Getting to know The Bridge oracle deck by Katie Webb

The Bridge is an oracle deck that was made by the one and only divinatrix gorgon, Katie Webb.

I bought this deck for myself in June 2021 and have been thoroughly enjoying it since then. I have used it for personal use on its own and in combination with Tarot and Lenormand. I have also used it for public readings on Twitter and Instagram. Whether for personal or public use, this deck is fascinating, beautiful, distinct, and a refreshing pleasure to use.

The Bridge offers a unique reading experience because the cards are completely devoid of any words. Each of the 54 cards are photos that Katie has taken, many of which are of natural settings, but others are more mundane, while others are fairly abstract and more difficult to clearly identify. This visual emphasis with a lack of any wording causes you to think without language, and I suspect this has a lot to do with how unique of a reading it provides.

While journaling with Tarot for example, one of the first things you might do is write down the name of the card. With The Bridge you cannot do that. In order to journal your reading with these cards you need to describe the card. This is where the good stuff happens! By writing down your descriptions of the card, you end up accessing your subconscious in a raw, unfiltered way. This bypasses any memorized, traditional correspondences and forces you to FEEL instead of grasp intellectually. It reminds me of the way information is conveyed through dreams. Very visual and emotional, but with unreliable language. The cards can’t be identified with a key word and therefore every time you journal with it you will inevitably be describing something different. I think this is really special because there are no limits to how deep you can go with this deck. There are inherently no right or wrong interpretations of any of these cards so it is a wonderful system for getting to know and trusting your subconscious and intuition.

When using The Bridge in combination with another deck, I find it goes especially well with the Thoth tarot – my first ever tarot deck that I have been using since 2007. The two decks side by side almost look like they belong together. The back of the cards of each deck have a similar pattern and color scheme even though the art is completely different. The crosshatch of Katie’s collage fits so nicely with the diamond pattern of the Thoth deck. The reading experience of the two together also feels like a natural fit to me. The Thoth deck provides a rich reading that – to me – blends together analysis with artistic intuition to provide insight that fits into the specific 78-card system. Paired with The Bridge it’s like you get the other side of that same coin – the “outside the box” sort of pure felt and experiential relationship. Like the friend you can spend time with in comfortable silence that is just as enriching as the friend you can comfortably dialogue with. There’s just something about this combo that really speaks to me and I highly recommend trying this out for yourself.

One of my favorite things to do with this deck is use it for free public readings. I find it to be especially magical when used in this way – at least for me. What I usually do is make a post offering to pull a card from The Bridge for anyone who comments with a single emoji. The emoji is simply to represent the question the querent has. I do this because there is nothing I can tell you from the card – all of the information is felt and processed by the querent. That’s why I don’t need to even know what the question is. I just take a deep breath and open myself to being a “bridge” for the information the querent is seeking, shuffle the deck, and draw a card. I then reply with a photo of the card without any text whatsoever. This has been consistently very well received and is so much fun to do!

Because of the way this deck works, I don’t see myself ever offering paid services using it exclusively. I see it more as a gift. Tarot and Lenormand are skills and systems, but The Bridge is totally unique. This is not just a reskin of either of the aforementioned cartomancy decks, but an entirely new system of divination made by someone who is really, really good at what they do. It is such a fascinating experience and I genuinely cannot recommend it enough! Unfortunately this deck sold out before I even started writing this article, but don’t worry, Katie has something else completely new and unique coming soon so make sure you bookmark her website and follow her on Twitter so you don’t miss out on her new projects!