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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 deck comes with a full-sized book, illustrated with small black-and-white pictures of the cards, and in-depth explanations, keywords, background and card interpretations. The book includes three spreads; one of them is the Celtic Cross. I would have loved to have a deck-specfic spread added. The deck came with a simple canvas drawstring bag. The bag itself comes in a cardboard box. This is a very special deck, and not one that you can use right out of the box. If you don't have prior knowledge of Finnish mythology, you'll need to read the book first and understand the strange and wonderful world this deck sprang from. Susanna Salo illustrated most of the deck; however, in her foreword she mentions that her friend Laura Kautovaara contributed some of the cards. The art style is expressive, mysterious and of a wild beauty. The suits have been renamed: Wands are The Folk of Fire Cups are The Folk of Water Swords are The Folk of Air Pentacles are The Folk of Earth All the majors bear names from Finnish mythology, for example: The High Priestess is The Mother of Lemminkäinen The Chariot is Lamentation of the Boat Temperance is Maid of Pohjola The World is The Tree of Life I have a deep, life-long love for Finland, its landscape and its culture. My parents gave me a Finnish name after spending their honeymoon in Finland, and I have spent many happy summers in Finland. I love the sound of the language and have always wanted to learn it. So when I saw this deck, I knew that I had to have it. It has not disappointed me. This is definitely a deck that will take you out of your comfort zone and will add depth and new nuances to the card meanings, and you may get some unexpected answers. -
I chose this deck after going through umpteen flip-throughs of many decks. Not because I am hooked on cats (although I do love cats), but because I was seeking a non-scary RWS deck to use when reading for others. Some querents are worried about the imagery in normal RWS decks. However, I am not a fan of cutesy decks either, so I was seeking a happy medium. The Cat's Eye Tarot flip-through on YouTube appealed to me, so I took a chance and ordered it from Amazon. The deck has more than met my expectations. I have given my review 5 stars because I am very happy with the deck. It does have a small weakness or two, which I will mention later. But overall ...well done to the artist and author, Debra M Given, DVM. STRENGTHS: 1) Card size - a very normal tarot size. The cards measure 7 x 12 cm / 2.75 x 5 in. They are smooth and easy to handle. Riffle shuffling is easy with this deck. .................. 2) The back of the deck—a large sideways cat face—distinct enough that it doesn't get mixed up with the front images, yet retains the theme .................. 3) The RWS-based depictions are VERY well thought out. There are no lazy cards in the deck, although the Court Cards are a little vague ...but so are Court Cards in many decks. Card examples pictured in this review: The Fool shows a kitten perched precariously on the railing of a porch, ready to jump at a bee. It is excited, caught up in the moment, and unaware of the danger of falling or being stung! Very much The Fool. The Devil shows a very fat cat gobbling away at its food ...addicted to a bad habit. The 5 of Wands shows five kittens engaged in a playful scuffle ...the good-tempered rivalry that 5 of Wands usually indicates. The 5 of Cups shows a mother cat watching a woman walking away with two kittens in a carrier. Loss and helplessness are well portrayed here. The 7 of Cups shows a cat mesmerised by a fish tank on TV ...but because it's a TV picture only, the vision has no real substance. The 9 of Swords shows an unhappy cat cowering underneath a bed, obviously terrified of something—which will probably turn out to be a vacuum cleaner or some change to its environment which the cat doesn't like. In other words, this cat is trapped by its own imagination and thinking the worst. .................. 4) The little white book - This is exceptionally useful, and well presented. It is written by creator of the deck, Debra M Given, and contains a short introduction, a very useful description and interpretation of each card, and an intriguing 9-card spread at the end—'9 lives'—grouped as Youth, Mid-Life, and Maturity. I haven't tried this spread for myself yet, but intend to shortly. WEAKNESSES The only real weakness in this deck is the sometimes-indistinct artwork. I love that Dr Given's depictions are realistic, but while the cats are very accurately pictured as real cats, the watercolour treatment of the images is unclear in places. The accompanying Little White Book explains the images very well, but on first glance some of the elements in the pictures just aren't clear. Example: the 5 of Cups. While it's an excellent idea—a mother cat watching helplessly as her kittens are taken away from her—the image itself isn't clear. What is that blob in the distance? Oh, it's a woman carrying something. But what? The fact that what she's carrying is a carrier containing two kittens is very hard to make out. The fact that the kitten in The Fool is jumping at a bee also isn't clear. The bee looks like part of the tree, and the fact that the kitten is about to jump also isn't clear. However, once the pictures are explained in the Little White Book, the deck works really well, so I haven't removed a star from my rating. However, the deck would be improved if the images were more distinct. I also have to note that the box is simply a flip-top box. I intend to get a better box for it. Not really a weakness, as it also keeps the price more affordable. But not ideal for heavy use. OVERALL IMPRESSION - Exactly what I wanted from a non-scary, non-cutesy RWS-based deck. -
From the album: Mythological & Folklore Decks
Author: Various Publisher & Year: Rowen Ong, 2022 Card Size: 2.75" x 4.5" Purchase at: https://www.seamstarot.museum-tarot.org/ This is a collaborative deck. SEAMS is short for Southeast Asian Myths & Stories. The guidebook includes descriptions of the stories on which the cards were based. The deck includes a few extra cards like the happy squirrel. A booster deck with alternate art for some cards was also produced. -
From the album: Specialty Decks
Independently published deck. No accompanying book. 79 cards - includes a Happy Squirrel. The suits are replaced by: Plumes for Swords, Blooms for Cups, Bones for Pentacles, and Stones for Wands. The artist is Andrew Swartz, his website is here. The artwork for the entire deck can be viewed here. -
Mystical Shaman Oracle Deck The Mystical Shaman Oracle Deck is a “blend of mystical and shamanic wisdom” that is inspired by multiple ancient traditions and practices. It is a 64-card deck that covers a range of ancient symbols. When consulting the cards, you connect with Spirit through these symbols. Some symbols are more familiar to the average, modern person (such as Fire or Moon) while other symbols might be more abstract (such as The Spiral or The Corn). The deck was designed to use reversals, so each card has two ultimate interpretations. The “Essence” of the card remains the same, however whether the card is upright or upside down will determine whether Spirit is giving you an “Invitation” (a message that offers a gift or call to action) or “Medicine” (a message the touches upon something that needs work or to be improved upon). When I purchased this deck, I wasn’t necessarily seeking out an oracle deck but I somehow stumbled across it while browsing the internet. I instantly fell in love with the artwork and could not stop thinking about the deck. I felt so much energy and inspiration from the preview of cards that I saw so I knew I had to get it. Upon arrival, I was slightly disappointed because the actual cards weren’t quite as vibrant in their color as the pictures on the internet suggested. There was a slight dullness to them. The card-stock was also very thick, making it difficult for me to shuffle at first. Despite this, I still felt connected to the deck and continued to use it. I found that the artwork remained profound to me and I eventually got the hang of shuffling the deck. If anything, the thick card-stock is nice because the cards have proven to be durable over time. The deck comes with a small companion book. The pictures of the cards in the book are in black and white, but that doesn’t bother me because it is in the cards themselves that I look for energy and connection. The explanation of eachcard is separated into three parts as I mentioned above: “Essence,” “Invitation,” and “Medicine.” The descriptions are typically concise yet always complete. I have never been left with a feeling of confusion or wonder on what more a card might mean. Overall, I absolutely love this deck. I don’t typically go for New Age things, yet the artwork drew me in and I am happy it did. The blend of traditions and practices might not appeal to many, and I can totally understand that. But I think it is still worth giving a shot because the messages are all pure, motivating, and genuine. I use this deck in a number of ways such as drawing a card for an overall theme of a tarot reading, looking for a message of the week, seeking inspiration when in a challenging position, and so much more. It is powerful as a stand-alone yet flexible to use with other tools such as tarot. The fact that this deck is the result of a blend of traditions is what I think makes it so applicable and adaptable to a variety of uses. And did I mention the artwork is gorgeous?! -
EVERYDAY WITCH TAROT by Jewel The Everyday Witch by Deborah Blake was published by Llewellyn in 2017 as a deck and book set. My first impressions on seeing images online were that it was just another teen witch deck. I was wrong. Yes, it will appeal to that audience, but there is much more to it than that, and it has something to offer more mature readers as well. The art is by Elisabeth Alba, and done in vivid watercolor. The art is very inviting and captivating. The facial expressions and body language of the characters tell a thousand words all on their own. Though clearly inspired by the Rider-Waite-Smith the artwork is original, and in many cases a very fresh take on the meanings of the cards, especially in the Major Arcana. One example of this is the Hierophant card, that instead of having a Priestly type figure has a Yoga instructor teaching her students. Or how about a motorcycle as the Chariot?. There is something very refreshing about the imagery that also makes the Tarot very accessible and like the art, inviting. The art is as superb and detailed in the Minor Arcana as it is in the Majors. I love it when decks give both the same attention to detail! One of the things I really enjoy about this deck is that blend of modern and medieval fantasy. It creates a world, sort of reminds me of how I feel when I read the Harry Potter books or watch the movies. Not J.K. Rowling's wizarding world at all, but just that feel of being transported to a magical world that these witches inhabit. You have pointy hats, stripped stockings and robes, cat familiars in every card, and can go from being in an old castle or a modern contemporary room. Yet it all works together seamlessly. Unlike many Pagan themed decks, this one does not delve deep into Pagan lore and mythology. What it does express through its many outdoor scenes is a sense of reverence for nature and importance with connecting with the natural world and the unconscious mind that brings the theme home. There is humor, magic, spunkiness, as well as seriousness as these witches live their everyday lives. The Everyday Witch has an optimistic approach that highlights the responsibility we have for our own lives and our use of free will. It does not shy away from tough messages, or consequences, but it delivers them in a manner that empowers and motivates the querent to act upon, instead of dwell, on a less than favorable outcome. The deck is about making the most of ones’ everyday life and finding the magic each day brings recognizing that not all in life is a bed of roses. It is about us having the power to influence our own lives. It is fun, upbeat, yet serious all in one. The deck has the traditional number of 78 cards, 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. The deck is the standard Llewellyn sized deck (approximately 2 3/4" by 4 1/2" inches). The cards are borderless, with a ½ inch cream colored scroll at the bottom containing the name of the card. Being a huge fan of borderless decks, I was very pleased with this. The card stock is your traditional Llewellyn card stock, easy to riffle shuffle but of good quality. The card backs are dark blue with gold stars, a besom (broom), witches hat, and black cat. The card backs are non-reversible, and the deck is intended to be read without reversals, though if you do not mind reversed backs you can incorporate them. The Major Arcana follow the Rider-Waite Smith traditional naming and numbering with Strength placed at position 8 and Justice at position 11. The Suits retain the traditional names and elemental correspondences of Wands/Fire, Cups/Water, Pentacles/Earth, and Swords/Air. The court cards are King, Queen, Knight, and Page. The court cards in this deck are very expressive, and I would highly recommend them for people struggling with understanding the court cards. The cards numbered 1-10 of each suit are fully illustrated, and have the representative number of suit icon symbols on each card within the image. The deck comes with a 254 page companion book titled “Guide to the Everyday Witch Tarot,” authored by Ms. Deborah Blake, award winning author of The Goddess is in the Details, Everyday Witchcraft, and other titles published by Llewellyn. This book is eye catching, and eye candy. It is made of glossy paper, and is full color something I really appreciated for a change in a companion book. The book opens with an introduction as to how Ms. Blake came to take on the project that became the Everyday Witch Tarot. Chapter One is about the deck and how to use it. It speaks to the changes in traditional imagery as well as some basic Tarot information. It contains some really good advice on how to learn the cards, and how to do a reading including some very basic information on the symbolism of the numbers 1-10 and the four elements. Chapter Two covers Common Questions and Answers about the use of signifiers, clarifier cards, use of reversals (which this deck does not use), bad news and scary cards, reading conditions, what if one does not have a question, cards showing up over and over, and the question on whether one needs to be psychic to read the cards (the answer is no). The chapter goes on to talk about “Some Tarot Extras” that include a deck consecration spell, a cleansing spell, and a spell for a good reading. Chapter 3 is about the cards. One of the things I really like about this section is that aside from the description of the imagery and the meaning of the card it has a section titled “Things to Consider” which includes questions that can prompt memories, intuition, and help the new reader go beyond the basic meaning of the card. As the deck was not designed with the use of reversals in mind it does not include meanings for reversed cards. However, the “Things to Consider” section includes questions that will lead you to think about those reversed meanings without having to use reversals. Very clever, as learning to think that way you might choose to never use reversals with any deck. Chapter Four includes some basic spreads: one card, three card, and Celtic Cross spreads. I will admit I was a bit disappointed by this, I wish they would have included some original spreads for the deck. In my personal experience with the deck I found the readings to be clear, concise, and optimistic. The imagery sparks the imagination and intuition. I would not classify this deck as a “positive” deck in that it does not give messages through rose colored glasses. What it does is deliver messages in way that empower you to change what you do not like through the use of your personal power and free will. It motivates you into wanting to change or fix whatever it is that does not work for you, and to believe in yourself enough to do it. I also found the imagery on the cards to make me stop and think and contemplate. To think through my question as I read the cards. So in sum, I found depth within the imagery that allowed me to open myself up to realistic possibilities, and potential consequences of my actions before taking action. Hence, I found the deck motivating and optimistic in nature because there was always something to act on in the advice that could help me, and that was within my power. This is why I say that this deck is not for beginners alone. It is deeper than you would think at first glance of some internet images. I would not hesitate to recommend this deck to beginners, intuitive readers, and those who are trying to flex their intuitive muscle to add more intuition into their readings. If you are looking for something a bit edgy with a magical feel this deck fits the bill, and I think many Wiccans would find it quite appealing as well. If you are looking for esoteric symbolism, deep historical spiritual pagan teachings and the like this is not the deck you are looking for. The book is more geared towards the beginner but there are some golden nuggets in the “Things to be Considered” sections of the card interpretations for intermediate and advanced readers as well. For those looking for gender inclusivity the art depicts females, males, and some androgynous characters. This deck is also a deck that can be used with the squeamish or fearful of Tarot querent. Overall, I am happy that I purchased the Everyday Witch Tarot, and it is a deck I will surely continue to use. -
There are many Celtic themed decks, but when you look at them they're usually solely or predominently Irish Celtic, so when I first heard that Llewellyn were making a Mabinogion themed deck I was happy. When I found out that Anna-Marie Ferguson was the artist I was overjoyed. She had previously illustrated an Arthurian deck which was beautiful but which didn't work for me as a reading deck. The Llewellyn absolutely does work for me. I bought it when it was originally published, looked through the cards then sat down with the book and found myself nodding in agreement with every choice they made. A few comments: The minors have a different art style to the majors. I like the difference, I know some people have found it to be a problem. The majors are richly detailed, the minors more sketchy, less detailed. The cards are large and have a large border. I trimmed the border completely off mine. If you've not already done so I would strongly suggest reading the Mabinogion if you're interested in this deck. (There's a lovely edition of the Lady Charlotte Guest translation illustrated by Alan Lee. The Gwyn Jones and Thomas Jones translation is considered to be the best though iirc) -
From the album: Animal and Nature Decks
Mibramig Magical Tarot Deck Cards by Mibramig (Author) Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; Tcr Crds edition (May 8, 2013) Language: English ISBN-10: 0738737410 ISBN-13: 978-0738737416 Purchase at: Llewellyn I Amazon -
From the album: Artistic Decks
Silhouettes Tarot Creator: MASA September (MASA Kuzuki) Publisher: self-published (through Signorrino Studio) Year: 2013 The Silhouettes Tarot is a stunning, richly designed tarot deck published by MASA September in 2 separate limited editions, as well as a limited "negative" edition with inverted colors. He has since distanced himself from the deck, stating that he finds the deck a little too bleak (though his fans seem to disagree); he has no plans to print a 3rd edition and is instead focusing on his two newer decks, the Cucoloris and the Tarot Maregician. Available from: The artist has about 20 "defective" decks currently for sale on the studio website; this deck is otherwise out of print.
