Bohemian Gothic Tarot third edition is open for pre-order

In case you didn't notice one of my favourite gothic decks, is almost back in print!
I'm not the only one loving it that much judging the attention it gets on tarot groups and forums all around,and prices it fetches on eBay once it goes OOP, so there will be a lot of people happy (and this just in time for the holidays) .

This third edition had just like the second one (and as will all decks by Karen & Alex before being re-published in a new edition) under gone some changes, some subtle rather tweaking others are more noticeable and some can already be seen at Baba Studio's facebook page - here.

Like the first and the second edition that had 2 'formats' (for the 1st a normal and a sliver edition, and for the 2nd a normal and a deluxe version with pewter/silver edges) this 3rd edition comes also in 2 different shapes a normal deck and a mini deck with foiled silver backs.

You can pre-order the deck directly at Baba Store here and to sweeten the deal not only you get  a pre-order discount on the deck but also on their wonderful limited edition Bohemian Gothic tarot bags with an "authentication" ribbon tag.

Russian Tarot by Boris Monosov

This charming and Russian deck not only in name but also in looks is one of the latest East European tarot’s to find a home in my collection and urging me to show it off to those visiting my blog.

As with (almost) all decks originating from that part of the world information about it is scarce to put it lightly, I suppose part of that fact can be traced back to the use of the Cyrillic alphabet, but still I did the very best I could and found some data about it.

The inspiration and system behind it is from Boris Monosov’s, a Russian mage and founder of the "school of magic Atlantis" the artist who drew the cards being Anastasia Nikolaeva.From what I gather the deck was printed in 1994 by Skyline Courier to be used for meditation and energy workings by the students of Monosov's mystery school.

In 2011 the deck was re-published by the Russian publisher Vector and sometime later became accessible to us here in the west, mainly thanks to eBay sellers from that part of the world.

So far for the history part of the deck, now the images themselves, the style and colors breathe a Russian atmosphere that is immediately recognizable, simple yet strong with colors that jump directly at you an effect that is made even more potent due to the use of large white sections within the images.

According to the Russian information I found the deck is WCS-based, yet when opening the box and looking at it, the first impression was more of a TdM based one, perhaps an hybridization of those mixed with Mr. Monosv's own vision??

One other thing I could gather and that may shed an interesting light upon this deck is the fact that many majors have been renamed to fit Monosov's system, some corresponding to the traditional meanings, others less.
The new names (translated by Google) being:

1)  Creator

2)  Cognition

3)  Matter

4)  Will

5)  Consciousness

6)  Inclination

7)  Achievement

8)  Force

9)  Spirituality

10) Fate

11) Law

12) Object

13) Destruction

14 Transformation

15) Dependence

16) Return

18) Development

19) Word

20) Update

21) Success

22) Illusion

Born in the USSR by Alexander Daniloff

True artists can never stay still our without creating anything for a long period, and behold less then a year after finishing and publishing his 81-card deck  (both Justice and Strength are twice in the deck both once at 8 and 11) he has managed to paint a new major arcana.

This arcana looks different than his previous creations, yet if one really looks closely at it one can easily identify them as both having the same author, or is it the authors Russian/East-European origins that shine through in both - or both artist and his roots that materialise into the finished works.

As the artist describes it himself as following: "Born in the USSR" is a series of Major Arcana inspired by Soviet propaganda posters of the '20s and '30s. Represents the human enthusiasm for the construction of a better future, a future so far away not to leave anything for the present, that turns into a nightmare.".....and continues with his experience and view upon that: "... is a look at the past of my country* many years later. The past quite sticky, still following us continuing to offer the splendor of the future for to rob us the present"
Whow what a definition, what a statement, and surely something that creates BIG expectations...well in my perception it does fulfil those perfectly!

The artist is not planning to expand the deck beyond the majors, nor is a publication something for the near future, it is only a project for the moment being, but who knows what the future may bring us, it just may be written in the cards...

You can admire this deck at his website here

* Daniloff was born in Donetsk (USSR) in 1963, and did his studies at the Theater School of Niznij Novgorod (Russia) in 1990, and successfully exhibited  both in Russia and abroad. In 2000 Daniloff moved to Rovigo in Italy.