First Touch: A Journey into Embodied Ecosystems Tarot & Oracle Deck

This post features the creative genius of the one and only Rachael Amber, creator of Cycical Roots, and Fluid & Rooted sub publication. Go check them out now ⚡️

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Oof, this deck. I just met you, and already I feel your resonance ✨

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I felt a strong pull to commemorate my first-ever spread using @Rachael Amber’s Embodied Ecosystems Tarot & Oracle deck. The resonance I feel from their artistic creations is intense and visceral —layered with intention, insight, and care for the Earth and all its beings. This deck doesn’t just speak—it listens. And it invites you to listen, too.

Before beginning, I saged the space—the cards, the guidebook, the beautiful box it arrived in. As I moved through the ritual, I found myself reflecting on the journey this deck had taken: from Rachael’s initial vision, to the creation of the artwork, the development of card meanings, the weaving of connections and definitions, to the logistics of editing, printing, packaging, and finally arriving in my hands. Oof. What a journey.

If only we approached all of our creations with that kind of mindfulness. That reverence.

That’s why I love Rachael’s work—it’s deeply intentional and holds space for that awareness, gently reminding us with every detail.

I wanted to honor the moment, the creative energy behind the deck, and the energetic container I was stepping into. I recalled the videos Rachael shared of their creative process—how Embodied Ecosystems came to life over years of thoughtful making, reflection, and reverence. The guidebook alone reads like a portal into their mind: thoughtful prompts, lunar cycles, elemental wisdom, and astrological guidance all woven seamlessly into each tarot card. The design is sophisticated and deeply rooted, bridging nature, symbolism, and soul in a way that’s both accessible and expansive.

I didn’t overthink it. I allowed intuition to guide me to the Sentient Senses Spread, meant for when you need help reconnecting with your senses. Naturally—timely. I’ve been feeling very dissociated lately. Floating. A bit unmoored —thanks to the socio-political affairs of this world we continue to burn.

So I began. I should have only used half of the cards for the spread, as the guidebook suggests, it felt like a lot—but intuition wanted the whole lesson. I think it felt like a lot because I’m new to this deck and its language, yet something inside me felt deeply familiar with the rhythm it holds.

The spread asks:

• What my body needs

• What my heart needs

• What my energy needs

• What my mind needs

• What can support each of them

• And finally—what the whole knows

The center card practically leapt out of the deck. Homeostasis. Of course. It landed in the “What the whole knows” position—so aligned it gave me chills. The spread unfolded with rich messages about transformation, stability, detoxification, awareness, and fluidity. Each card felt like a living being. Like an elder or nature personified with something to teach.

As a Virgo sun and a Capricorn rising, I naturally gravitate toward earth elements and metaphors. They speak my language—stability, grounding, rhythm, structure. But this deck reminded me that even within earth, there is movement. The fluidity of my Pisces moon. Regeneration.

The Navigator of Fluidity offered a new way of looking at water to support what my energy needs—not just as something soft, but as something that becomes rain, storm, fog, mist. It adapts, and in that transmutation is strength. So apt for energy.

Then there was the opossum, appearing through Detoxification as what my body needs, a symbol of transforming what is typically poisonous. These messages hit hard. They weren’t abstract—they were precise scripts of medicine I’m eagerly searching for.

After reading each one, I felt so tired. My witchy meter hit its peak. I needed a break.

And so, I’ve decided to take the week—maybe longer—to sit with each card from the spread. To explore their interactions. To let them guide me gently back into my senses.

I’m still just learning this deck, but wow. The depth of interaction—not just among the cards but within myself as I pulled them—was something else. I know I’ll be returning to this deck again and again. It’s the kind of tool that evolves with you.

Thank you, @Rachael Amber, for creating something so alive. So wise. So necessary. I’m deeply moved and endlessly inspired by your ability to craft meaning from matter. This is only the beginning—but it’s already feeling like a homecoming.

🫶🏽✨🌾