‘You’re about to cross the threshold of the kingdom de la Nuit. Through this deck, you will embark on a journey where night becomes an imaginary land. It is a whole new world that you will discover, where day is night, where suns are moons, where beauty is darkness.
Welcome to a world where dark femininity reigns, where solitude is strength, where faery is close at hand, where melancholy brings enlightenment, and where dreams are real.’
Deck review: Tarot de la Nuit
Artwork by Alexandra V Bach
Book written by Carole-Anne Eschenazi
Published by Lo Scarabeo
Tarot de la Nuit is a Rider-Waite based deck, but is framed through a deliciously mystical Gothic vibe with luscious illustrations and dark beauty. Mythical creatures, black magic, and witchcraft prevail. Every card draws you in, even the spikier cards within the suit of Swords. French artist, Alexandra V. Bach was inspired to create ‘a whole universe in which darkness would have a deep beauty, a rich poetry, and its own light and black stars.’ Her wish for the deck to appear ‘in all its coloured splendour’ delivers a deck that, despite its Gothic vibe, is not an overly bloody or gloomy deck by any means.
The basics:
Card size 70 x 120mm with a sturdy cardstock. Gloss finish.
Box: Upright capped box, no magnet, no thumb holes, thick cardboard.
Guidebook: Exterior colour, interior b&w.
Where to purchase: Widely available
I immediately fell in love with this deck. The world of dark beauty that Bach has created drew me in with The Fool, sending me tumbling into a dark fantasy world rich in femininity. The illustrations are lush and evocative, so I know reading with this deck will really ignite my intuition. This is a strongly feminine deck, to the extent where the only cards with masculine figures are: The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, 5 of Wands, Knight of Swords, and all the Kings. The remainder are all are feminine, but for me the absence of masculine energy isn’t an issue. With such a dreamy vibe off the deck, it suits this more feminine energy.
The cards that caught my attention during the first flip through are; The Chariot, where the figure is sitting on a flying carpet, The Hermit, where the lantern glows bright red and a raven sits on her staff, The Wheel of Fortune depicting the three Fates, and Death imagined as a woman’s face painted to represent a skull. The 2 of Cups features two women standing before a vine-covered cross, both in long white gowns stained by blood. The 3 of Cups shows an Alice in Wonderland tea-party scene, while the 5 of Cups portrays a mermaid perched on a high rock, her attention on a tall ship to her rear. I also have to mention the absolutely stunning 10 of Wands, where a woman stands by a castle window, head bowed as her dress burns. The 10 of Swords is also a very powerful depiction of ending with a figure floating face up in water. Honestly, each of the cards has something that drew me in, and I’ll bore the pants off you if I detail every one, so please just take my word for it, that this deck is absolutely stunning!!
The guide book gives a decent interpretation of each card, along with keywords, and a statement for each card. For example, The High Priestess says; Intuition is my Wisdom; King of Cups; Grandmaster of Emotions; Eight of Wands; Live in Motion; and the Five of Swords; And Ready to Stab. I love these statements, as for me, they neatly summarise the card’s traditional meaning.
The deck also contains a bonus card, the ‘Angel de la Nuit’ which appears after The World. It’s an unnumbered card. The guidebook says the following for Angel de la Nuit:
‘I am the angel of night. If you’ve picked me up, then my message to you is that your inner night is soon coming to an end. You may have walked in darkness for some time, but soon, very soon, a new full moon will rise and will show you the way. My phosphorescent butterflies are here to guide you. Believe in luck. Believe in me. Believe in you. My black soft wings are protecting you from now on. Into your heart, I whisper my sweet lullaby; ‘Have no fear, honey, everything is going to be fine. The night is nothing to be afraid of any more. And the warm sun that you hold within is ready to shine again’.’
Besides the meanings for each card, there’s one spread within the guidebook; The 7-card Night Spread. There's also a brief passage on how to use the deck.
Overall, the Tarot de la Nuit is a dreamy deck with echoes of Alice in Wonderland and the dark allure of traditional fairytales. It’s borderless, which allows the artwork to flow beyond the edges of the card and into the imagination. For those who enjoy inspiring imagery, deep, rich colour, and figures illustrated with expression and emotion, this is a deck worth checking out. The artist has also produced two oracle decks; The Tarot de la Nuit oracle with a strong fairtyale theme, and the Dark Light Oracle which is now on my wish list!
Have you worked with this deck, or do you find yourself drawn to it? I'm always up for a chat about tarot, so reach out to me at julie@creativesoultarot.com If you'd like to feature as a guest on the blog, let me know! I love to hear from creatives and am always open to sharing within our amazing community!