Review: True Black Tarot — Darkness & Stars

First impressions

Some decks are beautiful. And then there’s the True Black Tarot. When I first held a card, I stopped breathing — literally. The Fool shows a glowing white infant floating in absolute darkness, a golden butterfly on its head, white doves flying from a beam of light above, lotus flowers on dark water below. This isn’t a drawing — it’s a vision. And every single one of the 78 cards is at this level.

Arthur Wang didn’t just create a deck — he created a museum. Black cardstock, white and gold illustrations that glow against the dark background like stars in the night sky. A magnetic box with the inscription: “It is only in darkness that we see the stars.” That’s not a marketing slogan — it’s the philosophy of the entire deck.

About the deck

Creator: Arthur Wang, an independent artist. The deck launched via Kickstarter and quickly became a cult favorite. Multiple reviewers rate it 10/10 — and that’s not hyperbole.

78 cards plus a bonus card “Anant” (the infinite, eternal), placed after the Major Arcana. Cardstock is 18 points — 50% thicker than standard tarot. Splash-resistant coating. The cards feel like luxury objects — heavy, smooth, satisfying.

The Wheel of Fortune is renamed “Destiny.” The symbolism departs significantly from classic Waite — this is the author’s vision filtered through philosophy, cosmology, and mythology. The guidebook reads as philosophical essays for each card, not lists of meanings.

Visual style

Arthur Wang’s style is minimalism brought to perfection. Black background. White, gold, and red accents. Each card looks like museum-quality digital painting — depth, volume, chiaroscuro. The figures aren’t medieval characters — they’re timeless archetypal beings.

The palette is ascetic: mostly white on black, with precise accents of gold and red. But those two or three colors create incredible depth. The red thread of fate on the Lovers, the golden wings of the Devil, the red circle beneath Death’s feet — every color accent carries meaning.

Core themes

True Black is philosophical tarot. Each card isn’t just an image — it’s a meditation:

• Cosmology — the Fool as primordial soul, Destiny as unfathomable force, the World as completion of understanding
• Chaos theory — the butterfly on the Fool’s head as the butterfly effect, unpredictability of the future
• Mythology — the red thread of fate from Plato’s Symposium, Chinese characters on Death, Egyptian symbolism in Justice
• Duality — light exists only in darkness, good and evil are inseparable, every card contains both sides

Favorite cards

The Fool (0)

A glowing white infant floats in absolute darkness. A golden butterfly on its head — a nod to chaos theory and the butterfly effect. White doves fly from a beam of light above. Below — lotuses on dark water and an egg. An infinity lemniscate is brushed in ink behind. This isn’t the Fool stepping off a cliff — it’s the soul before its journey begins, pure and infinitely possible.

Death (XIII)

A white hooded figure stands facing forward, balancing a key on one finger. In the other hand, a skull-topped staff. Behind: a dark ornate arch inscribed with Chinese characters, red relief figures on the walls. Beneath the feet — a red circle-portal, beside it a pink lotus. This is Death as the guardian of transition, not as reaper. The key says: the door is open.

The Devil (XV)

An androgynous white figure with massive golden wings. A crown, golden chains hanging, dark gem-drops falling. A hand pressed to the face — mirror? mask? This is the Devil as fallen angel: irresistibly beautiful, seductively golden. Not grotesque — temptation in its purest form.

The Lovers (VI)

Two pale figures back-to-back, floating in the void. A red thread binds them at wrists and ankles. A spiral above, red triangles on each side, red energy swirling below. The red string of fate — literal. They don’t look at each other, yet they’re bound inseparably.

Destiny (X — Wheel of Fortune)

A white figure in meditation pose. Instead of a head — a vortex-funnel spiraling into infinity. A golden orb between the legs, golden threads and triangular symbols on either side. Destiny isn’t a wheel — it’s an unfathomable force holding all fates within its infinity portal.

The Star (XVII)

A woman in a black dress with silver hair stands on water, pouring stardust from two vessels. Nearly monochrome — silver on black. Stars glimmer above. The quietest card in the deck — after the Tower’s storm, absolute silence arrives. And in that silence — hope.

How to work with this deck

• Single card meditation — True Black is made for deep immersion. One card a day, 10 minutes of study. Details reveal themselves in layers
• Philosophical spread — three cards: the question, the paradox, the resolution. The deck thinks this way
• No reversals — the creator doesn’t work with reversed meanings. Each card already contains both sides
• Evening spreads — on black cardstock, the illustrations are especially striking in dim light

Who is this deck for

If you value art and philosophy in tarot — this may be the best deck in the world. Not hyperbole. Reviewers rate it 10/10 and write: “Its only downfall is it’s too good — nothing will ever compare.”

For experienced readers — ideal. The author’s symbolism demands thinking, not memorization.

For beginners — not recommended as a first deck. The symbolism is far from Waite, and without a foundation it’s hard to understand what’s happening on the cards. But as a second or third deck — absolutely.

An honest note: thick cards (18pt) can feel unusual during shuffling. And the deck is expensive — indie quality costs accordingly. But this is one case where the price is justified.

Deck pairings

• Deviant Moon Tarot — if True Black is philosophical darkness, Deviant Moon is surrealist darkness. Two different approaches to dark aesthetics
• Light Seer’s Tarot — the complete opposite: light, color, warmth. Perfect for contrasting spreads
• Shadowscapes Tarot — watercolor beauty alongside digital painting. Two worlds, two languages

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