A stereotypical view of tarot is one that includes a glimpse into the future, though a good card reader will tell you that present actions are the likely cause of future outcomes. Pretty cut and dry stuff and a belief I’ve stood by for many years until I was introduced to Andrew McGregor’s majors only deck, Tarot Waiting to Happen.

McGregor has extended the timeline of tarot as we know it by rendering a deck that looks into each card’s prequel. Like all of us, each card has a beginning and McGregor skillfully reveals each card’s life just before they step into their iconic gig of sitting on thrones or hanging from trees. This backstage perspective makes the deck more personal and gives readers an excellent sense of how past actions play a large role in present situations.

For example, a hot tarot topic is love and a typical Lovers card features a newly united couple standing in the Garden of Eden. For many, this represents a somewhat unrealistic happily-ever-after end scenario. This isn’t the case in McGregor’s deck, nor how it works. Instead we are asked to review our daily routine and consider what life was like before the couple entered the garden. From this perspective we can begin to ask how past actions might influences our present situation.

In McGregor’s L’Amoureux we see only one of the two lovers sitting alone in a coffee shop with a cuppa. Perhaps he’s contemplating single life over a drink, or simply waiting for his future life partner to appear. The card will reflect a different scene to anyone who views it and in turn will provide readers with a realistic springboard to start from while going over past relationship questions.

From this everyday reality McGregor’s L’Amoureux encourages us to remember where we came from and who we were before committing to new love.  This is just one of many alternate examples offered and like traditional tarot, a unique story will surely unfold. Give it a try and see how your past actions are determining your future.

Each card in Tarot Waiting to Happen is rendered in crisp black and white on sturdy cardstock and borrows from the Marseille deck tradition. Although the characters in this deck appear humorous— an intended detail from the artist, they also do the hard job of aligning us with deeper meaning.

Nominated for the Best Majors Only Deck in 2013 by the Tarosophist Awards, Tarot Waiting to Happen is now on sale at $25 until January 17^th. Limited editions can be found at the Hermit’s Lamp along with other useful material.