Review: Forest of Enchantment Tarot — Step Inside

First Impressions

I got lost in this deck the first evening I spent with it. Literally — sat on my floor for two hours just looking at cards one after another. Each one is a small window into an enchanted forest where every tree has a name, every path has a story, and every creature has a message for you.

The Forest of Enchantment Tarot isn’t just a deck with pretty pictures. It’s an entire world built with such love and attention to detail that you forget why you picked up the cards and simply wander through the forest. And then you realize: that was the reading. The forest already told you everything you wanted to know.

About the Deck

The Forest of Enchantment Tarot was created by Lunaea Weatherstone — a tarot practitioner with over 50 years of experience — and Meraylah Allwood, an award-winning British artist and illustrator. Published by Llewellyn in 2019.

The defining feature: all 78 cards receive fairy-tale names from the world of folklore. The Fool becomes the White Stag, the Magician becomes the Enchanter, the Empress becomes the Green Mother, the Emperor becomes the Forest Lord, Death becomes the Black Dog, the Chariot becomes the Fairy Wind. Suits are renamed too: Spells (Wands), Visions (Cups), Challenges (Swords), and Boons (Pentacles). Court cards become Child, Seeker, Weaver, and Keeper.

Crucially, the Rider-Waite-Smith structure and meanings are fully preserved beneath the fairy-tale surface. You’re simply reading a story instead of symbols.

The deck comes with a 288-page guidebook titled “Your Path Through the Enchanted Forest” — full-color, printed on quality paper. It’s one of the best guidebooks I’ve encountered: each card is described as a scene in a fairy tale, with specific reflection questions.

Visual Style

Meraylah Allwood creates miniature paintings — each original is only slightly larger than the tarot card itself, and when you realize the level of detail at that scale, it’s staggering. The technique falls between pointillism and detailed book illustration: soft, textured, as if you’re seeing the forest through morning mist.

The palette is woodland: greens, golds, deep turquoise, browns, berry reds. Every card is rich with detail: patterns on tree bark, glowing blossoms, crystal caves. Yet the overall impression isn’t clutter but depth. Like a real forest: the longer you look, the more you see.

Core Themes

• British folklore and fairy tales — the White Stag calls you into the unknown, the Black Dog is a spectral herald of transformation, the Green Mother is an earth goddess. Every Arcanum is a chapter from an ancient tale.
• Connection with nature — the forest isn’t just a backdrop but a living being with its own wisdom. The deck teaches you to listen to trees, water, wind, and find answers in them.
• Storytelling — the guidebook narrates each card as an episode of a fairy tale. Readings become unfolding stories, not symbol inventories.
• Cycles and transformation — from the White Stag (beginning) to the Great World (completion), the deck guides you through every stage of change.
• Meditative journeying — every card invites you to pause and wander inside the image. This deck is for those who don’t rush.

Favorite Cards

The White Stag (The Fool)

An invitation to adventure — the mysterious white stag appears at the forest’s edge and beckons you to follow. You don’t know where it leads, but something inside says: trust. In British folklore, the white stag is a herald of change and a guide to the otherworld. One of the most beautiful reimaginings of the Fool I’ve seen.

The Green Mother & The Black Dog

Two faces of nature side by side. The Green Mother — feminine earth power, unconditional love, creative fertility. She protects and nurtures all living things. The Black Dog — a spectral messenger who reminds you that everything is finite. Not frightening, but saying: time is precious, use it wisely. Together they show the full cycle: birth and departure, growth and completion.

Starlight (The Star)

Eternal hope and cosmic connection. Like elves singing of immortal lands, Starlight reminds you: even in the darkest forest night, celestial light endures. After the Tower and the Black Dog, this card is like stepping into a moonlit clearing.

Ace of Visions (Ace of Cups)

The Swan — your magical ally in the suit of Visions. Grace, beauty, strength, and devotion in love. The card offers deep emotional connection and reminds you: true beauty always combines tenderness with strength.

The Great World (The World)

Completion of one cycle and the beginning of another. The White Stag that called you at the beginning reappears at the end — but now you see it with different eyes. The journey is complete, horizons have expanded, and ahead lies a new forest.

How to Work with This Deck

• Meditative walks — pull a card and imagine stepping into the depicted scene. What do you see? Hear? Feel? The guidebook offers such exercises for every card.
• Seasonal spreads — the deck maps beautifully onto the Wheel of the Year. Use it for Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and other sabbat readings.
• Storytelling spreads — lay out 3-5 cards and read them as episodes of one story. Not “this card means X” but “first the hero met… then saw… and understood…”
• Journaling — record each card as a scene from your personal fairy tale. After several months, you’ll see a larger story taking shape.

Who Is This Deck For

Great fit:

• Fairy tale, folklore, and British mythology lovers
• Those seeking a deck for nature-connected spiritual practice
• Readers who work through stories rather than symbols
• For meditation and inner journeying — the deck was made for this

Probably not:

• Absolute beginners — renamed cards may cause confusion
• Those needing standard RWS names for quick reference
• Fans of modern or minimalist aesthetics
• For quick everyday readings, the deck is too meditative

Deck Pairings

• Dark Wood Tarot — two forests, two personalities. Enchanted Forest is fairy-tale; Dark Wood is psychological. Alternate: one for stories, the other for shadow work.
• Shadowscapes Tarot — two decks with fantasy spirit, but different scales. Shadowscapes is airy watercolor; Forest of Enchantment is detailed miniature. Together they build a complete fairy-tale world.
• The Green Witch Tarot — both decks center on nature magic, but with different approaches. Green Witch is practical herbal magic; Forest of Enchantment is the forest’s fairy-tale wisdom.

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Try this deck in our Telegram bot — step into the enchanted forest and listen to what the trees have to say.