Tarot of Shadows (Таро Теней)

[EmpyreanKnight]

I finally have it, and it's oh so much better than I expected! While the Special edition has a highly-reflective silver back, the Classic has a more staid silver-gray metal ink background with the reversed pentagram demon of the Ahriman card presenting a tasteful contrast in bold red. The borders on the front has the same metal ink, but just a tad lighter. I have yet to unseal the cards since I plan to dedicate the deck this Friday, so pics are to come.

 

There is a beautiful hardcover book that's around the size of the cards. Textually, it's virtually the same as the bigger companion book of the Special edition. I just wish the discourses on each card are more extensive, but since this is the deck's only official resource in English, well, beggars can't be choosers.

 

I just wish the functional design of the box were improved. Aesthetically, it's a marvel with a slightly glittery, roughly matte gunmetal silver-gray box with accents of red and black. The pentagrammed Ahriman again graces the front. I just wish it's a bit more snug because while it holds the book and cards inside well, opening the flip top box with its strong magnetic lip is an exercise in dexterity. I tried so very hard to open it carefully, but it still resulted in some creases. I think I've got a handle on it now tho.

 

I so can't wait to dance with this beauty. ;)

[pox]

Hi,

 

I recent purchased the Tarot of Shadow by Vera Sklyarova and am in need of assistance.

 

I had a long post typed out that explained my reasoning for buying this Deck, and the possibility of why I came to this point, but lost it when I hit preview. So, please, suffice it to say, for now, this is my first Deck.

 

I am familiar with the Universal Waite Tarot from some research I was doing, and eventually led me to buy this deck, but I was not aware it did not have the suits, and have no previous experience in placement or interpretation of Cards.

 

I have done my research, I would not ask without doing so, and found a youtube video of a Russian speaker with the same Deck that comes in a red box with booklet in Cyrillic that briefly explains each card, but not the placement. I have Rusichi friends who translate some things I collect for me, but this is not something I would want to ask them of them.

 

I know perfectly well I sound like a babe in the water jumping in the deep end with the Tarot of Shadow, but there's a little more to it than that. This is the right Deck for me in more ways than one. I have a collection of Russian memorabilia, so it fits in with that, and with me as a person. I'm looking for insight into my own life, not to do readings for other people, or change my path. That's part of what I had typed out, so there is a method to my madness.

 

I'm like a rider in a storm, carried along with the wind in a rudderless ship, knowing full well where that wind is blowing me and exactly what is going to happen when we arrive, but not a clue as to what will happen in between to get to that point. I can only watch the Grand Design unfold before me as I carry it out to Perfection and see it was part of the plan all along.

 

I am in Control of the situation at hand, and enjoy it to no end, but am like a puppet in the big picture. I'm all for the end results and it's what I want to happen. I just can't take credit for what amounts to plans as deep and wide ranging as the sea about which I am tossed that someone else has made.

 

Tarot may or may not be part of that plan. Just an innocent interest in the subject and a fitting addition to an existing collection of Russian items. But I doubt it... That's not the way things work with me.

 

Could someone more learned than I, please, direct me to where I can learn about this deck and the use of it? I do not take half steps and dedicate my all to learning a new skill.

[pox]

I bought the Classic Edition Deck with book in English, as shown above to go with my Russian deck and will figure it out on my own.

 

Thanks anyway.

[EmpyreanKnight]

Hi pox! If you want we can discuss the individual cards of the deck here in the forum. I can create new threads for each card every Tuesday and Friday, and we can explore the iconography of the images, their divinatory meanings, and so forth. I'm just going to collect all the resources I've gathered. I hope we'll have very meaty discussions in the future. :)

[pox]

That would be great! And very gracious of you, since I am as much a neophyte as you can get to Tarot.

 

I'm serious though, and when I learn a new skill I want to excel at it. i enjoy doing what I'm good at, and hope I can gain some insight into myself.

 

I've always felt I live a charmed life and am a spiritual person. Bad things happen in my life, I'm not lucky at cards, never won the lottery, but when it need it most, in the worst way, it is always there for me.

 

A lot of things going on at a deeper level it seems to influence me, and work with me.

 

[EmpyreanKnight]

I'm not an experienced teacher, pox, but I'd try my best. What we can do is discuss each card in detail, explore what they represent in the various occult/demonologic/Catholic traditions, examine their given divinatory meanings and see if we can come up with our own personal interpretations, etc. I noticed that you're particularly interested in possible connotations of a card given its various placements. We can discuss this to some extent too, because there are a huge number of spreads and we won't be able to cover a significant portion of them. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to bring it up so that we can thresh out possible answers.

 

I'll inform you here where and when we can discuss our very first major - the arcana of Satan or Black Magic. I'm just excited that I finally have someone I can pore over this deck with. Until later then. ^-^

[pox]

I'll inform you here where and when we can discuss our very first major - the arcana of Satan or Black Magic. I'm just excited that I finally have someone I can pore over this deck with. Until later then. ^-^

 

I feel fortunate to have found someone willing to mentor me. Consider me all in. I wouldn't have bought the Classic Edition too if I wasn't serious about it.

 

Don't worry about your skills as an instructor. Anything you can teach me will be something I didn't know and I pick up on things quickly.

 

The Catholic traditions weren't even something I had considered. I'm not Catholic, but the ritualistic aspect of it interests me and I studied Russian Orthodoxy for a while. I have a Crucifix collection, including a Stations of the Cross Soil Relic that is one of my prized possessions, and I wear a Terra de Fatima soil relic as a necklace.

[pox]

My Russian deck came today in a sealed box from a US based Russian seller:

 

[EmpyreanKnight]

The Ahriman major is almost iconic of the deck, isn't it? It's in the box of both the classic and special editions of the edition from the Ukrainian publishing company, Deluxe. Speaking of which, the companion book included there is really instructive, and I reckon you will glean some useful knowledge from it once it reaches your shores, Pox. :)

[pox]

I've been exhausted the past few days so other than look at each card when I opened the box and take the pictures I haven't done anything with them.

 

Not that I felt any different handling them or anything, I just don't want to be in a weakened state when I do so extensively considering the nature of it. By the time the English version gets here later this week I should be rested up.

 

They are impressive though and I'm glad to have the Russian deck. A guy who I've known since my childhood lives just across the hall and it turns out he has 3 decks and a book or two, but he didn't know anything about this deck or has seen it yet.

[EmpyreanKnight]

Have you checked that the deck is complete tho, that it has all the 78 cards?

 

Sometimes, reading the cards especially for extended periods of time sap me of strength so that I feel very drained afterwards. I'd like to think that I have above-average stamina, and it can't be the mental strain since I can work on my projects for more than 8 hours straight and feel fresh as a daisy afterwards. Marathon meetings with our executives and clients hardly faze me - I even feed on the energies of these encounters. Reading the cards is a different kettle of fish tho.

 

In any case, are you friends with the guy that you mentioned? Maybe he can help guide you through the Tarot too? I agree that the Shadows is rather obscure even among readers. It's of a peculiar Slavic provenance after all, and it has only made inroads on the West in the past year or so.

[pox]

I translated it. If that doesn't add mystique to it I don't know what does:

 

"ATTENTION!"

 

When carrying out the cards with a deck of Tarot Shadows, the Master MUST obey these rules!

 

1.The clothes of the Master must be Black. Without buttons, buckles, belts.

2. No jewelry, especially crosses, should not be on the Master.

3. The table must be covered with a black cloth.

4. Move the deck of the cache should with your left hand.

5. The master should outline a circle around him. It is possible - through the air.

6. Use two black candles if the layout is after 12:00 noon.

7.After carrying out the layout, you should sprinkle the room with holy water. But before the session of holy water should not be in the immediate vicinity of the Master and even in the room.

We are dealing with an infernal world. The entities will not be "shown" by persons in the presence of means of defense in the session.

8. When working with two parallel decks, use the same precautions.

9.If during the seance sessions, the Master or the client experiences a feeling of fear, "goosebumps" on the skin or hears voices - stop the session immediately with the words "Have succeeded! Have succeeded!"

10.After each reading session, the Arcana of the Black Taro "clean", carrying the information side over the fire of a black candle. Candles to extinguish only with a special cap, in no event from blow out. Candles are stored wrapped in a black cloth next to the deck.

11. To distinguish yourself with the sign of the cross during the sessions is impossible! "

 

 

The box was sealed so I just assume they're all there. It did look and feel like a brand new authentic deck on good paper stock. He had sold several other decks, has one more of these, and a good sellers rep. I will count them though, I'm more rested now.

 

The guy next door and I are friends, but he has a tendency to make things up as he goes along and might appear to be a little more knowledgeable about a subject that he is in fact. But he's good natured and I call him on it to let him know he isn't fooling me. It doesn't surprise me in the least he has some decks, I asked him if he knew anything about it, and he might know more than I give him credit for in this area.

 

I can go 16-18 hour a day working on my bot, writing dialog while listening to music. 6 weeks of it wore me down, but I'm done with the hard work now.

 

I'm a strong willed person, but I know it's for real and don't take it lightly or overestimate my abilities. I doubt handing the cards is going to make much difference with me, but I don't underestimate the situation or want to be less than 100% when I do. I'll definitely be trying my hand at it and looking into if there are different ways it can be used.

 

I will read the English book when it gets here so I'll understand what is going on and know what you're talking about when we discuss cards. It's expected you do your homework before you resort to asking questions where I come from.

[EmpyreanKnight]

Even among the more established Tarot publishing houses, some brand new and sealed decks can have missing cards. Must be a production glitch. This is why many readers immediately check their decks to see if it's complete. It seems that Lo Scarabeo and US Games do have a policy of sending missing cards gratis if you report it to them tho, so most don't really worry about this.

 

And lol I can work for 16+ hours a day if need be, but my boss would have to pay me lotsa extra. ;)

 

I like how deeply dedicated you are about studying the deck, pox. I hope that this turns out to be a very fruitful venture for both of us. I know that I'll learn from you too.

[EmpyreanKnight]

Btw, I'm going to make different threads that center on the cards themselves, their possible meanings, etc but since you said that you would like to learn more about the Tarot, we'd need a separate space for our discussions on the Tarot itself, like how to interpret cards depending on their individual positions in a spread, using triads, etc. Saturn created a thread for us here:

 

https://www.thetarotforum.com/student-lounge/empyreanknight-and-pox/

 

I'd create the different threads for the Shadows cards, but let's keep our discussions on Tarot in general there.

 

I think it might be better if you get your English deck first before we start our lessons. Shall we begin with our first card next Tuesday?

[pox]

That would be great. My English deck came today, that will give me plenty of time to study the book. It looks very interesting from the few pages I saw.

 

I counted the cards and each is a full deck. When I took the wrapper off the English deck there was a little space in the middle, like a card was slightly bent, and looked like it wanted to open there. It was a Holy Water card.

 

I can already tell it likes me, it has my sense of humor.  ;D

[EmpyreanKnight]

That's good news! The book isn't the thickest but it is instructive, and it taught me a lot. It focuses on the cards themselves mostly tho. From the spreads at the back you'd see how apt the name of the deck is.

 

Yup it can be so straightforward and in your face that it  makes me laugh. It can be very seductive, but sometimes it can be a bit of a cranky uncle too lol. When I once asked what I'd learn from it, I drew The Exorcism card. :))

[pox]

The history of each card was fascinating and I got a much deeper understanding of why each card was significant in its meaning than I did when I researched that other deck.

 

I cleared off a place to lay out a spread and when it felt right tried the Pentagram and the Personality Characteristics spread as given as examples in the back of the book. The Pentagram spread was interesting and I could see some meaning in that. I took note of the cards to study it further.

 

The Personality spread looked like I didn't get it shuffled good, as there were several cards in sequence, so I reshuffled and did another spread, but it wasn't as easy to make out.

 

The images on the 2 decks aren't exactly the same, slightly different but similar enough you can tell what each card is.

 

I'll read through the forums to get a better overall grasp of the subject and of the way other people are using their cards.

[EmpyreanKnight]

You've just started and yet you're already laying down spreads and reading your cards. I think you're a natural at this, pox.

 

Looking forward to us dissecting each card and digging to their very hearts

[EmpyreanKnight]

The images on the 2 decks aren't exactly the same, slightly different but similar enough you can tell what each card is.

 

I got curious about this so I looked up online images of the cards from the Russian red box and compared them to the English/Ukrainian silver one, and I can see the differences. Aside from the black latticework borders of the former compared to the silver ink of the latter, it also has finer linework and lighter, clearer colors

[pox]

It was only small things like the image of Mercury's Smile that made me notice it in the first place. The Russian deck is thinner and longer, but on heavier paper stock. The Classic is easier to read since I can see exactly what it says.

 

The first spread I laid out was easy enough to make sense of. After I laid out the second and wondered if I had shuffled them enough, it didn't seem like I would get an accurate reading the second time I did it, and more like playing solitaire or something. A few cards did come up each time I did a spread though.

 

 

[EmpyreanKnight]

Just one last thing, pox.

 

I've read about demons and how they like inverted stuff - backmasking, upside down relics, etc. Strangely enough tho, the deck specifically instructs against using reversals, tho I think an official reason has never been given for this.

 

Anyway, if you look at the two fly cards (or extra cards) in the silver box deck, you'd see that as the deck progresses through the 56 minors, it deals with the denizens of each suit in a reverse fashion. Like for example, the Wands suit is the first one the reader encounters after the majors, with the King of Wands (False Prophets) as Card 23, the Queen of Wands (Daughters of Men) as Card 24, etc. Then Card 27 is the 10 of Wands (Voodoo Ritual), followed by the 9 of Wands (Ring of Fastada) as Card 28, all the way down to the Ace of Wands (Magic Wand) as Card 36. My point is that the creator deliberately inverted the progression of the courts and pips for each suit, and maybe with good reason.

 

Would it be alright with you if we progress through the cards in a reversed fashion. We'll start with The Magic Circle as Card 78 all the way down to Satan as Card 1. I hope you'll humor me, pox.

[EmpyreanKnight]

Btw I'll start posting our very first card thread after work. I'm so excited for this. :)

[pox]

Would it be alright with you if we progress through the cards in a reversed fashion. We'll start with The Magic Circle as Card 78 all the way down to Satan as Card 1. I hope you'll humor me, pox.

 

Sure, whatever you think best. I'm here now to check when we start and am with you on this.

 

I just got up so my day is just starting and will check in periodically.

[EmpyreanKnight]

It's alright if we don't post in real time, we can just post whenever we're online. Our lunch break has just ended, so I'll be back in 5 hours.

 

But right now, I want you to do something. Check out our thread HERE.

[EmpyreanKnight]

I split off the conversation we had here previously and created it as another thread named Books and Resources. You can find it HERE.