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Review of the Silhouettes Tarot by Masa September Nemia http://www.masaseptember.com/store.html Third edition at Vermilion The Chinese artist and designer Masa September published two editions of the Silhouettes Tarot. There are slight differences between the two editions. The most obvious one: the first edition has borders, the second is borderless. My own copy is the borderless 2nd edition, and this is the one this review refers to. There is also a negative edition with a reverse color scheme (silhouettes are white instead of black, bright colors are dark). The deck comes with a lwb in English and Mandarin, with a short foreword (that encourages “self-realization without restriction” through the use of this tarot deck), and short but poignant explanations for every card. There’s a short description, upright and reversed meanings. Only one spread is mentioned in the lwb, the Celtic Cross. There is no deck-specific spread offered. The backs of the cards are fully reversible, with a black-and-grey, negative-positive pattern that combines flowers and chevrons, a bit like a Harlequine costume. The card stock is strong, smooth, matte and flexible. The cards are on the thin side but hold up very well. In some cards, there seems to have occurred minimal bleeding of black color toward the edges – hardly noticeable and probably only a problem for borderless cards. I edged mine in black anyway. The overall production quality of this deck is high. The deck is easy and pleasant to shuffle, hold and spread. There is no stickiness, and the edges are perfectly smooth. ETA: After years of use, the cards started to warp a bit. The deck follows the RWS tradition: VIII is Strength, and XI is Justice. The major arcana have traditional names; the minor suits are called Wands, Chalices, Swords and Pentacles. The card names are added in simple, unobtrusive white writing at the bottom of the cards. There is a bonus Happy Squirrel card, a charming addition that the reader can decide to use or not. Its interpretation can be found at the end of the lwb. The style of this deck is unique. Each card consists of a silhouette figure and scene, set against a colorful background. There are no cards without living creatures; there is life everywhere except for the Death card. Birds or little animals, mechanical toys, fairytale figures or fairies, magicians and tiny children – and they all look very cute. So cute that I was initially skeptical and feared that cuteness overload would make this deck sugary or unreadable. We’ll come to the question of readability later! These figures enact little scenes; most of them are in motion and are about to do something, and they’re all surrounded by nature motifs – mostly from nature, like flowers, trees, branches, thorns, and stars, but also man-made umbrellas, tools, etc. These are often in motion, too – branches growing in a spiral, flowers hugging a figure, thorns tearing into the picture or water rushing through it. So each card has a rich silhouetted arrangement of at least one figure in an expressive pose, surrounded by “props” that make for interesting, dynamic compositions. Even on a simple one-color background, these silhouetted scenes would be quite expressive and strong. But the artist has outdone himself with the multi-colored backgrounds. They’re very expressive, too, and the color choices reflect the element depicted: Wands are in strong reds and oranges, Chalices in shades of lighter and darker blues, Swords in somber purples, and Pentacles in rich greens. The color backgrounds of the majors are chosen individually, though with reference to their elementary associations, and are especially beautiful and strong. These backgrounds have intricate negative-positive patterns, i.e., the silhouette technique is used masterfully both in the silhouettes themselves and in the background. It is obvious that the artist has produced them digitally and not with scissors, but his technique is unique. It is definitely based on traditional folklore paper cuts, on the silhouette art of the 18th century and the wonderful silhouette animations of the great Lotte Reiniger. Indeed, the deck’s similarity to these magical fairy tale animations of my childhood attracted me immediately to the deck. The cards are, as you can understand from my description, extremely busy – they burst with energy. The clever games with positive and negative elements give joy to the observer. You will always find something new on a card, even though the images are easily understood and jump to our eyes. There is great visual pleasure in the apparent simplicity of gnomes and fairies and the artistic sophistication of the silhouette technique and its interplay of positive and negative space. Now, how do these cards read? Quite simply: they read magnificently. This deck is so easy to read it’s incredible. I don’t use any elaborate spreads with this deck; I just put one card next to the other and let the story come up. I read somewhere that Enid Blyton conceived her books by turning her mind into a stage where her figures acted the whole story out and she just followed the action and wrote it down. Well, the Silhouettes deck does the same. It turns into a storyboard, and you can see the changing scenes, the actors, and their actions. These cards uncannily interact with each other, and sometimes I get this “Toy Story” feeling that the little puppets and fairies come alive and enter each other’s card. The whirls and swirls, branches and thorns, sun and stars of the background with their clear, atmospheric color choices of the different cards in a spread react to each other, complement or contradict each other, and often continue each other. You get movement, direction, and you recognize patterns. Living, moving patterns. The techniques for reading a spread as a whole, as presented by Deborah Lipp in her book “Tarot Interactions”, just jump at you when you look at these cards. I can’t say how the bordered editions read, but I’m glad I have the borderless one. Its cards connect seamlessly for me. I have read with this deck for skeptical teenagers who just wanted to have a laugh but were drawn into the world of this deck and found that the cards told them something. The language of colors, shapes, composition and movement is easy to understand, and the little creatures on the card invite empathy. I’m certain that this deck, like any other, is not for everybody. The cuteness, the children’s book figures, the business and the strong colors are not everybody’s cup of tea. But if you worry that such a pretty, colorful, playful, dynamic deck doesn’t address the difficult cards of the deck, you’re in for a surprise. It does. Loneliness, sadness, vulnerability, loss and grief and anger, aggression, indecision and fear - they’re all expressed clearly and without flinching. This is a very special and user-friendly deck. It immediately became one of my favorites, and it’s a good deck to use for working with clients who find traditional esoteric symbols intimidating. The Silhouettes deck is my deck of choice for shadow work and Inner Child work, and it performs very well. I can definitely recommend this deck for people who feel attracted to the deck but are afraid it’s an unreadable designer piece or gimmick. It’s not. It’s a real tarot deck, and it gives strong readings with clear insights.

The Shadowland Tarot By Jewel – April 6, 2023 The Shadowland Tarot, by Monica Bodirsky, was published as a deck/book set by RedFeather Mind, Body, Spirit an imprint of Schiffer Publishing on March 28, 2020. This is Ms. Bodirsky’s first tarot deck, though at time of its printing she had already published a Lenormand deck and an oracle deck. She is both author and artist of this deck. The focus of the deck, as stated in the deck name, is the shadow and this is a perfect deck for shadow work or the exploration of the hidden and/or unaccepted parts of our being. One of the greatest strengths I find with this deck is how the whimsical quirky art speaks directly to my inner child in a straightforward yet humorous manner, coaxing that side of me out to explore and accept the parts of myself and/or situations that I deny, hide, and run away from. This deck is a straight shooter, do not let the art style fool you into thinking otherwise. The art is composed of pen and ink drawings painted with watercolors. It is disturbing, whimsical, scary, funny, inviting, and very intentional. The denizens of this deck though discomforting, are familiar and invite you to go back to a time when you imagined the monster under your bed or inside your closet. Best of all it has a way of bypassing the ego which can be a large hurtle when reading for oneself. The deck gives you a glimpse at your fears, aspects of yourself you deny and/or reject through child eyes making them very approachable and opening you up to a new understanding, compassion, empathy, integration, and healing. Equal artistic attention was given to the Majors and the Minors, which is always a plus in my book. One of the things I really love about this deck is the design element used to represent our own power to change things by noting areas where we have choices or have made choices or decisions by the visual cue of red booties on the characters. Any time I see these I know I can make changes and adjustments or that my choice/decision was right or mine to make. The cards measure 4.75” x 2.75”. I am not overly pleased with the card stock. The cards feel like pieces of thin cardboard to me, and I am not fussy when it comes to card stock. Shuffling them makes me think of shuffling manila folders, not that I have ever done that, I am just saying …. What I do like is the cards are of a matt finish and the colors are vibrant. The deck also has gold gilded edges, which may in part contribute to my shuffling issues, but it looks beautiful and is holding up really well. There are no borders, another plus in my book, and the card titles are written at the bottom of the cards in yellow block lettering which makes them unobtrusive but easy to read. The card backs are bright yellow with two bats that are mirror images making the cards reversible. The card backs have a black border that reminds one of whimsical spooky trees. Simple but nice. The majority of the imagery of the Major Arcana is RWS based, with some exceptions (Seeker, Hierophant, Strength, Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Moon, and Discretion). Two of the Majors have been renamed: The Fool becomes the Seeker, and Judgement becomes Discretion. The Seeker is headless and carries a black cat in his right hand extended forward to guide him. The Hierophant is rooted by a lake and has no apprentices but holds a golden orb in his hands. Death wears a nest as a hat, there is one cracked egg on the ground, and it appears the hatched creature is between Death’s hands reading and raising his hand. Temperance is a bat skeleton with awesome red booties standing at the edge of a lake and her back is on fire, The Devil is a statement against Capitalism and urban decay. There is no water in the Moon card, the individual is traveling a country road with a lobster on a leash. Discretion, which replaced Judgement, is an owl flying over the countryside. Strength is at position 8 and Justice at 11. Overall, the Major Arcana brings forth the traditional archetypes though a few of them will require some extra study, like Discretion for example. The book gives this card a pretty straight forward meaning equal to the traditional Judgement card but the image is what will require study. Both the Major and Minor Arcana are numbered with Arabic numerals. To be completely honest I prefer the majors to have Roman numerals and the minors to have Arabic numbers, but it is not that big of a deal. The Suits of the Minor Arcana are Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles and follow the elemental correspondences of Cups/water, Wands/fire, Swords/air, and Pentacles/earth. The elements are visually present in the art and color scheme of the cards. The Court Cards are more challenging, as their imagery is very different from the RWS and in most cases really convey the shadow aspects of the card. This makes it somewhat difficult to see the traditional meanings of these cards within the imagery itself. These Court Cards would not be a good starting place for those new to Tarot or those who struggle with Court Cards in general. Several of them are monster animals, have shells for a head, or look like Cousin It from the Adams Family. Don’t get me wrong, they are good Court Cards, intuitive, but not a good starting point with Court Cards. The rest of the Minor Arcana are RWS based with some shadow twists. I personally love the 5 of Pentacles showing Big Foot gazing upon some campers with a warm fire and lots of food in the middle of the woods, poor guy must be hungry. As noted in the Preface of the guidebook, the purpose of the deck is to allow us to explore the shadow realms and shadow work to help us gain wisdom and self-awareness safely and with humor. The 208-page companion book, titled The Shadowlands Tarot, is written by Monica Bodirsky. The book has glossy pages and includes small colored versions of the cards. The Forward is written by Liz Dean, which is then followed by a Preface, and then an Introduction section which introduces us to the House of Shadows. Then we have the Major Arcana Section followed by the Minor Arcana Section. Both card sections include a description of the card image, Key Words, Shadows, Message, and Reflections which poses several questions to ponder. The writing is succinct and to the point, and includes health (physical), financial, and love related interpretations at the end of each Message. Starting on Page 178 you have the “How to Use the Cards” section, and it is very informative and useful. This is the section where you find out information on what the Major Arcana are, detailed descriptions of the Suits, their elements, symbols used, etc. There is a section on Court Cards, a section on Reversals. On page 186 you can find a listing of keywords for the Major Arcana, and on the next page basic numerology for numbers 1-10. These aids are great for those just starting their Tarot journey. Where I find the companion book goes above and beyond is in with the Card Layout section, it is robust at 11 spreads (plus the one card reading) none of which are the Celtic Cross or the Horseshoe spreads. There are four three card spreads: Transitions; Past, Present, and Future; Mind, Body, and Spirit; and the Blockbuster. Additional spreads include: the Four Seasons Spread which identifies challenges and advice for each of the four seasons of the year; the Five-Card Element Spread to help us achieve harmony in our environment; the Six-Card Integration Path to integrate your life path with your career; the Seven-Card Shadows of the Past to explore a past life; the Nine-Card Blockbuster for creative breakthroughs and inspiration; the Four-Card Moon Cycle Spread to identify cyclic issues and break unwanted patterns; and last but not least, The Thirteen-Moon Spread which is for advice from your ancestors in the coming year. I have to admit I wish more spreads were focused on the shadow self and troubled times, but that is just a personal thing for me. Few companion books have this plethora of spreads so I still give it a thumbs up. If you like The Adams Family, The Munsters, Monsters Inc., and/or The Nightmare Before Christmas, you will enjoy working with this deck. The art is whimsical, spooky, humorous and serious all at the same time making it a great deck for exploring the shadows or uncomfortable/bad situations. If you are in a place where you need to just be honest with yourself either about you or a situation this deck will shine a bright light on it, so you better really want to know. The tough messages are brought with humor to help your mind accept them and your role in resolving the issues as it holds you accountable as if saying “don’t say I did not tell or warn you.” It is really hard to explain, but the simplest way to put it is that the deck is that good friend that is not judgmental but just tells it like it is leaving the choices and actions to you to follow or not as you see fit. Personally, I love decks that just tell like it is, especially when they do so in a straight-forward but supportive manner. I have to admit, I thought this deck was cute when I bought it, but it has truly exceeded my expectations and is one I will definitely keep and read with. It has become a beloved friend. It can be used for other types of readings, but it really shines in troubled times. I would recommend this deck to those that enjoy Halloween themed decks, shadow work, like dedicating a deck to work with during troubled times, to those that love whimsical decks and yearn for a darker deck to address hard times or do shadow work, to those who read from a psychological perspective, and for intuitive readers. If you are looking for esoteric symbolism, or do not like name changes in your Major Arcana you will most likely be disappointed. I would not really recommend this deck to beginners due to the changes in the Major Arcana, the court cards could be difficult to grasp, and the imagery would differ significantly from anything they would find in a beginners course or website. The book is good, but yeah, I would still recommend holding off on getting this deck for a bit. I would recommend it to intermediate and advanced readers. Would I read for my dear aunt Fifi with this deck? Absolutely, she has a great sense of humor and would love the cues those red booties give. If she was going through a difficult time or wanting to explore her darker or hidden side this would be the first deck I would offer to her for the reading. Even though the imagery is on the darker side, the art style mitigates deep scariness. There is nothing I would consider offensive in this deck, and there is no nudity. As for diversity … well this deck is populated with witches, ghosts, goblins, and monsters so it is not racial diversity but a different type. Gender balance does not really apply to this deck either due to the nature of the characters that populate it. I would be comfortable using it in readings for teenagers and adults. I would also not hesitate to use it when reading for squeamish querents so long as they like Halloween.

Bohemian Gothic Tarot by Jewel The Bohemian Gothic Tarot, designed by Karen Mahony and illustrated by Alex Ukolov, is another baba studio Tarot masterpiece. Yes, I am a baba studios/Magic Realist Press (MRP) fangirl, but with very good reason. The quality and design of their decks puts them in a class of their own. The seed idea for this deck was found in dark stories, events, and images they came across while creating their first deck, Tarot of Prague (MRP 2004), then in macabre fairy tales when working on The Fairytale Tarot (MRP 2005), and became a major topic of conversation within the Aeclectic Tarot Community during their work on the Victorian Romantic (MRP 2006) as Karen shared information with us about some of the engravings and pictures they had run across that were too dark for the Victorian Romantic. We all started joking around about how after they finished the Victorian Romantic they needed to get to work on “The Dark Sister” of the Victorian Romantic. In 2007 baba studious/MRP gave us The Bohemian Gothic Tarot both as a Limited Silver Edition of 500, and a regular deck. To borrow a quote from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone a deck that will “bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses.” This review will focus on the regular edition as it is the most common. Though inspiration for this deck began during their work on previous decks, The Bohemian Gothic evolved and asserted its own voice and personality through the creative process. Alex Ukolov brought that voice to life through modern digital composition and painting techniques, ensuring the cards retained a very strong period feel. As Karen shares with us in the companion book “The cards are based on late 19th century photographs taken from “cabinet” (photographic studio) portraits and from the lyrical, romantic photographic postcards that were fashionable in Germany at this time.” I am not a huge fan of digital art, but Alex’s expert touch always leaves me in awe and wondering if this is really digital art or if I am actually looking at hand painted paintings made specifically for this deck. Yes, he is that good and that effort is put into each and every card. A true feast for the eyes. The Bohemian Gothic does not follow any one Gothic story or novel, though you will see the influences of Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, and others in the work. The genre is captured beautifully. The deck is dark, subtle, and has that eerie Gothic atmosphere permeating throughout. It was created with the intent to show the shadow side of life, and in readings it will reveal the shadows in your own or that of your querent. The deck has the traditional number of 78 cards, 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana retain the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) titles, the difference lies in the Majors not being numbered so the reader can position Strength and Justice at positions 8 and 11 by personal preference. In the Minor Arcana the Suits follow the traditional names and elemental correspondences of Wands/Fire, Cups/Water, Swords/Air, and Pentacles/Earth. The court cards are King, Queen, Knight, and Page. The cards do not rely on exact number of suit icons to tell you what card you are looking at, rather the picture itself tells the story and conveys the meaning of the card. The card number and suit are included at the bottom of the card. I love it when decks do it this way. The cards measure 5” X 3”, and are borderless. The card titles are included in the bottom ¼” of the card in a black band. The card stock is superb, something MRP is known for. These decks are easy to shuffle, durable, and just another sign of the quality that goes into them. The back of the cards are black with what look like silver Gothic architectural elements radiating from a skull. The backs are mirror image (top and bottom) and reversible. Due to its dark nature, the deck was not intended for the use of reversals, but the backs of the cards are reversible, and reversals can be used if the reader so desires. There is a 232-page companion book for this deck. Karen’s writing is as spectacular as Alex’s art. The Introduction tells you all about how the Bohemian Gothic Tarot was conceptualized and developed. It also includes a list of some typical Gothic elements many which you will see on the cards, and others you will sense while reading with this deck. This section is followed by a fascinating and educational section “A Short History of the Gothic” from its origins in the 18th century novel The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole to present day. The next section talks about the structure of the companion book, and gives some additional insights into the deck. Other sections of the book include: “A Short History of Tarot”; “Learning the Tarot” which includes some good information on court cards and numbers 1-10; “Reading Styles, Spread Styles” which talks about the different styles and approaches to reading tarot, introduces spreads, use of a significator, patterns and making a story, etc. The next section is “Sample Spreads” which includes the following spreads and sample readings: One-card Draw, Three-card Spreads (5 options), Five-card Spreads, The Prague “Threshold” Spread, and two spreads designed specifically for the Baroque Bohemian Gothic Tarot: The Secret Fears Spread and the Vampire Spread. So, as you can see, lots of spreads. The book moves onto a discussion of the Major Arcana, information on The Bohemian Gothic Majors and then into the cards themselves. Each card includes key words for lighter/conventional meanings and darker/shadow or hidden meanings, then a description of the card and more interpretive details, and finally some further ways to consider the card which includes questions and notes about shared imagery with other cards in the deck for you to look at and think about. Juicy stuff! Following the Majors we get into the Minor Arcana which has an introduction and then each suit has its section. The Minors get the same treatment as the Majors in the book. Lastly is the section on the Court Cards. The book also includes some additional genre based sections interspersed throughout: The Vampire, Evil from Foreign places and people, The Hauted House or Castle, Madness and delusion, and The Warewolf or Man-beast. Also of note is the “A Final Word” section of the book which features a piece written by Dan Pelletier titled “Working with a “dark” deck." This is not a deck for the faint at heart, those who do not want the cold hard truth, look at or admit to their own personal shadow, or those who like to sugarcoat things. There is no room for that with this deck and it can be emotionally demanding. This deck is a dark deck, and lives up to that billing plain and simple. It sets the mood, and activates the darker side of your psyche. Beautiful, check. Tempting, check. Mysterious, check. Unsettling, check. Haunting, check. To me one of the most beautiful and disturbing cards in the deck is The Devil card. It is sensual, seductive, and painful all in one. The horror of it. This is what this deck does so well. Like all other MRP decks I have experience working with, this one is extremely readable and ignites your intuition with its evocative imagery. Personally, I find this deck great for personal readings because well, in my personal experience, it will not allow me the luxury to delude myself or engage in the creation of false hope. The readings can be like ripping off band-aids, but the clarity allows you to face whatever is going on head on. If you do not want to really know, then do not pick up the deck until you are. You might want to warn your querents about the directness and light this deck will shine on their shadows when you read for them. If they have something to hide The Bohemian Gothic will be sure to shed a really bright light on it. Do not read with this deck if you are in a fragile state of mind. I recommend this deck to persons who enjoy the classic Gothic genre, like dark decks, want to rip away the shadows and expose the issues, those open to face the darker aspects of themselves, collectors, and MRP deck enthusiasts. The deck is sure to delight intuitive readers with an interest in the Gothic. The deck will likely appeal to persons interested in Gothic art, literature and classic horror films as it really captures the best of the genre. This deck includes a lot of Gothic symbolism, but not esoteric. I feel this deck could be read by readers of all levels because the art and book are just that good. You can definitely see the RWS influence and base, but it is not a RWS clone. I would not recommend this deck to persons suffering from depression or those that are mentally or emotionally fragile. There is no offensive nudity in the deck. This is a deck that might appeal to a lot of querents based on its esthetic, but I would recommend warning them that it will bring to light that which lies in the shadows, so to make sure they can handle the cold truths it might deliver. I would not offer up a reading with it to sweet little aunt “Fify”, but that is me. In Sum, this really is a stunning deck. It is very readable, eloquent and expressive. In my personal opinion it is a masterpiece like every other MRP deck I have ever had the pleasure to read with. Though I feel a responsibility to warn people of the impact it can have I am compelled to reiterate that it is a fabulous and perfectly executed dark deck. If you like dark decks, either for collecting or reading with, this is a must have deck.

The Fey Tarot By Jewel Those of you who know me know I have an affinity towards faerie themed decks. What you probably did not know (or care), is that this is the faerie deck that started my love of faerie themed decks. The Fey Tarot by Riccardo Minetti with artwork by Mara Aghem was published by LoScarabeo in 2002 as a deck and book set. I will confess upfront, that when I first saw images of the deck I thought it was kind of childish, but a friend on Aeclectic Tarot insisted I buy and try it, that I would really like it. She knew me well, so as I talked to her on the phone about it I pranced into Barnes & Noble and picked up my copy. I am so glad I listened to her, she was right. This became my new primary reading deck for the next 12-15 years. These are not your British or Victorian faeries of folklore, they are much more universal in nature. The art has an Anime feel to it, and the colors are bright and vivid. Think graphic Anime novels. Some of the images will appeal to your inner child, but the deck is mature and for all ages. What I love most about this deck is that it was the first deck I ever encountered that used the illustrations to provide the meanings to the cards without feeling like it had to include the number of corresponding suit symbols as part of the illustration itself. Instead of being distracted by 8 to 10 of the suit symbol object I was drawn into the world of the Fey. The illustrations themselves tell the story that is the card. For the time I think this was a novel concept that has since become much more common. The faces are expressive, and thoughts and emotions are felt through the combination of the facial expressions, use of body language, and background scenery weaving the story of your reading. The deck is your traditional LoScarabeo deck, measuring approximately 4.75” X 2.60” with the card titles in 5 languages. The card number and English language in the top border, and the Italian, French, German, and Spanish card titles in the bottom border. The backdrops of the card a lilac color with ¼” borders on the top and sides, and a ½” border at the bottom. The illustrations are framed with a thin colored line as follows: yellow for the Major Arcana, and blue for the Chalices, green for the Wands, purple for the Pentacles, and red for the Swords of the Minor Arcana. The card backs have a ¼” white border, with a dark purple frame with a symmetrical monochromatic purple and white mirror image of the Lover’s Card. The cards are reversible. The deck is Raider Wait Smith (RWS) based. The following changes have been made in the names of Major Arcana cards: The High Priestess is called The Seer, The Hierophant is called The Wisest, and The Star is called The Stars. Strength is in position VIII and Justice at IX. The court cards are Knave, Knight, Queen and King, with two of cards of each gender per suit. The Chalices and Pentacles have female Knaves and male Knights, and the Wands and Swords have male Knaves, and female Knights. I really like many of the court cards in this deck, as they are lively and have personality. Overall if you are familiar with the RWS system, you will not have a problem using this deck. The companion book, The Fey Tarot – Dreams, Joy and Magic, is 158 pages in length and includes preliminary sketches of cards throughout the first 35 pages of the book with commentary. I really enjoy Mr. Minetti’s warm and friendly writing style, reading the book was as if I was sitting in an Italian café having a beer with him listening to him to go on about Tarot, Faeries, and how this deck came to be. The book starts off with a section on how to use the book then moves into the introduction which speaks about the idea for the deck and the working method of the deck which details the depth of collaboration and synergy between Mr. Minetti and Ms. Aghem. Mr. Minetti follows this section with a section on the Introduction of Tarot which covers historical information, the masters of European Esotericism, and artistic perspective. The next section titled And Finally … Divination gets into the meat of this magical deck. It speaks to why the Fey were selected for this project, the structure of this deck which dispenses with astrological designs and cabalistic references but maintains all references to life ensuring that cards “provide a parallel between what is in a card and an emotion or recognizable sensation.” And this deck does this so well. The themes running behind each suit, as noted in the companion book, are: • CHALICES: “represent the emotional and spiritual world." • SWORDS: “represent the intellectual and conflicting world." • PENTACLES: “represent the physical world, the world objects and earthly securities." • WANDS: “represent the world of man, what he does, feels, asks …” Armed with 36 pages of information you are now ready to move into the cards themselves, first the Major Arcana, then the Minor Arcana, and last but not least the Court Cards. Both the sections on the Majors and Minors include black & white pictures of the cards. The Majors section gives you the following for each card: The Sentence, which speaks to the elements of significance of the Arcana. The Image, which is a description of the card. The Simple Meaning, which is a key phrase or phrases. The Advanced Meaning, which is a description that highlights elements of the cards and how they interrelate. And lastly The Chosen Symbols. The Minors sections include: The Image, Simple Meaning, Advanced Meaning, Symbols Used. The Court Card section includes: Personality, Image, Simple Meaning, and Advanced Meaning. On page 149 its time to dip your toes into Divinatory Spreads. In this last section of the book he explains what divinatory spreads are and talks about ritual. We then move into the Dream Joy Magic 3 card spread, the 2 card Fey Child spread which he recommends for reflecting on the cards or meditating. Then you get into larger spreads such as The Cross of the Four Kingdoms which starts with 4 cards and is expanded adding onto the reading as you go, and finally we have the Six Stars spread which is general in design. In my years of experience working with this deck I found it great for all kinds of readings, a very good general deck. Reading with it becomes telling a story to answer the question. I am not a huge fan of Anime art, and this deck is not Anime in its strictest sense, but the way it reads transcended any reservations that I had going in. Some cards convey deep emotions others make you laugh out loud. Together they are everything I could have ever hoped for and more. This is one of those decks that I will treasure forever and never retire. The Fey Tarot is great for Tarot enthusiasts of all levels. Intuitive readers or those expanding their intuitive reading abilities should give this deck a try. Beginners can enjoy the deck without getting bogged down with the esoteric symbolism, because the companion book will help you make the journey. If you can only get the deck, and not the book, then I recommend having a RWS deck handy so you can reference the books you are using in your learning process. Those interested in storytelling and writing will also like this deck. If you are particular about your court cards having an even male to female ratio this deck offers that. And of course, if you are like me and love faeries and Tarot then this deck is definitely one you want to add to your collection. In addition, it is a good deck to use with querents that are nervous about Tarot as whole. If you are looking for a deck steeped in esoteric symbolism this is probably not the deck you are looking for. As of this writing the deck/book set is out of print. But I have seen both the deck and book very reasonably priced on E-bay.

Tarot of the Sweet Twilight By Jewel The Tarot of the Sweet Twilight by Cristina Benintende was published by LoScarabeo in 2009. This deck transports you into the mysterious in-between time of twilight; to a surreal world somewhere between life and death, dreams and wakefulness, reality and imagination. It is populated by haunting characters in surreal landscapes. If you are willing to step in, you will find yourself in a place where you will experience the bitter-sweetness that lies within melancholy … and more. This is a deck that touches the heart, calls to the imagination, and sparks intuition. In describing the deck what first comes to my mind is that it looks like a cross between the Fey Tarot (also by LoScarabeo) and a Tim Burton film. The Tarot of the Sweet Twilight is based on personal symbolism to the artist, not esoteric symbolism. The vibrant and rich coloring does not lend itself to elemental correspondences, but the stunning use of color establishes the mood and intensity of the cards. The deck is very cohesive throughout, expertly establishing the Sweet Twilight theme like a bright star. The symbolism is relatively universal in nature so though the symbols (butterflies, masks, birds, etc) are personal they are also accessible to the reader. This deck is not only a gorgeous work of art, it is very original yet traditional all in one. Like its name states, it lives in the Sweet Twilight. The Major Arcana retain traditional titles, and the surrealistic art translates these images into this Twilight world while retaining traditional meanings. Justice is placed at VIII and Strength at XI. The Minor arcana are Chalices, Wands, Pentacles and Swords. Like the Majors the Minor Arcana do not follow the Rider-Waite-Smith imagery but do convey similar meaning through original art. The court cards are Knave, Knight, Queen and King. They are very interesting. Each court card is doing something that tells you something about their character, who they are and how they are. I found this very helpful in understanding their personality and the difference between each rank and suit. The deck is the standard LoScarabeo sized deck (approximately 4 ¾ x 2 ½ inches) and quality, and has the card title in 6 languages in the ¼ inch indigo border of each card. I have to say that after a few years it will show wear, but honestly with this deck it just adds to the feeling of this deck. The backs of the cards are mirror images of surrealistic art and are reversible. The deck comes with a 63-page Little White Book (LWB), and the information contained within is in 5 different languages, about 12 pages per language. It does not include divinatory meanings, but descriptions that give you points to jump off from. It is clear that this deck is meant to stir your imagination and intuition. I find that a plus. The LWB includes one six-card spread designed for the deck called Your Guiding Star. The spread takes you within yourself, to your own sweet twilight zone. In my opinion this deck is a dream for intuitive readers and empaths, and those using tarot for self-exploration and self-development. Fans of Tim Bourton and Surreal art will probably also really like this deck. It is ripe with emotion, and the eyes of the characters in the cards are truly the windows to their souls. There are strong psychological and emotional elements to the Tarot of the Sweet Twilight, but I would not pigeon whole the deck for that exclusive use as I have found it to be good in all types of readings. Is the deck appropriate for those new to Tarot? Yes and no. If the interest is to read intuitively then yes, however I think it is more suited for intermediate to advanced readers already familiar with traditional images, as it will add a whole new level of dimension to those meanings. If you cannot tell by now, this is one of my favorite decks of all time and I would recommend it to everyone. My hat is off to artist Cristina Benintende, she walked so many lines and levels creating this deck, any one of which could have just made it a cool surreal art deck, but instead she created a work with incredible depth and meaning as well as gorgeous art. The only complaint I have is that there is no full-size companion book to take me deeper into that world.

Osho Zen Tarot - The Transcendental Game of Zen By Jewel The Osho Zen Tarot – Transcendental Game of Zen, created by Ma Deva Padma, was published by St. Martin’s Press in 1994. I am one of those people that goes all googly-eyed when I see bright jewel toned colored decks so of course I had to have it. I have to admit that after all these years I am still not sure how to classify this deck, as a Tarot or an Oracle. That is the million-dollar question I ask myself every time I pull out this deck. Honestly, I am not sure if I will ever fully answer that question for myself. It has less to do with it being a non-traditional deck and more to do with how it feels when I read with it. Hard to explain. This is a well-loved deck by many, but I know from reading some Aeclectic Tarot and TT&M forum posts, as well as some conversations with a few members from these forums that I am not the only one that is not sure how to classify it. The more I think about this deck, and I will confess it has taken me the better part of three months to write this review, I believe it has to do with blending Zen with Tarot. The goal of Zen is enlightenment and transcendence, the goal of the Tarot is to provide insight, answers and advice regarding the mundane, though it is also a tool for personal transformation and spiritual growth. If you elevate life to the Zen Master or Buddah level it is no longer life as we know and experience it and perhaps that is where I get all bogged down trying to use this deck as a Tarot deck. I am simply not as enlightened as I would like to think I am, most of us are not Zen Masters, much less Buddahs, and many of us know next to nothing about Zen. The art in the Osho Zen Tarot is simply gorgeous. It is evocative, draws you in, and really sparks the imagination. The colors are so vivid and the imagery is very thought provoking. This is a deck I could sit and look at for hours on end and never get bored. A variety of art styles have been used throughout the deck some are cartoony, some are gorgeous flowing water color paintings, and others are very geometric and contemporary, however they all work so well together that the deck remains cohesive. Equal attention was dedicated art-wise to the Major and Minor Arcana. The card stock is on par with Llewellyn and US Games decks, and flexible enough to riffle shuffle with ease. The cards seem quite durable as I have had my set for years, and riffle shuffled them without scuffs or other problems. I am not overly fussy about card stock, so I have no problem with it. The cards measure approximately 4.25” X 2.75" and have a 1/8” black border on the top and sides and ¾” at the bottom. The card images have a very thin white frame around them and at the bottom center of the card image, half on the image and half in the black ¾” bottom border, is a color-coded diamond with the number or court card symbol for the card. The card titles are on the bottom ¾” black border in white easy to read block letters. The backs of the cards are done with water color circles in oranges, ocre, yellow, olive green, pale blue bleeding together, with three black lines running the length of the card and more abstract black lines running through those three lines. Due to the design they are not reversible, but it is not as obvious as the backs of many decks out there with non-reversible backs. The Osho Zen Tarot is classified as a Tarot deck as it contains the requisite elements to be classified as such: it has Major Arcana, Minor Arcana Suits with Ace-10, and Court Cards corresponding to each suit. It is considered non-traditional in that said structure is modified by the addition of an unnumbered Major Arcana card, there are name changes to the Majors, the naming of the suits is changed, and there are significant changes to the Court Cards. The Major Arcana cards are denoted by a purple diamond and numbered with Roman numerals. One additional Major Arcana card has been added to this deck, The Master which is a picture of Osho himself. The purpose of this additional card according to the companion book: “In the traditional tarot deck this journey [through the Major Arcana] of self-discovery was perceived as a kind of spiral, with each Completion leading to a new level on the path, a new beginning with the re-entry of The Fool. In this deck, however, the Master card has been added. This card allows us to leave the spiral behind, to jump off the wheel of death and rebirth. The Master card symbolizes the ultimate transcendence that becomes possible only through the dissolving of separate, individual ego in enlightenment.” It is important to note there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding Osho and his followers and I have read that a some people just take The Master card out of the deck. I leave it in though I ascribe a way different meaning to it than intended in the deck. To me this is a card of outright deceit and/or hoodwinking, but again that is my personal perspective and one that would likely garner quite a bit a criticism from Osho followers. But I am neither into Zen or Osho and am one of those people that take into account some of the issues based on Osho follower actions in my country. There are quite a few name changes to the Major Arcana, in fact only two Major Arcana cards retain their traditional names (0 The Fool and VI The Lovers), but overall you will easily be able to make the correlation between the new name and the traditional with some exceptions, most notable IV The Rebel and V No-Thingness. Here is a list of the Major Arcana in the Osho-Zen, with the traditional Tarot name in parenthesis for your reference: 0 The Fool I Existence (Magician) II Inner Voice (High Priestess) III Creativity (Empress) IV The Rebel (Emperor) V No-Thingness (Hierophant) VI The Lovers VII Awareness (Chariot) VIII Courage (Strength) IX Aloneness (Hermit) X Change (Wheel of Fortune) XI Breakthrough (Justice) XII New Vision (Hanged Man) XIII Transformation (Death) XIV Integration (Temperance) XV Conditioning (Devil) XVI Thunderbolt (Tower) XVII Silence (Star) XVIII Past Lives (Moon) XIX Innocence (Sun) XX Beyond Illusion (Judgement) XXI Completion (World) The Master – this is the extra card with a picture of Osho The Minor Aracana are denoted by the appropriate color-coded diamond with an Arabic number or court card symbol per suit. It is in the Minor Arcana that I start to have my bigger issues with this deck. The companion book states: “These 56 cards are divided into four suits representing the four elements … The cards of the Water suit have a blue diamond, those of Fire red, Clouds have a grey diamond, and Rainbows, a rainbow-colored diamond.” Huh? Rainbows and Clouds are elements? This is news to me! I can see the correlation of Clouds and Air, but I do not get the Rainbows for Earth and never will. Believe me I have tried. This is where the deck starts losing me as Tarot reader and makes me think of this deck as more of an Oracle deck. These are my main issues with this deck: 1. The suit progression within the Minor Arcana feels different and at times at odds to me, and I am not a fan of keywords on my Tarot cards. 2. I have no problem with suit renaming, but I cannot wrap my head around the Rainbows=Pentacles=Earth, call me old fashioned or traditionalist if you will. If you are going to name the suits representing the four elements then call them Water, Fire, Air, and Earth. 3. The court cards don’t feel or act as court cards in my opinion, more on this later. Lets’ talk about the Suits starting with my least favorite. The suit of Clouds, though the emphasis is on the mental plane (like Swords), carries a lot of negativity and mental baggage making it, at least to me, a dreaded suit to see in most cases. Here is the progression through the suit of Clouds: Ace-Consciousness, 2-Schizophrenia, 3-Ice-Olation, 4-Postponement, 5-Comparison, 6-The Burden, 7-Politics, 8-Guilt, 9-Sorrow, and 10-Rebirth, which does not jive with your traditional 10 of Swords on any level. I have already expressed my problems with the name of the Suit of Rainbows, but it goes it beyond that for me. The Ace is called Maturity, things do not start Mature so this is why I have trouble with this card representing an Ace, it brings the potential but not Maturity itself. Some cards in this suit are easily translatable to traditional Tarot such as the 4-The Miser, 5-The Outsider and 10-We Are The World. But other cards such as Maturity (Ace), 6-Compromise, 8-Ordinatireness just don’t work for me. I have some issues with the Suits of Water and Fire as well, but they are minor in comparison to my issues with the Clouds and Rainbows. Honestly, the more I think about this as I write this review I find the minors better suited as Oracle Cards instead of Tarot Cards. Onto the Court Cards. In the introduction of the book they explain that the Court Cards have been “stripped of their feudal titles and given names to simply represent different opportunities for mastery over the four elements that they occupy.” but they still call them by their traditional names (King, Queen, Knight, Page) in the book which just added to my confusion and to my brain continually trying to tie the two together. Here is a list of the Court Cards by rank with their given names: Kings: Fire/The Creator, Water/Healing, Clouds/Control, Rainbows/Abundance. Queens: Fire/Sharing, Water/Receptivity, Clouds/Morality, Rainbows/Flowering. Knights: Fire/Intensity, Water/Trust, Clouds/Fighting, Rainbows/Slowing Down. Pages: Fire/Playfulness, Water/Understanding, Clouds/Mind, Rainbows/Adventure In this deck I find the Court Cards extremely confusing to identify without keeping out a cheat sheet to remind me that the up-arrow=Kings, down arrow=Queens, arrow to the left=Knights, and arrow to the right=Pages. That is compounded by the cards having a key word describing an opportunity for elemental mastery versus telling me that it is the King, Queen, Knight or Page, and in several cases I do not even associate said elemental opportunity for mastery with the given court card (i.e. Knight of Water=Trust, King of Water=Healing, Queen of Clouds=Morality, Queen of Fire=Sharing, Knight of Rainbows=Slowing Down, Page of Rainbows=Adventure or Page of Water=Understanding). The Court Cards in this deck, as a whole set, just do not work for me as court cards. So yeah, overall, I am probably making this more complicated than it needs to be, but they frustrate me. I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but again since when are Rainbows or Clouds elements that can be occupied? Yes, I am rolling my eyes at this and by now you are probably rolling yours at me which I can understand. The Companion book is one of my least favorite companion books of all time. I would have liked to learn more in the introduction about how they are relating Zen to the Tarot, why they chose Rainbows and Clouds as elements (sorry cannot let this go!), and frankly Oshos teachings are just not my cup of tea. What I do love about it is the artist descriptions of the images. I got a lot from those. Towards the back of the companion book there are several spreads: The Diamond (5 cards) for clarity on a specific issue; The Flying Bird (7 cards) which delves into the balance of our feminine/masculine energies; The Key (8 cards) is to gain insight into hidden and unconscious aspects of a particular issue; The Mirror (12 cards) to gain insight when relating to someone else; The Celtic Cross (10 cards); Relating-A Quickie (4 cards) another spread about relating to someone else; The Super Quickie (1 card) for insight into your day or meditation; and the Paradox in which you split the deck in three and work with your chosen third – this spread is about looking at here and now, your past life influences, and a card you select from the rest of your pile which provides insight into the paradox. The spreads are interesting. My favorite part of the book is the glossary of symbolism at the very back and it tells you the symbolism of birds, chains, and everything else you might find in an image. This section is useful when looking at any deck as a reference. In 2003 a second book was written for this deck titled “Tarot in the Spirit of Zen – The Game of Life” by Osho. Of course, I purchased it in hopes that it was better than the companion, but no, it was just more in-depth Osho teachings. My favorite parts of this book were the Tables of Correspondences starting on page 200-202 which show the Correspondences of the Osho Zen Tarot Cards to the Raider-Waite-Smith and the Thoth decks, and at the very back of the book are some beautiful small glossy Major Arcana cards from the Osho Zen you can punch out. By now you are most likely questioning why in the beginning of this review I said I liked the deck, yet proceeded to tear it down. I have said a lot of harsh things about this deck, and they are reflective of my own personal frustrations in trying to use it as Tarot deck. I do like it just not as a Tarot deck. The Majors work for me OK as Tarot Majors, but the Minors don’t. The Minors for the most part seem more suited for an Oracle deck. This deck is truly hybrid, which is another reason I have struggled so much with it. When I pick up a Tarot deck I want Tarot. When I pick up an Oracle deck I want an Oracle. Apparently, when I pick up a hybrid I get frustrated. As a Tarot reader I was tying myself in knots trying to read this as I read most of my Tarot decks – especially when Court Cards were involved or cards from the suit of Clouds popped up – until I finally just gave into the imagery and began to read intuitively and without paying much attention to suits, the rank of the courts or names of the aces. I used the key words as spring boards and let the imagery do the rest. When reading in this fashion I really enjoyed reading with this deck. The imagery is so rich, thought provoking, and evocative, and when I stopped thinking about suits and ranks I could take the cards in as a whole, so negative Clouds did not matter to me, and the Rainbows were fine, and the Ace of Water “Going with the Flow” and the ace of Rainbows being Mature were no longer issues for me. As Tarot they just weren’t for me, as an Oracle they were masterful and have incredible depth. The deck is suitable for all types of readings, it is not a deck that should be pigeonholed into one specific type of reading. I think it is particularly well suited for meditation. I would recommend this deck to persons who primarily enjoy Oracles and want to delve more into Tarot, or persons who primarily prefer Tarot and want to work with an Oracle that has more structure to it than your typical oracles and want an Oracle with some “teeth.” I also recommend this deck for intuitive readers as the imagery is spectacular. Those persons that like to use cards for meditation would also enjoy this deck. I would not recommend this deck to a beginner because there is no instruction what so ever on how to start working with or reading the cards, and it will not match up to any other literature you will find in books or online Tarot learning resources. If you have strong traditional historical Tarot foundations and have expectations of what you will find in each suit stay away from this deck, it will frustrate you. I do not even consider myself all that into historical tradition and traditional meanings and it frustrated me. The court cards will absolutely drive you bonkers. Would I read with this deck for Aunt Fifi? She would really love the art, nothing offensive here, though some imagery especially in the suit of Clouds might frighten her and if the image did not the key word might, but if she wanted me to I would read for her with it.

The Cosmic Tribe By Jewel I wrote this review for Aeclectic many years ago. My love for the deck remains after all of these years so I thought I would post this review here as well. My first impression when looking through the cards of this deck was WOW! The images on the computer screen just did not do justice to the real thing. What I purchased originally as a novelty quickly became my favorite deck to work with. The Cosmic Tribe is photographic collage enhanced with computer graphic elements creating a lively and vibrant deck reflecting the new century. The three dimensional effects add both depth and movement to the cards. The colors used are bright and deliberately selected adding to the meaning of the cards. There is a playfulness in this deck that I have not seen any other of its high caliber. The deck synthesizes elements of various cultural traditions including paganaism, indigenous shamanism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The deck uses nudity as one of its primary elements and as a key part of its design. It is NOT an erotic deck. The nudity is artistic, tasteful and within the context of the cards. All genders and body types are portrayed. This deck is definitely not suited for those that are offended by graphic nudity. From my experience at the Aeclectic Tarot Forums, people either love or hate this deck, there seems to be no in-between. Arabic numbers are used on the Major Arcana, with Balance as card 8 and Strength as 11. Justice has been renamed Balance 8, and Judgment has been renamed Emergence 20. There are three Lovers cards from which to choose: male/female, female/female, and male/male. Card suits and elemental correspondence is: swords/air, wands/fire, cups/water and disks/earth. The Cosmic Tribe is largely based on Crowley's Thoth deck. Court cards are Queen, Knight, Princess and Prince. The Minor Arcana are pips with graphic design elements, but are not fully illustrated as in the Raider Waite type decks, they are what I call "moody minors." However, it is important to note that the use of color and the graphic designs are extremely evocative. Cards are a little oversized, measuring 5" X 3". The backs of the cards are non-reversible with 4 mini-cards representing the elements on each fourth of the card and a large cosmic eye in the center. Each of the elemental mini-cards also includes a cosmic eye, which is a theme that runs through this deck. The border on the back of the cards is black, this the edges begin to show a little wear quickly due to the quality of the card stock. If there was one thing I would change about this deck it would be for it to be printed on higher quality card-stock. The faces of the cards have a thin white border, which nicely off-sets the vibrant colors. The book that accompanies the deck is excellent guiding the reader to understand the cards and their power, not simply giving cookie-mold definitions of the meanings of the cards. Poetry related to each card is included, and although most of the book is dedicated to the actual cards, there is also a section on working with the cards that includes spreads, meditation and information on deck storage. Overall I think this is an excellent deck and book set! I have found The Cosmic Tribe to be extremely clear in readings and very easy use. It is also good for meditative work. I would recommend this deck to Tarot enthusiasts of all experience levels, and is a must for deck collectors for being the first to include three versions of the Lovers card to choose from. It is refreshing to see such a wonderful creation. Thank you Stevee Postman!

I love this gorgeous, luminous little deck, it's one of my favorites. It's one of the most charming, whimsical tarot decks I’ve ever seen, and I think the colors and the design are absolutely fantastic. This is a hard deck to photograph; the cards are small and the camera doesn't easily convey how vivid the colors are, or how effective the contrast is between the dark blues and blue-grey (the artist's favorite color) and the glints of bright colors throughout. I've never tested it, but it seems like a deck that might actually glow in the dark. The theme is generally artistic inspiration and idealism — the suits are presented as brushes (wands), hearts (cups), quills (swords), and diamonds (pentacles). The court cards are dreamers (pages), the vehicle-driving zeealots (knights), paragons (queens), and mentors (kings). It's a gentle deck, full of subtle insight; I love reading with it and my friends love getting readings from it. Its relative low price among tarot decks makes it something of a wonder for me. Note that the tuck box it comes in isn't very sturdy and fell apart very rapidly, so you'll want to find a small tarot bag or box as unique as the deck is. 🙂