Isn’t This Lovely?

I was considering buying this but as money as tight at the moment it felt a bit frivolous (given that I probably would look at it but not use it)! But maybe another day…

It’s called the Oracle Tarot Deck, it’s by Lisa Chow who is an AMAZING illustrator, and you can find it on Etsy here.

If you get one, please come back and let me know what it’s like in the flesh.

ETA: I forgot to say, there’s a lovely slideshow showing all the cards here.

Scans of the Dark Fairytale Tarot, Part 2

As promised, here are some scans of what I personally consider to be the “not-so-nice” cards from the Dark Fairytale Tarot – or, in the case of the 10 of Wands below, “nice-but-what-does-that-have-to-do-with-anything”. (Plus a scan of the card back, which I like, but I thought you might like to see it.)

For some nicer cards, see this post.

Let me know what you think…

Scans of the Dark Fairytale Tarot, Part 1

So I’ve got my hands on a copy of the Dark Fairytale Tarot, which should be in stock at Tarot Chest in a couple of weeks. I’ve been looking forward to this deck – from the (very) few images I’d seen I hoped it might be eerily enchanting. But when I opened it, to be honest, I was disappointed. In fact, my exact tweet was:

“Shiny fronts matt backs, digital photo-realistic montage, overblown special effects, beautiful young women looking pensive in various poses.”

However….I have been giving it another look and am starting to appreciate it more. I think the main problem was the huge difference between my expectations of what it was and the reality of what it actually is. But, in fairness, what it actually is isn’t all that bad.

For example, here are the scans I’ve just uploaded to the store. I chose cards that I thought looked nice but also tried to choose ones that are representative of the deck as a whole and that also WORK as tarot cards (very important that).

  

  

I’ve noticed also that the cards look nicer when I’m not looking at them too closely and when there’s lots of them together, as there would be in a spread. So perhaps all is not lost.

Next, I’ll post some scans of what I consider to be the not-so-nice cards. But, tell me, what do you think of it so far??

 

P.S. I think my scanner needs dusting…

Today’s Journey Tarot

I’ve been wanting to take a look at the Today’s Journey Tarot for a while. From the card scans I’d seen, the deck seemed to have a refreshing take on the traditional meanings, along with an intriguing artwork style, yet no one was really talking about it. Could this be one of tarot’s hidden gems?

Vital Statistics
Created by Expanding Dimensions
Published by Schiffer, Autumn 2011
78 cards in hinge-opening box with magnetic closure
96-page card sized guidebook, in English

Other Stuff You Might Want to Know
Cards measure 7.3 x 12.4 cm
All Major Arcana cards have been renamed
Suits are Fire (Wands), Water (Cups), Air (Swords), and Earth (Pentacles)
Court cards are Child (Page), Youth (Knight), Mother (Queen), Father (King)

 

 

 

Video review coming soon!

Order the Today’s Journey Tarot from Tarot Chest

Cats!

Cats! That’s what popped into my head today. Why are there so many cat-themed tarot decks? It’s one of life’s great mysteries. At Tarot Chest there are five. (Brainiacs among you will have noticed that clicking that link yields eight decks in the search results. Just because a deck’s got cats in it, doesn’t mean it’s cat-themed. Halloween Tarot, I’m looking at you.)

This got me thinking about other animal-themed tarots. It didn’t get me thinking for very long though, as I could only think of two: the Ferret Tarot and Parrot Tarot (and I’m pretty sure that second one doesn’t actually have anything to do with parrots).

Given the infinite variety of fauna on our little planet, surely there should be more animal-themed decks. Why no Giraffe Tarot? Or a Tarot of the Duck-Billed Platypi? Wherefore art thou, Chicken Tarot? (I’d like an Orangutan Tarot please, if any orangutan-painting artist is listening. I’ll write the LWB…)

That’s said, I’m sure there are many more animal tarot decks than I know about. How many can you name? I’m off now to Google it.

Something for the wishlist…

I’ve just added some, quite frankly, mouth-watering new decks to the store for pre-order. I know, I know, “pre-order” blah. Why can’t we have them now?! I stomp my feet in sympathy with you, I really do. Even though I am spending a year with the Haindl, I did emit a few oohs and a couple of aahs as I looked through the sample card images. But they will be here soon and as we know, all good things come to those who wait, patience is a virtue, and a watched tarot deck never boils.

They are due for release here in the UK in December. When in December exactly, I don’t know. And it could be sooner – the Gaian snuck in several weeks earlier than expected – so it just depends which way the wind is blowing. West to east is good.

If any of these tickle your fancy or any other part of you, click on through to Tarot Chest where you can salivate to your heart’s delight. You can also, when you’ve finished salivating, pre-order or add an alert to be notified when they’re in stock. Or, now here’s a thought, you can add one or more or all of them to your wishlist so some kind soul can buy them for you. Well, giving IS better than receiving so you’ll really be doing THEM a favour.

Cat's Eye Tarot

Crystal Visions Tarot

 

Joie de Vivre Tarot

 

Woodland Wisdom Oracle Cards

Tea Leaf Fortune Cards

 

Mountain Dream – 3 of Pentacles

I’ve decided to revive Deck of the Month – something I abandoned over two years ago. For those of you who have not been hanging on my every word since January 2009, the Deck of the Month Club is a totally made-up club which anyone can join whose only requirement is that you casually commit to using a different deck each month. You can use other decks while you’re doing Deck of the Month but a) you must try and use your Deck of the Month most of the time, and b) you must feel sharp pangs of guilt for straying elsewhere.

There’s only a little bit of September left so for the last 10 days-ish of this month, my Deck of the Month will be the Mountain Dream. Because the Mountain Dream is kewl.

For example, here’s the 3 of Pentacles:

What I like about this card is its casual simplicity. It emphasizes collaboration but it’s much less formal than, say, the RWS. In this card, all three people are huddled around the discs. You can’t even see their faces but I can imagine what they’re saying: What do you think? Up a bit, left a bit, what if we turned that one round? Do you think they should be blue or red? Hang on, I’ll hold this one while you two line the others up. They’re all interested in making it the best they can and it’s their openness – allowing each person’s skills and experience and artistry to shape the finished work – that will ensure shared success.

The Secret Language of Birds Tarot

So the Secret Language of Birds has arrived and whilst I prepare my thrilling and not-to-be-missed video review, I thought I’d give you a sneak peak at the cards.

But first, here are the top three things you need to know about the Secret Language of Birds Tarot:

1. It’s big. Sorry, I mean it’s BIG. Large Thoth big, I’d say, though not having a large Thoth to hand I can’t be 100% sure. Still, it has “trim me” written all over it, so that would make it slightly easier to handle.

2. It has non-scenic pips. And not the good kind. (Don’t get me wrong – they’re attractive, just not all that readable.)

3. There’s something very weird going on with the courts. Page, Knight, Queen, King? Princess, Prince, Queen, Knight? Er, no. Try Queen, King, God, Goddess. Get your head round that one.

That said, all these things make the deck very intriguing and it’s got a fat accompanying book. The artwork is quite charming I think. Rich colours, appealing paintings, and some lovely takes on the majors. Plus, I think I saw Johnny Depp, Liz Taylor, and Pavarotti in there somewhere. Hmm….

Available now from Tarot Chest, price £27.50.

Pen Tarot for sale – one careful owner

I have decided (and then undecided, and then decided again) to sell my Pen Tarot.

It’s a lovely LOVELY deck and I have treasured it, but the time has come to move on. I am slowly whittling my collection down to decks that I actually use, and I’m afraid I’ve never used the Pen (wouldn’t dare – I might spoil it!)

So it’s on eBay now and, to my delight, several people are now furiously bidding for it. Still, I thought I’d let you know, just in case you fancied joining the fray. 😉

Here it is:

Chop Chop

This past month I’ve had an itchy scissor finger. Fortunately for me, I’d just acquired a copy of the Napo Tarot, which suffers from a extreme and rare form of giantborderitis. Extreme, because the borders are HUGE, and rare, because unlike most other big-bordered decks, it doesn’t possess nice straight lines designed for neat trimming.

What to do what to do. Did I create some sort of template to carefully give each card the same boxy outline? Or did I just start hacking?

I hacked, of course. Now I have a very colourful and much-improved deck in a wibbly-wobbly world of its own. See Exhibit A:

Still, that didn’t satisfy my urges. I started frantically looking for another subject and my eyes fell on the Original Rider Waite. Wouldn’t its vintage lettering and muted colours look so much better freed from their tedious frames?

Yes indeedy. I give you Exhibit B:

Finally I can rest, though my fingers be blistered and my scissors be blunt, I am safe in the knowledge that my psychic powers of prediction will no longer be blocked by intuition-draining borders.

What a relief.