Scans of each card can be seen at www.marytcusack.com/maryc/decks/html/Cards/Ecliptic2.html

For thousands of years humanity has stared up at the night skies with amazement and wonder. The natural rhythms of the stars, planets, and the sun and moon took on more significance than just their clock-like movement across our skies. Early stargazers divided the night sky into 12 equal partitions or ‘signs’ —each with corresponding constellations which are the basis of what we know as the Zodiac. These zones of the night sky fall along what’s called the planetary ecliptic – the plane of the planets in our solar system – hence the name of this project. I’ve always loved looking up at the night sky and seeing how the planets cut a line straight across the heavens. Over the centuries, the Zodiac signs and constellations were represented by symbols and incredible artwork—engravings of fantastical creatures and mystical gods from mythology. This project is inspired by that rich tradition. For the past year, I’ve been pouring myself heart and soul into the art for this project. The idea that I could reimagine the way constellations have traditionally been represented was too tempting a thought to resist! Each of the cards is a new spin on the signs of the Zodiac—blending tradition with my own interpretation. It’s with great pleasure that I’m bringing you these cards! There are two editions of Ecliptic Playing Cards—the Standard Edition (SE) and the Limited Edition (LE). Both decks share the same art and linework. The Standard Edition has a nebula background that is a continuous, painted nebula image on the uncut sheet (see add-ons below). The Limited Edition is a celestial blue and will be a hand numbered edition.