With the arrival of spring, it seemed fitting to bring a deck interview for the Bee Tarot into being (bee-ing, har har). The Bee Tarot, illustrated by Nadia Turner with a thick guidebook by Kristoffer Hughes, is one of the new decks being published by Llewellyn Worldwide, my own publisher for the Seaborn Kipper, and I asked if I could have a copy of it when I saw it. In exchange, I would show it off. So to be transparent, this is a ”review copy” of the deck, but it wasn’t foisted upon me, and this is a deck interview, not a full review per se (but if you have questions about it, let me know or read more about it on Llewellyn’s site—one of the surprising features is that it’s a linen texture). I just thought it looked fun and appropriate to my own interest in the intersection of nature magic and divination. I also just really like the idea of apiaries (Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey by Holley Bishop is one of the few nonfiction books I would consider reading a second time) and the concept of bees for spiritual work and community.

As it happens, the deck has a tie to Druidic traditions, which may or may not be important to readers. I’m certainly not well-versed enough in that tradition to know how successfully or meaningfully it brings in the Druid element, although I did have the good fortune to interview a prominent Druid author when I was in college (decades ago now), so I probably should know more than I remember.

But to get back to the Bee Tarot, I love how this deck interview builds off of my deck interview with the Apothecary Spirits Oracle and continues the story of reconnecting with a love for life and community, more or less starting with a journey of just being present. It really has me thinking about the Elder Futhark rune wunjo and that concept of joy that could only be found through harmonious community engagement, even as recently as a few centuries ago. You wouldn’t survive if you tried to do it all alone. Why should we not lean into that reminder of communal joy now?

As always now, I used my own deck interview spread, which you can find explained right here on my blog.

Interviewing the *Bee Tarot*

**What major lesson are you here to help me learn?** *3 of Jars*
**Through which divine energy can we best communicate?** *6 of Wands (reversed)*
**In what area can you aid me to help others?** *Queen of Swords (reversed)*
**In what area could your guidance be easily misunderstood?** *10 of Wands*
**What can I do to keep our communication clear?** *Queen of Jars*
**How can I use your guidance for the highest good?** *5 of Swords (reversed)*
**How will I know when we’re ready for a new lesson?** *6 of Pentacles*

I’ll get to the first card in a minute, but I want to discuss the second card first because the reversed 6 of Wands in that second position takes on a different meaning than I would normally consider for it. In the context of the rest of the spread, the reversed 6 feels like a stark reminder of the importance of humility in spiritual work, especially with the community-oriented and interdependent concepts behind the deck. If nothing else, bees are part of a collective. Yes, there’s a queen bee, and there are distinct roles within the dance of the actual living, breathing bees, but the archetype of the bee is one of community orientation and soul work in line with serving one’s role in a bigger picture, not serving your own whims. That feels important here with the reversed 6 of Wands. I would normally associate that reversal with arrogance or pride—and yes, that’s still relevant—but in answer to the second question, it feels softer. It feels less like chastisement and more like a reminder to let oneself recede into the background. It’s a softer energy in this position of divine energy. Surrender and celebrate alongside in humility, rather than being the central heroic figure.

This of course relates to the lesson that this deck is helping me work through, the fun and celebration that comes with a close community of likeminded souls. The 3 of Jars (Cups) is that quintessential celebratory card, but as I mentioned in the office hours for my spring semester of courses not too long ago, it’s distinct from the 6 of Wands or 4 of Wands in that the celebration is through water instead of fire, a merging and blending of hearts, an expansion of the emotions and of meaningful connections. It’s a softer form of fun. Perhaps the idea of “softer” is what the bees of the Bee Tarot are offering more broadly. Honey is amelioration (and amelioration is literally the adding of honey, the sweetening of things).

This connection ties in with the 5 of Swords in reverse, a laying down of weapons (or arguments) and the blunting of the too-sharp swords. And of course it all fits beautifully with that generous spirit of interdependence and care for the collective seen in the 6 of Pentacles, the final card of the spread.

The Queen of Jars (Cups) also lends a soothing element in the fifth position to the overworking sting of the 10 of Wands. The 10 is such a burnt out card for the busy bee, hot and tired, in need of a little water and rest. That combination of the fourth and fifth cards is a nice reminder that one’s collective soul work, at least as explored with this deck, may be work, but it’s not burdensome. Returning to that first card, the 3 of Jars, it’s important that it’s not the 3 of Pentacles or Wands, cards of communal work and effortful building. If I find myself coming to this deck for tasks (for me or others), the Queen sits ready to redirect you toward the bigger picture. In her role as clarifier to the 10 of Wands, she offers the soothing and supportive effects of seeing easier flow and finding one’s place. Don’t try so hard. There is no spiritual grind, just ego pushing a path forward, wreaking havoc with the tapestry. Sure, you can do that sometimes, but why? Surrender and find that sweet nectar of life in whatever it is you do.

Sometimes readings can feel too coherent, as if the reader has forced redundancy into the cards, but that blending and layering of sticky meanings again seems right for the Bee Tarot. And it’s not quite a seamless match of hexagonal compartments.

The Queen of Swords in reverse poses an odd problem here. How is she helping me understand how I might be helping others? I’ve learned from a couple years teaching Awaken the Court Cards that the Queen of Swords can be much more accommodating than people assume. Students who embody the Queen of Swords (Water of Air) recognize the flow more often attributed to the Queen of Cups, but it’s funneled or honed like a sword’s point or edge. It’s there, but it’s focused. In this third position, the Queen of Swords in reverse seems to hint at the Queen of Jars in the fifth: she’s inviting me to work with those who have felt the pull or the currents of their soul—a calling, as it were—but who haven’t figured out how to refine that and focus that into something specific.

Combined with the warning to not overwork things in the 10 of Wands, it seems like an invitation to those who find themselves in the problem of the embodied soul who knows what they’re supposed to do “for the collective” in some way, but perhaps they’ve overworked it and limited soul work to spiritual industry work. That’s an important and thankfully growing population—I say “thankfully” because more people are recognizing the importance of doing meaningful soul work. There is pain in trying to force soul work into the limitations of spiritual industry work given our current economic environment. We can all be doing soul-centered things without being full-time energy healers or overworked tarot readers. Teach, volunteer, celebrate, and love as you do whatever you do. Bring spirit and nature and harmony into your world in whatever way you can, small or large. That’s the dream of a mindful and soul-centered collective.

And that helps me better understand the role of the reversed 5 of Swords in the sixth spot: we don’t all need to be competing with each other all the time. Yes, there are market forces that incentivize that. But why can’t we work in collaboration and mutual support? That journey awaits me still, I think, as promised by the 6 of Pentacles. But I suspect that it will find me sooner than later. Here’s hoping!

The Bee Tarot by Kristoffer Hughes and Nadia Turner is published by Llewellyn Worldwide, who publishes one of my one decks. The deck provided here was a gift from my publicist, but these insights about and experiences with the deck are my own.

Deck Interview: Bee Tarot