Hi my beautiful souls! The holiday season is upon us; this is a great time to reflect on everything that you are grateful for. Give thanks for the family, loved ones, friends & relationships that sustain us. Utilize this time to turn inward looking at present & past behaviors that both help and hinder us throughout our journeys. Devany Litha Wolfe, has created a deck that is so close to my heart. It incorporates contemporary images with Egyptian imagery to create a deck that is as beautiful as it is useful. This deck communicates the feminine principal clearly it is a great change in many decks that are populated with male energy.
-HERU JEROME
Interview
Devany Litha Wolfe creator of the SERPENTFIRE Tarot
Devany Litha Wolfe has created a deck that is a work of art and is a sister deck to the Thoth Deck. Its mixed imagery of the contemporary with the classic blends together seamlessly creating cards that are magical. The images are so layered they cause you to delve deeper than the traditional meanings of the cards. It is a great tool to have in any spiritual practice.
Worthy Tarot: Tell me about yourself, where are you from & where are you currently? How have these locations influenced what you do creatively?
DLW: I’m from small-town Ontario, currently residing in Toronto. This is a great deal of lovely scenery here, that for sure – but most of my creativity is influenced by other types of landscapes and dreamscapes – a psychedelic blend of both. The desert in particular has a hold over me; it’s symbolism and starkness is great for expressing archetypes.
Devany Litha Wolfe, creator of the SERPENTFIRE Tarot
Worthy Tarot: What drew you to Tarot, what aspects of your energy have found their way into your deck? How does this make your deck unique?
DLW: I was drawn to the tarot/esoterica from a very early age. I loved all of the artwork and was fascinated by the breadth of it all. When I began working with the Thoth tarot several years ago, that was really the tipping point. I resonated so much with the meanings of those cards and how they were expressed. SERPENTFIRE Tarot is like a sister deck to Thoth. Its uniqueness comes in the artistic style, primarily, and the use of almost only female figures throughout. The digitally collaged medium is unlike any other deck out there to date, and I really enjoyed exploring the cards with the Goddess in mind, instead of the Rider Waite-Smith, for example, which is very male-centric. I am a feminist and believe that more emphasis needs to be placed on women artists and makers of all kinds, so making a deck that prominently features women as the subject was a no-brainer.
The SERPENTFIRE Tarot
Worthy Tarot: We are entering an Air Age which is associated with thought. When you examine air it can blow everything around that is not tethered. People are trying to find their footing and light as they enter this age and are drawn to the magic and spirituality of the Tarot. The face of the tarot just like our new age is changing, how do you feel your deck lends to this revolution?
DLW: As I mentioned, this deck points towards a more feminine paradigm shift, encouraging those who use it to tap into the divine feminine- whatever that means for them. In this thoughtful age, I feel many people, especially women, are waking up to their own power and are not simply laying down to oppression or repression. This deck showcases women in positions previously held by men in the tarot – especially in the Major Arcana cards. Also, the digitally collaged format of the artwork lends itself to the new age of computerized artwork, bending previous ideas of what tarot artwork could be.
Worthy Tarot: What inspires you and how was that inspiration incorporated into your deck?
DLW: Big projects inspire me, and I was very interested to see what would go into creating 78 complex pieces for a single body of work. That’s what started the ball rolling. As I grew more and more familiar with the intricacies of the tarot, and the profound impact that is has on people’s lives this inspired me so much that is has now become a permanent niche in my life. As of yet, I have not done a single reading where there hasn’t been such resonance that the person receiving the reading isn’t a little awe-struck. The cards help you to see into yourself, using archetypes and universal language. It is magickal, and I sought to create a deck that would be accessible in its positive affirmations but also challenging when necessary.
Worthy Tarot: Would you ever create another deck, think about this one as I know 78 cards are a huge undertaking!
DLW: I have begun creating an oracle deck, simply under the title “SERPENTFIRE Oracle” thus far. I’m not yet sure how many cards it will have, but it will be focusing on Jungian archetypes of the light and shadow self. I am very excited to reveal this when it is done, because this project is allowing for some creative license where tarot does not – so this will have a bit more of my own spin on things.
As for creating another tarot deck- I have created the trumps for another deck called “Eternal Horizons” which is very Ancient Egyptian in motif, but instead of releasing them as a deck, I am going to be creating large scale paintings of the card artwork, because many of them are my best work to date. These paintings will be made over the next year, so watch out for updates on my Instagram (@serpentfire)!
Worthy Tarot: If you could have your favorite artist/artists create your dream deck who would they be?
DLW: I would live Nicole Magnolia or Neil Krug to create a photography deck, I think Sebastian Wahl would make an insanely amazing collage deck, and Randal Roberts would make an eye popping painting based deck for sure.
Worthy Tarot: If someone is interested in your deck how would they get a hold of you?
DLW: shop.serpentfire.ca or they can email me info@serpentfire.ca :)
The SERPENTFIRE Tarot