I don’t like a lot of nudity in the tarot decks that I use.
It kind of bothers me when The Star and The Lovers in the RWS Tarot have people who are nude. For some reason, I’m not bothered by the naked bums in the Judgement card. It sort of bugs me when I look at the Devil card, but not really. I mean, that card kind of makes it look as if the two people kind of asked for it, you know?
I’m not against nudity at all, I just find it distracting when you’re trying to connect with a card and you’re confronted by different body parts and genitals (sometimes bigger than they need to be). I’m supposed to be connecting to spirit, not wondering if I should ask the gentleman out for a drink or giving him a fiver.
I know that the nudity represents a vulnerability that we’re supposed to vibe with, and I’m supposed to be vulnerable, too, or at least reflect on what it feels like when I’m totally and completely myself. The fact that certain people within the tapestry of a tarot deck are nude or partially nude is a given, but I usually find myself looking away from the nudity out of respect. I feel like I’m catching them in a moment when they would rather be left alone.
Which is why I’m so surprised by the Sirena Tarot.
I love the decks created by Jens Friborg so much. He’s creator of the Tarocchi Tarot, both the regular edition and the vintage edition. I have the vintage edition and love it so much. When I saw the Kickstarter for The Sirena Tarot pop into my email, I went to look right away and backed it without looking at the photos. All I knew was that it would be amazing quality and beautifully done. After backing the deck, I went to look at the video he had prepared to introduce and was the deck and was met with mermaids.
I looked through the cards he had posted as part of the campaign and found that the nudity didn’t bother me so much as captivate me. I mean, mermaids have always been naked in some way, open to the elements of the water and the sea. In fact, they can experience all the elements of the earth and Jens Friborg does such a remarkable job showing this in his cards.
I was surprised that the nudity didn’t bother me. There are humans, sea creatures and other beings that people this deck and all of them are naked in some way. The Sirena Tarot didn’t just ask me to confront myself and the emotions I carry (the waters full to the brim with emotions), it asked me to take a look at the fact that the body, be it human or merfolk, is beautiful. It asked me to take a deep gaze into the pools of water and look at my own preconceived notions of my own body.
The thing about this deck is that it does this in such a beautiful way. The colours are all softly muted but still so alive. There is a ton of nudity in this deck, both human and otherwise, but none of it is shocking or over the top. Instead, it’s a beautiful representation of bodies and the third time I was going through the cards, the nudity didn’t bother me at all. I could only see the beauty and symbolism that Mr. Friborg worked into each card.
There is so much to love about this deck. The cardstock is top notch and has a light linen finish. Along with the softly muted colours, this is what makes the cards feel like they came from a time long ago. From the card backs and cardstock to the gorgeous art, it’s like we’ve pulled the deck from the sand at our feet. It feels bright and new but has an air of the ancient about the deck.
Sirena is based around the Rider Waite Smith deck and the symbolism that we’re all familiar with, however it plays around with the symbolism in other cards such as in the Nine of Swords or the Three of Swords. He’s added so much of himself into this deck and Sirena is better for it.
There are also alternate cards in the deck. Usually, it’s a different card for The Lovers, but in Sirena, we’re given two alternate cards, one for the Emperor and one for Death. I know that you could choose to keep in which ever card you prefer, but I’ve chosen to keep both extra cards. I mean, sometimes Death and the change that it brings can hurt. Sometimes, the Emperor isn’t kind. I love that Sirena reflects this.
I also want to talk about the box for a second. The other decks made by Mr. Friborg come in gorgeous tuck boxes. The box for Sirena is a hard case with magnetic closure. What struck me about it the most was that, aside from the words Mr. Friborg, Sirena and Go Deeper, there are no pictures or writing on the box. You are given no impression about the deck aside from the box’s beautiful orange colour. It’s when you open the box, you realize that you are opening yourself up to world of colour and the world that Sirena contains.
The guidebook is also a piece of art in and of itself. It fits inside the box and the text is easily readable. What I loved about it is that each card is given a quote that leads into what the card is about. My favourite card in any tarot deck is the Strength card. It’s the first card I look at and it helps me to understand a lot about the tone of the deck. The quote for the Strength is: “In the dance of power, true might flows from compassion and control.” It’s such a beautiful way to bring you into the story that each card tells. I also love how it’s not about positive or negative, upright or reversal meanings. In the guidebook, you’re given the description, as well as High Polarity and Low Polarity for each card. I love the thought that was put into the meanings for each card and the look of the paper within, as if you are holding a little book that was lost within the sand.
What a world Sirena is. It’s asked me to look at myself and my body, going deeper within myself then I thought possible to look at all the different facets of my life. I’ve been asked to re-examine my own ideas of what is beautiful and that any body in its natural form is beautiful. I love it when a tarot deck can do that because the art and the message come speak so clearly. There are mysteries in the water, but you can solve them if you go deeper.
Learn more about Sirena and the Tarocchi Tarot here: https://arcantvm.com/
Spirit of the Wolf 