On receiving this deck I was struck by the packaging.
Very well packaged & presented. The deck arrived from across the ocean in perfect condition ...
The deck consists of 78 cards & the little white book.
The deck is based on the traditional Rider Waite Tarot.
The cards also come packaged in their own smaller box, keeping them nice & protected during their voyage.
The cards themselves are nicely laminated which enhances the artwork.
They were a little sticky with some cards stuck together but came apart easily with gentle coaxing.
The cards have rounded corners & for me, a perfect size for shuffling.
The backs have a beautiful sepia coloured palm tree illustration.
This may make reversals an issue for some people.
The cards have a wood like border with native glyphs down both sides. The colours used are very gentle and have an overall look of soft lighting ie late afternoon.
I felt this a very nature based deck.
This would be perfect for people who are nervous of having a reading with traditional cards.
To me the artwork is simplistic, childlike, wistful, warm, full of Summer breezes, healing & calming. In short a lovely soft naïve style of artwork & overall feel of love for this island, it’s people & their history.
My thoughts are that this is a healing, peaceful deck.
Even the harsher cards have a feel of Mother Earth in action.
The ‘Evil” card (traditional Devil) is based on pollution and the destruction caused by humans to our planet.
I found this to be a very potent card in imagery, possibly more so than the traditional Devil card.
The Hanged Man – suspended by a bungee cord.
The Tower – Lightening Strikes
(no people falling to their death)
Death – A simple floral wreath floating on the ocean in the moonlight.
Justice – Who reminds me of a happy canteen lady waiting to serve me my just desserts.
Rather than the impartial stern façade of the RWS.
I feel some of the cards would be a little hard to intuit without the benefit of prior knowledge of the Rider Waite Tarot or the little white book.
Some of the cards are very similar particularly the Suit of Sticks.
Generally, an ‘active’ aggressive suit, this Hawaiian “Sticks” suit is more nature based.
The only people illustrated in the Sticks suit were the court cards.
The majority of the minors artwork is nature based.
The little white book is a good size.
Includes meanings, keywords & some interesting history of Hawaii.
The images are a little hard to see all the details.
Overall I did like this deck very much and I would recommend this to people who have an understanding of the RWS system.