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 several cards, such as those shown above, he has changed the gender of the prominent figure/s on the card. Another example is the 3 of cups. On this card there’s three blokes holding up their cups. I think this is great. I’m surprised I don’t see it more. There’s a lot to be said for male friendships and seeing the card in this way could invoke quite different interpretations. According to the book, his focus on the 3 of Cups is energy and its ability to spark things, including friendships and fun. This isn’t surprising considering he’s also a numerologist.
Another change is the way he describes certain cards. The 6 of Cups for example has the key phrase, “Talking with feelings” and the suggested meaning is, “true communication, especially with the people one loves, comes not from words, but from intentions and feelings.” This can indeed be seen but when I first looked at the card, possibly, probably, influenced by seeing what I expected to see, I also saw a woman talking to her younger self and had the thought “an apple for the teacher.” The thought who’s teaching who was quick to follow. For the 8 of Cups his focus is on looking back at what we’ve left behind rather than moving on. I probably should clarify here that this deck is user-friendly for intuitive readers straight out of the box but may feel different for people looking for a contemporary Rider Waite Smith deck.
I also like the Court cards (examples below) and the change to the 8 of Pentacles (pictured above). On the 8 of Pentacles there is still the aspect of honing his skills and diligence and dedication to his work, but he is not making the same thing over and over trying to perfect it. Instead, he’s making/creating what he needs.
In general, the imagery makes the cards easy to interpret because the scenarios depicted are recognisable. The feelings associated with the 5 of Pentacles (pictured below) are readily apparent. It also suggests albeit indirectly possible ways for any of the parties pictured to change the scenario.
The thin cardstock used on this deck concerned me initially but shuffling it has won me over. At 6½ x 12cm it is on the smaller side and coupled with the smooth, some may say slippery, cardstock it is an absolute joy to shuffle. It also fans easily which ensures selecting individual cards is a nice, trouble-free process. However, I wouldn’t want to get too rough with these cards. I “worked over” one of the blurb cards and it now has a permanent crease. All forms of regular shuffling seem fine though.
The suits are Wands, Pentacles, Cups and Swords with Kings, Queens, Knights and Pages making up the Court. The Major Arcana follow the typical RWS system nominations and numbering with Strength VIII and Justice XI.
The Gregory Scott Tarot Book
The booklet may be 63 pages long but as with all Lo Scarabeo LWBs the one book incorporates many translations. In this case English, Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese. The English section only runs to 22 pages. Nevertheless, it does manage to pack a fair bit in. It shares Gregory Scott’s motivation for creating the deck and his tarot philosophy.
In this case his philosophy is that firstly, tarot should be recognisable. He believes the reader should be able to connect their experiences and emotions with what is pictured on the card. Secondly, he believes it should always be possible to see things from a positive perspective in some way even if the experience itself is difficult. Thirdly, users should be able to see the cards as mirrors of their own lives ad experiences. This is achieved symbolically rather than literally in most cases. Finally, his philosophy is that every human is beautiful and that Tarot cards should help people to see that by encouraging them to look/see beneath the surface.
The book then suggests how to use the deck. The easiest way is for study and understanding. But, what I really like in this section is that he adds that for those that don’t generally read tarot, stepping out of our busy lives to focus on a concept and expand our view on it can be rewarding and inspirational. I agree. I believe there is a deck out there for everyone, hence why I work with so many decks and why I write all these overviews.
For the Major Arcana the book offers only a brief paragraph yet it still manages to raise some valuable points. The Minor Arcana are ordered by suit and follow the same format as the Majors. Individual meanings aren’t given for reversals but there is a suggestion for ways to interpret them at the end of the card meanings section.
Spreads
Only one spread is included in the book.
- 3 card spread
The assignations of the positions (the things you have, the things you need, the things that block you) can bring up some great insights, so it’s a good starting point.
His interpretations of certain cards may differ to how some people would like to see them portrayed and that’s fair enough. Every deck isn’t for every person. But, overall I would say that Gregory Scott has managed to create a really useful deck that aligns with his Tarot philosophy.
Publishing Details
Deck Creators:
Created by: Gregory Scott
Artwork by: Davide Corsi
Pictured Version:
Published by Lo Scarabeo 2020
Socials:
YouTube: TarotAstrology
Facebook: gregoryscott444
