I love Halloween, all of it. I love the growing feeling of mystery that often happens in its lead-up, the outlandish decorations, the black and orange and purple everywhere, the symbols, the history, the Samhain rituals, the ancestor reverence, okay the candy (haha!), and I love the costumes. In my household growing up, Halloween received a very dedicated, artistic approach. My dad always insisted on homemade decorations – he was an artist, so everything he created for the holiday was awesome. He also encouraged homemade costumes. Having worked in theatre since he was very young, he could help us make great costumes. He had at times been a make-up artist and costume designer as well, which gave my brother and me a definite advantage!

Costumes!

The Trick or Treat Tarot is a lot about costumes. Many of the characters on the cards are presumed to be in costume; this tarot is an experience of Halloween, seen through the eyes of trick-or-treaters.

We set off on this Halloween journey with the Fool, about which the author Barbara Moore says,  “On Halloween the world becomes a new place, and we, in our costumes, become new in it.” Moore has been writing on the subject of tarot for many years, and I never stop finding her work fresh and insightful. This statement about Halloween is both, and I love it as an entrance into the Trick or Treat Tarot. The Fool is a young person dressed up in the simplest costume – a sheet with cutout eye holes. I can’t think of a better symbol of Halloween than this simple ghost, to lead the way as the Fool.

Trick or Treat Tarot Cards, with back of cards shown as well

In the cards we find scenes of trick-or-treating, decorated front porches, storytelling, parties, counting candy, conflict and mischief. We find a large array of costumery: the expected (vampires and zombies), and the not so expected (a ninja, a dragon, an evil bunny). The scenes from Trick or Treat Tarot are scenes we could actually see on Halloween night. We can imagine ourselves there as children and as adults – it makes putting ourselves in the cards rather easy, a subtle process relating directly to the cards.

Identity and Transformation

But the Trick or Treat Tarot isn’t just about costumes or going house to house looking for sweet loot. Moore aptly describes how Halloween is also about identity and personal transformation. She does this quite succinctly in the Introduction to the Trick or Treaters Companion and continues it through the rest of the deck’s accompanying guidebook. Under the Page of Wands she says, “Halloween allows us to try on different personalities.” I love this point. She explains how suitable this concept is for tarot, because tarot “acts like a mirror reflecting ourselves, our beliefs, our fears, and our desires.” Tarot can help us with personal transformation and be a tool for changing our lives – our reality.

This clear point about tarot – and other insights – make this a very useful set, beyond the enjoyability of the cards themselves. And the cards themselves are very enjoyable. They are lively, colorful, and fun. They also offer a great parallel to the familiar Rider Waite Smith tarot imagery. We see many of the RWS’ symbols repeated here, very agilely incorporated into the Halloween scenes.

Treat yourself to the Trick or Treat Tarot

Many people do not enjoy theme decks. I think by now I should just own the undeniable fact that I am a tarot collector. I have been reading tarot since I was around thirteen years old, and have been acquiring decks since that time as well. There are many in my collection, though I have passed many on to others. My approach to tarot decks is very open, curious, and adventurous; I’m just that way. The only thing I’m really a purist about is mashed potatoes! So I enjoy a big variety of tarot decks, including theme sets. Of course, I also love Halloween – so this one is easy.

But my point is, I get that many people do not enjoy a theme tarot, or don’t think it would be easy to learn with. This set is great for people like myself who have been reading for many years, as well as for those just starting out. If you are new to tarot and love the artwork, or love Halloween, treat yourself to this one. I’d highly recommend this set to any tarot reader. It is a perfect accompaniment to the holiday, and a perfect deck for learning about yourself and making change in your life.

Learn more about the Trick or Treat Tarot

If you would like to learn more, check out a Trick or Treat Tarot reading I did recently. You can also read user reviews, see more cards, or purchase Trick or Treat Tarot at Amazon (thank you – I receive a very small commission from any sales through my Amazon links).

As always, thanks for reading, and please don’t hesitate to get in touch with comments or questions. I hope you are having a great Halloween season!

~ Nellie