Since I was a child, I’ve always loved not only to write but also to draw. I started with cartoon characters (many of the early Disney figures, such as Horace Horsec-ollar and Clara Belle), and even produced my own “magazine,” written and illustrated by myself. But as I grew older, I became especially fascinated by old engravings, which I would assiduously copy with pen and Indian ink. In fact, pen and ink became my favorite medium. I took pride in drawing illustrations that looked like old woodcuts and engravings. It was no great leap, therefore, to illustrate my books when I began to get published. In one of my first published books, Witchcraft From the Inside, some typical pen and inks of mine can be found. Later books also reflect this style of illustration.

Another fascination in later years—perhaps an outgrowth of that love of intricate line drawings—was the old alchemical illustrations; they were so full of symbolism and so beautifully drawn. In The Collected Works of C. G. Jung: Psychology and Alchemy, I found a vast collection of these, all in black and white. Jung’s book related the alchemi-cal symbolism to the unconscious mind and, in particular, to dreams and analytical psychology. I realized that those beautiful illustrations could be used as a tool for many things.

I had produced some divination decks, and recently had worked with talented artist Lissanne Lake to produce my Romani Tarot and the book that goes with it. I studied a number of the decks on the market. There was one deck (that was not tarot) that my wife had used on occasion, which dealt with the inner person. Her only complaint about this deck was that all the interpretations given in the accompanying book were positive; there was nothing negative ever suggested. This didn’t seem to connect to “real life!” Jung said that “anyone who really knows the human psyche will agree with me when I say that it is one of the darkest and most mysterious regions in the whole of our experience.” Looking at various alchem-ical pictures, I could see, as Jung had, how the whole vast realm of human behavior was covered by the alchemists in their symbolism. I began to have glimmerings of an idea that somehow a number of alchemical illustrations could be put together to form a deck, and I decided to construct one that dealt with the inner person—but on a much wider, hopefully more realistic, level than had previously been done.

I came up with a total of fifty cards that could utilize appropriate alchemical illustrations. Rather than simply photo-copying available material, I redrew every one—part an enjoyable part of the process for me—and colored them using bright, almost vivid inks. In a couple of cases, I was also able to combine two illustrations to make one card that was more relevant in what I was trying to say. I expanded each card, incorporating astrological relationships based on the medieval (the heyday of the alchemists) belief that all the planets, plus the sun, revolved around the earth. I also incorporated numerology and the attributes of precious and semi-precious stones. The cards are arranged into five suits of nine cards, plus five “wild cards.” Within each suit there are three grades of alchemical advancement.

I then wrote the book which details the possible meanings of the cards and explains everything to the reader. I realized that many people would want to use them similarly to tarot cards (though there is no relationship to the tarot) to read for other people. This is certainly possible, and I do cover that aspect in the book. But the cards are primarily for examining oneself: the “inner you.” And for that, as Jung had found, the old alchemical illustrations and their symbolism are ideal.

I am delighted with the way the cards have turned out, and especially delighted with the packaging that Llewellyn has done. I hope the cards are well used and appreciated.