Decks 11 - 20

 Decks 11 to 20

11) Legacy of the Devine Tarot. (C.M.)

Continuing on my journey of Tarot discovery, I was next attracted to the distinctive imagery of Ciro Marchetti's Legacy of the Divine Tarot. I have to be honest, and state that, prior to this deck, I had never considered the artist's medium of creation, as the methods artists use to create their mesmerizing depictions are a mystery to me! (As in - I cannot draw/paint for toffee!) The imagery of this Tarot deck drew me in with its complex artwork and stunning visuals, so I was even more impressed to learn that these are digital designs, pulled together using computer programs and digital artwork. I take my hat off to artists that can work in this kind of medium, as it seems to me to be even more difficult than paper/canvas and pen/pencil/brush artwork would be. (Believe me! I have tried both, and I can make a bigger mess with actual tools than I can with digital ones - with which I cannot even draw a decent straight freehand line!)

The detail in Ciro's artwork is breathtaking, to say the least. His skill is unparalleled by any modern Tarot artist I have encountered so far, and makes the deck a joy to behold. In fact, it is fair to say that there is so much imagery in these cards that it probably detracts from their use as a tool for divination, and is more a representation of what can be achieved by a true artist producing profound and emotive art for the sake of Art itself. A higher form of Tarot artwork than we usually see? Undoubtedly - but, as we shall see, a trend that is constantly evolving as technology itself evolves, providing greater capacity and capability for modern artists to work with! 

So, does that make this a deck for gazing into and dreaming or meditating about? Absolutely! An inspirational foundation for stories and myths based on Tarot? Definitely! Having said that, it's tradition is deeply bound in the RWS school, making it readily understandable by devotees of that school, and therefore very usable for readings. Myself, I just like to get lost in the imagery, and meditate on the possibilities of its myths and legends.

Looking back at my (currently) meagre toll of blog posts, I can't believe I haven't done one on this deck, and Ciro himself! I intend to rectify that shortly, so stay tuned! :) 

You can learn more about the Legacy of the Divine Tarot at the Aeclectic Tarot page, where they definitely wax loquaciously about this deck!  

12) Gilded Tarot. (C.M.)

Interestingly, and totally by coincidence, the very next deck I bought was also by Ciro Marchetti, and it is the Gilded Tarot, although, at the time, it came in a box called Easy Tarot, which, while it does have Ciro's name on the box, I didn't make the connection to at first.  The brightly coloured box caught my eye as I wandered through a local bookstore, and the name - Easy Tarot - intrigued me enough to splash out the few bucks. It comes with a book by Josephine Ellershaw, which introduces Tarot for the novice reader.

As with the Legacy of the Divine Tarot above, the imagery and colours of the Gilded Tarot are spectacular, and draw you in to the cards so that you become involved in developing the stories being told. Again, Like the Legacy-Divine, the tradition is RWS, with enough of that symbology and mythology to allow this deck to be used to learn from, as the Easy Tarot name indicates.  I am not sure if this was Ciro's first Tarot deck, but it predates the Legacy-Divine, and you can trace the evolution from the Gilded to the Legacy, seeing both similarities and differences as Ciro's skill and understanding developed.

Interestingly, this deck was obviously so popular, and Ciro's ability improved so much over the years, that he produced an updated version of this deck, called the Gilded Tarot Royale, which, while it retains the same depictions of the cards, the imagery is significantly updated. See the snapshots below for a samples of the old and new artwork, with borderless cards.

It's easy to see why this is such a popular deck, although I have read comments and reviews about the updated version that complain about the quality and size of the cardstock, which is kind of disappointing, as it deters me from actually buying the updated deck, even though the improvements in the imagery do look spectacular.

You can read more about both versions of the deck at their respective Aeclectic Tarot website pages:

Gilded Tarot: https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/gilded/

Gilded Tarot Royale: https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/gilded-royale/

13) Decameron Tarot.

And now for something completely different, as any Monty Python fan might say! And something a little bit naughty, if you get my drift! ;)  Be warned, some of the images for this deck are a wee bit interes.. - I mean - potentially erotic, so do be careful if you're of a disposition or a constitution that cannot (or prefers not) to look at these things! (Although, this is by no means the most erotic or pornographic Tarot deck I have come across, believe me!)

So the next Tarot deck I collected on my travails is based on stories coming out of Boccaccio's The Decameron. Now, I read the Decameron as a teenager, and have to say, I found it rather tame and typically mundane, as Medieval texts go. I certainly never found it as interesting as these cards depict - and I've chosen some of the tamest here to illustrate - so I was (pleasantly) surprised to see the images in these cards. It needs to be said - the majority of the depictions on the cards are quite risque, but I would suggest that the talented artist - Giacinto Gaudenzi - certainly had a lot of fun designing this deck.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that, having looked through the deck, I didn't rush back to the book to see if I could match the cards to the stories, and, in a lot of cases, I certainly could, but, as in my teens, the text certainly didn't seem as entertaining as the images on the cards depict! So, even more kudos to the artist for bringing new life to an old masterpiece that would stimulate interest in the Italian classic.

As far as Tarot goes, though, I have to admit, the deck is really no more than a curiosity, and would be very difficult to work with for readings. While it does follow, very loosely, the RWS tradition, the imagery bears (or bares?) slight affinity to Tarot symbology, so one would need to have an already deep knowledge of the RWS tradition to be able to use these for any meaningful cartomancy. On the other hand, these are great for party games or intimate entertainment with your significant other, so why not indulge if you're open to that level of personal entertainment?

Interestingly, you will not find card images of this deck on the Aecletic Tarot website, but they do have some interesting reviews to read.

Decameron Tarot at Aeclectic Tarot: https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/decameron/

14) Wildwood Tarot.

Continuing my search for more meaningful paths to spiritual fulfillment, the next deck I bought harkened back to our Pagan past and our relationship with, and understanding of, Nature. The Wildwood Tarot is a beautiful deck depicting characters and scenes of Ancient Britain and its denizens, Gods, Goddesses, ceremonies and rites of passage and learning. Here we encounter Celtic/Druidic, and maybe pre-Celtic/Druidic, scenes of life and celebrations of things both understood or unknown yet respected. 

This deck is, apparently, a "reconception" of the now rare Greenwood Tarot, which is based in "Pre-Celtic Shamanism of the Mythic Forest." This new imagining is fully titled, "The Wild Wood Tarot: Wherein Wisdom Resides." I have seen many of the cards from the Greenwood deck, and have to say I find the Wildwood scenes more colourful, with amplified symbology, which, in theory, should make them easier to use. Having said that, I find this deck more suitable for meditation and self-reflection than divinatory use, as the scenes draw you in and make you part of the activities being portrayed.

Characters such as the Green Man (shown above) and the Green Woman (below) are particularly striking, depicting the Pagan deities in full leaf and brewing their potions for our future benefit. The scenes of activities and sojourns are equally as impressive, and either entertaining or enthralling in their respective rights. The skill of the artists makes the deck a pleasure to leaf through, and even more so to sit with and just meditate. The relationship to the RWS tradition is minor, as this deck relates to pre-Christian-Hebrew beliefs that litter later decks, and therefore make it easier to invoke the peace and tranquility of those times, decrying, of course, the hardships of life in those pre-Dark Age days.

To help in the depictions and narratives of the tales herein, the suits of the Minor Arcana have been changed to reflect the more ancient tradition. Swords become Arrows, Wands become Bows, Cups are depicted as Vessels, where more than just a chalice is used to depict each pip, and Pentacles become Stones. The cycle of celebrations and activities follow those that occur in the Wheel of the Year tradition, facilitating the transition to or from other Pagan or Wiccan decks.

All in all, I love this deck, and love meditating with it. As it travels back to less technologically-challenged times, it brings an atmosphere of both tranquil solitude and peaceful achievement, even when the outside world is telling me otherwise. Well worth the investment if you're that way inclined.

You can read much more about this deck and its associations at the Aeclectic Tarot site:

Wildwood Tarot: https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/wildwood/ 

15) Legend Arthurian Tarot

Coming slightly forward (perhaps) in time, my next deck moves into the true Celtic/Druidic tradition, and takes us into the The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table! (Sorry, Rick! :)) Or, more accurately, the Legend Arthurian!

This deck, while very similar to the one above, is much more tied into the familiar people and stories that make up the various Arthurian cycles. While we find recognizable deities such as Cernunnos above, we also find representations typical of the stories we have been told about Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere and Lancelot.

The tradition of this deck moves us into a blend of the Christian/Hebrew and Pagan, with the introduction of the Grail and its associations with Christ, and oaths taken on Christian values, while still remaining strongly within the Pagan remit, with representations such as Cernunnos, the Lady of the Lake, the druidic Merlin, and the Green Knight, as opposed to the Green Man of the previous deck. The transition from the Old Path to the New is in progress, but far from complete.

As pretty as this deck is, it is more a curiosity of the ancient British tradition of Arthurian legend, and more useful as an aide memoire to those tales than a divinatory or meditative tool. We British might prize such references to our glorious and, most likely, mythological past, but does anyone else? In any case, a nice deck to own, if not too useful to work with.

You can learn more at the Aeclectic Tarot site at the link below:

Legend Arthurian Tarot: https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/legend-arthurian/

16) Alchemy 1977 England Tarot.

It surely must have been the reference to England that caught my attention to this deck, although it is an interesting enough deck in its own right. It turns out that Alchemy 1977 England is actually a popular producer/seller of Gothic artifacts and jewellery, whose website, if you're interested in that type of paraphernalia, is well worth a visit: http://www.alchemygothic.com/  

So, as to be expected, the cards in this deck reflect a Gothic theme, somewhat bound also to a horror aspect, judging by the number of skulls, skeletons and demonic artifacts included in the imagery. While the pip cards themselves don't depict scenes, there are plenty in the Major Arcana and in the Court cards that promote the overall doom-and-gloom of the Gothic ethos.

This deck follows the RWS tradition as far as both the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana are concerned, so wouldn't be too difficult for an experienced practitioner to use, given, of course, the limitations of the undecorated pip cards - one of my constant moans!

Also, for some reason, there are no detailed reviews of the deck on the Aeclectic site, so your best bet is Alchemy 1977 England's own website, which I posted above.

17) Wizards Tarot.

Welcome to Mandrake Academy! - essentially a school for Wizards - whether pre- or post-Potter, you can decide for yourself, as I've never read that, and never intend to!

Anyhoo! So this is the basis for the Wizard's Tarot - essentially an educational romp through the mysteries of the Arcane and the Occult. The backstory of this deck, contained in the very big and very informative Little White Book that comes with the deck, fills in a LOT of useful knowledge about a very wide range of tools and methods of divination, astrology and the arcane arts, covering fields such as Herbal Magic, Runes, Spellcraft, Lunar and Solar Magic, Astral Travel, and so on. There is so much information in the LWB, it's almost worthwhile buying the deck just to get the book!

Seriously though, this RWS-based deck comes with some beautifully illustrated cards, with the Major Arcana being based on the "Professors" that teach the students their various arcane subjects at the Academy. While the artwork is obviously created digitally, it is, nevertheless, wonderfully done and very enticing. And the 'PIP' cards are also decorated, too! (Always an excellent feature!) The four suites of the Minor Arcana are used to depict four of the races that populate the world of Mandrake Academy, but remain fairly close to the RWS standard, thus allowing an easy transition for experienced users to translate their readings to. However, given the wealth of information in the LWB, the deck is also a great starting point for novices to Tarot, giving them a huge foundational knowledge with which to work from.

Check out the Wizard's Tarot page at the Aeclectic Tarot site, and see just how much you can learn about your Occult past! ;)

18) Tarot of the Illuminati

So, if you're looking for something really artistically beautiful and esoteric, then this deck is for you! It is absolutely visually stunning! But don't let the name put you off. The Illuminati referred to here is not the secret society, but more the School of Art driven by that society.

As I said, this deck is visually amazing, and certainly lends itself to serious observation and meditation. It is based on the RWS tradition, but takes that imagery much further than most other decks. Another interesting fact about this deck is that there are two versions that differ in only minor ways from each other. Comparing these kind of reveals the how they are digitally constructed. For instance, the versions of the Queen of Wands below. It is obvious that the main background is the same, while some of the more prominent features differ, some significantly, like the Queen's headdress and skirt, and some in minor ways, like the cat, and the technicolour veil draped on her knee. As a matter of fact, if you put these cards side by side, or flip between them on a computer screen, you can see that that veil only changes in hue, but not in shape or pattern!

Other reviewers have remarked that the four suites seem to be based on four races - Arabic (Wands), Asian (Pentacles), Eastern European (Cups) and British (Swords). While some of that may be fairly subjective, there is no doubting that the Queen of Swords is none other than Queen Elizabeth I, according to most of the artistic representations of Her Majesty.

While the version of the deck that I have is printed on excellent card stock, one of the few detractors for me is the gold foil edging, which, while it adds to the sumptuous feel of the deck, makes it difficult for me to shuffle the cards easily. However, others don't seem to have that problem, so I guess whatever works for you. Mine came in a very substantial box with decently described and illustrated LWB, although there is a much more substantial book of the deck by Kim Huggens also available.

Check out the reviews and additional cards for the Tarot of the Illuminati at the Aeclectic Tarot site.

 

The WIP spot - we are here!

19) Lost Tarot of Nostradamus.

20) Golden Tarot of Klimt.