Tarot decks
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Morgan Greer Tarot
You may wonder why it took me so long to get around to reviewing a deck originally published in 1979 but here’s the thing, I didn’t own it until recently. The Morgan Greer Tarot is one of the latest additions to my collection. I figured any deck that has been popular enough to be constantly in print for more than 40 years was worthy of attention and I believe I’m right. I looked at the first three cards, The Fool, The Magician and The High Priestess and I was sold. Besides, since not everyone is drawn to the Rider Waite, an alternative deck suitable for people new to tarot is…
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Robin Wood Tarot
For those who like nature inspired decks rich in Pagan symbolism that are super easy to read and nice to look at, then the Robin Wood Tarot may well be for you. This incredibly popular deck closely adheres to the traditional Rider Waite meanings so it’s a great alternative for beginners. But, straight up I want to add that this deck contains some over the top nudity that I know some find questionable and I admit some is a tad bizarre. The man on The Lovers card – hmm bananas anyone. Anyhow, it’s been around for a long time. I’ve only had mine for around ten years and to be…
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Transparent Tarot
The Transparent Tarot (not to be confused with Universal Transparent Tarot) is remarkable. This complete re-imagining of the tarot encourages users to actually layer the cards. For example, the featured image above combines two Major Arcana cards – 14 Temperance and 20 Judgement. The depths of the insights brought to the fore are incredible. If you’re looking for a deck to inspire, spark, or assist you with your creative endeavours and take them to an entirely new level, I would say you’ve found it. As the book says, “The Transparent Tarot offers a completely fresh perspective and ways of using the cards that have never before been possible.” The Deck…
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Crow Tarot
The Crow Tarot infuses art designed to pay homage to crows and ravens with familiar Rider Waite meanings. The aim was to create a tool that aids and encourages self discovery and I believe this deck succeeds in this. Since people don’t feature directly on the cards you can really focus on the scene and what’s happening rather than getting caught up in who you’re looking at. The Crow Tarot Deck These digitally collaged cards use crows to tell their story so I wasn’t surprised to learn that they’ve developed a significant following among crow-lovers. The images association with the Rider Waite deck is readily apparent. Yet the presence of…
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Gregory Scott Tarot
YouTuber, tarot reader, astrologist and numerologist Gregory Scott is the creator of this user-friendly Tarot deck. The Gregory Scott Tarot is a positive deck that uses relatable images to express the card’s meanings without glossing over the issues, ideas, thoughts and experiences we may find ourselves dealing with. To be honest I wasn’t aware of him before I came across his deck but, especially having seen these cards, I look forward to checking him out. The Gregory Scott Tarot Deck He has played around with many aspects of the tarot with this deck without completely moving away from or dismissing meanings many tarot readers are familiar with. For example, on…
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The Sacred Rose Tarot
The Sacred Rose Tarot is “inspired by the artistry of medieval stained glass windows” and Byzantine artwork with the symbolism in the cards being nature oriented. The book says that the masculine attributes are physical and linked to the Sun and the feminine are spiritual and linked to the Moon but when I look at the cards that doesn’t stand out to me personally. Maybe because that’s not what I’m focusing on. As the name suggests, this deck revolves around the attributes given to the various rose colours. This is an interesting approach that opens up new ways of viewing certain cards and as you may know, I love it…
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Tarot of the Abyss
I’d been interested in adding a black and white deck to my collection without actually actively looking for one and then I saw this while watching Scorched Earth Tarot on YouTube. I became more and more drawn into Ana Tourian’s renderings of the cards. The Tarot of the Abyss is a Rider Waite Smith based deck so the meanings depicted are familiar. But many of the images are highly original conceptualisations. When I went through the deck I initially picked out way too many cards to photograph (says a lot about this deck straight up). So, to cull them down, I generally selected cards that differ from the usual renditions.…
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Haindl Tarot
This evocative deck combines many different elements into a cohesive whole. Abounding in symbolism and drawing on different esoteric and religious traditions, the Haindl Tarot offers so much. I thought I’d like it; I didn’t expect to love it. It’s completely different to anything else I’ve worked with. It’s not a Rider Waite Smith or a Thoth clone, but from what I see I would say it’s definitely Thoth inspired. I’d add that it’s mythologically inspired too since that’s what drew me to it in the first place. The Haindl Tarot Deck Hmmm, where to begin? In a deck that incorporates so many aspects what do you give priority too?…
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Spiritsong Tarot
The Spiritsong Tarot is an entirely animal-based Tarot deck. There’s not a person to be found and yet these are very approachable cards that I find easy to read intuitively. To be honest, I wasn’t sure that would be the case when I bought them, so I was pleasantly surprised. The Spiritsong Tarot melds the idea of animals as spiritual helpers with the tarot system. The choices made for each card merges “each animals unique power with classic tarot practices.” These choices are then rendered in detailed, watercolour images that are beautiful to look at. The colour palette is soft and muted and yet still quite alive. They really are…
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Dreams of Gaia Tarot
Ravynne Phelan has moved away from the typical tarot structure. Dreams of Gaia Tarot is a non-traditional elemental-based tarot deck that includes some additional Major Arcana cards and a different approach to the Tarot court. The changes may initially feel challenging but it’s an easy deck to work with once you connect with the creator’s approach and the thinking behind it. Then, you can immerse yourself in the incredible images and uncover some powerful new insights. This is a very healing deck, which makes sense since the aim of these cards is to help people “to seek, to feel, to grow, to heal.” The Dreams of Gaia Tarot Deck The…
