names, starting with “Boo Works” (My cats name is Boo) And I decided to name my business Black Cat Consulting LLC, just generic enough that I can still teach pilates and sell tarot decks under one business name 🙂 Boo is my ever loving companion. I accidentally adopted her from animal humane. I went to look at the new facility they built here in Albuquerque and made the mistake of going into the Cat room. I had just been dumped and I was super sad. But I sat in that room and Boo marched right towards me and immediately showed me her belly and let me pick her up and it was love at first cuddle and I had to take her home. They were not sure if she was 4 or 5 and that was roughly 6 years ago. I am guessing she is 10. I adopted her on October 30th so I celebrate her birthday every year, she loves fish so i usually giver her a little tuna. She is my best friend. She has been with me thru major life changes, seven moves, several changes in careers, multiple breakups. She is always purring at my side. even right now shes sitting on my feet as cute as can be. I think it’s only fitting that my tarot deck is black cat tarot. PLUS I have already made a deck called cats in space tarot (which is way different, it has real cat pictures and pictures from NASA). Also There are some great cat decks out there. Weird cat Tarot is tons of fun. I wanted my deck to be different then those in terms of focus and art. I think theres plenty room for even more cat decks 🙂
You can use Tarot cards however they suit you. Because Tarot is simply a tool, and as with all kinds of tools, how you use it is completely up to you. Tarot is perfect for self-development, making choices, manifesting goals, coaching others, planning a business, writing a book, meditating—you name it. Tarot is the storybook of our life, the mirror to our soul, and the key to our inner wisdom. The most powerful way to read the Tarot is to use the cards to access your intuition and your inner wisdom. You are already so powerful. You are already much wiser than you give yourself credit for! The imagery in the cards give you instant access to your subconscious mind and your intuition. And from this place of inner power and wisdom, you can discover how to make positive changes now so you can manifest your goals and your dreams in the future.
My name is Thea. I have always loved the night sky. I grew up just outside of Albuquerque far enough from the “Big City” to see most of the night sky, including the Milky Way. I got into tarot when I was a really young. I was instantly drawn to the pictures and colors. Growing up admiring painters like Vincent Van Gogh and Leonardo Da Vinci. I wanted to paint cards like the ones my mom had. And I did! I created the Painted Tarot, currently available on Etsy! But after successfully completing that kickstarter, I realized that I wanted something a little big more in depth in terms of Astrology and Astronomy. So I created the Cats in Space Tarot Deck! It features pictures from Nasa to inspire wonder and the cutest cats!
This Tarot Deck features the traditional card layout in any Rider Waite deck! It features all 78 cards. The suits are Mars ( wands ), Neptune ( cups ), Earth ( pentacles ), and Mercury ( Swords ). It comes with a detailed guidebook. Please send me your Email. Currently the Guidebook is digital. Those who backed the kickstarter will receive a hardcopy of the guidebook. The physical guidebook should be available in 2 weeks!
In this deck the suits are represented as planets. I chose these planets based on their elements but also based on the photos and knowledge that NASA has, so I chose close planets. There may be more suited planets in this universe but we don’t have great photos or knowledge yet about all the cosmos. So I picked things close to home. Easy way to read the cards is when you draw a suit card think of it in terms of the following: • NEPTUNE Cups (element = water): Emotions, creativity, intuition, relationships • EARTH Pentacles (element = earth): Material wealth, money, career, manifestation • MERCURY Swords (element = air): Communication, truth, intellect, thoughts • MARS Wands (element = fire): Inspiration, energy, enthusiasm
I wanted to create a Tarot deck using two things I love. Who doesn’t love Cats? Who isn’t fascinated by Space?? After months of study and lots of cat drawings, I decided to use real cat pictures and REAL NASA photos for this tarot deck. There are other cat decks out there. But none like this one. This deck sets you off to take a journey through space. Each card pictures real photos from NASA with information on real space phenomena. All my sources are cited but the main source all comes back to NASA.gov There is a plethora of FREE fascinating knowledge available for you. I hope with this will deck to inspire you to look to the stars in wonder. I also hope you saw “AWE” a lot because these cats are so stinkin’ cute!
This deck is currently available on my Etsy HERE This deck is currently available on my Etsy HERE This deck is currently available on my Etsy HERE This deck is currently available on my Etsy HERE This deck is currently available on my Etsy HERE This deck is currently available on my Etsy HERE Deck Created by Thea
I own every Cat deck that exists! I know of 10 if there are more let me know! I made sure my art and style was different from what is out there. This deck is simple yet funky with its art. The cats aren’t overly detailed but each card has REAL symbolism from the RWS style. It’s cutesy yet accurate, Stylized yet mystical. It’s a much different deck then any of the cat decks out there. including my Cats in Space Deck. I think its bright color and heavy imagery will provide for insightful readings. This is a clever deck and I hope it helps offer guidance and find hidden answers.
How long has it taken you to create this deck?
My First tarot deck took 4 years. My second deck took roughly nine months. My Oracle Deck took two years to create and this deck has taken about 2 1/2 years total. Most of the art was completed in the last 2 months! Mostly November was when I created this deck. I sat and thought about this project for so long. But once I started it the art flowed out of me. It was so much fun to create this project. I hear sometimes people say during deck creation that it takes so long, and I didn’t experience that with this deck. It was a joy to make each card. Each one was fun. It felt so authentic and releasing. I feel like these cards are filled with wisdom that we are all capable of so much more than we can imagine. I completely loved creating this deck. It was one of my fastest projects. I seriously felt a shift inside myself that allowed me to create this. I really had to believe in myself to overcome the self donut of others. Everything people say to you is a reflection of themselves. Usually if someone says you can’t do something it is because they believe they couldn’t do that thing. Once I figured that out = a solid 50 hours of working straight and I almost had each card perfect!
Boo
What card are you most proud of and why?
I really like The hierophant Card. I struggle connecting with this card because it can have that religious sort of connotation. I hated this card in my Painted Tarot Deck. I painted her as a woman pope with shadows before her and I made her ominous and lifeless and creepy, like a negative yielding authority. I think shes ugly. Its not about being just for her its about following rules. So I sat with this card for a while and decided to draw a funky kitty floating thru space time. When you view this card like a teacher or a mentor and view it as life lessons for yourself you can start to see this as an omen of yes do your research and remember you stand on the shoulders of giants. There is nothing you can’t learn. So this is my favorite card because it made me connect deeper with this card for all of my tarot practice!
What impact would you like your deck to have on it’s readers?
I hope that someone does a reading with my deck and they find some clarity and insight into themselves. I believe tarot is a very important tool. I really believe in tapping into your own knowledge and power. Cats are so wise, you hear of cats sitting on hospital beds before people die. Cats are mysterious and wise creatures and we can learn so much from them. I connect with black cats so personally that thinking about them in tarot has deepened my practice. I connect with these kitties and I hope others do too. There’s a special deck for every person. and theres a deck that is an occasional use Deck. I think this deck can be both. For some people I hope its their go to, for others I hope they at least find entertainment in the cards. Maybe they will really connect with a card and my imagery can connect them more deeply with that cards meaning. It is a deep deck in the sense that symbolism is important for each card, but also its just pretty adorable in fun. Things can be multidimensional and purpose can be determined by the user. I hope my deck makes people happy. Like a fat purring kitty on your lap 🙂
What have been your challenges in creating this deck?
Honestly its letting other people make me doubt myself. It can be hard to turn the criticism off from others, but you must learn to do this as a creator. I put off this deck for almost a year because I was scared. When I first pitched the idea to people in my life, they told me not to do another kickstarter, not to do another cat deck and to wait until life calms down and I can find another non tarot project. I do have a lot going on. I am just starting back to school, moving, dealing with family drama etc. So yes adding a kickstarter on is alot. But my “too much” is a limiting belief others are putting on me. I am not too much. I am as much as I need to be. I LOVE Tarot. It’s something I connect with, I am not going to stop creating tarot decks. I love them. I don’t care if other people agree with me. I hope other artists make tons more deck and I hope to make more decks too, I want a future with lots of Tarot and lots of options! I set my kickstarter amount to the bare minimum because I wasn’t interested in making money, I was interested in bringing this project to life. I tapped into my own magic and believed in a thing and did the thing. The second I started believing in myself the project was almost finished. We all have this magic and I hope people can buy this deck and tap into that magic too! The hard things make us grow. How we weather the storm tells us who we are. I believe in Tarot and I need to make sure I am believing in myself too.
Why did you choose black cats specifically rather than cats in general?
Oh great question! Ok so I started an LLC 3 years ago. I was talking to my mentor at the time and he told me I needed a name for my business that was loose, because I was offering: event planning, design and pilates, etc and I needed an umbrella term that I could mold to fit where my career path took me. He told me not to think inside of a box. I was going to call my business “Thea’s Event Planning”. He told me to go home and think about it, so I went home and I sat in my room and my black cat Boo came up to me and sat in my lap, as she does whenever she can. I wrote out hundred of names, starting with “Boo Works” (My cats name is Boo) And I decided to name my business Black Cat Consulting LLC, just generic enough that I can still teach pilates and sell tarot decks under one business name 🙂 Boo is my ever loving companion. I accidentally adopted her from animal humane. I went to look at the new facility they built here in Albuquerque and made the mistake of going into the Cat room. I had just been dumped and I was super sad. But I sat in that room and Boo marched right towards me and immediately showed me her belly and let me pick her up and it was love at first cuddle and I had to take her home. They were not sure if she was 4 or 5 and that was roughly 6 years ago. I am guessing she is 10. I adopted her on October 30th so I celebrate her birthday every year, she loves fish so i usually giver her a little tuna. She is my best friend. She has been with me thru major life changes, seven moves, several changes in careers, multiple breakups. She is always purring at my side. even right now shes sitting on my feet as cute as can be. I think it’s only fitting that my tarot deck is black cat tarot. PLUS I have already made a deck called cats in space tarot (which is way different, it has real cat pictures and pictures from NASA). Also There are some great cat decks out there. Weird cat Tarot is tons of fun. I wanted my deck to be different then those in terms of focus and art. I think theres plenty room for even more cat decks 🙂
How will you celebrate when the deck is finally published?
For Boo’s Birthday I made her a tuna cake, maybe we will do that again when the campaign ends! And video it for everyone! Or maybe Her and I can do a photoshoot, something really cheesy with a ball gown?! I am seriously so happy about this whole experience, to a project I was discouraged from creating, to getting funded in 5 days; has been a roller coaster of emotions. I feel like the universe has thanked me for being my authentic self! I am truly honored that so many people have loved my idea and I cant wait to share more ideas with the world and I can’t wait to see what the future holds. It almost feels unreal. I am definitely going to celebrate with lots of love and light and send out so many positive vibes. I might even get some balloons! Boo loves Balloons!
My Black Cat Tarot Deck Available on Etsy now
I wanted to create a Tarot deck using two things I love. Who doesn’t love Cats? Who isn’t fascinated by Space?? After months of study and lots of cat drawings, I decided to use real cat pictures and REAL NASA photos for this tarot deck. There are other cat decks out there. But none like this one. This deck sets you off to take a journey through space. Each card pictures real photos from NASA with information on real space phenomena. All my sources are cited but the main source all comes back to NASA.gov There is a plethora of FREE fascinating knowledge available for you. I hope with this will deck to inspire you to look to the stars in wonder. I also hope you saw “AWE” a lot because these cats are so stinkin’ cute!
My name is Thea. I have always loved the night sky. I grew up just outside of Albuquerque far enough from the “Big City” to see most of the night sky, including the Milky Way. I got into tarot when I was a really young. I was instantly drawn to the pictures and colors. Growing up admiring painters like Vincent Van Gogh and Leonardo Da Vinci. I wanted to paint cards like the ones my mom had. And I did! I created the Painted Tarot, currently available on Etsy! But after successfully completing that kickstarter, I realized that I wanted something a little big more in depth in terms of Astrology and Astronomy. So I created the Cats in Space Tarot Deck! It features pictures from Nasa to inspire wonder and the cutest cats!
In this deck the suits are represented as planets. I chose these planets based on their elements but also based on the photos and knowledge that NASA has, so I chose close planets. There may be more suited planets in this universe but we don’t have great photos or knowledge yet about all the cosmos. So I picked things close to home. Easy way to read the cards is when you draw a suit card think of it in terms of the following:
• MARS Wands (element = fire): Inspiration, energy, enthusiasm
Black Cats are already full of magic.
When you’ve had a long hard day and they come and sit in your lap and you INSTANTLY feel less stressed. When they Meow at you Good Morning ( Which could be translated to FEED ME NOW) When you pat their silky furr and they purr super loud. Or when they dash around the house for no reason at 2 am how do we know they aren’t fighting evil spirits?
Whatever quirky thing your black cat does, that’s what makes them special. This deck highlights the special and silly things about our favorite noir felines!
This deck is not bad luck. In fact this deck is super lucky! Black cats have long endured cruelty and horrible misconceptions due to myths and superstitions. There is no bad luck when these cuties cross your path. Black Cats make the best companion for your tarot readings because they are so elegant! Let’s start with the absolute outward beauty of the coat. Black cats look sophisticated. If the cat is kept healthy and fed excellent quality food, the black coat should be sleek, shiny and simply gorgeous. A black cat always looks as if they are ready for a formal night out on the town. In addition to the black cat’s elegance, they also look like a little panther gracefully roaming around. It’s as if you have a little piece of the wild in your home. A black cat walking or running through the house is the picture of grace, stealth, mystery and beauty. What better symbol to connect with tarot then the loyal black meow meow.
