Garden of Lucid Daydreams

Garden of Lucid Daydreams - sketched within an hour of waking

Most decks take months or years to create. Not this one. Patrick Valenza captured what stayed in his mind after his afternoon nap. Each card was sketched within an hour, without revision or rethinking.

The result is a series of images that stay close to dream logic: figures without fixed meaning, objects that behave differently than they do in the waking world, an atmosphere you cannot quite grasp but recognize all the same.

What you see on the cards

The drawing style is sketch-like. Lines are sometimes rough, sometimes fluid. No polished composition, no symmetry unless it appeared naturally. The images are black and white with grey tones, which shifts attention to form and movement rather than colour.

Figures appear from nowhere, objects float, perspectives do not always add up. That fits the speed at which they were made. Valenza gave his hand the space to sketch what his brain still held from the dream.

The cards carry no titles or text. That is a deliberate choice. You interpret what you see, not what stands above the image.

How this deck works

This is not a deck with fixed meanings. A PDF guidebook is available, but it too leaves room. Valenza describes what he saw when he sketched the card, not what you should do with it.

That makes the deck suitable for those accustomed to working associatively. Pull a card, notice what stands out, let the image sit for a moment. Many people use it in the morning, right after waking, or for a brief moment of reflection midday.

Pull a card right after waking. Note the first three words that come up. That is often the clearest message.

About Patrick Valenza

Patrick Valenza is an illustrator best known for the Deviant Moon Tarot, a deck with an elaborate, dark visual language. He developed that deck over many years. Garden of Lucid Daydreams is the opposite: fast, spontaneous, without a plan.

He works from Pennsylvania and combines digital techniques with hand-drawn work. His style varies per project, but the combination of melancholy and absurdity returns each time.

Specifications

• Number of cards: 54
• Language: cards without text, PDF guidebook in English
• Publisher: Deviant Moon Inc.
• Card dimensions: 64 x 89 mm
• Card stock: linen finish
• Weight: 200 g
• Guidebook: digital PDF, downloadable
• Illustrator: Patrick Valenza

Questions we often get

How does this deck differ from the Deviant Moon Tarot?
The Deviant Moon Tarot is an elaborate 78-card tarot deck built on the Rider-Waite structure. Garden of Lucid Daydreams is a 54-card oracle deck, sketched in one session per card. The atmosphere is lighter, the form freer.

Does this include a physical guidebook?
No. The guidebook is a PDF you can download. In it Valenza describes his intentions per card, but not fixed interpretations.