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Thank you so so much everyone! You have proved to me that even after the success of the first printing, there are still enough cool insect and/or tarot nerds out there to make it happen again, which makes me happy. But we're not done yet! If we can hit $5000, I can put out some new sticker designs that will be guaranteed to be shipped with every deck, and there are some more fun stretch goals beyond that. So now is a great time to share this around with your friends - there are only two weeks left to pledge!

As is tradition, I pulled three random cards from the deck in celebration, and I'll share a little about each one.

The Ace of Pentacles is a card of opportunity for material success, represented by a termite mound: a marvel of engineering that can stand many times taller than a human. The mound's complex architecture manages water retention, temperature control, and gas exchange, and the activity of termites creates fertile soil as they tend their fungal farms. This creates a habitat for trees and grazing animals, transforming a harsh environment into an oasis.

The Nine of Swords is a card of fears, doubts, and nightmares, represented by a pear psylla menaced by visions of snakeflies, its natural predator in multiple life stages. Many of the anxieties that keep us up at night are unfortunate vestiges of similar survival instincts that serve us less well in an environment so different from that in which the instincts developed.

Temperance is a card of balance, stability, and moderation, represented by the Morning-Glory Plume Moth and its namesake flower, which together have evolved a balanced daily routine. Moderation out of necessity, because the alternative simply doesn't work. (This is true for a great many insects, but the morning/evening symmetry made this one fit on multiple levels. Besides, just look at that moth. Isn't it so shaped??? Plume moths are great.)

These cards also happen to demonstrate the range of changes in the second edition of the deck: the Ace's art has only been lightly retouched, the Nine's art has been significantly reworked, and Temperance has been replaced with a different insect entirely! (The aphid has been relocated to the eight of cups, one of my favorite new cards.) You can see how the art style is trending a little more balanced and a little less busy.

If we're reading these cards chronologically, a narrative presents itself: opportunity for wealth, followed by fears and doubts, followed by tempered expectations. Sure sounds like the arc of a crowdfunding campaign to me! I'm certainly past the "fears and doubts" phase now that we're funded, so thank you once more for that.

With Chitinous Gratitude,
Loren