Tarot Fellow
Chrysalis Tarot Deck by Holly Sierra & Toney Brooks — 78 Transformative Cards
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$21.95
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Details
Chrysalis Tarot by Holly Sierra and Toney Brooks — a 78-card deck published by US Games Systems in 2014, built around inner-journey archetypes drawn from world mythology: Celtic, Arthurian, Eastern, and shamanic traditions woven into lush, dreamy watercolor imagery. The name signals its core intention: readings as a process of transformation rather than prediction. An ideal choice for introspective practitioners and mythology enthusiasts who work beyond the RWS framework.
Description:Quick Specs
- Author: Toney Brooks
- Artist: Holly Sierra
- Publisher: US Games Systems, 2014
- Size/Quantity: 78 cards plus Little White Book in tuck box
- Best for: Introspective readings, inner journey work, mythology enthusiasts
A Deck Built for Inner Transformation
The Chrysalis Tarot takes a deliberate step away from standard Rider-Waite-Smith conventions. Toney Brooks redesigned the Major Arcana archetypes using mythological figures drawn from Celtic, Egyptian, Haitian Vodou, and Arthurian traditions. The suits are renamed: Spirals for Wands, Mirrors for Cups, Scrolls for Swords, and Stones for Pentacles. Court cards are reimagined as a troupe of medieval artists and performers called The Troupe, each with a distinct name rather than the traditional Page, Knight, Queen, King titles.
Holly Sierra painted all 78 cards in oils. Her style is luminous, detailed, and fairy-tale-like, with a pastel palette and scenes that draw heavily from nature, mythology, and the natural world. The card borders have an antiqued tan marble finish that blends when cards are placed side by side. The deck comes in a standard tuck box with matte-finish card stock that fans well and handles comfortably. The reversible backs show a colorful butterfly and mandala design, one of the clearest references to the deck's transformation theme.
How It Reads and Who It Is For
Brooks and Sierra designed this deck for introspection rather than predictive fortune-telling. The deck draws on Jungian archetypes and the Hero's Journey, and it reads best when the questions are directed inward: what is being revealed, what needs to be examined, what the subconscious is surfacing. Experienced readers who enjoy stretching their interpretive vocabulary tend to connect deeply with this deck. Those new to tarot will want to spend time with the booklet and the expanded companion guide before readings feel fluid.
How to Use the Chrysalis Tarot
How to get started with this mythology-rich, introspection-focused tarot deck.
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Familiarize Yourself With the New Suit Names
Chrysalis uses Spirals for Wands, Mirrors for Cups, Scrolls for Swords, and Stones for Pentacles. Before your first reading, sort the deck by suit and spend a few minutes with each group to build recognition of the renamed elements.
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Read the Companion Booklet Card by Card
The included booklet explains each card's mythological reference and keywords. Work through one card a day, looking at Holly Sierra's painting and then reading the description. This builds familiarity with the deck's unique symbolic language.
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Use It for Inner Journey Readings
The Chrysalis deck is designed for introspection rather than predictive reading. When drawing cards, frame your questions around insight and self-understanding. Ask what a situation is revealing about you, rather than asking what will happen next.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I carry the Chrysalis Tarot because it rewards patience and curiosity. Holly Sierra's oil paintings are genuinely beautiful, and Toney Brooks' mythological framework gives readers a rich symbolic language to work with over years of use. It is not a deck for every reader, but for those drawn to introspective, archetype-driven work, it is one of the more thoughtfully constructed decks in print. To see what else I carry, browse my tarot collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
It works best for readers with some tarot familiarity. Its renamed suits and mythological Major Arcana archetypes are easier to absorb once you know standard card structure. The booklet bridges the gap well if you spend time with it.
Yes. The deck comes with a Little White Book authored by Toney Brooks. It includes keywords and card descriptions for each of the 78 cards, along with a five-card Pentagram spread. A separate full companion guide is also available from US Games.
The Chrysalis Tarot draws from Celtic, Pagan, Egyptian, Haitian Vodou, and Arthurian mythology. Toney Brooks built it around Jungian archetypes and the Hero's Journey, with the aim of making the deck multicultural and psychologically focused.
The artwork was painted by Holly Sierra in oils. Sierra contacted Toney Brooks after reading his Arthurian mythology book and proposed the collaboration. They worked entirely by email, with Brooks providing keywords and Sierra interpreting them.
