Herbal Tarot, by Michael Tierra and Candis Cantin (reviewed by Izolda)
The Herbal Tarot is a wonderful, colorful useful, deck. The paintings are not really photorealistic (this is not a bad thing, by any stretch) and contain lots of bright, vivid colors. The suits of the deck are straight: cups, wands, swords and pentacles, and the court cards appear as page, knight, queen and king.
Each card of the deck has on it a corresponding herb. The herb corresponds physically and spiritually to the meaning and intent of the card. For example, the Tower, the radical/revolutionary change in the querent's life has, as its herb, garlic. And, Dong Quai, the woman's herb in Chinese Medicine, is on the Empress.
If you get the entire deck set, and you get the book, the book gives dosages as well as the spiritual properties and meditations for each herb. So, when a card appears in a spread where you need to have or give a better explanation or a direction to the querent, you can recommend the meditation exercises and the herb/card's lesson might be taught that way.
One of the things that I look for in any deck is that it has representational images on the minor arcana number cards. I really don't care for those decks that give you three cups on a card instead of the actual scene that comes on the card. To me, it's harder to get a meaning and a grasp of what the card is trying to say if I don't see the image and instead just get a painting of six rods.
The herbalism that went into the creation of the deck is based on Chinese medicine and thus the major arcana cards, for example, have major chi-building herbs. All in all, it's a great deck, especially if you're into herbalism or Chinese medicine and like bright, vivid colors. To see some of the cards...
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Ancestral Path Tarot, Julie Cuccia-Watts (reviewed by Izolda)
This is a new and relatively unknown deck that came out last year. Another really good deck, it has some phenomenal cards and some that just disappoint me. This deck had the potential for being the end-all-be-all deck for m e. It has some magnificent paintings in it, and the suits are all based on ancient and different spiritual paths and civilizations. The Swords are Feudal Japan, the Staves are Ancient Egypt, the Cups are Arthurian Britain and the Sacred Circles (Pentacles) are Native American.
This deck has the best and most spiritually innovative Hanged Man cards that I've ever seen. It is called Hanged One, and it is a fetus, in utero, awaiting birth. The Hanged Man is all about waiting and contemplation and it really speaks volumes to see that fetus.
Some of the Major Arcana on this deck are really incredible. The Moon is beautiful, for example. However, something that disappoints me is that the artist put an unual Fool in the deck.. the card is of a tarot reader reading a spread for the person looking at the card. For some reason, that just doesn't work for me. Perhaps, it's the expression on the reader's face or just that I really love the traditional image of the "blank slate" Fool stepping off into the unknown. For whatever reason, that card disappoints me.
I also have some questions about the paintings and the expressions on the faces of the Major Arcana cards. For example, to me, the Star is supposed to be a really wonderful, joyful, mystical, connected card. In the painting, the woman, who is pouring and mixing the waters of life and the unconscious does not look particularl y happy to be there. It's almost like she is in pain, and I just don't think of that card that way.
Some of the more wonderful cards in the deck are: Seven of Sacred Circles: it is the harvest with pumpkins, grapes, beans, corn, etc. Wonderful painting totally incredible and appropriate colors. I love it.
Two of Swords Woman in a light blue and lavender kimono facing away from us and looking at the sunset. Glorious.
Six of Sacred Circles. Six medicine bags (each in one of the rainbow colors [no indigo]) are hung from a tree on a full moon winter's night.
Queen of Staves: Isis is regal and passionate. Wonderful.
Queen of Sacred Circles is Grandmother moon. She is care taker and love giver.
Princess of Cups is Morgana from the Arthurian legend. (Can't say any more than that)
Seven of Cups is Morgana showing the scrying chalice to Arthur. A different prophecy resides in each of the seven chalices.
All in all, it's a great deck; I'm just disappointed with some of the cards in the Major Arcana. If you're into past civilizations and really magnificent paintings, this might be the deck for you. To see some of the cards....
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Healing Earth Tarot, by Jyoti and Dav id McKie (reviewed by Izolda)
Have you ever bought something and then five minutes after you opened it, you wanted it gone? Please don't get me wrong, it's a nice deck, but I tend to like my decks to have 78 cards not 106. I also like to have four suits not six. It seems to me like the people who created the deck had a really creative and "good for the earth" idea, but they attempted to do too much with it. The paintings are really wonderful, but there's too much to read with. This is more a deck to look at and meditate on than to try to do readings with, I think. What do you think? Have you seen it? Am I totally off my rocker? If you like to explore new ways to read the tarot, this might be the deck for you.
Here are some comments on this deck from Vicki. She has an different view of this deck. If you find yourself with a different view on any of the decks on this page, please send them along and I'll put them up.
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Daughters of the Moon Tarot by Ffiona Morgan. (reviewed by Izolda)
Circular in shape, like the Motherpeace deck there are two versions of this deck. The first that came out quite some time ago was a black and white deck that invited the person who bought it to color in the deck on her own and then spray it with a finisher to really personalize the deck. The drawings in it are wonderful and really lend themselves to coloring. I've had my deck for years, and I color a few cards a year. I guess I'll probably be done by the time I turn 90.
There is also a colored deck that came out just a few years ago. The paintings have changed somewhat to reflect the colorization (and I must admit, I like the black and white version of paintings like Shakti better than the colored one) but the colors are bright, vivid and evocative.
This is a woman-centered, feminist deck. For example, the Lovers card(s) provided an unusual dilemma for the artists. They chose to have two women in the deck as the Lovers. However in order to give equal time to non-lesbian women, they included another Lovers card in which the two people are somewhat androgynous.
The cards in the deck that I love most are the Star, Harvest, Celebration, Moon, Sun, Shakti, Arachne, and Kwan Yin. As you can see by the cards I just named, there are some changes to the cards; they are not traditional at all, and they are inspiring.
This deck is joyful and celebrates women and comes from a really loving, incredible place. It can be a little difficult to read with this deck because you can get lost in the card and not pay attention to what it's trying to tell you. All in all, it's a wonderful de ck. To see some of the cards...
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Jamie Sams Medicine Cards and Sacred Path Cards (reviewed by Cheryl)
This was the first "tarot" deck I ever purchased, and it's been with me for three years. While the deck doesn't contain suits like traditional tarot, it reads very accurately once you learn what each totem animal represents.
There are spreads for finding the totem animals that have been with you since birth, and I find it a good character analysis. So much so, that if I am told a person's animal totems and what position the totems are in, I have a good grasp of who I am dealing with, just as much as if someone wrote a personality profile. (Because that's what it amounts to, IMHO)
Other spreads are offered as well, and the bonus is that it works with the Celtic Cross, too. Sams also put out another deck called Sacred Path Cards, and they can be used with the Animal Cards. The spreads in the Sacred Path book and workbook (which is sold separately from the cards/book set) work for the Animal Cards as well.
The cards are slightly bigger than a regular tarot deck, but they shuffle pretty well and should be easy to handle. This deck gives upright as well as reversed meanings, and works best when read that way.
Medicine Cards Just For Today are another version of the Animal Cards, and they are much smaller and very portable. Bonus for those just learning is that the one word meaning/keyword is printed on the card. For example, Bear is Introspection. Can you read with them? I do, but I had the advantage of reading the book from the larger set first.
They're very comforting and easy to memorize, key elements in gaining counseling from cards meant to channel a higher source.
The Sacred Path deck is also the same oversized deck like the Medicine Cards. One friend combined both decks into one large deck and they read very well for her. I didn't like doing this, but instead dealt from each deck to enhance the reading. While the Medicine Cards deal with totem animals, the Sacred Path cards deal with Native American symbols like the Council Fire, Heyoka, Shaman's Death and Painted Face.
The Sacred Path cards have a wonderful book accompanying them as well, but because of the richly detailed information, you will need to spend time reading and absorbing the info.
Artwork on both decks is good, and images are drawn and colored versus actual photos of animals or people dressed in native attire.
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The Chakra Oracle by Ambika Wauters (reviewed by Cheryl)
Thirty cards represent the seven spinning wheels called chakras. Each card has a vivid and amusing drawing on one side, and an affirmation for the chakra on the reverse. For example, one aspect of the Crown chakra is Inspiration, and contains the affirmation "inspiration opens the way for my spirit's true expression".
The fact that there is wording on either side of the card is a bit of a drawback, because you can see which card is atop. I recommend putting them into a bag or bowl, and drawing one at a time.
I've used these to read, and the book includes more than one spread that you can use with these or other cards. They read adequately, but I find they work better when used in conjuction with other cards.
If you do Reiki, prana or other healing therapies, they're a nice addition to helping the client focus on given areas.
The book that comes with the cards gives enough info on chakras to make the reader aware of what they are and what they do, and can open up interest for learning more about them. Book also contains a glossary on terms ranging from acupuncture to yoga. Pretty illustrations make the book fun to read, too.
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Art Noveau Tarot by Matt Myers (reviewed by Cheryl)
The stained glass artwork effect makes the drawings just plain pretty to look at. Expect an urge to read intuitively when you open up this deck, because it's very friendly toward that end.
A nice touch is the significator card that's included. This eliminates the occasional frustrating attempt to find yourself or client "in the deck". While not everyone reads with a significator, it's a consideration that deserves to be noted.
Those looking for a deck for love readings should pause here. I found it romantic and ethereal.
The 78 traditional cards are slim and quick to shuffle. The Priest and The Wheel replace the Heirophant and The Wheel of Fortune, but in name only, because the meanings are the same.
Yes or No questions get answered well with this deck, and it doesn't "tire" easily either.
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The Greenwood Tarot by Mark Ryan and Chesca Potter (reviewed by Cheryl)
This is sold as a book and deck set, necessary because some of the imag ery is changed from the traditional tarot.
The Fool remains card 0 but where it is followed by 1, the Magician in traditional decks, the Greenwood Tarot places the Ancestor (which is the Heirophant card) as 1. Here, the Magician becomes the Shaman, and resides as card 19. The good news is that the Major Arcana are not numbered, so you won't be thrown off by looking at the number first (assuming you use that method of recalling the meaning).
The art by Potter (who also did work on the Celtic Shaman's Pack) shows a real sense of animal totems and the roles they play. For example, the Strength card has the body of a shaman but the head of a lionness, and to me this evokes a true representation of Strength at it's best: the ability to combine elements to make onself that much more empowered.
Bluntly put, this is a deck that wants, needs and insists upon being used, and will serve the reader well. Yes or No questions can be done with this deck, also, and I found that it has a great level of patience, too.
Court cards are animal totems such as the Adder (King of Wands), Heron (Queen of Cups), Hawk (Knight of Arrows) and Wren (Page of Stones).
Numbered cards have pictures on them as well as names to cue you to the general meaning. Five of wands is Power, represented by a cave-type drawing of a male figure with erect penis and wands drawn around him. The book defines it as "fertile and con centrated male energy that needs to be grounded in intent".
Colors are vivid but not garish, and while I would hesitate to encourage someone to read this deck by intuition alone, intuition can't help but be sparked the way the images are rendered.
Cards are about average size, tho a little bigger in width than the Rider Waite decks I've seen. I've heard that larger cards require an individual to focus more intently on the mixing of the cards, and I believe that this deck accomplishes that purpose.
There are a couple of layouts included in the book for counseling and meditation, and I'd recommend using the cards to meditate on, too. Unique in my opinion is the back of each card: the Celtic Shaman that graces the front of the book and box also resides on the back of the cards and meditating on him alone would be enough to center a reader before a reading, or to give you some insights at other times. He squats behind his Celitc drum, flute in hand, Goddess figure at his side. Ritual tattoos adorn the shaman (the same one as 19, the Magician), and a representation of the Green Man is on his fern-leaved shirt. You're ready for him to start banging on his painted shaman's drum. As back of the deck artwork goes, this one's the bomb.
Recommended for those with an interest in shamanism in general, and especially for those with a love of Celts or with that lineage.
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The Cosmic Tarot by Jean Huets, illustrated by Norbert Losche (reviewed by Cheryl)
Sold with or without it's companion book, the Cosmic Tarot is a deck that combines the mysticism of tarot imagery with the look of old films circa Citizen Kane. The latter is what I've loved about this deck: that you can recognize people in it so easily.
I think that this deck could be used for past life readings if you have a real connection to it, but I haven't used it for those types of readings. It is good for issues of the spirit world as well as the mundane. Traditional, but with enough of a twist to give it the humour found in the older, innocent days of celluloid. It's Rita Hayworth to the twenty fifth power, and I find the glamour appealing.
There are a few spreads included, and one exercise called Improvisation, which they recommend for a class on tarot, or for those studying acting. I think it's also useful for storytelling, or to help a writer develop story lines, as are many other decks, but this one does it with more class than Cary Grant.
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Gendron Tarot by Melanie Gendron (reviewed by Cheryl)
This deck captivated me from the moment I saw it on the net, and I was not sorry I bought it. The images are drawn from a variety of settings, from Native American to South Seas, and incorporate photographs of people with artwork. I've used it for past life readings, and it works just fine. Determining locales, occupations and issues were relatively easy with this deck. The booklet included with the cards has a couple of spreads and suggestions on preparing oneself to read. Some names differ: Death is Transition, The Hanged Man is the Hanged One, and The Devil becomes The Deceiver. Meanings hold the same, but with the addition of the card's symbolism being explained. I like this because it isn't done to impose so much meaning that you lose intuition. For example, symbolism of The Deceiver is explained as "ultimate trickster, masks, self delusion, concealing true nature" and so forth. Major Arcana's astrological signs, Hebrew letters, animal totems and energy are also noted, making it one of the more explanatory booklets I've seen included in tarot decks.
It's certainly cost effective and I would recommend it for those looking for their first tarot deck. Fascinating, also, is the concept of what energy form is represented with each of the Major Arcana. Energy forms occupying Transition are Manman Brigitte (the Haitian "loa" or Goddess of the Cemetery) and Pele (Hawaii's Goddess of the Volcano) among others.Ê The positions of each Goddess on the Medicine Wheel are explained (Manman Brigitte is representative of the South position: childhood and innocence). I don't know that I would have placed Brigitte at that position being Guardian of the Cemetery; to me, that is a position of the West, where I learned it means releasing, but this deck defines the West as adolescence and the subconscious. Considering that, I would not argue the point. Those owning the deck may not agree with each point made, but there's enough information to encourage the reader to search further into the tarot and meanings. Ê Suits include Cups, Wands, Swords and Pentacles, and energy forms for each suit are explained, too, as well as totems, and all of the above mentioned information.
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Buckland Gypsies'Domino Divination Deck by Raymond Buckland (reviewed by Cheryl)
Ray Buckland is well known for his books on witchcraft and divination, and I think this is a great collector's deck, but I d idn't quite click with it. If you can suspend your need to read cards by intuition, then you should consider this deck.
Small, easy to shuffle cards are very discreet to transport, and once you learn how to read it, it can be inter esting and accurate. Now, I never did learn properly due to my penchant for reading by pictures, but it's not to say it's impossible. A companion booklet containing five spreads is included, and offers the correct interpretation.
The cards have a mystery about them, to say the least. Each card has domino dots on them, and you CAN play dominoes with them (a bonus if you're bored out of your mind and not prone to carrying entertainment but you do carry your cards). Pictures adorn one upper and one lower corner of each card (shovel, cauldron, coin, horseshoe, for example). In the center, top and bottom are notations such as "A birth", "increased profits", and so forth, so that no matter which way you turn the card, you have a meaning. No reversed meanings as in traditional tarot. "Lucky" numbers as well as the day of the week are imprinted on right and left sides, too.
It's a fun deck that gives you the basics of numerology, too: digits and their planets and elements are explained as well as the traditional values. While I never mastered or even really apprenticed with the deck, a look through the booklet gave me insight into the numbers and meanings, and I think it would be an enhancer to tarot readings because it gives characteristics associated with numbers (number two indicates someone sensitive and domestic, easily moved to tears).
I would recommend purchasing the Buckland "Secrets of Gypsy Fortunetelling" to go along with the deck, just as a little something extra to help you get the Gypsy flair.
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Egyptian Tarot Deck by Comte Saint-Germain (reviewed by Cheryl)
The 78 thin, papyrus colored cards have simple drawings of Egyptian symbols and people but retain most Minor Arcana symbolism as well as Major, though the names are somewhat different. Strength, card 8 is shown as The Balance and The Sword and indicates that things in life are naturally a struggle from time to time and talks about the laws of stimulus-response.
While I don't always interpret the Strength card in this fashion, I will say that if you lay out the cards and read by the book, it's very insightful. The deck is worth a try if you love Egypt, because you get a feel for the glyphs and a spread (one modified Celtic Cross is included) looks similar (but not exact) to reading off the pyramid walls. The card's name is writt en on each card, and because the names are different, you'll need to take this deck and do some reading from the enclosed booklet.
The booklet gives some interesting commentary on symbolism and Tarot, especially with this tarot deck, and I think reading intuitively is a major challenge with this. If you're looking to utilize the cards to hone your own intuitive skills, this might be the one, but again, love Egypt, love the cards, and anything else might not cut it. Significator is included, and again, easy to shuffle cards for weary hands. I think depending on who the client is, they might be very drawn to the cards, but there's no color beyond papyrus with cocoa drawings. So in that respect, it's a bit bland.
Pentacles, swords, cups and scepters make up the Minor Arcana, as Master, Mistress, Slave and Warrior are the Court that rule over them. Not bad, but look for meanings such as "Arcane XLI The Cup: This Arcane XLI means that a passion stronger than your reason will cause your ruin". Interesting, but considering this is the One of Cups and I was taught it meant the beginnings of love, you'll see how this will challenge standard interpretations at times. On the "up" side, it'll give you some new outlook on card meanings, and only shows how diverse Tarot as a system is (or at least how diverse the people who create the decks are <G>).
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The Instant Tarot Reader by Monte Farber and Amy Zerner (reviewed by Cheryl)
This deck is nothing short of beautiful. Although I already had been reading cards for well over a year, I chose this book and deck set based on the lovely cards. The good news is, those who might not do that can purchase the deck separately as the Zerney-Farber Deck. The small cards are not only easy to handle, but they feel good, too. I reviewed this deck at Amazon.com, so I have no compunctions about stealing the words I used there. Images of the old time spiritualist movement and Alan Kardec waft around whenever I've used the deck.
Again, more good news: there's no phony table tapping or ectoplasm-spitting going on-- just accurate, to the point readings. The spread involves an 11-card Celtic Cross, and each card's meaning in every position is accounted for, so you need only look up the meaning based on where it falls in the spread. Leeway is given for those asking questions that can be answered with one card, and you're shown where to look for the answer. For example, if you question was "what shoul d I meditate on today?", then you'd draw one card, and read the Crown postion in that card's section. It's very simple and takes a lot of fuss out of reading if you're new to it. It's also a good learning too for memorization, because you're repeating the same actions over and over again. The cards, I've read, were created from tapestries, and the images will allow you to read by intution, too. Each image fills the card, so there are no borders, and I like that in a card. Cups, Wands, Swords and Pentacles are artfully portrayed with whimsy, poignancy and romance. The skeletal Death looks rather charming traipsing across a pink and flowered landscape, leading us to see that the dreaded change can coexist with a happy setting. Recommended for anyone who wants a ready answer, anyone new to the tarot as a "first" deck, and the reminder that the deck can be purchased separately if you prefer.
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The Goddess Oracle by Amy Sophia Marashinsky and Hrana Janto (reviewed by Izolda)
I know this isn't a typical tarot deck, but I had to review it any way. The illustrations are some of the most beautiful art I've seen in a long time: sometimes lush and sometimes sleek and elegant depending on what the goddess being drawn desires. Ok, ok, enough dramatizing. Let me tell you a bit about the deck. First of all, there are 52 different goddesses illustrated in this deck. On each card is the illustraton, the name of the goddess and a one-word description of what that goddess represents. There is a companion book and it is invaluable when looking at the illustrations for meditation puposes. For each goddess, Ms. Marashnisky has written a poem/message that the goddess speaks to the seeker. Then, she writes a brief history/background of the goddess and next comes the meaning of the card. The very last thing, and one I've admittedly not made use of, is a ritual suggestion for connecting with that goddess. I've read through the rituals and yet I've not been inspired thus far to actually do one. However, each one seems to be specifically designed for reaching that goddess.
The goddesses in this deck come from all sorts of tradtions. Some are greek, some roman, some, russian, celtic, african, native american, etc. It doesn't favor one tradition over any others.
You may have seen Ms. Janto's work on various Goddess and Myth and Magic calendars. Her Sekhmet, Isis and Cer ridwen were on the 96 calendar, I believe. And if you read Sage Woman, you'll have seen her work on the covers of the past few issues. The goddesses that were depicted recently are: Brigid and Cerridwen and Pele.
Some of my favorite cards are: the celtic fire goddess, Brigid (three women [three faces of Brigid] stand shoulder to shoulder and a fire leaps up out of their golden hair. One holds and is playing a harp, one holds a plant and one holds fire. They're all wearing purple gowns and the background is a swirly blue). The one word for the card is Inspiration. The next one that inspires me is the celtic goddess Cerridwen (a woman stirs a cauldron while holding a mushroom over it to throw into the pot. Behind her, there are the faces of eight hooded women who turn [waxing] from left to right until they hit the full moon and then turn from right to left [waning] to show the phases of the moon. It's a beautiful card. I also love the passion of Hawaiian Pele (a female form literally pushing out of the center of a volcano as the lava herself). And then there is the Tibetan goddess Tara. As opposed to the brilliant fiery colors of some of the other cards, this one is in muted shades of turquoise and blue (if you can believe such a thing). She sits on a lotus blossom and is focusing inward. The one-word definition is: Centering . There are many more, but I won't go into them. Suffice it to say they are wonderful illustrations.
The book contains some ideas for spreads: the three-card "Yoni" spread and the four-card "Place of opposites" spread. However, I personally haven't used them. I find that what works for me is to choose just one card. Then, perhaps, I can meditate on it and also read the book to see what that particular goddess has in store for me. Then, I place the card on my altar. I also do a card for the year on my birthday. So far, the year card has been a terrific indicator of the time to come.
I highly recommend this deck to anyone who wants a new way to connect with spirit and also who wants beautiful images of goddesses to work with. Cheers to Ms. Marashinksy and Ms. Janto on a beautiful piece of work. To see some of the cards.... *** Both Amy Sophia Marashinsky and Hrana Janto have new stuff out. Ms. Marashinsky has eGoddesses and Ms. Janto has the 2001 Llewellyn Goddess calendar ***.
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Hanson-Roberts Tarot by Mary Hanson-Roberts (reviewed by Izolda)
Finally, I'm reviewing my favorite deck. This is the deck I read with. It's a fantasy deck and the illustrations are based on the Rider-Waite deck. While keeping to the symbolism in traditional decks, Mary Hanson-Roberts has redrawn the cards with a new fantastical, elphin and magical grace. The deck has the standard 78 cards and the standard suits of swords, cups, wands and pentacles. At the bottom of each card, the name of the card appears in English and then in French, Spanish, German, and Italian.
Some of my favorite cards are: the Fool (a youth carryinga satchel and white rose stepping off of the cliff into the abyss. The look of optimism on the face of the fool is unmistakeable. The next one that I have to talk about is the Strength card. It's a woman gently holding, almost caressing, the head of a lion. There is an infinity symbol over her head and she looks at peace. Once again, I could be describing the Rider-Waite version of the card, and yet the Hanson-Roberts has so much more magic in it. The next card to talk about is the Queen of Cups. A beautiful woman is about to sip from a golden goblet that is filigreed with hearts. She sits on a throne and looks out over water. The colors are vivid without being overpowering and the look on her face is one of peace and one of someone who knows love. The next card is the three of cups. Three young women are about to drink out of three goblets. One is a fiery readhead, one is a brunette and one a blond. They are standing in a garden or an orchard and their gowns reflect their personalities. Once again, a wonderful image captured in a striking way.
There doesn't seem to be a specific companion book with this deck. At least there wasn't one when I bought the deck back in the mid eighties. However, there is one that uses the deck as its illustrations. It's called Tarot Unveiled: The Method To its Magic by Laura Clarson. The book basically sticks to the traditional meanings of the cards and yet I don't really need anything to help me interpret the meaning of a card except the card itself. Hanson-Roberts has really created a deck that, at least for me, is wonderful and incredibly easy to read. To see some of the cards.... Oh, and here is Mary Hanson-Roberts' wonderful, whimsical site.
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Faces of WomanSpirit A Celtic Oracle of Avalon by Katherine Torres, Ph.D., illustrated by Cruz (reviewed by Izolda)
Here is a beautiful deck of thirty-three cards that was created by Katherine Torres (the author and the woman with the vision of what the cards should be) and illustrated by Cruz. This is not a traditional tarot deck or even a tarot deck at all. It is a celtic, Goddess-centered system of divination and persnal transformation that has the possibility of being quite powerful and perhaps even life-changing if the person who gets the deck has the tenacity to learn, really learn the deck. And that might take some doing because of some of the facets of the deck itself and the idea behind it.
First of all, let me describe the cards. It's a big deck: 6.25 x 3.5 inches. While that allows much more room than smaller decks for imagery and symbolism, that might make it difficult to handle (shuffle) the deck on a purely practical level. However, the imagery and the beauty of the illustrations pretty much make up for that.
The back of the cards is quite intricate: on a white background we see two sceptres with long flowing gold bands wrapped (spiralled) around them. At the top and bottom of the card where the various gold bands meet there is a cyrstal ball. Inside the sceptres and gold bands we see a dark blue night sky with stars in the corners. And then there are four dr agons (two at the bottom and two at the top) facing each other. The two top dragons each hold a cup and sword and a ball and torch (from the tarot, I'd gather) and the two at the bottom do as well. The tails of the dragons curve down to form an infinity symbol according to the book, but, to me, since I tend to look at the cards up and down rather than sideways, I tend to think of an hour glass shape. Next there are three wood triangles pointing at three stones or so it looks to me; they are a little difficult to figure out from the card itself.
There are 33 cards altogether in this deck. And they are broken up into some different categories. There are 13 moon/tree cards and they include: willow, oak, ash, birch, holly, etc. Next there are 9 cards that deal with the self and with womanhood. And then there are 11 planet (celestial) cards with the planet names having been modified to female versions (more on this later).
Also, the general layout of each card is quite similar (with seven exceptions). There is a face in the upper center of the card. And the symbols for that card surround the face or are part of the skin and features of the face. Next, there are plant and animal images that are appropriate for the card as well as some manifestations of home, hearth, maiden, mother, crone among others. There are also dragons on each card and their tails are what are spiralled around the gold bejeweled scepters that form the right and left borders of the cards (Urania has different look to the dragons on top.
The face on each card looks similar and on most of the cards it faces directly out to the viewer (Mercrania is an exception where we see a three-quarter view) and the faces (overall drawing) look remarkably similar. The things that change are the adornments or the symbols that appear in each card to differentiate the cards from one another. I'm still not sure whether I like that or not. Some of the cards that are in the deck appear quite different from one another and yet the face that looks out at you - the eyes - are almost always similar. Don't get me wrong; its a beautiful face, and I can easily see the argument that it is all one goddess (the Great Goddess, or as Dr. Torres calls her, WomanSpirit) and so it should be the same or a very similar face, but I'm not sure that I agree that it is one face. While I can easily see that it is all one Goddess, I've always believed that she has many faces and is different to all who see/k her and that's one of the reasons that she is so ephemeral yet ever present. (Silver Ravenwolf's Charge of the Goddess from To Ride A Silver Brookstick comes to mind where everyone in the circle sees the Goddess as a different woman.) The head in each illustration that is done that way is bald with symbolism from the card surrounding the head - sometimes acting as hair. It's a little off putting to me because there is no hair on the face to soften it a little. This is my own view because I personally love women's hair and so seeing goddess images with no hair or stylized hair makes me a little uncomfortable.
There are is also a stone and a crescent moon over the third eye of each face and the stone differs in each card.
The trees and the phases of the moon: There are 13 tree cards in the deck to correspond with the 13 moon cycles of a lunar year. Each moon is represented by the celtic tree alphabet and the name of the tree appears in English as well as in Irish on each card. In order to know what phase you're in and what card to perhaps look to, you'll need to check out the "Time of year" portion for each card or you'd need to find that information elsewhere as it's not given in the book as a table. However, the energy, imagery and symbolism for each moon is designated by the tree for that particular moon and by other symmbols in each card. That's the thing that I have to remember while looking at these cards; not a mm of space is wasted - everything has its meaning and place in each card.
Some of the tree/moon cards that I like:
Birch/Beth is a wonderful card. We see the face wit h startling blue eyes and feathers and flowers down the right side of the head with babies breath down the left side (the feathers and flowers look very art nouveau). There are two birch trees growing around the head and there are no leaves because the scene is one of wintertime. (I just read in the book that it is supposed to be a bridal veil - I didn't get that from the card though. While it is beautiful, it was not intuitive for me.) The card has a lot of different images in it and each image is explained in the book. In this card, below the face, we see two women sitting in a hut on either side of a fire on which bread is warming. There are also two figures walking up a path to another hut and there is a cave to the left with carvings of what look like DNA strands on the inside. At the bottom of the card, we see a bunny and then a stag as well as other animals. The card is beautifully rendered.
Ash/Nion is another beautiful card. This time the face is a yin yang symbol with two crescent moons with surrounding stars making the opposite in the extreme portion of the tao symbol. The eyes are once again blue. The face sits in the center of the growing ash tree and there are animal symbols along the branches of the tree. The animals all appear in red circles and some of them are: cow, mouse, eagle, donkey, etc. At the bottom of the card, we see huge rol ling waves and a swan holding a trident on which a fish is speared. There is also an eagle sitting at the top of the card and the eagle obscures the dragons. Really an interesting and well-done card.
I find both the Hawthorn/Huathe and the Willow/Saille cards a little difficult to really enjoy. The Hawthorn card is unusually filled with bows and jewels. The face is brown-eyed and there are green and yellow bows coming down the head with a green bow in the center of the forehead. The eyebrows are actually diamonds and there are flowers on the sides of the head with green and yellow ribbon flowing from them. The Hawthorn tree surrounds the head and there are eyes of all different colors (they look to me like someone took the eyes from some of the other cards and pasted them into this one). There is also a curly-maned horse, a chalice, a doe, an ankh, a sword, and many many wildflowers at the bottom of the card.
The Willow card is also a face with leaves and flowers surrounding it, but the eyes have these bright yellow almost ellipical shapes around them. The rest of the card is really quite beautiful with the maiden, the mother, and the crone at the bottom. There are also cows and an elderly person kneeling by the water's edge. Again, there are lots of wildflowers at the very bottom.
The planet cards.
OK, here's where I get a little uncomfortable. The planets were sort renamed to have female names and the goddess was given those names and the descripters of the planets as part of the face on each card. For example, Mars, is Marsella in this deck. And the face is shown red (like the planet). There are glasses or circles around the eyes which are really interesting though. the right eye shows a big city scene and the left eye shows a nature scene with palm trees and waterfalls. There is a bridge between the two which I really like. At any rate, we see two moons around Mars and we see a Mars' symbol (the circle with the arrow sticking out of it) half-buried on the ground. We also see a huntress in pre-historic clothes standing on a field. There is also a star-shaped symbol or building which looks almost like a hut to me.
I like the card itself very much, actually. What makes me uncomfortable is that the planets were renamed, and it doesn't quite work for me. Maybe it's that the names of the goddesses are too close to the actual names; I don't know.
Another card that I like is Jupiteranu. The face is the surface of Jupter (complete with huge red spot storm and everything). There are three women sitting by a fire (again maiden, mother and crone, it looks like) and there is a Jupiter symbol as well as a water wheel and a river (there is also water falling fro m the sky onto the water wheel and then into the river). There is also a Pegasus at the top tht is standing on a cloud.
Saturnea has a purple roses as her rings and another (or perhaps the same) maiden, mother, and crone sitting around the fire. There is al so a yellow cauldron with the planet Saturn engraved on it and a hut in the distance. This face is quite dark with yellow/green eyes.
I also love Urania. The face is surrounded by lightning and there is a big feast at the bottom. The folks are dressed in ancient garb and there is dancing and merry-making.
Now we come to the other cards in the deck.
First, there is WomanSpirit. I get the feeling that this face is the face all of the others were based on. This time there are different-colored roses surrounding the face and there is a translucent dove flying in front of and across the face. The eye of the dove is the left eye of the goddess. There is also a white or silver chalice below the face and a figure in a canoe and a bonfire with lots of women near it. It is a lovely card and a version of it is on the cover of both the book and the deck.
Another card is called The Source. There are four angels at the four corners of the card. They stand on clouds and they are dressed in yellow, blue, green and orange gowns. The upper two angels are holding a b enner that reads "ceugant."
The Crone, Mother, and the Maiden cards. These three have appeared in a lot of the other cards (always dressed the same way too). We see the Crone of Past. Wearing purple robes, she stands on a pedestal with a pentacle at its base. There are huts behind her and a crone (waning) crescent moon above and to the left of her. We see the Maiden of Present. Wearing a light blue, sexy gown she carries a staff and holds fire in her other hand while a hawk perches on her arm. Her symbol (and sitting at the base of the pedestal) is the labrys (or double-headed axe) and the domiciles behind her are present-day suburban houses. There is a maiden's (waxing) crescent moon behind and to the right of her. We see the Mother of Future. Wearing a red gown and being very pregnant, she stands on a pedestal with the triple moon at its base. There are a hawk's nest, a hawk and eggs in the nest to her left and she is holding a crystal ball. The domiciles behind her are futuristic looking circular houses and the image in the crystal ball is of one of those houses. Each one of the cards shows a pool of water with a clock below it at the foot of the pedestal.
Now we come to my favorite cards in the deck. The Upper, Middle, and Lower Worlds. These cards can be put one above the other and they form a great picture of the views of the world. The Upper World shows us angels and wee folk playing among the leaves and fruit of an apple tree. There is a face and upper body awakening as the trunk of the tree. And there is a snake's head close to the face of the woman in the tree. There is also a young girl wearing green in the tree as well. The middle world shows us the body/trunk of the woman in the tree and the body of the snake as it coils around the trunk/body. Wee see huts on rolling hills and hooded figures and a twilight sky as well as as a cave (to the lower world?) and more young girls in green. There are also beautiful crystals and flowers. The last card is the Lower World. We see the bottoms of the legs of the tree woman and her feet are actually the roots that go down into the rich earth. In the middle of the root system, we see elves stirring the body of Annwyn or the cauldron. There is also a staircase leading down into the center of the earth perhaps and there are lots of beauitful crystals and gems at the bottom. I really love these three cards together.
The book. These cards are not terribly intuitive to me. I find that I really need the book to use this deck. However, as I said above, if I have the tenacity to really learn the book and the deck, I can easily see how it could be a really wonderful divination/meditation system.
The book has a number of different pa rts. First there is an introduction by the author. And then, there is a How to use this deck/book section. It goes through a sanctification ritual and then introduces Dr. Torres's six levels of wholeness: spiritual level, emotional level mental, physical, ego, and soul level (S.E.M.P.E.S). These levels are all addressed for each card in the deck and the book explains and interprets them. Next the book, talks about the phases of the moon and introduces the 13 moon/tree cards in the deck.
The pages for each card show the following:
First, there is a black and white representation of the card. And there is a poem that is the message of the card. There is a description of the card and then there are interpretations and explanations of all of the components/symbols/images on the card. We see the time of year (this corresponds to the moon for that card and where the sun resides at the time time of that moon). There is a description of the face on the card as well as a corresponding color(s), stone, and numerical association. Next, we have an explanation/interpretation of every image/symbol in the card as well as all of the animals in the card. Then, there is a an associated element, deity, season and direction. And last, we see the S.E.M.P.E.S of the card. The keywords that relate to each of the various levels of wholeness are defined and interpr eted and then the reversed or challenge keywords are defined and interpreted.
After all of the cards have been thus treated, there is a chapter that deals with possible spreads or reading layouts for the cards. (A number of different spreadsare recommneded in the book. One is the traditional celtic cross spread, and then there are yes or no spreads [five cards with the middle card having the weight of two yes's or no's] as well as a three-card Right of Power spread.) Then, there is a closing statement by the author and a glossary.
Wow, I just realized how long this review is. Well, let me get to my recommendation. I like this deck quite a bit. It's beautifully done even if I do have some concerns about the "female" planets and the bald faces on the various cards. I enjoy the illustrations and it's fun and interesting (and a learning process) to look at the cards and see something new each time you look at them. I am concerned that you can't really divine with this deck unless and until you have a good familiarity with the book. I prefer doing readings with an innate knowledge of the cards and as much as possible, I allow the cards to show me the interpretation of what I am seeing/sensing. In this deck; however, that is quite difficult without the book because the it almost feels like the symbolism that was intended by the author is the way to i nterpret the cards rather than there being room for the reader to interpret on his/her own. Now, until one knows the cards quite well, it's perfectly fine to look at the book between each card, but that is just not the way I prefer to do it. However, if you're looking for an indepth discussion/explanation or interpretation of the cards and you're looking for really deep symbolism (and a good bit of it) with a celtic, Goddess-centered approach (especially one that looks toward the misty isle of Avalon), than this is a great deck to think about as a divination or meditation system. I don't think; however, that this is the kind of deck to use to read for other pepople. I think that this deck is more a tool for transformation than a deck to use to read for other people.
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Animal-Wise Tarot by Ted Andrews (reviewed by Izolda)
This is a photographic de ck that uses animals and their energies and correspondences to illustrate the meanings of the cards in the tarot. The deck is a standard 78-card deck and the cards are a little too big for me to shuffle comfortably (but then, I have small hands). The main color used in the graphic design is lavender and there is what appears to be a griffin (but probably more likely a "dragonhawk" after the name of the publishing company that put out the deck) on the back of each card. The front of each card is lavender with a frame and photo of the animal for that card. There is a keynote (a few words that describe the overall meaning of the card) the corresponding card in a traditional deck and the suit for the animal-wise deck. Instead of working with the traditional suits, wands, pentacles, cups and swords, Mr. Andrews chose, the Winged Ones or Birds (Swords) the Ancients or Reptiles (Wands), the Four-Leggeds or Mammals (Pentacles), and the Shapeshifters or Insects (Cups). And he has some wonderful animals chosen for the roles in the major arcana. More on that below.
For the most part, he chose really well for the cards although I wonder about the choice of Shapshifters or insects for Cups. Would the marine or sea world creatures have been too bovious? I'm not sure.
Overall, this deck looks like a simply-made deck. The cards and book have an outer cover that is lavender but the inner box is plain cardboard. It looks like he wants the user of this deck to store it in silk or at least some other manner since the cardboard box is a bit cumbersome since it doesn't seal once it's been opened. This is not one of the slick decks you'll find from Llewellyn or US Games and yet it has a charm and magic all its own. One of the things that I like best is that Mr. Andrews appears to stress that nature, in all her glory, is the pathway to opening to inner guidance. He makes the point that this deck is a way to attune yourself with the world around you. That aspect of really finding your place within nature by attuning to the other animals on the planet is near and dear to my heart and so when I got the deck, I was very prepared to explore this idea within the framework of a tarot deck. I'm still not sure that I've gotten there; I'll probably have to work with the deck for some time and see if that actually happens.
I have some concerns about the images on the deck itself. The animals that were chosen seem to have been chosen after careful study, but the overall photography of each animal (or perhaps it is the result of the printing process) is unfortantely not as clear or as sharp and evocative as I'd like it to be. Certainly, each card shows the animal it is meant to show, but some of the magic I'd want to see in these cards appears to be missing. Mr. Andrews states in the book, though, that he deliberately chose not to have the cards drawn or painted because he wanted the natural beauty and magic of the animals to be illustrated and highlighted. I only hope that he didn't lose something by not having either drawn or painted or at least gotten slightly higher quality photographs of the magnificent creatures about which he has written.
Some of my favorite cards are: Dolphin as the Empress. The grace and beauty and fertility and nurturing of their young and others' young that these creatures show typifies the Empress. I also love the Bat as the Hanged Man. Coyote as the Fool and the Wolf as the Moon are also wonderful choices. The Snake as the Death card is inspired because it is all about the cycle of life, death and rebirth in the shedding of the old skin to be reborn into the new. In the minor arcana, I really like the Otter for the 3 of four-leggeds (pentacles) and the Gorilla as the King of four-leggeds.
The ideas in the accompanying book (which btw you really need in order to use this deck [but then, I don't think that you can get the deck without the book]) are insightful and wonderful. Unfortunately, it appears to have been edited somewhat poorly with words sometimes being left out or in the wrong order. It does detract, somewhat, from the experience of reading about the cards.
The book goes through each card and gives a little over a page on the upright or divinatory meaning (Here, he talks about the characteristics of that animal and how they can relate to the situation being interpr eted. For example, otters love to play and if Otter has appeared it might mean ....) and the rest of a page on the reversed meaning. (He makes an interesting point that in nature, there is a balance [of energy] and a an upright card may speak to that balance. Conversely, a reversed card may indicate simply an imbalance of that energy rather than posessing a negative nature in and of itself.) The section for each suit begins with an introduction and an explanation of why Mr. Andrews chose what he chose for each suit. There is also an appendix with each suit/card, number, animal, keynote. He also has a chapter on divination and layouts and a chapter that contains advice to the reader who decides to read for other people.
Now for my recommendation, well, I like this deck and the cards and I appreciate some of the interesting things that have been done with the deck. I like the idea of choosing a card each morning and seeing where that puts me in the scheme of the natural world. And there is one spread that he talks about that sort of reminded me of Chinese Astrology. It's a month-by-month selection of cards and each card represents the animal energy that will be present during that month. I've been choosing cards nightly to see what will happen and while I enjoy reading the ideas in the book I'm usually at least somewhat disappointed with the quality of the i mage on the card itself. I'm finding myself choosing a card, seeing the image and then immediately closing my eyes and visualizing that animal to get a better "picture" of him/her. So, I'm not sure that I could read with this deck. It appears to be more for meditation for me and even then, I couldn't meditate on the card itself; I'd have to see the image, visualize my own and meditate on that.
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Aquarian Tarot, by David Palladini
This sort of art deco deck is his first deck, I believe (See the New Palladini review). Another deck that's based on the Rider Waite deck, this deck pretty much stays with the symbols of the Rider Waite and the drawings are used to convey Mr. Palladini's interpretation of the cards and their symbolism. Very little about this deck works for me, unfortunately. For example, the colors in this deck have variance within the solid colored object but there are only a few colors per card. Things don't seem to be fleshed out on any of the cards and that lends the deck a two-dimensional quality that I believe might make it a bit more difficult to relate and interpret the cards.
The back of the cards is a rather whimsical and busy blue and white de sign. there are waves and spirals and semi-circles all melded together. And, there is an art deco style of criscrossing lines of different widths on a number of the cards as a way of manintaining a whimsical and yet deco feel.
There are some inconsistencies within the actual drawings of the deck. For example, the two of swords is beautiful. It shows a blinfolded woman holding the two swords as lots of other decks do; however, she is nude but her arms aren't drawn holding the swords and there are no details of her upper torso. The drawing looks odd and unf inished. Another card like that is the nine of swords where there are no details on the face. As a matter of fact, I didn't care for too many of the faces in this deck. Most of them were too stylized for me.
Another inconsistency in the major arcana (and one I'm sure is intentional) is that the titles of the cards are all in different fonts. I'm not sure why this was done and it bothers me a bit, but then I like a certain amount of continuity among the style of the cards themselves.
I had some negative reactions to some of the cards in this deck. One of these cards is the Strength card. The Strength card has special meaning for me and that's one of the cards I always study when thinking about buying a deck. Usually, the card depicts a woman who is either holding or reaching out to or caressing a lion and t here is an infinity symbol over her head. In this deck, there is a man with a sword and the atmosphere is one of strength in battle rather than one of strength through connection to nature. This scene does not depict the accepted meaning of the strength and it makes me uncomfortable in the same was as the Strength card in the Mythic tarot where we see Heracles taming the lion.
Another card that doesn't work for me is the Magician. The Magician looks strange and a bit weasily. If I were drawn to the Magician as a significator, I'd have trouble meditating on this one. He looks more like a snake oil salesman or something; I'm not sure why I have such a reaction to him, but I do. There is something about the way the face is drawn that connotes an aura of mistrust.
The Wheel of Fortune card is a dark and almost foreboding card. I understand that the wheel should show both the light and dark aspects of fortune, but I don't see any of the light aspects of fortune in this card. Also, the eyes of the winged bull at the top of the card were not drawn and that lends the card a more frightening aspect than it might otherwise have.
The two of cups is another of the cards that I gravitate towards. This one doesn't work. Also, there is a yellow inner border on some of the cards and I'm not sure why that was done. There does not seem to be rhyme or reason for it.
I n general, there appear to be some incongruities to this deck. Another example of these incongruities, is that the faces on the cards seem like the lines are much more delicate than the surrounding clothes/flowers and backgrounds. The backgrounds are often lush images and yet they are rendered in an almost stark way. Also, the pentacles on the cards seem to be uneven and somewhat sloppily rendered. This is a personal opinion, but I like pentacles that can be viewed from any direction and are still even on all sides.
And yet, despite the inconsistencies, there are some themes that flow through the deck even if they don't all follow through on each suit. The deck appears to have certain color themes in it. The backgrounds of the sword cards are all violet clouds on a darker violet sky. The swords in the deck are all lavender/blue and drawn beautifully. It's almost like Mr. Palladini thought that the swords get the short end of the stick in most decks and decided to make those the most lush and well-colored. (He seems to like the sword suit the best in this deck. I find that unusual as the swords are generally a difficult suit to enjoy because of some of the meanings of the cards.)
The pentacles' backgrounds are all blue sky with white clouds. With the exception of the ten of cups which has a gray/olive background, the cups have a light gray background (again unusual since the meaning of the cups suit tends more towards creativity and self-expression and emotion). And the rods (with the exception of the six of rods which has a pink background) and the major aracana backgrounds are all white.
Another consistency that works is that the minor arcana all have the same font for the titles and it's an interesting, if somewhat a bit hard to read, font.
Believe it or not, there are cards in this deck that I do like. I love the lovers card. It is very nouveau and also deco and I love the curve of the feamle's hair. On some cards, like Temperence, it is hard to see where the body ends and the background begins.
The World card is in a beautiful deco style. I love the 4 figures and the best face in the deck is the woman's profile at the top left of the card.
I also enjoy the page of rods although I'm not sure that I get the meaning of the card from what was drawn. The figure in the card has a hat pulled over his/her face. That arouses my curiousity; I want to know who is that person. And I don't normally think of the Page of rods as particularly mysterious; it tends to be a communicator card. However, the card can also have lots of charisma and maybe that charm or sense of the intriguing is what Mr. Palladini was trying to convey.
Now for my recommendation. I do know people who use this deck and have used it fo r years, and they swear by it. So, I'm sure that it must work for a lot of other folks as well. Personally, I prefer more consistency in the style, the quality of the drawings and the overall feel of the cards. And I prefer more inviting images (they don't always have to be beautiful just ones that invite further study) in which I can get lost. However, if you enjoy art deco and don't mind the inconsistencies inherent in the deck, this deck might work fine for you.
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(Tarot)
Art Nouveau, by Antonella Castelli
I expected this deck to be beaqutiful and for the most part it is really gorgeous. The men in the deck aren't drawn particularly well (not too surprising since men weren't really a focus of the Art Nouveau Movement but it is quite lovely. If you've read any of the reviews above, you know of my predeliction to decks that don't just put the objects on the monor arcana number cards. This deck seems to be halfway between the decks that tell a story in each card and the ones that just have the number of items. Ms. Castelli has the number of objects sitting on the rights hand side of each card and the rest of the card only sometimes has to do with the tr aditional deck (nine of swords, six of cups come to mind). The back is in light purple and white with the same set of images on the top and bottom reversed. It is a two-color representation of the Fool in the deck surrounded by flowers of various types drawn in the nouveau style.
The front of the cards have wonderful use of color: rich and luscious. The name of the suit is shown in five different languages: English, Italian, French, German and Spanish perhaps? I'm uncertain and there is nothing in the little paper fold-out that comes with the deck to explain it. The cards don't seem to represent the traditional deck at all. For example, the two of swords is usually some kind of seated figure who is blind-folded and who is holding two crossed swords. Here there are two beautiful, laughing maidens who look like they haven't a care in the world. The only thing that indicates that it's the two of swords is the two little swords on the bottom right of the card. Artisticly, it doesn't please me to see the objects appear like this. They seem out of place somehow. The Three of cups is another card that gives me pause (granted, I'm biased here because it's usually one of my favorite cards in the deck. I always hope to see three maidens at play somehow, and this one has only two. The colors seem a bit odd as they are mostly earth tones and I usually associate the cups suit with blues or perhaps greens).
The Kings in the deck are very patriarchal. Each king has a woman who appears near him in either a supplicating position (usually naked) or, in the case of the King of Pentacles, he is holding her and she really looks like she's trying to escape him. The Knights are not pretty. Faces are harsh, especially the Knight of Wands. The Knave of Swords is just ugly; he has a terrible face.
Somehow, the Emperor reminds me of a Posiedon figure. He isn't holding a trident, but he might as well be. He is bearded and is wearing a long, flowing toga and he's holding a staff in his right hand. It's not exactly the imagery I look for in the Emperor card as it's usually a very male earth card for me.
My least favorite card in the deck is Strength. It shows a man beating (probably to death) a centaur (a fantasy creature with the head and torso of a human and the body of a horse). It, again, is very violent and is not at all what I associate with the Strength card which is harmony with nature not power over it.
Here are the cards I like:
The lovers, lots of reds, pinks, purples, lush flowers, very sexy. We see a man and woman, he is kissing her from behind and she is wearing a belted skirt the buckle of which is a ram's head.
The Devil is a great card. It looks like a gothic fantasy figure straight out of a freak show. Beautifully rendered it looks frightening and somehow compelling simulatenously.
The Hierophant shows an elderly man seated and facing three quarters to the right. Behind him is a wheel of scarabs and scarabs are walking around on the card. He is dressed in earth tones and looks meditative. If you are drawn to the Hierophant, this is a pretty good one to look to.
The Empress is just lovely, lots of flowers and she has long dark hair and is wearing earth colors. She's not pregnant as she's often depicted nowadays and she is just beautiful.
Ten of cups is also a lovely card - lots of blues and purples and it shows two maidens dancing.
The High Priestess is another lovely card. She looks really sexy with her gown falling off her shoulder and she is wearing a crown and holding a scroll on which is written the word, TORA.
The Wheel of Fortune shows a seated woman who is blindfolded. Very reminiscent of Mucha's work (as are most of the cards depicting women).
The Moon shows another woman with long flowing dark hair and in the background is a crescent moon with a face on it. There is no dog or sea creature as in most traditional decks and the woman has flowers in her hair and what look like gingko leaves scattered above her.
The Justice card is glorious - lots of blues and purples and this time the woman has fiery red hair and orchids growing behind her. She is facing out and is holding a set of scales (gorgeous face on this card).
The five of cups shows a woman who has just broken an urn. Although the card is mostly in earth tones and doesn't fit the suit colors to my taste, there is something sad and wistful about the card and it evokes the meaning very well for me.
The nine of swords is extremely disturbing and delicious. It shows a nude woman who has fallen. On a table above her there is a candelabara (not burning) and a single burning cande and a skull. Outside her window, we see a waning crescent moon. Very evocative card.
The faces of the little girls on the six of cups are just gorgeous. Again, I'm finding myself feeling a little unsettled by the earthtones in a water suit but I just love the card.
All in all, this deck has some wonderfully beautiful cards and then some that I just have trouble accepting/agreeing with (the Strength card especially). The men in the deck are not portrayed as wonderfully as the women by a long shot and the colors don't thrill me chill or fulfill me. In the end, I would not recommend this deck as a reading deck but more if you are a collector and you want to see some nicde (and sometimes just wonderful) art nouveau renderings of the various women in the tarot deck.
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The Goddess Tarot, Kris Waldherr (reviewed by Izolda)
This deck looks at the feminie divine. They major arcana are goddesses from various relegions/spiritual practices from around the world. The art is nice. It is not as evocative of the individual goddesses as I would like, but it does give very intuitive selections for most of the arcana cards.
The cards themselves are a bit bulky for use (not easily shuffled by people with small hands). The back of the cards is blue with gold straight lines making an almost tic tac toe board with gold vine design in the center.
The goddesses chosen to represent the cards of the major arcana were, for the most part, chosen very well. And I like the choices better than I like the art on the cards. For example, I like Athena for the Justice card, but the art on the card doesn't seem to evoke the reaction that I want from the Goddess of wisdom. I guess what I'm trying to say is that not only do I want the appropriate choice for the card, but I also want the art on the card to reflect something about the goddess. The requisite owl is on the card, but the card itself doesn't transport me so I think I'd find it difficult to divine meaning from it were it to come up in a spread ( other than the meaning of the goddess as the goddess of wisdom, etc). Also, I prefer the Strength card to be in the number eight arcana slot, and in this deck as in some other decks, Justice and Strength are switched so that Justice in number eight and Strength in number eleven.
I love the Hindu goddess Laksmi for Fortune (or the Wheel of Fortune). She was an excellent choice. And I really like that Ms. Waldherr chose the word transformation over the word death to describe the traditional death card. Since, in a reading, that is most likely how the card would be described, it is really nice to see someone call it that. I like Yemaya (spelled differently than that on the deck) for Temperence (in this deck, called Balance) as she does move between the water and the land and can act as a conduit from one to the other.
I love name of the Devil card. It is Temptation, and I also love the choice for the Star card, Innana, Queen of Heaven, who is yet to make the journey into hell.
I don't really care for Freya the Norse goddess of beauty as the Power card (trad. Emperor card) because it seems to indicate, at least at first look, that beauty is power and doesn't address other forms of power for women. And I think that there are more powerful goddesses out there. Now, if what Ms. Waldherr was thinking was that beauty is a major sociatal gauge of power fo r women and that the Emperor card is usually a very societally (and patriarchically) acceptable "Man in Power" card then it makes sense that she chose this goddess. However, I am not certain that a deck that focuses on the feminine divine should be buying into those societal morés that suggest that women's main power comes from their looks.
I like Diana as the moon and yet she is not changeable in her maidenhood/warriorhood. She does not grow because she stays a maid running wild with the wolves and the Moon is ever changeable. That is the whole point of the Moon card; it changes a great deal as it goes through its phases. It can be fleeting and the intuition garnered by reaching to the Moon may be like quicksilver. And though Diana is fast and furious in her movement, she may not be the best choice to represent that quality of the changing face of the moon. She is more well known than other Moon goddesses (like Luna and Selene) but that doesn't mean that she was the correct choice to represent the card.
Gwenhwyfar (Gwenevere) is an interesting choice for Judgment considering all of the bits and pieces of Arthurian legend out there. Rather than being a judge of others, she is often judged herself for her actions within the legend of Camelot. She, like Iseult, is governed by her heart and that may not be able to judge in an un biased fashion.
And lastly, Gaia, for The World, is a perfect choice.
The minor arcana drawings look a bit amaturish to me. They are not detailed or drawn all too well and often I appreciate the frame/background of the card more than the actual image. For example, the Prince of Swords has a poorly-drawn face. The faces on the Minor arcana cards in general, seem to be poorly rendered. It would be rather difficult to read with this deck if you look to the deck itself to yield to you the meaning of each card.
I do like the Ace of Cups. It is a Moon in the overflowing cup.
The minor arcana don't succeed in my eyes. They try to tell the journey of a woman through the suit (using goddess symolism and the journey of a particular goddess). The suit of Cups uses Venus, Staves use Freyja, Swords use Isis and Pentacles use Laksmi. Again, the symbolic choices for the goddesses work very well yet the execution of the deck falls a bit short.
The Court cards represent aspects of the querent or people in the querent's life.
In the end, I love the symbolism chosen for this deck (which goddesses go with which card and which words are used to describe the names of the cards, etc., but the execution doesn't really live up to what it might have been. The art on the cards leaves me feeling a little disappointed because it could have been so much more. Take a l ook at Hrana Janto's work on the Goddess Oracle to see some renderings of goddesses that really really work. And to see scenes that are not traditional cards and that really evoke the symbolism of the cards, take a look at the Shakespearean Tarot. Particularly, look at the Hanged Man in which Hamlet is being hung upside down by one foot by the ghost of his father. The card was painted very well with dark hues and shades and works brilliantly in evoking the appropriate emotion for the Hanged Man card.
There is just a lot more attention paid to the details of the major arcana cards. Maybe an appropriate use of this deck is as a meditation tool using the major arcana. I am not certain that I would ever want to try and read with this deck, but if what you are looking for is an entry into both goddess-lore and the tarot this could be a good way to begin studying aspects of different goddesses.
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Created by: Izolda
Email: izolda@folknouveau.com
Last Updated: November 4, 2005
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