The Tarot of Vampyres

As someone who has never been drawn to vampires, I had no desire to buy The Tarot of Vampyres. But, I kept hearing about the amazing accompanying book, so I finally relented. I am so glad I did. The book is everything people had said about it and so much more. It drew me in completely and now I cannot imagine not having this deck in my collection. It is one of the most empowering decks I own.

The Tarot of Vampyres Cards

Ian Daniels, the deck’s creator, writes that “The Tarot of Vampyres is designed to help us face our fears – as well as our hopes, passions, and joys – by reconciling all the energies within ourselves into a balanced whole. The cards represent different elements, emotions, and events – some happy, some scary – that we encounter in life” and he has definitely captured that in this deck. Considering the dark tones on the artwork, the positive nature of the deck surprises. Actually positive is not the right word, even though it feels that way to me.

I find it positive because it encourages me to dig deep into, and be accountable for, my situations, thoughts and actions. It does not gloss over what we may be dealing with. Rather it wants us to acknowledge what is happening and then find ways to own and deal with what we are experiencing. It shows us that we have power in every situation if we choose to see it that way. I like this Foucauldian approach to power. It encourages us to see the part we are playing and that we can choose to play a different part.

I have already admitted the whole vampire aesthetic is not my thing. But, I also have to admit, the artwork in this deck is phenomenal. People have criticised The Tarot of Vampyres for being too erotic. Yes the people are overly attractive and often appear in seductive poses but that is his art style. Plus, I do not agree that it is only of interest to young people taken in by the Twilight trilogy.

As a fifty year old, who sits on the heavier side, I am not represented in the cards. But honestly, I am okay with that. I was going to apologise for that but then I asked myself why. If seeing scantily clad people is offensive to you then that is fair enough too. Besides, unless you are actually a vampire, it is unlikely anyone is going to see themselves truly represented in this deck. What you are going to find is artwork that incorporates a wealth of symbolism and a sense of connection that is not based on superficial appearances.

So, if you are into astrological associations, The Tarot of Vampyres has you covered. In many instances, like the Ten of Grails pictured above, the symbols are clear and easy to locate. If you look on the cup you can see the Ten of Grails is Mars in Pisces. Finding the astrological symbols on the Ten of Swords requires a bit more effort yet they are still there. Astrologically, this card is Sun in Gemini. The sun symbol is on the bed post and the Gemini symbol is on the pendant. I find searching for the symbols forces me to really look at the card. This gives me time to feel, see, and connect with what I need to become more aware of.

The Tarot of Vampyres has a lot of clever inclusions that tie things together. For example, the purple rose from the Ace of Skulls appears on The Hierophant. They are both elementally associated with the earth. This happens numerous times throughout the deck but it is not consistent. At first I wondered at the lack of consistency. But, I found it does not bother me. Instead I feel it stands out when there is something for me to see.

I really like the artwork for the Queens. Each Queen is pictured with the totem Daniels has ascribed to their suit. As you can see above, Scepters have panthers, (I have a thing for panthers so I love their inclusion), and Grails have serpents. Crows are the totem for Knives and Skulls have Wolves. You will find the other Queens cards further down in the post. The totems do no automatically appear on each card in the suit. But you will find them scattered throughout.

Some of the Major Arcana utilise the totems to show their elemental associations as well. As you can see on The Hierophant pictured earlier a wolf lies beside him. Other examples include The Hermit and the Strength card pictured below. The Hermit clearly features the Wolf and the Skulls to show that this Major Arcana card aligns with the Earth element. You can also see the sign for Virgo. The presence of the panther on the Strength card shows its association with Sceptres and thus fire. If you look closely at the cup you will see the Leo symbol as well. The astrological symbols are always present but as I said earlier, sometimes they are a little more challenging to find.

Before I go on I should mention all the name changes. The Major Arcana maintain their usual nominations. However, unlike RWS clones, The Tarot of Vampyres has Justice as VIII and Strength as XI. This only becomes apparent in the book though. The artwork on the Major Arcana cards has no numbering. Therefore, you can see them however you feel most comfortable.

In the Minor Arcana everything, bar the Queens, has been renamed. The Suits are Scepters (Wands), Grails (Cups), Knives (Swords) and Skulls (Pentacles). I found these easy enough to work with once I saw the Knives. Initially when I did a spread and I had Skulls but no Knives I found myself wondering what the skulls represented. Once I became familiar with the deck this was no longer a problem.

In the Court, the Kings are Lords, the Queens are still Queens, the Knights are Princes, and the Pages are Daughters. These straightforward changes are easy to navigate. Although, unlike in most RWS inspired decks, it is the Lords (Kings) who ride the horses. This deck has Thoth and RWS elements.

I like Ian Daniels approach to the Court cards. The “Lords represent the creative urge – choosing the seeds to plant” and the “Queens represent taking the first step – planting the seeds.” Princes are the “third level of creation. … They are the active combined energies of their Lord and Queen, manifesting as a more constructed, intellectual form of their union. … They are swift, creative, wilful, intelligent, inspiring, and constructive.”

He further suggests “the Prince can also symbolise our Higher Self, which longs for union and integration with our earthly existence (Daughters). Princes represent our plans taking shape – plants sprout and grow.” Finally, the Daughters, “as the final stage of creation, are the material form of everything we see around us, and our physical being, encompassing all three of the energies of the previous levels. … She is resourceful, down-to-earth, and industrious, while displaying richness, beauty, and playfulness. Daughters represent the final form – harvesting what we’ve sown.”

I sat with all this for a while. Much is familiar but some ideas felt very different and yet very comfortable. I found myself thinking of my own family dynamic and how things work. Then I elevated it to my “higher order” family, or how I see that working and my place in that dynamic and much of it felt right to me. It encapsulates how I see many concepts. Something about the Lords choosing the seeds aligns with how I see mastery and leadership at its best. I need to spend more time with this because I feel there is something here that I am struggling to articulate and yet connect with deeply.

The Daughters are associated with rebirth and the drive for the everyday to connect with the Higher Self. It all comes together so well and does not present any one Court card as being above another. The hierarchy is turned on its head and yet it isn’t, which for me is how it should be. Every level, and in regards to the Minors, every card, is relevant, necessary, valuable and important in the whole scheme of things.

I once heard a reader suggest the Pages picked up the Ace to learn how to work with its energy. They bring the potential to form and I feel that connects perfectly here. When I consider the cards alongside the book, so many things just click. This in turn has really drawn me into The Tarot of Vampyres. That is definitely not what I expected when I first became aware of this deck.

Phantasmagoria – The Tarot of Vampyres Book

The Tarot of Vampyres comes with what I would almost describe as a 301-paged textbook. Inside you will find tables and a Tree of Life diagram. But, apart from a couple of random Death’s-head Hawkmoths, there are no pictures. What there is though is an amazing amount of information. Sometimes people will claim that a deck comes with an amazing book but I discover I have a different idea about what looks like. Not in this case. This book lives up to the hype that surrounds it. I find it both inspirational and aspirational. Phanasmagoria has made me want to learn more. Yes that is my natural tendency. But, this book came to me at the right time. It has strengthened my resolve to read and write about tarot and tarot related subjects (so just about everything). Anyhow let me get back to what you will find in this book.

The book presents in two parts: Part 1 Phantasmagoria and Part 2 The Cards. Fortunately the book opens with a brief but workable contents page to help guide you through. Part 1 is divided into four sections: A Dark and Stormy Night, Alchemy, The Awakening and Kith and Kin. Part 2 has two sections: Major Arcana and Minor Arcana.

A Dark and Stormy Night introduces you to the vampyre legend, and notions of fear and the shadow. Through this Ian Daniels explains how he believes the vampyre mythos relates to our spiritual quest and the tarot. This is a really interesting read. Within this chapter he also discusses ‘The Nature of Matter and Time’. By the end of the first chapter I was hooked and curious about what else Daniels had to say. As someone drawn to quantum physics, general scientific understanding, mythology, and trying to establish a deeper understanding of how things fit together, this book really appeals to me. I am always seeking ways to combine seemingly disparate ideas. I feel Daniels is doing the same. He pulling things apart in order to put them back together in new ways.

The second chapter, Alchemy, touches on a very basic history of the tarot. Then there is a table that shows the Major Arcana and their zodiacal, planetary, or elemental association and the relevant Hebrew letter. Personally, I do not see the Hebrew letter connections. At this stage they do not work for me but I am keen to investigate how other people work with them. They feature in several of my decks (egs. Haindl Tarot, Journey of the Sacred Bee, Sun and Moon Tarot and Tarot of Dreams) so I am more than casually curious. I went looking for an explanation for how The Fool and Aleph (Ox) fit together and I came across a tarot forum about The Tarot of Vampyres which was really interesting. Unfortunately it did not solidify my understanding in any way. Anyhow, back to the book.

From here, the chapter moves on to explain the suits, the suit cards, and the court as well as their astrological and Major Arcana associations. A table shows how the Cardinal signs, (Aries – The Emperor, Cancer – The Chariot, and Libra – Justice), align with cards 2 through 4 in the Minor Arcana. The Fixed signs, (Taurus – The Hierophant, Leo – Strength, Scorpio – Death, and Aquarius – The Star) with cards 5 through 7 of their relevant suit and the Mutable signs, (Gemini – The Lovers, Virgo – The Hermit, Sagittarius – Temperance, and Pisces – The Moon), cards 8, 9 and 10. For example, Taurus is a fixed Earth sign represented in the Major Arcana by The Hierophant and in the Minor Arcana by the 5, 6 and 7 of Skulls (Pentacles).

He also explains how the planets link with the Minor Arcana and how to work it out if the information is not provided. Put simply, the planets are assigned in the repeating pattern – Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, and Jupiter – beginning with the 2 of Sceptres and following the order of the Zodiac. I remember the order through the sentence, “Mars son Vernon merrily moons Satan’s janitor.” It may seem strange but it works for me.

In time it is possible to remember all the associations. However, I really appreciate that he has incorporated the information into the artwork. Below, you can see the Three of Skulls is Mars in Capricorn and the Eight of Skulls is Sun in Virgo. It would have been nice if the book had included a table showing the symbols for those unfamiliar. They are readily available on line though.

Finally the book looks at the cards through the Kabala (Kabbalah) and the Tree of Life. I like how he links the Kabbalistic Tree of Life with the tree symbolism used in other world mythologies. As such this book is a great stepping off point for so many areas of investigation. The information about the Kabbalah has rekindled my fascination with how the tarot and the Kabbalah can speak to each other. Each time I combine the tarot and the Tree of Life, I am amazed by the insights that come to the fore. I believe it has helped me to connect to tarot and my way of viewing things on a much deeper level.

The next chapter in this section is The Awakening. It has spreads, creative exercises to enhance understanding and foster connection, and tips. The focus of this chapter is on working with the cards. One of the reading tips he suggests is to look at how the blood flows. I will have to pay more attention to that because to date I have not incorporated this into my card interpretations.

Daniels provides a wealth of information but he always stress the notion to do whatever works best for you. He emphasises that readers should employ the methods they connect with. For example, he does not work with reversals but readily points out that others do. Also in not putting numbers on his Major Arcana cards he makes it easy for people to ascribe the Strength and Justice cards the numbers they prefer.

Kith and Kin is the final chapter in the first section. Here he lays out a way to create a personal card portrait. I believe it is worth knowing your “personal” cards. I always pay extra attention to them when they appear in a reading. His approach is a great way to look from the outside in and creates a feeling of being a part of something.

Part 2 presents the Major and then the Minor Arcana in great detail. There is no attempt to adhere to an arbitrary length so the next card begins on the page wherever the last entry finished. This allows for very little whitespace and the font is on the smaller size so without me saying anymore you already know there is a lot of information packed in to the 301 pages of Phantasmagoria. The cards section takes up most of the book so you are never lacking information. The language is poetic without being overly flowery. It is more that it is written with a great deal of passion and enthusiasm for both the subject and the artwork and what you can find within both.

Both the Major and Minor Arcana are treated with the same reverence. The following sections appear beneath the title: Alchemy; Kindred Spirit/s; Essence; Message; Analysis and Symbolism; and Shadow.

For example:

The Sun

Alchemy: Planetary Trump of the Sun; connects Hod with Yesod on the Tree of Life

Kindred Spirits: The Lord of the Fire of the World; Ra; Apollo

Essence: Way too many keywords to list. Some examples – Inexhaustible vitality; Triumphant glory; Ecstatic joy; Radiant beauty; Reconciliation, unity, and perfection; Spirituality and higher truths; Accomplishments, personal power, and brilliance.

Message: Again, since this runs for a page and a half I will only include a snippet from the opening paragraph. “The Sun characterizes the source and power of life itself. This energy is all-pervading and all-encompassing. It is the glory of radiant light that fills the lifeblood of the Universe with brilliance and regeneration. When the Sun appears in a reading, we can be assured that our desires and our Will have ignited and are expanding into realization. This energizing power brings with it a thrilling vibrancy and clarity that burns away all our fears and doubts.” It goes on in this vein weaving insights for how the card can be interpreted for health matters, our professional or domestic lives, and love.

Analysis and Symbolism: This section opens with, “The two figures represent the divine expression of the passive and active dynamics within the fifth element of spirit. Here we encounter the marriage of heaven and earth. The female, who usually represent the earthly and inactive energy, has become the active principle of heaven. Wearing the crown of Kether, she is related now to the element of air. The male has transformed into the inactive energy of earth, representing Malkuth and the material world.

Their union brings together all the elements in perfect balance, while at the same time infusing each with the other’s qualities. They feed from each other in pure harmony, becoming one by the sharing of lifeblood. The image also symbolises the reconciliation of our light and dark aspects and reunification with our shadow; as well as a harmony between our spiritual and animalistic natures.” This runs for two pages so I will stop there.

Shadow: “When eclipsed in shadow, the Sun can display negative qualities such as weariness, listlessness, and worthlessness. We may lose our confidence, or life can seem grey and cold.” This too continues but you get the gist.

By the time you have read through all the information provided for a card it really comes to life and you have learned a lot along the way. Symbolism, the Sephiroth, astrology – it is all woven through the narrative seamlessly. However if you just want a quick overview you can use the keywords from the essence section.

Spreads:

Nine spreads are included:

Soothsayer (1 card)
Dark Mirror (2 cards)
Blood Trail (3 cards)
Book of Shadows (6 cards)
The Elemental Cross (6 cards)
Trespass (7 cards)
Forbidden Fruit (10 cards)
The Prophecy (12 cards)
The Labyrinth (14 cards)

Even though Blood Trail is a simple Past-Present-Future spread, the energy imbued by the titles makes it feel different. I am not sure why the Tree of Life spread is called Forbidden Fruit though. Personally, I do not see the connection. Anyhow, there is definitely plenty to work with which, considering the book overall, is not surprising.

The Tarot of Vampyres will call you out when you are going through the motions, and/or doing only what needs to be done. It is great when you need to rekindle your passion or you want, or need, to embrace all aspects of yourself. For me the strength of this deck is that it encourages you to take all your beliefs, the things you have been loyal to, and examine them away from the influence of other more sanitised energies and to find and come home to your hidden passions.

I never thought I would like or connect with this deck. I was wrong.