The botanical-inspired Plant Magic! Oracle Deck is now available for preorder on the artist's website.

When multidisciplinary artist Ash Satterthwaite, whose work can be found around town under the name Sweet Honey, pulls a card from a tarot deck, she isn’t looking for advice from the cosmos or insight into her future. Instead, she uses them as a guide for self-reflection and growth. 

Growth, in particular, is at the heart of the artist’s newest project, the Plant Magic! Oracle Deck. Oracle decks differ from the traditional tarot in that they can feature nearly any content and are designed and assigned their meaning by the creator, whereas tarot decks traditionally include the same 78 cards (with occasional variations) with their accompanying meanings. In Satterthwaite’s case, the deck includes 48 cards, with half featuring plants and half featuring flowers specifically. 

“I kind of think of oracle as tarot’s cool, hip, younger grandkid or something,” says Satterthwaite. “It has a lot more flexibility. I’ve always used tarot or oracle as a way to self-reflect, so the concept of personal growth and plant growth just seemed like a natural fit to explore, and hopefully be able to help somebody else in their journey as well…I designed it to be intentionally open-ended. For somebody who is interested in tarot, but maybe isn't quite ready for something like that or emotionally and mentally, they haven't done the work yet, this would be a really great introductory deck for them. ”

The cards are designed in Satterthwaite’s signature bold illustration style. Stars, moons, and bees decorate the back of each, while foliage and blooms burst across the front of each card along with its designated meaning. Access to a digital booklet explaining the assigned meaning, the plant’s history, magical and medicinal information, and cultivation tips is included with the purchase of each deck. 

Satterthwaite began the process of creating her deck two years ago with the intention of creating a fun “lighthearted” project. But as she continued to craft and design the deck, she found that she was putting more thought and intentionality into it than expected. Cards have been designed and redesigned and replaced, moved into new suits and rewritten to better fit the project. 

“I've probably redone the deck itself maybe three or four times,” Satterthwaite says. “But at the end of the day, I'm like, Wow, this actually took on something that I wasn't expecting. And that's kind of why I believe that it's a lot bigger than just my vision. It kind of made itself in some aspects. 

The project is now in its final stages, though that hardly means the project has gotten easier. Satterthwaite looked into finding a publisher for the deck or funding its production through Kickstarter, but in the end settled on a DIY approach. Pre-orders are now open on the Sweet Honey website at three different tiers (with added rewards, including prints and accessories), and the deck will go into production once it reaches 300 initial backers. Those initial orders will cover the cost of creating the physical decks, which will be printed on 330 GSM paper with a glossy finish and packaged in a protective two-piece soft touch box. Tier 3 backers will also receive a hand-screenprinted velvet pouch for their deck. 

“We’ve got a little bit left to go, but I think it’s a small enough number that I’m pretty confident that it can be pulled off,” says the artist. She currently has about 250 to go, and preorders will remain open through September 3 or until the initial goal is reached. 

Her intentions for the deck, she says, are twofold. The title, Plant Magic!, is both a description and an instruction. The natural world holds its own magic, but Satterthwaite encourages those who work with the deck to plant magic in themselves and in their communities. 

“I'm hoping that it'll be a really fun tool for people who love plants, because a lot of the practical stuff they might already know, but I learned a ton through just my own research,” she says. “I'm hoping that it'll help people who already love plants dig a little deeper in that aspect, but also have the opportunity to have some serious self-reflection and personal growth.”

For more details about the Plant Magic! Oracle Deck and other Sweet Honey works, visit sweethoneystl.com.

Jackson is managing editor of St. Louis Magazine. Like this story? Want to share other feedback? Send Jackson an email at cjackson@stlmag.com.

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