The Motif Deck

The Motif Deck is a unique cartomancy system consisting of 112 cards depicting simple objects in four different colorways. Instead of each card having a set meaning, it is designed so that the reader is encouraged to assign meaning to the card in the context of each reading.

Each card displays up to two of the following symbols interacting with each other: -cup -candle -hand -feather -flower -key -thread

Each image is featured four times in a combination of the colors red, yellow, green, and blue.

The variations in color can affect the meaning of the objects, and as such change the meaning in the context of a divination spread. But that is entirely susceptible to the person interpreting the cards.

For example, one person might see a green key and say that the ky represents wealth, as green is the color of money. But another might say that the key represents something old, as an old copper key might turn green over time.

But if the key were red, that changes the interpretation as well: the key might represent passion, or it might be a warning as a red key might be red from heat.

The only person who could know for certain is the reader. And the reader knows the answer because of the context of the reading. It is also suggested to discuss the possible interpretations with the querent, as they might have their own internal symbolism for keys, or flowers, or thread.

The deck comes in a very nice box with a booklet giving a sample reading. More sample readings can be found on the tumblr page as well, where we let other readers give their personal interpretations for those spreads.

The original cards were designed in watercolor and then color shifted digitally to create a sense of uniformity.

Thank you so much for your interest!