The Wiccan pagan calendar for the year 2023 encompasses a series of observances and celebrations that hold significant meaning and spiritual significance for practitioners of Wicca. Wicca is a modern pagan religious movement that draws inspiration from ancient European traditions and emphasizes connection to nature and the cycles of the seasons. The calendar for 2023 follows the typical structure of the Wiccan ritual year, which is divided into eight major festivals based on the solstices, equinoxes, and agricultural cycles. These festivals, known as Sabbats, mark important shifts in the natural world and provide opportunities for Wiccans to honor and connect with the divine. The year begins on February 1st with Imbolc, also known as Candlemas. This festival is associated with the awakening of the earth and the preparation for the coming spring.
Super quick note: The blue of the ink and the black ink lines are darker and more pronounced in the deck than in the instagram pictures. The other photos have shadows because I wanted to stay true to the coloring of the ink. Simply put: The cards are white, not beige.
It s also unusually good at spirit related cards and handles faery related questions without having to deal with the faery decks run-around behavior. The deck doesn t contain many details so if you don t have a firm grasp of the RWS tradition, you might find yourself stuck trying to figure out what the card might mean just from the image.
This festival is associated with the awakening of the earth and the preparation for the coming spring. It is a time to honor the goddess Brigid and seek her blessings in the areas of creativity, healing, and inspiration. The next major festival is Ostara, celebrated on March 20th.
Review: Bleu Cat Tarot
Best for: Everyday questions but especially those with a fun or not-so-serious edge to them. Great for cat lovers or fans of the Siamese cat breed.
Favorite cards: Magician, Sun, Tower
Acquired from and date: Bought myself in early February 2014 from Amazon
View this post on InstagramMy adoration for cats has been life-long and well-known. Early 2014 rolled around and I realized I didn’t own a cat related deck at all. Which was weird because there’s a great many cat-centric decks out there! My problem was that I’m kind of specific on the kind of decks I want to own so many of the more popular ones weren’t super interesting to me.
Then I found this one. The Bleu Cat Tarot is minimalist, and simple at it’s core. Artfully done images of Siamese cats are done in indigo but keep the playful yet dignified attitude of cats. And it has Siamese! My favorite breed of cats.
This isn’t just a novelty deck to catch the small niche of Siamese lovers. It reads extremely well as it’s a RWS clone. It’s definitely one of those deck you’ll either love or feel “meh” about.
Super quick note: The blue of the ink and the black ink lines are darker and more pronounced in the deck than in the instagram pictures. The other photos have shadows because I wanted to stay true to the coloring of the ink. Simply put: The cards are white, not beige.
The Bleu Cat Tarot is a four tone deck. It has vibrant purple-blue denim indigo with a lighter gray-blue that matches the border and background flecks. (The depth of the blue color doesn’t show well in my photos due to lighting.) Then there’s the white of the card and the black ink of background imagery. The card images themselves look something like parchment paper, not entirely smooth despite the card itself being smooth. This is likely intention and comes from the type of paper the art was originally hand-drawn on.
The artwork is stylized and you’ll know just from glancing at these accompanying images or even the box art whether this is for you. There’s no sneaky surprises when it comes to the art. It’s entirely consistent.
The life within the art speaks to anyone who has ever owned a cat. The Death card? A dying plant and the cat standing on a cat carrier (prepping for a trip to the veterinarian, according to the included book). But there are still esoteric images like the High Priestess or Hermit.
The court cards (page, knight, queen, and king) add a little humanity but donning on appropriate hats, helms, and crowns. So you have a page with a plumed hat and a stack of books or a knight with a sword and feathered helm. It’s nothing so out of sorts with the rest of the art. In fact, some tolerant cats might even deal with the costumes in the courts fairly well in real life.
The writing has a slight “Asian” feel to it, reminding me a tiny bit of Chinese restaurant menus in a good way. It’s all in capital letters, blue on gray background. The Major Arcana aren’t numbered but the minor is, save for the Ace, which is spelled out. Since the text is computerized, like the borders, it’s uniform and therefore isn’t hard to read.
The borders are small and suit the deck. At first I wasn’t fond of them but they grew on me. Not all of the border is computerized. The diamond at the bottom of the cards and the triangle at the top of some of the cards are part of the original artwork. The borders and text were added later on the computer. Unlike a lot of decks with borders, this border doesn’t take away from the art. It kind of feels a bit weird though. At first I didn’t like the borders but not I’m rather apathetic to it. The borders exist and they’re small enough where it’s not worth the effort to attempt to trim them.
View this post on InstagramThe deck is a Rider-Waite-Smith clone but switches out the swords, wands, cups, pentacles for feathers, plants, fishes, and balls, respectively. It goes along with the cat theme beautifully. But with all thematic swapping of suits, it takes some getting use to.
The other thing is that this deck can be kind of tricky if you’re not overly familiar with the components of a RWS deck. The deck doesn’t contain many details so if you don’t have a firm grasp of the RWS tradition, you might find yourself stuck trying to figure out what the card might mean just from the image. Intuitive readers might have an easier time with this deck, if they can get into it. If not, then it probably won’t click much at all.
You also have to channel your inner cat mentality. For example, the 7 of Fishes (Seven of Cups) had a bunch of food bowls in it, floating around. Which matches the traditional imagery of the Seven of Cups well but also matches a cat’s mentality. What kind of fantasy does your cat have? Probably something related to food, I’d gather.
I’ve also used this deck with great success for answering questions about being deceived, pride /ego, procrastination, and laziness.It’s also extremely good at spell related questions, especially glamours and illusions. It’s also unusually good at spirit related cards and handles faery related questions without having to deal with the faery decks’ run-around behavior.
This deck does sometimes throw you the odd “well, what did you expect?” sort of answer. All readers get the “how do I overcome this thing?” where the deck answers “by overcoming it”. Super helpful. This deck does that too but it adds a slightly sly or even cutting response. Exactly like a cat would, really. I guess if you want straightforward answers, you’d need a dog themed deck. Ever meet someone who is super intelligent but perpetually done with people and just sits back, making snarky comments? That’s this deck.When it wants to sass you, expect ALL the sass.
That being said, generally speaking the deck answers the questions in a helpful manner. It’s pretty good at giving you a different perspective. I also think it helps calm down things when you’re feeling panicky. That’s probably more the color palette than anything else but sometimes I feel like the deck is saying, “hey, chill out”.
Since the cards only have four colors throughout it, the cards could come off as “boring”. It photographs well but it’s not a deck I break out for client readings often unless it feels appropriate in some way. It’s definitely not a festival or faire kind of deck. It could be a really good deck for trying to read your animal’s inner thoughts and mood but I usually stick to using it for everyday questions for myself.
When it comes to the practical stuff, the deck really shines. It’s a matte finish deck with thick card stock. It’s easily double in thickness of some of my “thin” card stock decks like Fairy Lights. While the thickness adds height to the deck itself, the cards shuffle easily. The card size itself is a not quite standard size for tarot decks. They’re in the ballpark of 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches. Around the size of a pocket memo book and a little shorter (but not wider) than my phone when in a case. I’d consider them a great size for cards but the thickness can make shuffling a bit less automated than a playing card deck.
The box it comes in is a keeper. A magnetic closing, thick cardboard box with white ribbon to keep the lid from flipping open entirely and cracking the hinge. The cards come right to the top of the box so you’ll need to place the included book on top of the deck so you don’t loose any cards. The lid does stay closed but if you’re aggressively tossing the box around, expect it to fly open. It’s only held closed by a magnetic. That being said, I haven’t felt that I’m at risk of losing my cards or damaging them if I keep them in my handbag or a small pocket of a backpack. I might add a rubber band to the box if I had the box in a tote-style of bag where it’s tossed in with everything else. I’m paranoid though so YMMV. I believe the deck was shipping in this box with plastic wrap over it, just as a heads up. It didn’t come with any additional packaging outside of this.
The included book is the same size as the deck itself. I find that the printing is a bit too close to the binding so you have to open the book widely in order to really read the card descriptions. The book doesn’t offer reversal meanings but does have a blurb around reversals. Pretty much, the meaning might slightly change but otherwise, read however you want.
Do at least skim the book. There’s little tidbits in there than can help determine meaning of certain cards or at least explain why they’re not exact clones of RWS. Also, the deck was created around Seilonen’s own Siamese cat’s antics so that comes through clearly with the book descriptions and introduction. The deck is meant to make cat owners smile at the kitty antics – and it does it’s job beautifully.
There’s two included spreads in the deck. They’re written for this deck so they fit the theme and are solid. Both are four cards each, one for situations and another for introspection.
The Bleu Cat Tarot is a cat tarot deck but it’s a cat tarot deck for cat owners who want to smile at the ridiculous kitty antics their own cats have pulled off. It’s not just for Siamese lovers – anyone can appreciate the cards, but the specific breed will pull in anyone who enjoys Siamese.
The art is stylized so if it’s not your style, you’ll want to give this a miss unless you’re a serious collector. It’s also not super beginner friendly as doesn’t have a ton of details to parcel out the meaning from. That being said, as a RWS deck, if you have a fairly good grasp of the cards, you should be able to read this deck easily.
While this deck isn’t vibrantly colorful or full of details, it’s full of fun and life. It’s definitely a deck that you either aren’t interested in or it’s totally your thing. It’s different while still being a RWS. As a Siamese and cat lover and someone who likes unique tarot decks, it was a must-have for me.
The Bleu Cat Tarot by Beth Seilonen © Schiffer Publishing
What will it reveal? 5 of Swords
This Sabbat marks the spring equinox, symbolizing balance and the renewal of life. Wiccans may engage in rituals that focus on fertility, growth, and new beginnings during this time. Beltane is celebrated on May 1st and represents the peak of spring and the beginning of summer. It is a time to honor the union of the god and goddess and embrace the life-giving energy that permeates the natural world. Fires are often lit in rituals to symbolize transformation and purification. Midsummer, also known as Litha, takes place on June 21st and commemorates the summer solstice. This Sabbat celebrates the longest day of the year and highlights the power of the sun. Rituals may involve honoring the sun god and seeking his blessings for strength, vitality, and abundance. Lughnasadh, observed on August 1st, is the first of the three harvest festivals. It represents the beginning of the harvest season and emphasizes the importance of gratitude and abundance. Wiccans may engage in rituals that honor the god Lugh and express gratitude for the bounties of the earth. Mabon, celebrated on September 22nd, marks the autumn equinox and the transition from summer to fall. It is a time to reflect on the balance between light and dark and express gratitude for the fruits of the harvest. Wiccans may engage in rituals that focus on introspection, harvest-related activities, and giving thanks. Samhain, observed on October 31st, is perhaps the most widely known Wiccan festival, as it coincides with Halloween. It represents the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the darker half of the year. Many Wiccans view Samhain as a time to honor and communicate with ancestors and beloved departed ones. Finally, Yule takes place on December 22nd and celebrates the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. This festival represents the rebirth of the sun and the return of light. Wiccans may engage in rituals that focus on renewal, nurturing, and setting intentions for the future. Throughout the year, Wiccans may also observe Esbats, which are monthly rituals that honor the different phases of the moon and its influence on spiritual growth and magical workings. These rituals often involve meditation, divination, and spell casting. Overall, the Wiccan pagan calendar for 2023 provides a framework for Wiccans to connect with the natural world, celebrate the cycles of life, and honor the deities and energies that guide their spiritual practices. Each festival offers unique opportunities for reflection, gratitude, and personal transformation..
Reviews for "Elemental Magic and the Wiccan Pagan Calendar 2023"
1. Jessica - 2 stars - I was really excited to get the "Wiccan pagan calendar 2023" as I am a practicing Wiccan. However, I was really disappointed with it. The graphics and design were very basic and low-quality, making it look very unprofessional. The information provided was also lacking depth and didn't offer much insight into the various pagan holidays and practices. Overall, it felt like a rushed and poorly executed product. I would not recommend it to anyone looking for an informative and visually appealing pagan calendar.
2. Mark - 1 star - I purchased the "Wiccan pagan calendar 2023" and was extremely disappointed with the contents. The descriptions of the pagan holidays were extremely brief, lacking detailed explanations and historical context. There were also numerous errors in the dates and information provided, which added to my frustration with the calendar. It was clear that little effort had been put into ensuring accuracy and quality. I would not recommend this calendar to anyone interested in studying or practicing Wiccan beliefs and traditions.
3. Sarah - 2 stars - As someone who follows a Wiccan path, I was excited to find a calendar specifically tailored to my beliefs. However, the "Wiccan pagan calendar 2023" fell short of my expectations. The layout and design were lackluster, with boring colors and unimpressive graphics. Additionally, the information provided on the various holidays was very basic and lacked depth. I was hoping for more detailed descriptions and insights into the origins and significance of each celebration. Sadly, this calendar did not meet my needs, and I cannot recommend it to fellow Wiccans looking for a comprehensive and visually appealing resource.
4. Michael - 1 star - The "Wiccan pagan calendar 2023" was a big letdown for me. The overall design was bland and uninspiring, and the information provided was minimal at best. I was hoping for a calendar that would deepen my understanding of Wiccan holidays and practices, but instead, I received a calendar that felt rushed and poorly researched. The lack of attention to detail and the absence of engaging content made this calendar a waste of money. I would advise against purchasing this calendar and instead look for more well-crafted and informative resources.