The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot is the perfect deck for Autumn (My Deck Review).
25Sep
Red Feather (a mind/body/spirit imprint of indie publisher, Schiffer Publishing) sent over The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot for me to work with and review and I’m in LOVE! I’ve always loved the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Tim Burton’s film version of Sleepy Hollow is among one of my favorite films to watch in October as Halloween nears.
The creator, Nick Lawyer, stated that this deck is based on Washington Irving’s gothic novel, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and includes additional characters and scenes pertaining to the local history, culture, and folklore of Sleepy Hollow in 18th century New England as well as Irving’s short story “The Devil and Tom Walker.”
Ichabod Crane as The Fool (above)
As a refresher, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow is the story of the schoolmaster Ichabod Crane, who moves to the small Dutch town of Sleepy Hollow, New York. Once there, he learns the legend of the Headless Horseman, who haunts the area. The horseman is said to be a Hessian soldier who during the Revolutionary War, had his head shot off by a cannonball. According to the legend, he returns to the battlefield each night in search of his lost head. During Ichabod's time in Sleepy Hollow on one fateful autumn evening, after attending the Van Tassel harvest party, Ichabod is chased through the countryside by the Headless Horseman.
This deck immediately transported me to the spooky, eerie woods of Sleepy Hollow where the Headless Horseman rides his black horse in search of his head, terrorizing anyone who comes across his path.
The artist, Nick Lawyer, has conjured up a gothic/ghostly version of the Rider Waite Tarot and put his own stamp on the images, morphing some of our knights and kings into headless riders, which I love (shown below). His artwork makes this deck perfect for reading in the autumn months, especially as Halloween nears. This hit the spot this year when I was wanting to reach for a spookier deck to read with.
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot takes you on an exciting ride of self-discovery!”
If you’re into dark fantasy, Halloween, or just a fan of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow story or film, this deck is a fun edition to your collection. Personally, I pull out my autumn decks starting in August, and I gravitate towards the spookier/darker themed ones the closer we get to October. This one will be one I pull out yearly to conjure those ghostly, supernatural vibes. Below are 2 of the creepier cards in my opinion. I've never seen a dark Star card, and there's nothing scarier than a mysterious ghostly figure haunting the woods at night. No way. After The Blair Witch Project that scarred me for life, woods are off limits (day or night.)
The gothic illustrations give the readings an extra edge—a moody, mysterious vibe that I’m really digging!
Some say the Headless Horseman represents the past that haunts the living, seeking revenge, and finding answers, so how perfect is it that there’s now a tarot deck with this theme to help us unearth the answers we desire, especially around Halloween/Samhain when the veil thins. Use these cards as the fog rolls in clouding your inner eye, and you’ll find the clarity needed to unravel that gathering mist.
The deck comes with a concise guidebook offering quick interpretations for each card, both upright and reversals. The interpretations offer meanings related to the story of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow with symbolism that gives us a deeper look into the lessons we can learn from this classic story.
Most of the images pull from the bones of the legend that is Sleepy Hollow and the ghost of the Headless Horseman that haunts those grounds. The themes of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot might be a bit macabre for some with some images of Headless Horsemen if that sort of thing bothers you. The darker the better in my opinion for this time of year to conjure spooky vibes, but I just wanted to warn anyone that might be squeamish. The images totally fit the vibe and themes of the story and add to the spookiness of this time of year that I crave so much.
The card stock quality is not too thick but does bow after use. It has a nice matte finish that makes shuffling smooth and easy. The cards are a little bigger than the standard tarot deck with card dimensions of 3.5 x 1.81 x 5.38 inches. The card backs (shown above) are STUNNING with a dark colonial blue background and a gold foil pattern adorned with pumpkins, skulls and moons, perfectly evoking the harvest season. The two-piece box (shown below) is gorgeous and sturdy, perfect for keeping the cards protected when not in use. All in all, I was very impressed with this themed deck, and it’s presentation when unboxing it. Stellar design!
Overall, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot by Red Feather perfectly captures the haunting, atmospheric magic of Washington Irving’s classic tale, blending folklore, mystery, and tarot symbolism into a deck that both Sleepy Hollow enthusiasts and tarot readers will appreciate. The deck beautifully weaves the themes of the tale of Sleepy Hollow into the 78 cards of the tarot, with each suit reflecting key characters and elements of the story. From the chilling Headless Horseman haunting the town of Sleepy Hollow to the romance budding between Ichabod Crane and Katrina Van Tassel and the ghostly happenings that occur in between, the cards bring to life the essence of the story with rich, gothic illustrations.
The color palette has autumnal colors including dark browns, rust reds, burnt oranges, moody blues, and vivid yellows that evoke a somber but mystical vibe throughout. I can’t wait for a crisp October night when the veil thins to really put these cards to work. I love matching my moods with the decks I work with, and nothing screams Halloween more than this haunting deck.
The atmospheric Major Arcana are particularly well done, featuring scenes that blend tarot archetypes with moments from the tale like Ichabod Crane as the Fool as he blissfully arrives at Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman as Death, The Lovers portraying Ichabod and Katrina Van Tassel dancing at a harvest party while some of the other figures like The Empress, Emperor and Hierophant feature figures from not only the story but that you’d expect to see from this time period – I realized this is the first colonial tarot deck I own, which is cool.
The Aces (shown above)
The Minor Arcana, divided into swords, cups, wands, and pentacles, portray the small town life in colonial times and integrate the familiar tarot structure but with Sleepy Hollow’s peculiar essence, making the deck easy to read for those familiar with traditional Rider-Waite-Smith symbolism while adding some changes for people like me who like a bit of variation from deck to deck. If you are a reader who likes to see something new in the cards as you work with them, this is a great deck to pull from to get some unique reads. I’m a firm believer in the idea that the reading chooses the deck, so whatever message I need to hear that day will absolutely come from the deck I’m drawn to at that moment. So, having decks that offer me more than the traditional images helps vary the types of messages I can receive, helping me keep my readings fresh and interesting.
9 of Wands - Ichabod Crane racing to the church bridge (above)
I can appreciate that not every card in the deck follows exactly the images from the RWS Tarot. The creator gave us some variations that I found quite interesting. For example, the 9 of Wands is typically represented as an injured and bandaged individual standing in front of nine wands arranged in the format of a fence, depicting a border or boundary that is sorely needed. But here, the artist has given us an image in motion, racing past the trees (which represent our wands) to the church bridge where the Headless Horsemen typically crosses into Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod in motion is representative of a different type of boundary that needs to be shored up. With the Headless Horsemen riding through the night, ready to attack, there’s more urgency. We can’t sit back and wait for him to breach the boundary of the town before we throw up our defenses. We must launch into action and try to stop him before he breaks the barrier of the bridge.
I love that we’re getting a different perspective with this image. I rarely see any action depicted in this card, and I have over 40 tarot decks. This is why I seek out so many different types of decks. Artists put their own stamp on the cards, and my readings are better when I have various ways of looking at the cards from day to day. This ensures I don’t continually receive the same answers over and over again, making each of my readings truly unique and interesting. This is one of the reasons I love reading cards so much.
I think this is the first deck in my collection that features a person or figure in one of the aces. In this version, the artist made an interesting choice to make the Ace of Pentacles the ferryman. Here's a quote from the guidebook on the section with the Ace of Pentacles.
“It was a dark and stormy night when the good Antony arrived at the creek…The wind was high, the elements were in an uproar, and no Charon could be found to ferry the adventurous sounder of the brass across the water.” ~ Irving 1860.
And the creator carries that theme forward in the 2 of Pentacles with a corpse accompanied by 2 coins as payment to Charon, the ferryman of the underworld. I love the thought that went into these cards when some decks have more pip-style minors, so I appreciate having more creative expressions continued throughout the whole deck, not just the majors. There were a handful of cards I'd classify as pip-style images, but for the most part the artwork was tied to the stories of Irving.
This deck can offer a unique and narrative-rich reading experience. If you’re looking to add tension and intrigue to your readings, this deck’s haunting energy and spectral images will do just that. It’s perfect if you’ve been in a tarot slump, which I can fall in from time to time. I love the narrative feel with the story woven in because I also love freeform, narrative readings vs. a tarot spread. Since the images tap into the folklore around the Headless Horseman, it’s easier to find a narrative in the cards when reading with them.
You could reach for this deck not only during the Halloween season or autumn months, but any time you want to explore darker themes or shadow work.
It’s a completely immersive deck, transporting you to Sleepy Hollow where dark, shadowy figures may lurk just outside of your awareness, holding urgent messages you need to hear. These are some of my favorite decks to use in winter months too when I seem to delve into more self-reflection and shadow work. There’s just something about those dark, cold nights that invite me to take a closer look at my shadow self and put in the work to heal any dark aspects that are calling out for attention and care.
The darker, spectral images, like the High Priestess above, help you delve into your subconscious, facing deeply rooted fears, hidden desires, and the mysteries that lurk in the corners of your mind. Its themes of death, hauntings, and searching for what is lost makes it an ideal deck for readings that explore losses, the uncertainties of life, rebirth and transformations, threats to our safety and boundaries, and impending changes we may face in the near future.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot is a must-have for fans of the gothic tale and anyone seeking atmospheric decks that immerse you in the Halloween spirit. It’s spooky, mystical, and dark in a delicious way. I just fell in love with it the moment I had in my hands. And, of course, I had to pull my first spread with it while watching Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow! Definitely recommend that combo as well as playing the Danny Elfman score from that movie (included below) as you shuffle and pull cards. There’s just something about pulling cards to that eerie score that amplifies the mystical vibes that I associate with divination.
Spreads in The Sleepy Hollow Guidebook
There are 4 original spreads in the guidebook: Love Triangle Spread, Ichabod's Guide Spread, The Horseman's Chase Spread, and Tribal Chieftain Spread.
Let's put this deck to work shall we?
I threw Ichabod's Guide Spread to help gain insight on the twists and turns I'm encountering on the trail I'm currently traveling as well as any obstacles I'll face on this journey.
Forest: I'm trying to navigate this journey that requires restraint and a gentler approach (Strength). Sometimes I'm too harsh and strong willed in how I attack certain goals/projects - often burning too hotly out the gate only to burn out before I get to the finish line. A softer, less aggressive approach is needed at this time to finesse this project which is different than others I've attempted recently.
Trees: The judgment of others could be distracting me from my goals. My husband always tells me to just focus on writing the books my way. By leaning into my higher calling and purpose, I could stay focused on the path I'm meant to be on in this stage of my life (Judgement). And it's not lost on me that the man and woman in this Judgement card are tied to the stake, and I'm currently writing a book set in 1645 centered on the witch trials, which is the journey I was reading on for this spread. I love how literal tarot can be. This prequel to The Divining Sisters Series that I'm writing has proved to be trickier because it's set in England and in the 1600s so it requires a great bit of research on my part. But it's also a rewarding and healing process as well for me. I definitely feel like it's part of my life path to write about these topics and find a way to help others heal those old witch wounds created from past witch lives. It's healing me in the meantime.
Darkness: The burdens and weight on my shoulders (often self imposed by taking on too much), could be preventing me from seeing the path out/forward (10 of Wands). Did I mention how much research there is for this project? Maybe I'm overdoing it, but it is important to me to be factual in parts of the book, especially pertaining to the witch hunts, the victims, and the evil Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins. It's a heavy load to carry to the finish line, but hopefully it will be well worth it in the end.
Lantern: But there is hope. My resilience that has been proven time and time again to help me persevere against any obstacle could light my way forward. I can erect boundaries to protect my energy and creative vision, keeping those at bay that may disagree (9 of Wands). And with this 9 of Wands figure being active, this means I don't have to wait to erect those boundaries. I need to anticipate any attacks or drains on my creative vision/energy and preemptively set up boundaries to protect my creative process, my time, and my energy so that I don't get derailed on my deadlines for the book release.
Guide: First, before moving ahead on this path/purpose, I need to prioritize the smaller tasks that make up this larger project that could span another year, and I need to work on time management so I don't get burnt out in that time. And I need to work on balance and adaptability to maintain a sense of work-life balance over this year (Two of Pentacles). Then I can move ahead on this life path successfully.
Trail: Once I've conquered the step above, I need to listen to my mentors, pull from the spiritual wisdom learned over the past few years, and focus on those lessons that I want to teach through my books that tackle themes of spiritual awakening, spiritual/physical/emotional healing, and specifically healing those witch wounds for myself and my readers (The Hierophant).
Final Thoughts
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot is a deck that captures the very essence of the spooky Halloween season. With its atmospheric design, themes from the gothic tale, and ghostly images, it’s a perfect companion for autumnal readings or for those who live for the spooky season year-round. Perfect for messages from beyond the veil that linger long after the final stroke of midnight. When used around Halloween, it’s especially powerful, offering insights that feel almost supernatural. Prepare to be transported to another place and time from the very first shuffle. I love that about themed decks, they’re so immersive. I swear when you work with it you can hear the wind howling through the trees and feel the shadow of the Headless Horseman lurking, watching you from afar.
And there are little hidden nuggets in the cards, so keep an eye out for them - faces in the tree trunks in the Devil card, the Knight of Swords is holding his severed head if you look close enough, and there are black cats peppered throughout the cards. I love when artists include little details for us to hunt for. It makes it that much more fun to explore the cards.
The haunted charm from this deck will enchant you, and I’m sure you’ll soon find yourself in the dense, foggy woods of Sleepy Hollow just as I did.
It begs to be used under a full moon. I suggest reading with it by candlelight. It helped transport me back in time. And how perfect would this deck be if you are giving readings at a Halloween party? It’s guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. The ghostly, gothic artwork immerses you in the strange, phantom energy of Sleepy Hollow.
Thank you to Red Feather for sending this one to review. I’ll cherish this one and bring it out every autumn, especially when I watch Sleepy Hollow.
Purchase the Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot here using my amazon affiliate link
About the Artist
The creator, Nick Lawyer, loves using artwork to tell stories and takes pride in the details and historical accuracy in his work. He's passionate about movies, history, music, nature, but above all, he loves spending time with his family, particularly in the natural landscape of his home state, Utah. One especially beloved time of year in his family is Halloween. Among their many annual traditions, they read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow every October. Follow him on his Instagram here for a look at his creepy and grounded artwork. He has also given lectures on folklore and the culture and history of Halloween.
FTC Disclosure: In accordance with Title 16 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 255, “Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising,” I received The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot from Red Feather for prospective review. Everything I’ve said here is sincere and accurately reflects my opinion of this deck.
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Check out The Divining Sisters Series here.
If you're looking for a good witchy book check out my fictional divination book series, The Divining Sisters. Start with book 1 in the series, The Call of the Cards, and then catch up on the rest of the series: book 2, We Divine Three book 3, The Threads of Fate, and book 4, The Unbinding
They're available as eBooks and paperbacks on Amazon. And the eBooks are also on Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, Everand, Hoopla, Smash words, and more. The eBooks are just $4.99. Find out more details on my novels on my author website author.heatherhardison.com - where I post updates on book releases, video book trailers, book blurbs and quotes, as well as fun things like my Spotify playlists for each book. I carefully curate those to express the energy of each book.
This series follows a group of women (witches, healers, diviners) who reincarnate lifetime after lifetime and reunite with their coven so they can fulfill a mission of keeping their craft of divination, healing, and magic alive for future generations.
Book Blurb for Book 1: The Call of the Cards
Alexandra Steele, a clinical psychologist, stumbles upon a mystical store in downtown, Memphis, TN, where she encounters tarot cards for the first time. She doesn't realize it at the time, but this simple encounter will leave her life forever changed as she uncovers a world of past life connections to the cards and the craft of divination. This sparks an awakening that opens door after door of a long line of mystic and witch incarnations that run throughout her history. As she reconnects to these deep mystical ties, she begins to learn about her destiny, which is revealed as she starts to encounter coven sisters and foes from previous incarnations. Will her tendency to hide in the shadows and play small continue to hold her back or will the call of the cards lure her onto her destined path of a life full of magic and sisterhood?
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