Tarot of Mystical Moments

I just received the French edition of this tarot deck, published by AGM Urania.

This tarot deck illustrated by Catrin Welz-Stein is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. As a French speaker, the fact that this French edition exists gives me a greater connection to it. (Most tarot decks on the market are in English.) The cards are even more beautiful in real life than they appeared online. The glossy finish perfectly suits the style of the illustrations, enhancing the contrast and allowing you to admire all the details. The silver edge goes well with the design on the back of the cards and the colors used to identify them at the base. The cards are of excellent quality and come in a sturdy two-part box. The booklet that accompanies the deck is not particularly original or interesting.

The images created by Catrin Welz-Stein are sumptuous. The artist works with digital collage, combining illustrations and old photographs. The atmosphere of the cards is dreamlike. You feel as if you are looking at master paintings; you completely forget that they are collages. The artist has a keen eye for detail. When you immerse yourself in contemplating the arcana, you discover a wealth of elements that enrich their meanings.

Catrin Welz-Stein chose to illustrate most of the cards with female characters. There are even additional cards that allow you to replace the emperor and the four kings with female figures. This is an exciting idea. It challenges the male dominance that prevails in most tarot decks and which, in my opinion, does not reflect human experience. My only reservation is that almost all of the characters are young, beautiful, slim women in rather hieratic poses with neutral expressions. At times, I find this tarot deck lacking in diversity. I would have liked to see older women, children or teenagers, characters in action or who deviate from the criteria of beauty. I imagine that the material used for the collages did not allow for this diversity.

Still, despite this caveat, all the cards are magnificent. The deck as a whole gives an impression of unity. And the surrealism that arises from the juxtaposition of images is particularly effective. It's my current favorite.