The Dark Days Tarot - A Quest for Modernity & Simplicity

The Dark Days Tarot is one more chapter in the attempt to define what it means to be a modern witch.  It’s an idea us who live in the internet age have been thinking a lot about.  This deck created Wren McMurdo is distinctly feminine and minimalist.  The creator went with a bold choice making the cards square and only using black and white.  The absence of bright color forces you to notice the subtleties of the designs.  The drawings are quirky, whimsical, and almost surrealist with abundant nature symbolism interwoven and mixed in with scenes of domesticity.

The cards that stuck with me the most were the ones that featured a coven working together.  Sometimes I dreamed myself into the scene depicted in the Six of Pentacles.  As a solitary practitioner, I occasionally go through bouts of loneliness-especially around the sabbats.  As much as I enjoy being solitary, I often desire for a community of like minded witches to gather with.  To plan a Yuletide meal and invite friends over for rituals.  Is there a coven out there for me? I sometimes ask myself.  This deck created visions of that world and community I desire.

The minimalistic aspect of this deck will not be for everyone.  I, however, found the black and white cards beautiful in their simplicity.  The fact that they are square also helps differentiate The Dark Days Tarot from the multitudes of other decks out there.  The minimalist nature of this deck is part of a wider trend I see among not just deck creators, but our current society at the moment.  A growing desire to turn away from all that noise and visual excess and instead focus on something more simple.  Something more meaningful.

What are your thoughts on these more minimalist decks?  Do you like this trend? Share your thoughts in the comments below.