About Pages of Shustah

The Pages of Shustah is a deck of divination and meditation cards developed and created in the early 1970s by Ann Maser and Cecil North. The word “Shustah” comes from ancient Sanskrit, and means the footsteps back to god. These footsteps comprise parts of the ancient mystery teachings, including Holy Qabalah, Astrology, cosmology, meditation, color therapy, healing, spiritual evolution and spiritual enlightenment. As such, the Pages of Shustah were specifically designed to be used as both a meditation tool for psychic development, and a divination tool for obtaining wisdom, inspiration and guidance.

The Deck consists of 70 Pages (cards) divided into 5 suits, with 14 cards in each suit. The Pages of Shustah bear some similarities to the Tarot in that they were both derived from the same ancient source. In place of the 22 Major Arcana of Tarot, the Shustah includes a 5th suit of 14 astrological cards–12 cards representing each individual sign of the Zodiac, a Destiny Card, and a card that represent “The Self.”

The Red Suit - Adversity, problems, challenges and disappointments.
The Green Suit - Growth, progress, and activity.
The Yellow Suit - Creativity, spiritual awareness, abundance.
The Blue Suit - Benevolence, serenity, goodwill.
The Black Suit - Astrological associations.

Each suit of the Pages of Shustah features bright monochrome pen & ink drawings that correspond to the color assigned to that particular suit. These symbolic pictures are very dynamic, and they were designed to be used interactively. As such, the Shustah images trigger psychic perceptions in both reader and querent, and the Pages can appear to change right before your eyes.

There is a companion book for the Pages of Shustah deck called Pages of Shustah: Divination and Meditation Cards by Ann Manser and Cecil North. The Shustah deck and accompanying book are currently out of print, but both are available for purchase at Temple of the Living God bookstore in St. Petersburg Florida.

The Pages of Shustah Layout:

The traditional Shustah Card layout consists of 40 cards chosen at random and placed in an astrological wheel pattern with 3 cards in each House of the Zodiac. The remaining cards form a mini spread in the center of the wheel called “The Occult Cross,” and are read as the consummation of the entire layout. Each 3-card unit is influenced by the House into which it falls, and is interpreted “into” the area of the questioner’s life symbolized by that particular House.

Meanings of the Individual Pages:

I was introduced to the Pages of Shustah about 20 years ago when I was living in the St Petersburg area. I studied with the Rev. Eileen Hull who is a well known Shustah reader in the area. I also had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Cecil North who was one of the co-creators of the Pages of Shustah.

The meanings I use for the Pages of Shustah come from the classes and lectures I attended as well as from my own personal meditations and experiences working with the cards. I read Pages of shustah professionally, and I've been teaching Shustah for 10 years.

The Pages speak to each reader with a distinct voice, so please use my interpretations as a stepping stone only toward creating your own unique relationship with these extraordinary cards.