Tarot often arrives dressed for a ceremony.
There are candles, ancient symbols, mysterious robes, serious faces, and at least one person staring intensely into the distance. Then there is Abstract Tarot—a deck that looks at all of this solemn tradition and asks a dangerous question:
What if tarot were allowed to be a little weird?
Abstract Tarot is a playful reinterpretation of the Rider–Waite–Smith system, drawn with loose lines, expressive characters, strange little details, and a sense of humor that refuses to behave. The traditional meanings are still there. They have simply stopped pretending to be serious all the time.
A Deck That Knows It Looks Strange
At first glance, the artwork can feel spontaneous—almost as if the characters wandered onto the cards before the artist had time to stop them.
But the looseness is intentional. Familiar RWS compositions remain recognizable, while unnecessary detail is stripped away. What remains is often the most emotionally direct part of the card: a posture, an expression, an awkward situation, or one very questionable decision.
The result is a deck that feels surprisingly easy to read. You do not always need an elaborate symbolic explanation when a character’s entire body is already saying, “This was a terrible idea.”
The Cards Have Opinions
The Hermit has apparently spent the entire night searching for something. When asked what he is looking for, he admits that he has absolutely no idea. It is introspection in its most honest form: sometimes the spiritual journey begins before anyone knows where it is going.
The Chariot is moving at what the guidebook describes as “turtle speed.” This may not look like glorious victory, but it makes the card’s message more human. Progress is still progress—even when it is embarrassingly slow.
The Tower abandons cosmic drama altogether. Instead, the tower seems annoyed by the two noisy people nearby and orders them to get out. Sudden collapse has never sounded so much like a frustrated landlord.
The Six of Wands believes everyone is obsessed with him, while his horse would simply like him to stop pulling its mane and laughing so terribly. Victory, recognition, and ego all appear in one wonderfully uncomfortable scene.
And the Nine of Swords? Someone has been “jumped by a bunch of swords in the middle of the night.” It may be one of the clearest descriptions of anxiety ever written.
Why the Jokes Actually Help
The humor does not replace the traditional card meanings. It makes them easier to remember.
You may forget a formal paragraph explaining the Nine of Swords, but you will probably remember the experience of being ambushed by your own thoughts at three in the morning. You may forget the textbook definition of the Hermit, but not the person searching for answers without knowing what the question was.
That is where Abstract Tarot becomes more than a funny deck. Its jokes act as interpretive shortcuts. They turn abstract concepts into recognizable human moments: overconfidence, exhaustion, avoidance, awkwardness, stubbornness, and the occasional complete lack of a plan.
The deck also leaves room for readers to form their own impressions. A loose drawing does not dictate every detail. It gives the imagination somewhere to enter.
Tarot Does Not Have to Whisper
Abstract Tarot proves that a deck can be lighthearted without being empty, and strange without becoming unreadable.
Tarot does not always need to speak through grand visions or ancient mystery. Sometimes it can communicate through a terrible laugh, an irritated horse, a confused Hermit, or a tower that has simply had enough.
And somehow, the message still arrives.
Explore Abstract Tarot — Collector’s Edition.