Earth Woman Tarot - faceless figures and earthly cycles
An RWS-based deck in which no faces are drawn. That might sound odd, but it means you can lay your own story into the cards without getting stuck in the expression of one specific character.
Tarn Ellis, a British artist and psychologist, designed this deck with attention to natural rhythms: seasons, moon phases, the ebb and flow of growth and rest. The figures are universal, the symbolism earthy, the colours muted shades of green, brown, blue and ochre yellow.
What you see on the cards
The style is illustrative and clear. Lines are soft, forms organic. No sharp corners, no harsh contrasts. The characters have no faces, which means you are not distracted by emotions someone else has drawn in.
Instead of facial expressions, the cards tell their story through posture, clothing, natural elements and hand gestures. A figure with open arms among flowers. A woman with bowed head by water. Movement without mask.
The attention to seasons and moon phases returns in the illustrations. Some cards clearly show a full moon, others a new moon or a phase in between. It is a subtle layer that makes the deck useful for anyone working with lunar cycles.
How this deck stands apart
Ellis bases her work on the RWS tradition, so the structure is familiar. The Major Arcana follow the known sequence, the Minor Arcana are divided into four elements with the same court cards and numbered cards as in the classic deck.
What is different is the softness. This is not a dark deck, not a mystical fairytale, not an occult symbol book. It is warm, earthy and introverted. The cards do not invite drama, but looking inward.
The matte finish helps with that too. No reflection, no gloss. The cards feel pleasant in the hand and sturdy enough to use often without wearing quickly.
Draw a card at the start of a new season and leave it on your desk for a week. Look occasionally at how the image moves with you through the day.
Who this deck works for
This deck is designed for anyone who wants to strengthen the connection with natural rhythms. The guidebook contains not only card meanings, but also context about Ellis's philosophy and some spreads that respond to seasons and moon phases.
It is accessible for beginners through the RWS structure, but also offers depth for those who have worked with tarot longer and need a quieter register than many modern decks.
The faceless style makes the deck gender-inclusive. Although the title 'Earth Woman' suggests it is aimed at women, it is more a celebration of feminine energy as archetype than as gender. Anyone drawn to earthy symbolism can work with this.
About Tarn Ellis
Tarn Ellis is an artist and psychologist. Her background in psychology is noticeable in how she builds the cards: not as decoration, but as visual stories that leave room for projection and self-reflection.
She travels widely and draws inspiration from different landscapes. That returns in the diversity of natural elements in the deck: forests, water, mountains, plains, flowers and animals alternate.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 78
- Card size: 70 x 120 mm
- Finish: Matte cardstock with rounded corners
- Packaging: Luxury lift-top box with protective inner lining
- Guidebook: Multilingual guide (English as main language), written by Tarn Ellis, with spreads
- Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
- Tradition: Based on Rider-Waite-Smith
Questions we often get
Why are the figures faceless?
Ellis deliberately chose this style so you are not influenced by a fixed facial expression. It makes the cards more universal and leaves more room for your own interpretation.
Which languages are included in the multilingual guidebook?
Lo Scarabeo guidebooks are standard multilingual, with English as the main language and usually also Italian, German, French and Spanish. The cards themselves contain no text.
