Number seventeen is DONE! I feel like this little baby pink star moth is so whimsygoth, and I absolutely love that for her! I took some liberties with the pattern of the actual moth, pushing them into stars rather than the true, circular shape they are in realit,y and I think it really gave this card a lot of personality.

Here is the actual pink star moth, next to the Rider Waite inspiration for my buggy version.

In the traditional Rider-Waite deck, this card represents balance, renewal, intuition, hope, healing, connection, optimism, calmness, and purpose. There is so much symbolic imagery, too, but that can be said about all of the cards in the Rider Waite deck, really. The water being poured into the lake and the land is balanced, and the five little streams that break off from the water pooling on land represent the five senses, which is why for my stars I went with the five-pointed version. There is also one large star that acts as the north star or the guiding star, as well as a sky filled with stars.

In mine, my moth is still following that guiding star, but instead I incorporated those whimsygoth stars on the wings and threw a few other stars behind my moth to represent the senses and chakras.

I am thrilled with how this one turned out, and for me, my buggy tarot interpretation aligns pretty closely with the traditional one. It’s a pink star moth finding the light of the big north star and just making its little way on its little path. The moth is in tune with her senses, and she knows that whatever is meant for her is already hers. She is following her inner voice and confidence and just keeps gliding in the starlight to where she needs to be.

Some Behind the Scenes of Number Seventeen:

A look at the sketches and planning that went into this card. I take a lot of time to research the cards and their meanings, and try to find a creature that fits that vibe in terms of metaphor or spirituality. Sometimes, I do lean into a bug’s color and pattern or its common name.

A final look at The Star with the other completed cards, as well as a solo view.

Thanks for joining me for the reveal of THE STAR! I hope you liked the added peek into the process on this one. See you next time!

— R

This card was a lot of fun to put together and presented a challenge, which is something I always enjoy figuring out when working on a creative project. I wanted the wings on this Queen Bee to be transparent, and I went through various concepts before landing on printing them on acetate. I'm really happy with how they turned out, and I am so glad that I played with the design and execution a few times, because the clear acetate gives the wings the look I was hoping to achieve.

I know that when this card is scanned for usable deck making later on, some of that “wow” will get lost in the process, but for the original version, it makes me happy.

Traditionally, the Rider-Waite version of this card depicts a winged angel pouring liquid between two cups, representing the flow and alchemy of life. The Rider-Waite card also features a glowing crow, which I also incorporated, to represent taking the high road and staying true to oneself. There are, of course, other elements that I chose not to include in my version, but overall, I feel that my version gets the job done.

For less structured readers, like me, you can look at the Queen Bee as that same winged figure, and while there aren't two cups passing water back and forth, I think the concept of shimmering, slow-moving honey says a similar message.

I think that my version of this card says a lot of the same things that the traditional Rider-Waite tarot says, my version shouts out — hey, slow down, find your flow, let the honey move as slow as it needs to. I think it also says that you are the Queen of your domain and that if you can tap into that flow state, nothing can stop you.

Thank you for joining me here again! I plan to start working on THE STAR next and cannot wait to share it with you soon!

— R

One of my favorite moths is the superstar for the twenty-first card in the deck. I decided an Atlas moth was a good fit for The World because of the obvious play on the physical world, which is literal geography, and this beautiful moth has a name that coincides with a map or an atlas.

It helps that the traditional Rider-Wait card reflects on travel, but also touches on completion, achievement and new beginnings. I feel that the stages of life for a moth or butterfly are also quite fitting for this celebratory, transformative card.

For my die-hard card readers, this card is all about the completion of a natural cycle and the guidance that one phase provides for the next. For those who are a little less structured, I always see this card as a guide to help us navigate through the geography of it all, no matter what lies ahead. Since moths love light, I like to think of the atlas moth as my guide, whether that be physically moving me through a space or emotionally/mentally helping me sort things out. This moth is the light at the end of the tunnel, the navigator of the phase ahead.

Thanks for joining me on this one! What is your favorite card in the Major Arcana? I would love to know, as I’m working on these cards in no particular order and totally open to queuing up any card for the next reveal!

— R

Did you know that cockroaches are just unkillable tiny dinosaurs? While that's a slight exaggeration, it's somewhat true because these nasty things first appeared during the Late Jurassic period, and over time, they haven't evolved much and are known as one of, if not the most, primitive insects.

If you missed my first Handmade Tarot Card project installment, then let me explain: these cards are all handmade by me. I do use the traditional Rider-Waite deck as inspiration, but I have obviously shifted things a bit and am using buggos as my primary theme here.

The traditional Rider-Waite version of Judgment shows a group of folks emerging from their graves, being called upon by an angel and awaiting their judgment to determine their worthiness to enter “heaven”.

In my version, we have the cockroach, because, I mean… If you’ve got roaches in your house, you're getting judged. I picked the poor roach for Judgment because it has literally been here for ages, and while it hasn't evolved much, it does know how to do one thing… endure. Roaches can survive in Arctic temperatures as well as tropical ones, and they are just unkillable. A pest that always seems to resurrect itself, no matter how much bug spray and kitchen cleaning you manage to do.

If you are a little more casual of a tarot card reader like me, think about the poor roach and how it’s perceived, a kind of magical and inspiring quality, right? What I am saying is, think about it, around for MILLIONS of years, and people just hate them, but they keep going, and I have to say, that’s kind of how judgment is right, whether you deserve to be judged or not, you just kind of have to keep going and move past it so you can be your best self. While cockroaches haven't evolved much, they are doing something right because they are still here, and they don’t let anything stop them or get in their way. They know how to roach and roach it right.

Thanks for hanging out with me! What Major Arcana card should I work on next?

— R

This is the first of 78 cards to come! I’m dusting off my handmade tarot deck project and officially folding it into my 2026 goals. My hope is to finish the Major Arcana by this time next year. Hopefully, sharing progress updates and pics will help keep me accountable.

For this card, I chose a dung beetle as the central image. These little guys were revered by the ancient Egyptians: their behavior of rolling dung mirrored the myth of the god Khepri, who was said to roll the sun across the sky.

My version, loosely inspired by the iconic Rider–Waite tarot, features a shimmery dung beetle pushing a gold-foiled sun. While it doesn’t include all the classic Rider–Waite symbols, I kept the sunflowers, partly because they represent the four suits of the Major Arcana, and partly because they’re simply one of my favorite flowers. Even without the white horse or the child, I still think the card shows inner strength and joy. This beetle is just doing beetle things, rolling along without a care in the world other than getting that shining orb of poo poo where it needs to go.

I’m not sure how many people realize that the scarab is, in fact, a dung beetle is just a tiny, beautiful creature pushing around a little ball of, well, shit. But honestly, aren’t we all? In traditional tarot reading, this is considered one of the most positive cards in the deck and represents joy, positivity, success and vitality.

For the more casual tarot enthusiast, I think that my version says a lot about life in general. We’re all out here doing our best, trying to take the shit we deal with and turn it into something that shines. My version says, you’re doing great, life is hard, but you are making the most of it and doing your best. Good things are coming your way.

Thanks for hanging out

— R