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Tarot of the Owls by Alba & Chen
Tarot of the Owls by Alba & Chen- Primary Spiritual Use: Intuition
- Secondary Spiritual Use: Wisdom
- Element: Water
- Planet: Moon
- Zodiac: Cancer, Pisces
- Chakra: Third Eye
- Ruling Day: Monday
- Tradition: Modern independent tarot
- Intent: Intuition, Wisdom, Divination
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Owls have always carried a reputation for quiet wisdom, and the Tarot of the Owls turns that reputation into a whole deck. This Rider-Waite-Smith-based tarot pairs Elisabeth Alba's warm, detailed artwork with a companion guide by Pamela Chen, casting owls of every kind in the roles of the cards. The Minor Arcana are organized into four parliaments, great horned, burrowing, barn, and snowy owls, while the Major Arcana and the royal owls of the court each carry their own messages. Because the deck keeps the familiar Rider-Waite-Smith structure with no renamed cards or suits, it reads clearly from the very first pull, making it a gentle, grounding companion for anyone who wants to settle in, slow down, and listen to their own inner wisdom.
At a glance
Key Features of the Tarot of the Owls
Rider-Waite-Smith structure, owls throughout. The deck follows the classic 78-card framework with no renamed cards or suits, so it is easy to read while every card is reimagined through owls.
Four parliaments of owls. The Minor Arcana suits are represented by great horned, burrowing, barn, and snowy owls, with the court cards depicted as royal owls.
Beautiful art and a full guidebook. Elisabeth Alba's detailed artwork pairs with Pamela Chen's full-color guidebook, which gives upright and reversed meanings along with spreads and reading tips.
About This Deck
From the publisher, Llewellyn: unlock your intuition with wisdom from owls of all shapes and sizes. This Rider-Waite-Smith-based deck features artwork by Elisabeth Alba and a companion guide by Pamela Chen. You will connect with the four parliaments of the Minor Arcana, the great horned, burrowing, barn, and snowy owls, the members of the Major Arcana, and the royal owls of the court cards. Tarot of the Owls teaches you to use their insight to meet daily challenges and reflect on the life you want to create.
The deck is illustrated by Elisabeth Alba, whose fantastical work appears in Llewellyn's Magical Almanacs and many books and games, with a companion guidebook by Pamela Chen, author of Enchanted Crystal Magic and creator of the Witchling Academy Tarot. The full-color guidebook offers an introduction to tarot, a two-page spread for every card, and both upright and reversed meanings.
The particulars
Product Details
- 78-card full-size tarot deck (22 Major Arcana, 56 Minor Arcana), borderless
- Full-color companion guidebook with upright and reversed meanings, spreads, and reading tips
- Art: Elisabeth Alba
- Guidebook: Pamela Chen
- Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
- Based on: Rider-Waite-Smith structure (no renamed cards or suits)
- Minor Arcana suits: great horned, burrowing, barn, and snowy owls
- ISBN: 9780738768212
The Spiritual Significance
Across many cultures, owls have been read as creatures of insight, able to see what daylight hides and to move silently through the dark. That association with hidden knowledge and clear night vision makes the owl a natural emblem for tarot, a practice concerned with seeing a little further than the obvious. The Tarot of the Owls gathers that symbolism and gives it a whole feathered cast.
Tarot itself is a tool for reflection rather than fixed fortune. The 78 cards trace the human journey, from the Fool's first step through the lessons of the Major Arcana and the daily texture of the Minor Arcana. Because this deck keeps the Rider-Waite-Smith structure intact, with no renamed cards or suits, you draw on more than a century of shared symbolism while the owls lend each scene their calm, watchful presence.
That calm is much of the deck's gift. Many readers find the Tarot of the Owls invites a quieter, more inward kind of reading, the sort where you sink past the noise of a question and listen for the steady inner wisdom the owl has always symbolized.
Ways to use it
What Is the Tarot of the Owls Used For?
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A daily pull
Draw one card in the morning and notice how it shows up over the day. -
Full spreads
Lay out a spread, such as past, present and future, when you want the bigger picture. -
Reading for others
Read for friends and family. -
Quick answers
Pull a single card for a yes or no, or a fast read on a question. -
Learning the cards
Work through the deck one card a day. Write what you see in the morning, note what happens during the day, and journal about it that night. -
Journaling
Write about the card you drew: what you see in it, and what it brings up. -
Shadow work
Sit with a card that unsettles you and write about why. -
Meditating on a card
Set one card where you can see it and let its imagery hold your attention. -
Altar and spellwork
Stand a card on your altar as the focus of a working, so its symbolism points your thinking where you want your life to go. -
New and full moon readings
Pull cards at the new moon to set intentions and at the full moon to see what's grown. -
Holiday readings
Do a reading for a sabbat, a birthday or the new year. -
With a pendulum
If you're not sure how you're reading a card, hold a pendulum over it to check. -
Paired with another deck
Pull an oracle card alongside a tarot spread for extra context. -
Who it suits
It suits beginners, experienced readers and art lovers, and it makes a good gift. -
A new deck
Cleanse it, go through the cards one at a time so you get used to each other, then spread the cards face down on a favorite surface and swirl them together like a lake. Every card gets turned every which way, so the deck starts out well mixed. Our guide to reading tarot walks through your first reading. -
Reversals
A reversed card doesn't always mean the opposite. Read it with the card's imagery and your intuition; sometimes it points to a blockage instead. -
Storage
Keep the cards stacked neatly in their box or a bag. A crystal on top is a nice touch.
Step by step
How To Use the Tarot of the Owls
- When the deck is new, clear it in whatever way suits you: passing it through cleansing smoke, resting it under the moon, or simply shuffling while you set your intention for your work together.
- Spend a little time meeting the owls before you read. Noticing which species carries each suit helps you learn the deck and deepens its meaning.
- Choose a spread, whether a single daily card, a three-card line, or one of the spreads in the guidebook, and shuffle while holding your question in mind.
- Read the cards with the guidebook close at hand for upright and reversed meanings, then sit with what the owls seem to be telling you.
- Close your reading with a moment of thanks or reflection, and store the cards somewhere that feels right, wrapped in cloth or kept in their box.
Good company
Pairs Well With
- Crow Tarot Deck another bird-led, Rider-Waite-based deck, a natural companion for readers drawn to winged guides.
- Spiritsong Tarot Deck a gentle, animal-guided deck for those who love working with creatures as teachers.
- White Sage Smudge Sticks, Set of 6 cleanse your deck and reading space with sacred smoke before you begin.
- Frankincense Tears Granular Incense burn a little frankincense as you read to settle the mind and mark the space as sacred.
- Lapis Rune Set add another voice to your practice; runes offer a complementary path into the same intuitive questions tarot explores.
Before you buy
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Tarot of the Owls good for beginners?
Yes, very much so. It keeps the Rider-Waite-Smith structure with no renamed cards or suits, so it reads like a classic tarot, and the full-color guidebook includes a friendly introduction plus upright and reversed meanings for every card. The charming owl art makes intuitive reading welcoming from the start.
How many cards are in the deck, and what comes with it?
The Tarot of the Owls is a full 78-card deck, with 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. It comes with a full-color companion guidebook that gives a two-page spread for each card, upright and reversed meanings, spreads, and reading tips.
How are the suits organized?
The four Minor Arcana suits are each represented by a different owl, known as the four parliaments: great horned, burrowing, barn, and snowy owls. The court cards appear as royal owls, while the Major Arcana feature their own distinct owl characters.
Who created the Tarot of the Owls?
The artwork is by Elisabeth Alba, an illustrator known for her work in Llewellyn's Magical Almanacs, and the guidebook is by Pamela Chen, author of Enchanted Crystal Magic and creator of the Witchling Academy Tarot. The deck is published by Llewellyn.
How do I cleanse or care for a tarot deck?
Many readers cleanse a new deck before first use by passing it through cleansing smoke, setting it under the moon, or knocking and reshuffling to reset its energy. Store the cards in their box or wrapped in cloth, keep them dry, and handle them with clean hands to protect the art.
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