Bonus Card Meanings

Ballerina

🤍 Upright: Elegance. Poise. Deceptive simplicity.

Elegance. Poise. Deceptive simplicity. The Ballerina dedicates her life to her craft. There’s a deceptive simplicity to her performance, as she leverages a lifetime of training and skill to make her steps look light and effortless. The Ballerina card may show up at a time when you feel like people are reaping the rewards of your efforts, without seeing or acknowledging all the work you’re putting in behind the scenes. If you pull this card, know that you’re seen—even if it doesn’t feel like it. The Ballerina, herself, sees the way in which you confront each day with bravery, elegance, and poise, no matter what’s going on around you.

Take note, though: You don’t need to put on a brave face all the time. Speak up for yourself if you feel under-appreciated, or taken advantage of.

🤍 Reversed: Clumsiness. Uncertainty. Complication.

Coven

🤍 Upright: Sisterhood. Solidarity. Secrets.

When you look at the keywords listed for the Coven card, they may sound familiar. That’s because Coven is meant to be a counterpart to the 3 of Cups—a card of sisterhood, solidarity, and friendship. But while the 3 of cups celebrates these ideas in a light, airy way, the Coven card represents close friendships as a form of protection.

It gives a shout-out to the people in your life that have seen you at your worst, and accept you as you are, without judgement. They know your secrets, and you know theirs. You have—and will always have—each others’ backs. If one person in the coven needs help plotting their next steps, the rest of the group is there to brainstorm, scheme, think things through, or call you on your bullsh*t when necessary.

🤍 Reversed: Jealousy. Bitterness. Toxic friendships.

Ghost

🤍 Upright: Haunting. Regret. Self-compassion.

The Ghost card features a woman who is confronted with a ghost, who holds out a small bouquet of flowers as a gift (or maybe a peace offering). If you look at their faces, they both seem to recognize each other—neither one seems shocked to see the other. But the woman seems afraid of the ghost, and what she represents.

Ghost represents a confrontation between past and present. Healing from past trauma, regrets for things you did or didn’t do, fear that your past will be uncovered, or that your past will inevitably determine your future. This card empowers you make peace with your history—there’s no need to hide, be ashamed, or scared of it. Understanding where you came from can be a powerful step in determining where you want to go, who you want to be, and what mistakes you can learn from. 

Editorial note: You may notice that the gowns on each figure are blowing in two different directions, suggesting they’re meant to move separate ways. Which, inevitably, they will. But for now, they’re looking each other in the eye, confronting each other, even if it feels uncomfortable. They’re doing the work to understand each other before they move on.

🤍 Reversed: Avoidance. Dread. Lack of self-awareness.

Portrait, The

🤍 Upright: Portrait: Identity. Representation. Legacy.

Portraits are works of art that tell a person’s story. They can capture not only what a person looks like, but the idea of that person—what they value, how they live, how they want to be seen, or what mood they are experiencing. The Portrait card can show up when you feel misunderstood by others, or you may be struggling with your own sense of identity. Who are you? What do you value? Does the way you represent yourself adequately reflect who you are? Do your actions align with your words and beliefs? The Portrait encourages you to check in with yourself to address these types of questions.

Additionally, because portraits live on long after we’re gone—you might pull this card when you’re questioning what legacy you’ll eventually leave behind. Will the memory of you adequately represent who you really were? Do you want it to?

🤍 Reversed: Same meaning upright and reversed.

Inspired by the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.

Snowdrop

🌸 Upright: Snowdrop: Resilience. Hope. Tenacity.

The Snowdrop card is about blooming where you’re planted—even in the toughest of terrain. The card features a woman-presenting figure standing on snow-covered ground, surrounded by a series of snowdrop flowers that sprout at her feet. Snowflakes fall from the sky as she’s illuminated by a full moon, holding a bouquet of black violets.

This card is the only black and white card in the deck, with no pink. This is an intentional design choice, to reflect the idea of stark dualities: black v. white, positive v. negative (also note the strong use of positive and negative space), light v. dark, known v. unknown, and—most importantly—resilience v. fragility.

The snowdrop is one of the first spring flowers to bloom—it can push its way through the earth while snow still blankets the ground. It’s resilient, resists pests, and requires almost no maintenance. In sum: For such a delicate-looking flower, it’s strong and tenacious, and able to flourish while braving the toughest of elements. When you pull this card, know that you, too, are capable of such tenacity. You can be strong, you can be brave, you can do and create incredible things—even when it seems almost impossible to do so.

You may notice an air of mystery to this card. Indeed, she’s a mysterious one. Sometimes, when things are hard and we access our inner resources to do what we need to do—the abilities that we somehow manifest are downright mysterious. How the hell do we do it? How did we get through it? How did we get through that time/do that thing/make that work? Sometimes the answer is: We just did. Because we had to. Because it was the thing we needed to do. And now we have a better idea of how strong we are, and what we’re capable of.

🌸 Reversed: Toxicity. Defensiveness. Self-Isolation.

The snowdrop flower, while beautiful, resilient, and even hopeful—as it heralds the first days of spring—is toxic to humans and animals. It shouldn’t be consumed. The snowdrop’s toxicity is helpful for protecting itself against pests, but it limits our participation with it. We pretty much need to enjoy it from afar, and shouldn’t bring it into our homes, or put it in a vase in reach of our children or pets.

Similarly, the Snowdrop card, reversed, warns you to embrace your resilience and tenacity but warns against hardening yourself so much that you either a) cause harm to others in protecting yourself; or b) deprive yourself of valuable interactions with other people, because you’re afraid of getting hurt. There’s a balance to be struck here, and it’s all about knowing your boundaries—when to let people in, when to take time to yourself, and when to let go of toxic relationships that don’t serve a positive purpose in your life. In the process, though, don’t forget to make time and space to let your loved ones in.

Veil

🤍 Upright: Mystery. Concealment. Unknown.

The Veil card represents mystery, secrecy, and hidden knowledge. It depicts a woman wearing a black veil and dress inspired by Victorian mourning costume, but her full story is unknown to us. There are no clues in the background to help tell her full story, and the veil obscures the details of her face and identity.

At its core, the Veil card represents the unknown, the unseen, and the mysterious. It suggests that there is more to a situation than what meets the eye, and that there may be hidden factors or unseen forces at play.

In some interpretations, the Veil card can represent a sense of isolation or separation, as if the veil is keeping the individual or the situation separate from the rest of the world. This can be a positive or negative experience, depending on the context.

🤍 Reversed: Clarity. Transparency. Familiarity.

Woods, The

🌸 Upright: Protection. Security. Self-Reflection.

The Woods card features a deer standing in the forest at night, surrounded and partially hidden by two pink pine trees. The deer’s reflection is cast onto the body of water below, surrounded by pebbles. The night sky provides a dark, starry backdrop with the silhouette of an owl flying above, who’s about to enter the scene. Is the owl circling around the area, or flying into it for the first time from somewhere else? That’s up to you to decide.

There are many elements in this card that you could focus on: the owl, the trees, the little pond, the stars, the deer, the pebbles. Every element has potential for meaning, so feel free (as always!) to lean into whatever aspect of this card sticks out to you or resonates with you the most. Personally, my interpretation of this card is a combination of all of these elements working together to create a protective, restorative environment. For me, as a city girl, this card makes me feel like retreating into the wilderness to escape the daily chaos of city life. It’s a return to the basics, and an opportunity to take a moment for self-reflection and meditation in a safe, restorative space. Thinking of it this way, one could see the owl as a protective guide, that encourages you to tap into your inner wisdom and intuition. The deer represents gentleness, unconditional love, and devotion—something we should try to apply to ourselves as well as others.

In a way, maybe The Woods card could feel maternal or parental. It’s there to guide you when you feel lost, show you grace even in your roughest of moments, and represent deep, unconditional love, where you are seen and admired for exactly who you are.

🌸 Reversed: Unknown. Preparedness. Lack of control.

While the woods can create a protective environment and a restorative return to nature, it is still nature—which is full of unknowns, has potential for predators and other dangers, and isn’t entirely within our control as humans. Reversed, The Woods card nods to this sense of the unknown—and while it doesn’t specifically signal danger (don’t be scared!) it does remind you to be cautious while taking your next steps. Remember that not everything is within your control, so you can’t protect yourself from every possible negative outcome, but it’s worth thinking carefully and making some extra preparations for what’s coming up ahead.