Mon Tarot De Marseille by Tarotland (Emmanuelle Patrigeon)

I LOVE the tarot de Marseille pattern, in all it's facets from the reproduction (cleaned up or facsimile of the state they are now) to the most modern interpretations of it, and although I'm always hunting for new decks (my name is Stefan and I'm a tarot-holic) I must admit finding one that is part of the Marseilles family procures me some extra pleasure, perhaps because perhaps 1/5 decks (or even less) that come out are Marseilles.



Not as much a radical reinterpretation but more of a up to date view of the age old imagery, this deck has potential to open the TdM to new audiences it's not an earth shocking or complicated or even threatening deck but one that has commercial potential.

The thing that may bring new curious persons to the Marseilles is the one thing that makes it different from it's 'ancestors'  fresh vibrant colors, for the minors backgrounds that are not white or beige and above all the cards have something dynamic, opposed to the 'classic' TdM that for many look static that seems to keep many at a distance.

Off course this deck has it's weaknesses also (at least to me, but then who am I? What I may find a negative, others might be raving enthusiastic about...) and the biggest thing that bugs me is the use of a computer program style poser or alike to create the persons in the deck, such programs have grown a lot these last years, I can clearly see that when I order decks created by this precede in chronological order, yet still the lack something that makes the cards 'come' alive or pull me in the same way the original naive yet charmingly imperfect century old decks can.

From what I gather from her site the artist she was both inspired by the tradition with she followed and brought into the 21st century and  added her views upon it,  represented by the journey of the fool (the classic part) and she augmented it with the 12 works of Hercules representing to her the journey of the soul towards growth.

You can get the deck at the artists site here

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.

De Grote Arcana Van Doetie Spinder (Doetie Spinder's Great arcana)

This is one of those decks that I fell in love with more then a decade ago when I started collecting and have finally, finally succeeded in obtaining  (it seems that many rare and OOP or Limited Edition decks are surfacing lately, good for my less for my credit card).

Miss Spinder started her arcana drawings in October 1994 and completed the deck in April 1995, choosing what card to draw next by randomly drawing one from the Crowley Thoth Tarot followed by some research into the card from various sources even including the Baphomet Tarot der Unterwelt. 

She created the cards in a style similar to the mandala's she had been creating for some time already, resulting in 22 complex and intricate renditions of the tarot, echoing both ancient iconography and personal inspiration.

Following C.G. Jung's works she views the tarot cards as representing archetypes, ancient principles of the collective subconsciousness but whom perception is an individual experience and so each 'version' of the tarot a very personal depiction of these principles.

The artist self-published this arcana in a small number, printed on a non laminated  heavy paper stock (making it possible to color these if one wished to do so) and came in an envelope with the same image as the extra card (the other extra card is an overview of the 22 arcani and their name).

Osvald Wirth Tarot. Handcoloured edition by Ouroboros, Denmark 1995/2012

Earlier this year I wrote about the reprint of the historic 1889 Oswald Wirth deck by Adam McLean (here) now it's the turn to an other publication of this deck, also by a big tarot collector/authority, namely by K. Frank Jensen.

Frank's edition is an hand coloured edition of only 10 decks, a very small edition indeed but then even 10 is a lot when you have to carefully and cleanly paint 10 x 22 = 220 cards (size 88x143 mm).The Wirth tarot came in a faux book style box together with an illustrated 32 pages booklet by K. Frank Jensen.

The line drawings come from an anonymous, probably German, artist copying Wirth’s own drawings, as for the colours in Jensen's edition are based upon one of the only 2 versions of this deck know still to be in existence, the one used here belongs in a Japanese collection and was formerly part of the R.C.Bell collection of games.

The other deck is in the possession of Belgian collector Guido Gillabel, how it came into his possession is interesting, if I may say so, formerly the deck belonged to an other collector namely Hans Wesseling, after his death his widow asked Guido to sell of his deck, the Wirth got first sold to individuals behind the movie  Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows. After the production of the film Guido was able to buy the deck back.  

I am not sure if there are still decks availlable, but for information about it you can always mail him here.

If you are curious to know the story of the link between this deck and the above mentioned movie Mary K. Greer posted it on her blog here

The Portico Tarot Deck and Art Prints by Elizabeth Leggett

It seems a very long time I've posted something in here (been neglecting my blog I ...but then that was not the only item I neglected...)

To come back on a positive note and create some positive vibes I descided to make my first post back about a new fund-raiser, namely for the Portico Tarot Deck and Art Prints  by Elizabeth Leggett.

The project can be seen here, and seems to be doing very well indeed - but there is always room for more and better.

The link to the fund-raiser is here

The Hive IV Tarot by various artists

For the 4th year in a row the Hive Gallery & Studios in Los Angeles held their Tarot themed exhibition at the beginning of the year and produced the major arcana decks from the cards in  a limited edition of 100 sets.

As with previous decks/years and as can be expected from a collaborative deck the cards portray a wide range of styles and used techniques, and yes some do work better than others, but then these are artists, not tarot readers/thinkers who are also artists.

Entries for previous editions are to be found here:

• The Hive I & II Tarot's 
• The Hive III

The Original Oswald Wirth Tarot Of 1889 published by Adam Maclean

Adam McLean continues to procure us all with wonderful decks we collectors love to have - and this time it's a reprint of the original 1889 edition of  the very first and still used esoteric deck created by Oswald Wirth. The tarot is published in a limited edition of 100 decks

At the time the deck was published they where colored by hand by unskilled (and badly paid) hands, often children. The used techniques namely by stencils means that the effect was often sloppy with colours overflowing and a messy look.

Adam has cleaned up the deck and is offering it on his website here and proceeds from this deck will go towards the Centre for Tarot Art.

There is also an other version around of the 1889 Wirth deck, handcoloured by K Frank Jensen, you can see it here

Dark Carnival Tarot by Rachel Paul (aka J-Rach)

If I'd use one word to describe this deck it would be attitude, and this deck has lots of it! Born out of the Juggalo subculture (yes i had to look it up myself, apparently it's a movement based around the Insane Clown Posse or any other Psychopathic Records hip hop group)

The artist did more than just create another niche deck - based upon the WCS yes but merged it with her own lifestyle, a deck by a juggalo for juggalos this gives us fresh images to look at, wonder over - and at times even be puzzled. 

To extend and maximise the transformation of the tarot into this culture the artist renamed the suits into: Gats (Wands), Axes (Swords), Duckets (Pentacles) and Faygos (Cups) and also changed the court cards into Joker, Warrior, Queen and King.

Does all this mean it can only be truly be enjoyed by those it was created for? Not at all everything from our well know classic WCS-deck is there only spiced-up to become this new incarnation.

 It's a tarot that makes no concessions, it's strong, wild raw in your face no way avoid it! If after all this you are curious about it the deck has it's own Facebook page and on Etsy  (where you can choose between differen pouch designs and preferred colors)you can buy them directly from the artist, and it's also availlable at Tarot Garden .

2 Sola Busca Tarot edtions by Wolfgang Mayer; Giordano Berti - Osvaldo Menegazzi

Yesterday was a special and memorable day for my collection, 2 new decks arrived or to better put it 2 editions of this historical important deck.
Both editions are high quality reproductions of the deck faithful to the original! The difference are ever so slight between both editions of the Sola Busca, there where both are offering the deck in it's original size the Mayer/Berti cards have a very discrete border around the cards rendering them a bit larger than the one reproduced by Osvaldo Menegazzi, the second difference is that the Il Meneghello Sola Busca is a bit darker in hue.

The Sola Busca is an important deck for many reasons, first it's age at the beginning at the official history of the Tarot, and it is the only complete 78 cards deck that has survived into our age. It was also the FIRST deck (and only for many centuries) to portray all minor arcana cards as ilustrated images not solely as a numerical representation of the suit emblems + court cards. The deck is said to have been a great inspiration to Pamela Colman-Smith who has drawn the Waite-Colman Tarot one of the best known, used, sold and used as inspiration for other tarot's deck of the 20th century, the influence can for example be seen in the 3 of Sword.

As a food starting point more information about the Sola Busca visit the Tarotpedia page dedicated to it.

The edition printed  in 1998 by Wolfgang Mayer is the full 78 cards deck, published in a limited hand numbered and signed (on the information card that is on side in German the other in English) edition of 700 decks and is now being offered by (tarot) historian Giordano Berti who obtained some copies and commissioned an Italian artisan to create a book shaped box for the deck.There is also a LWB provided with it by senor Berti
You can find more out about this deck at Berti's Facebook page here or at his website here or you contact him via email here.

Il Meneghello obtained from the Ministry of Heritage and Culture and Pinacoteca di Brera (where it is housed) the exclusive rights to reproduce the deck directly from the original cards, and is offering it in a limited edition of 400 majors only decks.
For more information about this edition see the Il Meneghello Facebook page here, this deck's Facebook page here or contact Christina Dorsini here.

Both decks deserve my 2 thumbs up and made this collector extremely happy and proud by their presence in my collection.

The Gypsy Palace Tarot by by Nora Huszka.

Yesterday I was contacted by miss Huszka about her crowd funding campaign on Indiegogo to fund her deck. The artist is from Hungary, living in Berlin and at the moment travelling through Italy, and yes she is also a tarot reader herself so it seems she is living the gypsy part of her deck's name herself, isn't it.

Curious to see it, a bit sceptical perhaps, one hears lots of themed decks comming out each day that are for the most part just flat uninspired images but here  I must admit I like what I see, it's fresh, innocent looking but also playful and yes bathing in the gypsy atmosphere. 

You can see her indigogo campaign here and if interested help in funding it.

Journey into Egypt Tarot by Julie Cuccia-Watts

After 4 years of working on it Julie Cuccia-Watts' new deck is finally ready for pre-order.

A voyage started with the Blue Moon Tarot published more than a decade ago and continued with the MAAT Tarot ,  seems to have found a new and interesting culmination (dare I say oasis seen the Egyptian theme?). 

But behold this is not 'just another pretty Egyptian themed deck' to use the artists own words (and who better to describe her creation to us): "Four years in the making this new deck explores the idea of RealSky Astrology using the ancient 12 month/3 ( 10 day) week calendar of ancient Egypt. Explore ancient Egypt thru the lens of 4 different cultures that once ruled in Egypt. Experience the astrological signs from an Egyptian point of view." So a deck with a mind of it's own and that dares to be (very) different of those around not a clone but an original creation!


To find out more about it, see some images, read her post about how some of the images came into being, learn about the system behind the deck and/or yes also to pre-order the deck you can visit her website here.

Triomphes MMXII by Bertrand Saint-Guillain

Bertrand Saint-Guillain who back in 2001 created the Triomphes De Paris a back to the roots version of the Tarot de Marseille inspired by Jacques Viéville has also created this deck on the complete opposite of the spectrum where the first one was traditional, this deck looks modern and sharp.
This deck I'd categorize as Neo-Marseilles is one nice addition to my collection

Both decks are forming a nice contrast to each other and at the same time a good couple (opposites attract they say...) and dispite their differences there are many aspect that bind them together also, better fitted than many human 'relations' I dare to say!

This is a deck with a personality and with living personalities in it, some personal friends of the artist, among who one may easily recognize Enrique Enriquez, as the Magician; Mary Greer as the High Priestess - even the creator of the deck himself is represented as card number 16.

This majors only tarot was published as a limited edition of 200 deck and is still available at the artists website here.

I Nuovi Tarocchi Dell'amor Sacro e Profano - Franco Coletti

Almost a year ago I made a post here about the 'I Tarocchi Dell'amore Sacro E Profano' the deck that was inspired by the passion of the artist for his muse D., so overwhelming this desires for her are that almost at the same time as the first, Il Meneghello published the second instalment of this trilogy. 

The  entitled I Nuovi Tarocchi Dell'amor Sacro e Profano - (aka A New Tarot of Sacred and Profane Love) continues in the same style and vein as the first one, reigning from poetic to a bit...explicit. One can see each card has been executed by a skilled artist who's form of expression lies somewhere between gentle elegance, brute and raw strength, between wild passion and calm rest. Indeed the way I described the used the art is the way I would describe the whole set of 78 cards, the entire Sacred & Profane trilogy and by extension the whole body tarot-creations from Coletti inspired by his feelings for his muse, the always secretive D.

The cards in the major arcana are where the artist poured his own writing into each image while each of the 4 suits is given a literary backbone by:  Goethe for coins; the Italian poet, essayist and philosopher Biacomo Leopardi for Wands; Emily Dickinson for the suit of Cups and John Keats for the Swords.

As the previous set in this trilogy this one is published in an extremely limited edition of only 12 decks, to learn more about it (and why not see if it is still available and if so order one) you could contact Christina through the Il Meneghello Facebook page or look up the page Arnell Ando has created for this deck here. 

Fundraiser: Stolen Child Tarot, the 78 CARD DECK!

I'm back after some time having taken a break from my blog, during a period I could describe using the following quote: "Double, double toil and trouble" picking up where I stopped to once more share my love of tarot and present some of my finds.

Returned and already  with some good news, one year after her first passage by the kickstarter site to fund the majors only version of this deck, tarot artiste Monica Knighton is back and this time its for the whole shabam, a full 78 cards edition of the Stolen Child Tarot is awaiting funds to manifest itself.

You  can find the campaign and all the information needed to form an opinion, and I hope be enthusiastic enough (as I am) to contribute to this wonderful project an the Kickstarter page

KENZO Tarot Cards by Michael Willis

This deck was created by London based artist Michael Willis in collaboration with/and for the fashion label KENZO for being used at live Tarot readings at Kenzos pop up store at Maria Luisa in Paris earlier this year.

With a subtitle as "Psy Chic" and produced for a fashion label the item could not be anything but classy (and I'm sure will be very sought after and collectable - for both tarot lovers and fashionistas).

The images of this limited-edition majors only deck are true to the expression of Willis and combine well classic tarot symbols with 60ies style, printed in Ben-Day dots to augment the feeling and rendered in the KENZO palette using the label’s latest Jean-Paul Goude campaign as backs.

Exclusively on sale on their online shop here this deck comes just in time for the holidays at the sweet price of only € 25 and will be gone for good afterwards I fear... only to be found at auction sites like eBay at an inflated price.
The artist showcases this deck and other of his works here.

Warning: fake Bohemian Gothic Tarot

It has come to my attention that there are bootleg  Bohemian Gothic Tarots for sale coming from Russia/Ukraine.

This is what Karen Mohony one of the wonderful creators of this and many other great decks wrote today:

"WARNING. There are fake Bohemian Gothic decks on the market now. These are illegal bootlegs from Ukraine/Russia and are very badly done. Please beware and warn people. How to tell the fakes. Please look at the photos here. (Facebook Link)
1. All prints are over-exposed, glaringly wrong colours and fuzzy. 
2. Deck is smaller and to make the images fit they have just cropped them (yuck). 3. Box is different. 
4. Weird typo on box Poe's death date is very, very wrong! 
5. Russian LWB 
6. Most ironic of all - our copyright notice on the box has been removed."

The quality of these decks is clearly very bad and has nothing to do with the excellent quality that Baba studio is so very well know for.

Here is the page they have made with some images so everyone can see the difference in quality between the original and the fakes.
 

The Zombie Apocalypse TaROT by Joe Frost

This is the second tarot that I know of that has been published this year,  and both decks are on the most opposite places of the spectrum possible.Where the other zombie tarot was tong in cheeky and kitschy in a good kind of way this one goes all the way in gore and horror.

With a subtitle like "The Deck That Puts The ROT in TaROT" the tone has certainly been set...and one can not say the artist didn't go all the way, he went even in full overdrive! Using photographs of fanatical gruesome zombies makes so that more realistic and dark that it may scare away the more faint of heart...

Joe Frost used photo's from a variety of artists around the zombie-theme to link to the 78 arcana + one extra card named Undeath, fact is that the images do not always speak for themselves. Due to as good as no identifiable elements from the major arcana or suit symbols, any esotheric pointers linking a card to an imaes is not always simple or logical,  where some images can clearly be linked to a card others can only be identified by the title printed upon them and are mutually interchangable.

For anyone really into zombies, with a sub-categorie of realy dark decks in their collection or who just want to have the most distressingdeck for those halloween readings this might be the deck for you.
The artist self-published this deck trough the Gamecrafter where it can be bought 

Alchemy 1977 England Tarot

Alchemy 1977 is a brand well know for its gothic and steampunk imagery and products,that enjoys a vast number of followers and has a big catalogue of images.

The house-style is a mixture of sexy temptresses, sculls and skeletons, mystical creatures like dragons (lots of them - they even replaced the Kings in the courts by one) and all other kind of monster from popular culture all set in a world that is set in a magical medieval period with steam-punk elements (quite an explication isn't it - for something that seems to be very pomular and guarantee to sell well). Fitting into the old school fantasy book genre the decks is guaranteed to have it fans both from fantasy lovers as tarot lovers with a taste for the darker stuff

They matched pre-existing art to the 22 majors and court cards, what in most cases produced sometimes a great card (I love the Fool) but mostly just satisfiable good nor bad, giving a 'pretty' card that happens to correspond to...some can make you wonder why they used it, but never in a shocking way. The minors 1-10 are beautiful, elegant and...non-scenic only x times the suit symbol (wands have become roses, and i can see why a black rose is so much elegant than a stick..)
Every image is set within ornamental frames augmenting the cohesive feeling between the cards and also the dark gothic feel of the set.

All in all a very nice deck, no deep mystical secrets hidden in it, no high art, just 78 dark cards for those into something more dark.

The decks is available from the usual places like Tarot Garden or Alida or other shops near you or on-line that sell tarot.

The Zombie Tarot by Stacey Graham and Paul Kepple

It seems that zombies are back these days from never really gone, only buried just below the surface, and you know these things come back when you don't expect them ...and with a vengeance.
So the tarot-world could not stay behind to our (or at least mine) delight - and in my collection this one went.

One of the authors behind the Zombie Tarot was also behind the "Housewives Tarot" and together with Stacey Graham he has applied the same style, feeling and tongue-in-cheek humour as there to this deck. Bathing in a fifties to sixties B-movie  atmosphere with matching colour palette sure to work upon both the nostalgia as the sense for  pleasantry.

The whole vintage undead theme is well worked out from the sturdy casing reminiscent of a ammunition box with the following tekst printed upon it: "insight & ammunition for surviving the undead uprising" the tone has been set and in this vein it will continue in the most hilarious way throughout the deck iself and its instruction manual.. The setting for the deck (and the one using it) is an apocalyptic world with zombies taking over the world and the remaining humans trying to survive - provided with this deck and the boockled and it's wicked sense of humour you sure will, and while doing so staying cool and good-looking! 

A fun deck to play around with for Halloween or among Zombie lovers or hunters 

Published by Quirk Books you can find it at the usual places like for example Tarot Garden (always a great service) or others...

Wormweird Tarot by George Higham

Time for real horror gore and darkness, the subtitle of this deck says it all: "The path to enlightenment has never been so dark" and believe me it's not just a marketing slogan, but the reality for each and every card of this deck, beware my friends there be monsters there....The whole atmosphere breathes a mixture of steampunk, classical horror absinthe and

The images where created using good old Victorian style stage-illusion techniques, waxwork sculptures and the interplay of light and shadow, no photoshop or other digital manipulation after the images where taken was applied- perhaps this too contributed to the power of this images, no slick or polished cards but pure horror and madness.

The deck follows the downfall of the town of Wormwood (as the herb used to produce the ill-famed liquor Absinthe that is present in almost every card and dragging everyone down into insanity ) and its inhabitants into a hell the story of it described in the codex that gives a kind of biography of each card/personage of the deck,  information also about its divinatory meanings at the same time.

Where every major, court card and the extra card "baron Alchymus (around who's actions and experiments everything evolve and drags the down into decay, insanity and a world full of abominations of man and nature) depict a person who's story represents it, the minors 1-10 show dark-inimistic scenes.

The images on the cards and the stories in the codex are miles away from the classic tarot but yet for a coherent system and for those into some (or much) darkness it is something they might get into their collection.

you can see more of the deck and the artists other work at his website here