The Butterfly Wisdom Tarot: Guiding Wings for Your Journey, by Starla Yilmaz
RedFeather, 9780764369230, 144 pages, 78 cards, June 2025
With her beautiful deck, The Butterfly Wisdom Tarot: Guiding Wings for Your Journey, Starla Yilmaz draws inspiration from the butterfly. An ancient symbol of metamorphosis and the soul, and offers readers of all experience levels a vibrant tool for reflection, guidance, and growth.
Starla Yilmaz is a fiction writer, tarot reader, and cross-stitch creator. Tarot and cross-stitch have been an important part of her healing journey and her life for more than 20 years. While her work in romantic fiction has won two awards, this is her first deck. You can learn more about Yilmaz on her website.
After what Yilmaz calls an “intense healing period of my life”1, she had a vision of “butterflies cross-stitched onto white canvas, each one the focus of a tarot card, forming one giant tapestry.”2 She laughed and put away the idea until a later time when she decided to begin one simple pattern. As the designing and sewing healed her, she created another and another. When she started writing the guidebook, she began to draft little stories to accompany each card, including key ideas and thoughts or questions for deeper contemplation.
Each card is edged in black with a distinct color for the inner border, showing tiny threads on white fabric. She uses matching thread colors for the Major Arcana and again for each suit of the Minor Arcana. All the cards feature an uncomplicated design with a butterfly and crisp black stitching representing a very basic part of the symbolism from Rider-Waite-Smith.
For example, The Moon card features a moth with a crescent moon and a full moon, adorned at the top with the symbol for Pisces. When readers go to the guidebook, her story brings out the tale of the dog barking at the moon because he fears the mirror image of the moon on the water; her thoughtful questions encourage the reader to inspect fears, dreams and reflections.
Within the guidebook, Yilmaz features full-color illustrations for the Major Arcana cards. She includes an introduction to her story, notes on how to use this deck, and several one, three, and four-card spreads. At the end of the guidebook, she includes “Healing Patterns and Prompts”3 for the reader to copy and stitch (pg. 129-141) She shares three designs, offering a beginner pattern and an advanced pattern for each. Yilmaz also includes a list of tarot resources.
The heart of this deck lies in its artwork. Each card is adorned with illustrations that intertwine the world of butterflies with the archetypes and stories of tarot. The Butterfly Wisdom Tarot arrives in a box of royal hues and elegant details, calling to mind the fragile beauty and bold colors of butterfly wings. The box is sturdy and well-constructed, with a magnetic closure that protects the cards while adding a sense of ceremony to every reading. She has designed a deep well for the cards with thumb holes for easy removal.
The symbolism in these cards is simple, subtle, and brilliant. Each black stitch has been carefully designed and sewn to represent the timeless archetypes of the 78 cards of Rider-Waite-Smith deck. From the two cups pouring water in the Temperance card to the tiny tools of the Magician, Yilmaz has artfully selected the best symbols for each card and carefully stitched them onto her fabric canvas.
And the butterflies! Each butterfly is a mini masterpiece! Whether it is a classic monarch on the Emperor card or a chrysalis on the Hanged Man, Yilmaz uses all the colors of the rainbow to present her butterfly parade.
The cards themselves are printed on high-quality, matte-finish stock that feels silky to the touch yet substantial enough for everyday use. The deck is standard size, shuffling smoothly whether you prefer riffle or overhand methods. The matte finish reduces glare and makes the cards easy to photograph—a boon for those who share their readings online.
Card backs feature an elegant, symmetrical design that looks like stained glass and butterfly wings in flight, making the deck reversible for those who read with reversed cards.
From the outset, the deck exudes an energy of gentleness and support. It is approachable for those new to tarot and a delight for seasoned practitioners. I love the thoughtful questions that Yilmaz poses for each card, so that the reader can go deeper into self-reflection.
I presented the cards to a Zoom group that I attend monthly. Here are a few comments from attendees:
LC – The Lovers: “I’ve been flirting with this guy online. I now know I need to decide whether to meet him or move on. I love the question: ‘What quality do I need to work on to be a better partner?’ That really makes me stop and think.”
TW – 4 of Cups: “OMG! I see how I have been a Debbie Downer lately! I may need to contact my old therapist and have a few sessions to put myself right. Am I depressed or just bored? These questions really help!”
As for me, I really resonated with the artwork and guidance for the 6 of Wands. I loved the simple garland of victory and the 6 wands cheering me on to success. Another favorite card is the Strength card. Yilmaz features a gorgeous orange butterfly resting on the gaping mouth of a lion. Simply stunning!
I plan to share The Butterfly Wisdom Tarot with my Friday Coffee & Cards group and other Zoom groups I attend. I will keep the guidebook close by for my personal card readings, as I consider the questions for deeper reflection. Yilmaz provides this note:
“I hope that readers find themselves supported and uplifted during life’s toughest moments with my deck and guidebook.”4
PJ Spur is an author, intuitive, spiritual mentor, astrologer, and hypnotist. She does tarot & oracle card readings, natal chart readings, grief coaching, and relationship healing. She also has hosted a weekly “Coffee & Cards” event with her Soul Compass Community for the past four years. Her book Navigating Grief with Grace is available on Amazon. Learn more at www.dearpj.com