By Natalie Hertz, printed in Belgium. Copyright 1999 US Games Systems Inc.
The cards measure 4 11/16" tall by 2 3/4 " wide. The card stock is thin, flexible and feels slightly plastic coated. The edges are slightly rounded.
The backs are predominantly blue, with a stylized dragon ornamented with swirls. There is a 1/8" gold band around the outside edge. The deck is reversible.
The card fronts have a gold band around the image, roughly 1/4" around the top and sides, 11/16" around the bottom. The gold edges are decorated with black Art Deco pinstripes and squares. There is a box at the bottom of each card face with the name of the card in an ornate typeface. Each card has the copyright information on the lower right hand edge.
The artwork has a Gothic cartoon spin that is both attractive and faintly eerie.
The art appears to be a combination of pen and ink and collage for many of the images, including marbleized paper, printed paper and fabric. However, this does not detract from the deck - the effect is very subtle, and enhances the figures.
The cards follow the RWS symbolism for the most part. This is not a light and happy deck. The expressions of the faces of the figures are sullen at best. The most light cards, like the Fool, the Star and the Sun are eerie.
However, this is a compelling deck. Some of my favorite cards are strength, the World, all of the Aces, the two and three of Wands.
Natalie Hertz also created the Vampire tarot, and is a professional artist.
Although a beginner might be able to read with this deck, unless one was familiar with tarot one might find this slightly more difficult as a learning deck - partly because of the lack of symbolism in the background, which assists beginners in my opinion.
After a week of use, I found myself drawn more to the cards with the non-human images greatly, and somewhat repelled by the humanoid images.
This deck is very slippery and hard to shuffle. While I thought I would end up disliking this deck by the end of the week, I found myself drawn to it.
I probably would replace this deck if it strayed.
This deck is in print.
This deck is not a great beginner deck, but it could be done.
Not a must have deck, but a nice addition to any collection - although not for every taste.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Tarot Deck Review # 14 - Mythic Tarot
Bu Julia Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene, cards illustrated by Tricia Newell. copyright Fireside books published by Simon & Shuster 1986. This is a set, and came with a black (nylon) spread cloth printed with the Celtic cross spread and a hardbound book.
The cars measure 5 1/16" by 3". The card stock is very thin - thin enough I would hesitate to use this deck for regular readings. It does not appear to have a finish, aside from the ink. The edges are slightly rounded.
The backs are black with a thin gold pinstripe 3/16ths from the edge, and a gold printed design that incorporates all the suite symbols in a loose Celtic knot. The cards are not reversible. The card fronts have a parchment colored border, and bold modern printing at the top clearing stating the card name.
The artwork is somewhat classical, and slightly reminiscent of Edward Gorey in style. the cars appear to be ink and possibly acrylic or gouache.
The majors depict various myths, such as Hercules, and Gods, such as Apollo. the minors tell the story of one myth. Cups are Eros and Psyche, Wands are Jason and the Argonauts, Swords are Orestes and the curse of the House of Atreus, and Pentacles the story of Daedalus.
This deck is subtitled "A New Approach to Tarot" although the symbolism appears to be based in the RWS style.
Others have felt this deck is inconsistent as far as card meanings and the depictions of the myths .
I like the Moon, Temperance, and the 5 of Wands so far. The artwork doesn't speak to me as much as other decks I have. It lacks the charm of Gorey.
After a week of use, I am absolutely certain this deck would not be good for a beginner. With the exception of a beginner who was familiar with all the myths depicted on these cards.
I ended up cutting my time with the Mystical short. The flimsiness of the card stock and the size of the cards made them difficult to shuffle. I also found I wasn't comfortable reading with this deck at all. The deck was too obscure at times, and even as an intuitive reader, I found myself looking at the book for hints.
I also found the artwork more irritating the longer I used it.
I probably would not replace this deck if it strayed.
This deck is in print.
It is a deck that would appeal to some - but not to me.
The cars measure 5 1/16" by 3". The card stock is very thin - thin enough I would hesitate to use this deck for regular readings. It does not appear to have a finish, aside from the ink. The edges are slightly rounded.
The backs are black with a thin gold pinstripe 3/16ths from the edge, and a gold printed design that incorporates all the suite symbols in a loose Celtic knot. The cards are not reversible. The card fronts have a parchment colored border, and bold modern printing at the top clearing stating the card name.
The artwork is somewhat classical, and slightly reminiscent of Edward Gorey in style. the cars appear to be ink and possibly acrylic or gouache.
The majors depict various myths, such as Hercules, and Gods, such as Apollo. the minors tell the story of one myth. Cups are Eros and Psyche, Wands are Jason and the Argonauts, Swords are Orestes and the curse of the House of Atreus, and Pentacles the story of Daedalus.
This deck is subtitled "A New Approach to Tarot" although the symbolism appears to be based in the RWS style.
Others have felt this deck is inconsistent as far as card meanings and the depictions of the myths .
I like the Moon, Temperance, and the 5 of Wands so far. The artwork doesn't speak to me as much as other decks I have. It lacks the charm of Gorey.
After a week of use, I am absolutely certain this deck would not be good for a beginner. With the exception of a beginner who was familiar with all the myths depicted on these cards.
I ended up cutting my time with the Mystical short. The flimsiness of the card stock and the size of the cards made them difficult to shuffle. I also found I wasn't comfortable reading with this deck at all. The deck was too obscure at times, and even as an intuitive reader, I found myself looking at the book for hints.
I also found the artwork more irritating the longer I used it.
I probably would not replace this deck if it strayed.
This deck is in print.
It is a deck that would appeal to some - but not to me.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Tarot Deck Review # 13 - Art Nouveau Tarot (Myers)
Published by US Games, copyright 1989, printed in Belgium.
Artist Matt Meyers painted these cards in oil on illustration board. He started in June of 1984, and completed the deck in April of 1988 according to the booklet. The artwork resembles stained glass.
The cards measure 4 and 13/32" by 2 and 13/32". The card stock is thin and flexible with a shiny finish. The edges are rounded. The backs are bright blue, with a design of rods intertwined with swords in an "S" shape half-encircling two circles with what looks like a drawing of the magician in gold. The blue is edged with a thin gold pinstripe. The cards have a 7/32" white border on all sides and are reversible.
The majors depict people in various situations, all appear to be framed by a stylized blue "chuppah" or Jewish traditional wedding canopy. The majors do not have a lot of symbolism aside from the human figures.
The minor suites tell a story of four different couples. Each card is a vignette in the story. Each story is followed to conclusion. The court cards display the main characters in each drama.
The minors stay true to the standard RWS, western-style calibrations, with appropriate artwork, with the exception of switching swords to fire, and wands to air.
Many people dislike this deck for being too "80's", and all the figures depicted are very pretty - but that doesn't bother me. Some even refer to it as the Ken and Barbie deck, but hey, I like Ken and Barbie.
My favorite cards are the Magician, the Chariot (so smug!) and the cavorting figure of Death.
While this deck is a nice deck, it seems more suited to relationship readings. Due to the structure of the cards, general readings don't seem to fit it very well. I would not recommended it to beginners, either, as the symbolism in the minors isn't standard and may be confusing to someone trying to learn from traditional sources.
Not a must-have, but a lovely deck.
Not recommended for beginners.
In print. (as far as I know)
I might replace it if it strayed.
Artist Matt Meyers painted these cards in oil on illustration board. He started in June of 1984, and completed the deck in April of 1988 according to the booklet. The artwork resembles stained glass.
The cards measure 4 and 13/32" by 2 and 13/32". The card stock is thin and flexible with a shiny finish. The edges are rounded. The backs are bright blue, with a design of rods intertwined with swords in an "S" shape half-encircling two circles with what looks like a drawing of the magician in gold. The blue is edged with a thin gold pinstripe. The cards have a 7/32" white border on all sides and are reversible.
The majors depict people in various situations, all appear to be framed by a stylized blue "chuppah" or Jewish traditional wedding canopy. The majors do not have a lot of symbolism aside from the human figures.
The minor suites tell a story of four different couples. Each card is a vignette in the story. Each story is followed to conclusion. The court cards display the main characters in each drama.
The minors stay true to the standard RWS, western-style calibrations, with appropriate artwork, with the exception of switching swords to fire, and wands to air.
Many people dislike this deck for being too "80's", and all the figures depicted are very pretty - but that doesn't bother me. Some even refer to it as the Ken and Barbie deck, but hey, I like Ken and Barbie.
My favorite cards are the Magician, the Chariot (so smug!) and the cavorting figure of Death.
While this deck is a nice deck, it seems more suited to relationship readings. Due to the structure of the cards, general readings don't seem to fit it very well. I would not recommended it to beginners, either, as the symbolism in the minors isn't standard and may be confusing to someone trying to learn from traditional sources.
Not a must-have, but a lovely deck.
Not recommended for beginners.
In print. (as far as I know)
I might replace it if it strayed.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Tarot Review # 12 Tarrocco dei Giardini di Priapo
Design and art by Amerigo Folchi. Published by Italcards, Modena Italy. No publish date.
The cards measure 4 5/16" x 2 9/16". The card stock is thick, printed with shiny ink but doesn't feel coated. The edges are rounded.
The artwork is very well drawn and detailed. The drawings depict very sexually explicit scenes, and have striped marbled backgrounds over which the scene and suite symbol has been displayed. The art work has probably been done in pen and pencil predominately.
The lettering on the title cards is plain, bold type in a white stripe of background in both Italian and English.
The people in the majors are all blonds or red-heads. The coins are blond, except the King, wands are red-heads, cups blonds, swords black hair.
The cards are, again, extremely explicit sexually. In addition to nudity and very detailed depictions of sexual acts there is a great deal of fetish oreinted sex. The cups, for example are wine glasses filled with urine - and some are in the process of being filled. The Knights are possibly doing more than riding those horses, and some scenes involve cupids, which look very like young children, although they are not.
The booklet explains that the deck is a grotesque satire dedicated to the erotic universe. In spite of the tongue in cheek humor this deck still makes me uncomfortable when I use the cards. Although it could be used as a reading deck, if one didn't have kids and were not offended by the images, I wouldn't.
I can't recommend this deck for anyone except collectors who have a specialty in erotic art tarot decks. The subject matter is too kinky to use as a readying deck except possibly for someone in the sex-oriented lifestyle.
This deck is out of print. (I think.)
I would not replace it if it strayed.
Collector only, not good for reading unless you are in a certain lifestyle. And not a beginner.
The cards measure 4 5/16" x 2 9/16". The card stock is thick, printed with shiny ink but doesn't feel coated. The edges are rounded.
The artist, Amerigo Folchi, is very well-known in the Tarot world. He has done many beautiful decks, among them my most wanted collector deck, the Carnival of Venice.
The cards are edged in black, 3/16" both back and front. The edges have some evidence of paper tags. The cards do not appear to be reversible. the backs are marbled with diagonal black stripes alternating with grey-green and 2 pink in the center stripes. The stripes have a marbled finish. In the center of the card is a grayish-purple oval with a picture of an ass - which is the spirit of these cards. The artwork is very well drawn and detailed. The drawings depict very sexually explicit scenes, and have striped marbled backgrounds over which the scene and suite symbol has been displayed. The art work has probably been done in pen and pencil predominately.
The lettering on the title cards is plain, bold type in a white stripe of background in both Italian and English.
The people in the majors are all blonds or red-heads. The coins are blond, except the King, wands are red-heads, cups blonds, swords black hair.
The cards are, again, extremely explicit sexually. In addition to nudity and very detailed depictions of sexual acts there is a great deal of fetish oreinted sex. The cups, for example are wine glasses filled with urine - and some are in the process of being filled. The Knights are possibly doing more than riding those horses, and some scenes involve cupids, which look very like young children, although they are not.
The booklet explains that the deck is a grotesque satire dedicated to the erotic universe. In spite of the tongue in cheek humor this deck still makes me uncomfortable when I use the cards. Although it could be used as a reading deck, if one didn't have kids and were not offended by the images, I wouldn't.
I can't recommend this deck for anyone except collectors who have a specialty in erotic art tarot decks. The subject matter is too kinky to use as a readying deck except possibly for someone in the sex-oriented lifestyle.
This deck is out of print. (I think.)
I would not replace it if it strayed.
Collector only, not good for reading unless you are in a certain lifestyle. And not a beginner.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Tarot Deck Review # 11 - The Thoth Tarot
Known as the Thoth, the Crowley or the Crowley-Harris tarot variously, this deck is one of the tarot standards. Although taken from the Golden Dawn tradition just like the RWS, the Thoth has a much different "feel".
Created over several years as a collaboration between Crowley - once the most hated (and feared) man in England, and "Lady" Frida Harris, these cards are both more complex and more simple than the RWS deck because of the nature of the symbolism used.
The Thoth is a much more elemental deck, and although the symbolism comes from a number of spiritual traditions, the Christian elements are minor. Instead, Crowley drew from India, Native America, and Asian traditions. Alchemy was another strong influence, as well as the Kabbala. Crowley was an interesting character, with some knowledge of modern physics and other physical sciences. In my opinion the Thoth is the Golden Dawn Era deck most influenced by science.
This deck comes in many sizes, the large green-tinted deck, several standard sized decks, mini decks, and giant decks. The pips are not fully illustrated, although they do give hits as to the meaning, both by coloration as well as small details.
Many readers and tarotist report "bad vibes" from this deck - my guess is from Crowley's reputation more than the cards themselves. After reading several biographies about him, I found him fascinating. Unpleasant, and not someone I would have wanted to associate with, but definitely extremely intelligent. Looking at him from a modern perspective, I would guess that he suffered from some kind of mental illness. That doesn't mean he wasn't brilliant.
While I don't agree with most of his theories, I gained quite a few interesting perspectives on the psychological and scientific aspects of tarot when I studied this deck in depth.
I would recommend this deck to a dedicated beginner, or more advanced reader. A beginner would be greatly helped if they had some previous knowledge of other kinds of magical, or mythical, studies.
Reading with the Thoth I find it easy to miss subtleties. Sometimes the cards seem nearly impenetrable, at other times very direct. I don't give my decks personalities generally. They are, after all, ink and paper, but I find myself thinking that this deck tends to be somewhat overly dramatic on daily readings. It also seems to have a somewhat sly sense of humor, if one were to give it human characteristics. Which I don't. Really.
This is a must-have deck.
This deck could be a good deck for a beginner.
This deck is in print.
Created over several years as a collaboration between Crowley - once the most hated (and feared) man in England, and "Lady" Frida Harris, these cards are both more complex and more simple than the RWS deck because of the nature of the symbolism used.
The Thoth is a much more elemental deck, and although the symbolism comes from a number of spiritual traditions, the Christian elements are minor. Instead, Crowley drew from India, Native America, and Asian traditions. Alchemy was another strong influence, as well as the Kabbala. Crowley was an interesting character, with some knowledge of modern physics and other physical sciences. In my opinion the Thoth is the Golden Dawn Era deck most influenced by science.
This deck comes in many sizes, the large green-tinted deck, several standard sized decks, mini decks, and giant decks. The pips are not fully illustrated, although they do give hits as to the meaning, both by coloration as well as small details.
Many readers and tarotist report "bad vibes" from this deck - my guess is from Crowley's reputation more than the cards themselves. After reading several biographies about him, I found him fascinating. Unpleasant, and not someone I would have wanted to associate with, but definitely extremely intelligent. Looking at him from a modern perspective, I would guess that he suffered from some kind of mental illness. That doesn't mean he wasn't brilliant.
While I don't agree with most of his theories, I gained quite a few interesting perspectives on the psychological and scientific aspects of tarot when I studied this deck in depth.
I would recommend this deck to a dedicated beginner, or more advanced reader. A beginner would be greatly helped if they had some previous knowledge of other kinds of magical, or mythical, studies.
Reading with the Thoth I find it easy to miss subtleties. Sometimes the cards seem nearly impenetrable, at other times very direct. I don't give my decks personalities generally. They are, after all, ink and paper, but I find myself thinking that this deck tends to be somewhat overly dramatic on daily readings. It also seems to have a somewhat sly sense of humor, if one were to give it human characteristics. Which I don't. Really.
This is a must-have deck.
This deck could be a good deck for a beginner.
This deck is in print.
Tarot Deck Review #10 The Cosmic Tarot
The cards measure 4 3/4" tall and 2 3/4 " wide. The card stock is thin, and finished with a satin coating. The cards have a 3/16" white border on the front and back.
The cards are reversible; the backs have a very attractive design of celestial bodies, circles, a pentagram centered by a rose with a tiny unformed being in a spiral at the very center.
The artist, Norbert Losch, is self-taught, which is amazing. He started as a surveyor, and after several terms studying art history began painting according to the literature included with the cards.
The artwork is quite lovely, and appears to be pen and ink, colored with both watercolors and pencil in pastel shades.
The lettering used for the card titles is ornate, but not overly so in my opinion. The artwork is realistic. the court cards are close-up views, the pips farther away, full body poses.
Each suite has shades of a certain color as an underlying theme - Cups=blues and greens, Pentacles= greens and golds, Wands=red and gold, Swords = dark blues and yellows.
The majors are colored slightly more brightly than the suite cards.
This deck has been called the "movie-star" deck because many of the people resemble film stars from the silent to the modern era. The deck has a very 80's look, especially in the hair styles and accessories of the people, which is actually not unattractive (to me).
My personal favorites are the High Priestess, a card which has haunted me. Also the lovers, and of course, the Moon. The Aces are very well done also.
After using this deck for a week I found it a nice deck to work with. The cards were a little hard to shuffle because they are so slick. That was the only drawback I found - a very easy to read deck.
I would replace this deck if it strayed.
Recommended for beginners.
In Print.
The cards are reversible; the backs have a very attractive design of celestial bodies, circles, a pentagram centered by a rose with a tiny unformed being in a spiral at the very center.
The artist, Norbert Losch, is self-taught, which is amazing. He started as a surveyor, and after several terms studying art history began painting according to the literature included with the cards.
The artwork is quite lovely, and appears to be pen and ink, colored with both watercolors and pencil in pastel shades.
The lettering used for the card titles is ornate, but not overly so in my opinion. The artwork is realistic. the court cards are close-up views, the pips farther away, full body poses.
Each suite has shades of a certain color as an underlying theme - Cups=blues and greens, Pentacles= greens and golds, Wands=red and gold, Swords = dark blues and yellows.
The majors are colored slightly more brightly than the suite cards.
This deck has been called the "movie-star" deck because many of the people resemble film stars from the silent to the modern era. The deck has a very 80's look, especially in the hair styles and accessories of the people, which is actually not unattractive (to me).
My personal favorites are the High Priestess, a card which has haunted me. Also the lovers, and of course, the Moon. The Aces are very well done also.
After using this deck for a week I found it a nice deck to work with. The cards were a little hard to shuffle because they are so slick. That was the only drawback I found - a very easy to read deck.
I would replace this deck if it strayed.
Recommended for beginners.
In Print.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Tarot Deck Review # 9 Itarocki
The Itarocki Tarot is part of Lo Scarabeo's :Tarrocchi D'Arte" series. The deck is copyright 1995. the idea belonged to Paoloa De Filippo, and the art is by Massimo Galloni. The artwork is a series of 22 lithographs.
The deck is 5 5/16" by 2 27/32". The card stock is heavy, slightly textured, and unfinished. The corners are square.
The backs have a black and white portrait of Elvis with a background of stars and stripes, and two guitars in an ornate Art Deco style frame.
The card fronts have a color portrait of each artist, featuring both hard rock artists such as Pantera and Metallica, to pop icons like Madonna and Prince.
I don't use this as a reading deck, and most likely will not in the future. This is a majors-only deck.
This is a collectible deck.
I don't know if it is in print (I don't think so.)
I would replace it if it strayed.
I may look for another copy - my deck has had something sticky dripped onto it which has damaged two of the cards.
The deck is 5 5/16" by 2 27/32". The card stock is heavy, slightly textured, and unfinished. The corners are square.
The backs have a black and white portrait of Elvis with a background of stars and stripes, and two guitars in an ornate Art Deco style frame.
The card fronts have a color portrait of each artist, featuring both hard rock artists such as Pantera and Metallica, to pop icons like Madonna and Prince.
I don't use this as a reading deck, and most likely will not in the future. This is a majors-only deck.
This is a collectible deck.
I don't know if it is in print (I don't think so.)
I would replace it if it strayed.
I may look for another copy - my deck has had something sticky dripped onto it which has damaged two of the cards.
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