The Pacific Northwest Tarot Deck SALE

The Pacific Northwest Tarot Deck - 78 hand-drawn cards about an ecosystem

Most tarot decks use symbols from the human world: swords, cups, pentacles, figures in robes. This deck reverses that relationship. Brendan Marnell places everything in the nature of the Pacific Northwest and lets trees, moss, deer and hawks carry the archetypes.

Each card shows a specific plant or animal species from Oregon and Washington. The Hermit stands among Douglas firs, The Sun appears above an open valley full of wildflowers, Wands are taken over by cedar branches. The illustrations are hand-drawn in a style that combines botanical precision with quiet, almost meditative imagery.

What you see on the cards

The colours are muted: lots of green, brown, beige and grey, with the occasional bright flower or red fox. The lines are soft and organic, no hard outlines. That fits the pace of the material: this is not fast city energy but the rhythm of seasons and tides.

The black borders give the cards a finished look and protect the illustrations during shuffling. The cardstock is 350 gsm, sturdy but not stiff, with a matte coating that eliminates glare. The cards are standard tarot size: 70 x 120 mm.

The guidebook contains short stories for each card. No long theoretical explanations, but sketches of how a particular plant grows, how an animal moves, and what that has to do with the archetype. This approach makes it easier to form your own associations.

How this deck works in practice

This deck is accessible for beginners. The structure is classic: 22 Major Arcana, four suits of fourteen cards. Anyone familiar with Rider-Waite will recognise the layout immediately. Those who have never laid tarot can work directly on intuition through the nature imagery.

The guidebook is in English, as are the cards. Each description starts with an observation about nature and connects to the meaning of the card. That gives context without spoon-feeding.

Draw a card, look up the animal or plant in the guidebook, and notice where you encounter it for the rest of the day. Sometimes the message is not in the card itself but in what you notice around you afterwards.

About Brendan Marnell

Brendan Marnell lives in Portland, Oregon and works as an illustrator, animator and designer. His work sits between animation and graphic design, with a strong focus on natural forms and muted colour use.

Ten percent of the proceeds from this deck goes to organisations working on nature conservation in the Pacific Northwest. Not a symbolic amount, but a concrete contribution to the ecosystem that provided the imagery.

Specifications

• Number of cards: 78
• Language: English (cards and guidebook)
• Guidebook: 100 pages
• Card size: 70 x 120 mm
• Cardstock: 350 gsm with matte finish
• Details: Black borders
• Packaging: Magnetic box
• Creator: Brendan Marnell
• Contribution: 10% of proceeds goes to nature conservation in the Pacific Northwest

Questions we often get

Can you use this deck if you are used to Rider-Waite?
Yes. The structure is identical, only the imagery is different. Instead of human figures you see animals and plants, but the order and meanings remain the same. That makes the transition easy.

How heavy are the cards compared to a standard tarot deck?
The cardstock is 350 gsm, which is sturdier than average. The cards feel solid in the hand and do not bend easily. The matte coating makes them less slippery than glossy decks, which makes shuffling slightly slower but more controlled.