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Tarot Review

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A Review of The Sirian Starseed Tarot

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 14:39 — Christiana
Starseed The Fool Card

There are a number of reasons I might not have loved the new Sirian Starseed Tarot by Patricia Cori and Alysa Bartha, published by North Atlantic Books.

The Sirian Starseed Tarot is a "channeled deck," and clearly born of and marketed to the community of people whom many would describe as "waiting for the spaceship to land."

It is a photography deck. I don't always connect with photography decks.

Many of the card and suit names have been changed. I'm a bit of a traditionalist, so that doesn't always resonate with me.

The list could go on, but you get my point.

Now here's the punch line. I absolutely love The Sirian Starseed Tarot.

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Dreaming Way Tarot Review

Thu, 10/04/2012 - 16:43 — Christiana
Judgment

Dreaming Way Tarot is a new tarot deck from US Games. Dreaming Way closely follows the Rider Waite Smith traditions to the point that most people who are comfortable with the RWS will have no problem immediately reading with Dreaming Way.

Dreaming Way Tarot is a youthful deck. I think it will be very popular with younger readers especially. The art is very good. The faces of the characters are delicate and detailed. Many of the images are breathtaking and evocative. I particularly like the Aces, and the Judgment card.

The scenic backgrounds seem random. Some are beautiful color-washed tones. Others, for no apparent reason, are textured. Some have a repeating pattern that looks like old-fashioned wallpaper.

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A Review of Angel Tarot Cards

Tue, 06/19/2012 - 12:58 — Christiana
The High Priestess Archangel Haniel

After a few months of fussing and fuming about the disingenuous promotions Hay House has used for the new Doreen Virtue Angel Tarot Cards, I am finally holding the deck in my hands. No, I didn’t break down and make the purchase. If you are wondering why, see my blog post on the topic. 

However, I do believe the Doreen Virtue Angel Tarot is a legitimate contribution to the tarot corpus, and I am glad a friend lent me her copy so I could give it a legitimate review.

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The Fine Art of Living Life: A Review of Art of Life Tarot

Tue, 04/10/2012 - 18:17 — Christiana

Art of Life Tarot
Charlene Livingstone
Published by US Games
Review by Christiana Gaudet

With her new Art of Life tarot deck, Charlene Livingstone is not the first to use existing works of art to illustrate a tarot deck. Kat Black’s Golden Tarot used digital collage of medieval art to create a tarot deck very true to the Rider Waite Smith images.

Neither is Charlene Livingstone the first deck creator to ascribe famous quotations to each card of divination; Ciro Marchetti’s Oracle of Visions companion book includes a quotation for each card.

Nevertheless, Art of Life Tarot from U.S. Games is a truly unique and valuable deck. It easily teaches two important concepts with which tarot students often struggle. First is the concept of archetypes. That the deck creator illustrates each card with a famous work of art and famous quotation drives home the concept of archetypes; the idea that each tarot card portrays a universal theme that is repeated many times over in art, music and literature.

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The Joy of Living in an Another World: A Review of Joie de Vivre Tarot

Fri, 11/11/2011 - 14:38 — Christiana
The Temperance Card

Joie de Vivre Tarot
By Paulina Cassidy
Published by U.S. Games, Inc.
Review by Christiana Gaudet

The term “joie de vivre” is one of the many French expressions that doesn’t have an exact translation in English.  The expression has, if you will, a certain je nais se quoi.  The literal translation is “joy of life,” or “joy of living,” but inherent in the expression is a child-like whimsy and sense of wonder that the English translation just doesn’t capture.  It is a fitting title for Paulina Cassidy’s new tarot deck, Joie de Vivre Tarot.

It is hard to believe that Cassidy has had time to produce a second deck.  It feels like just yesterday I was interviewing her about the (at the time) forthcoming Paulina Tarot.  When I had the pleasure of speaking with Cassidy, it was clear to me the creatures that appear on her canvas do so of their own volition.  The artist is merely making visible the entities that already exist.

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Now Here I Go Again, I See the Crystal Visions: A Review of Crystal Visions Tarot

Sat, 11/05/2011 - 15:04 — Christiana
The World card from Crystal Visions Tarot

Crystal Visions Tarot
By Jennifer Galasso
U.S. Games 978-1-57281-702-9
Review by Christiana Gaudet

Thank goodness for the fantasy artists who have brought so much new life to modern tarot.  I have often wondered what might have happened if an earlier generation of artists like Roger Dean and Alton Kelley had turned their attention to tarot. 

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Tarot from a Cat’s Perspective: A Review of Cat’s Eye Tarot

Thu, 11/03/2011 - 18:00 — Christiana
Cat's Eye Tarot Box Cover

Cat’s Eye Tarot
By Debra M. Givin, DVM
US Games 978-1-57281-685-6
Review by Christiana Gaudet

So many tarot lovers are also cat lovers.  I must admit I am the exception.  Yes, I have loved a few kitties over the years, but I am not what you would call a “cat person.”  Therefore, I would likely never meet the artist of the new Cat’s Eye Tarot in her day job as a veterinarian.

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