The deck’s two creators, Anna Franklin and Paul Mason, met on an art school in Coventry in the British midlands. They wanted to create a Tarot which was based on photo collage but back then (about 15 years earlier) had whether the money nor the equipment to realise this plan. After the release of computer based photograph programs they got back to this idea and Paul made several photos and pictures of people, animals and places and trimmed them in these programs so they look quite realistic.

The Sacred Circle Tarot consists of 78 cards which contents are derived from the pagan heritage of Great Britain and Ireland and their places and symbolism. The two authors and developers of this Tarot deck, Anna Franklin and Paul Mason tried to create a Tarot “purely” based on pagan symbolism from this area and tried to sort out the cabalistic and Christian symbols most other Tarot decks include.

The Minor Arcana symbols here are the magickal weapon of the four celestial directions of the Tuatha De Danann: the sword of Nuadha for the East, the spear of Lugh for the South (Clubs), die vessel of Dagda for the West (Cups) and the stone of Fal (Pentacles) for the North.

Furthermore, the Minor Arcana explore the theme of the circle of the year they belong to and each suit contains some special kind of information: the Swords are dealing with the development of the mental abilities and the gathering of knowledge; the Clubs deal with spiritual and creative impulses; the Cups with emotions and spiritual growth; the Pentacles deal with the material plane and the practical use of the learned stuff.

Swords: Spring. East. Sunrise. Air. Intellect. Athame.
Clubs: Summer. South.Nnoon. Fire. Spirituality. Creativity and transformation. The wand, spear or arrow.
Cups: Autumn. West. Dawn. Water. Emotions. Intuition and psychic abilities. The Gral or vessel.
Coins: Winter. North. Midnight. Earth. Practical and material matters. The shield or stone.

The symbols are ought to work on more than one “plane” or “level” - not only for divination but also to stimulate the personal and spiritual development and to aid in meditation.

The cards show the “power” places and landscapes of Britain and Ireland and the plants and animals shown on them are also linked to this realm as well.

There is a change in the order of the Major Arcana, as well as some of the names:

0. The Green Man (The Fool)
I. The High Priest (The Magician)
II. The High Priestess
III. The Lady (The Empress)
IV. The Lord (The Emperor)
V. The Druid (The Hierophant)
VI. The Lovers
VII. The Wagon (The Chariot)
VIII. The Heroin (Strength)
IX. The Shaman (The Hermit)
X. The Wheel (Wheel Of Fortune)
XI. The Pattern (Justice)
XII. The Sacrifice (The Hanged Man)
XIII. The Death
XIV. The Underworld (The Devil)
XV. The Tower
XVI. The Initiation (Temperance)
XVII. The Star
XVIII. The Moon
XIX. The Sun
XX. The Rebirth (Judgment)
XXI. The World Tree (The World)

Each card has a divinational meaning in regard to the tendencies, energies and events in the life of the questioner. The description for each card gives a detailed explanation of the different elements the cards contains, like animals, plants, gods/goddesses, places and so on. With the help of these designs it should be possible to work on the personal and spiritual development of oneself.

On the spiritual plane the cards show, like the Journey of the Fool, the progress of the initiate from the stage of diffuse energy to the phase of the dawning conscious, the death and the corrosion of the past personality to the creation of the new self and a new conscious.