My latest Tarot deck — The Old Gods Tarot — by the brilliant, enormously talented Cilla Conway has caught me completely off-guard. It shouldn’t have, since I’ve been in love with Cilla’s Shimmering Veil Tarot from the moment it arrived in my hands back in November 2021, and I adore all her other decks as well. Nevertheless, when The Old Gods arrived today and I began to explore the cards, I was breathlessly mesmerized. I felt a pulse-pounding energetic connection with The Old Gods similar to what I experience with Shimmering Veil but of course their frequencies are distinctly different from one another; even a quick glance at the images can reveal how unique they are in and of themselves.
The Old Gods Tarot was released back in December 2022 and I did watch Simon’s unboxing. But during that month, I was sitting hospice with my mom, living in her house as she moved through the dying process. So, needless to say, I wasn’t very focused on anything but how I could help her. Later, a few months after Mom died in January, I remember going back to look at The Old Gods and decided that I would get the deck eventually but would wait until Cilla’s latest oracle was available to save on overseas shipping costs. One of the reasons I felt less drawn to The Old Gods was because the Minor Arcana were in the pip style, something I wasn’t attracted to at that time.
So I delayed and waited. During the interim, however, I found myself becoming curious and learning more about reading patterns in pip decks, starting with the Tarot de Marseille and older Italian decks with non-scenic Minor Arcana.
Then, at the first of this month, I felt it was time to acquire The Old Gods Tarot when I placed my order for Cilla’s Oracle of the Future.
I find myself absolutely shocked at my passion for The Old Gods Tarot! I was giddy with delight! I guess this is one of those examples of how when the time is right, we find connection. Plus, for anyone on the fence about this deck after watching some of the videos on YouTube, none of those come close to doing justice to the exquisite clarity and vibrancy of the images in this deck. Because I’ve spent decades reading about and ritually working with many Goddesses and Gods of antiquity, I am thrilled to see so many of them shining through this deck; even the pips are so much more than just a specific number of shapes, each expressing beautiful archaeological meaning and insight. The accompanying book provides an abundance of details regarding the images in the cards, written in Cilla’s usual evocative, insightful (and often sassy) style. I envision many fabulous days ahead listening to The Old Gods speak to me through these gorgeous cards; I’ve already asked The Old Gods for a message and had no problem understanding their response.
This deck quickly claimed its spot in the special mahogany box that rests next to my reading table; wrapped in black silk, it resides with Shimmering Veil and a half-dozen other special decks set aside for primarily personal/spiritual conversations.
Barefoot On The Gaia Path 