Let's get the unpleasant stuff out of the way first. While Cathy McClelland's artwork is a wonder to behold, the manufacturing quality of the deck is rather poor. I had to order the Star Tarot from Amazon twice and both times some cards had damaged backs. Many had rolled sections or shallow nicks on the … Continue reading The Star Tarot Deck Interview
Tarot Decks
The Mystical Tarot Deck Interview
Few decks in recent memory have been the subject of such intense on-line debate. It is undeniably beautiful and also quirky, with ornate borders that some love and others loathe. It's a Sola-Busca-meets-RWS extravaganza that toes the interpretive line while also seeming simultaneously fresh and antique. I happen to like the blend, although I haven't … Continue reading The Mystical Tarot Deck Interview
The Modern Spellcaster’s Tarot Deck Interview
I bought this graphically pleasing (and almost slavishly RWS-based) deck when it first came out, but I have yet to use it in a reading. I seem to always overlook it when I gather up a few RWS-style decks to take to public reading sessions. It could be that it's in an oversized box that … Continue reading The Modern Spellcaster’s Tarot Deck Interview
The PoMo Tarot Deck Interview
If Brian Williams' Post-Modern Tarot deck from 1994 had a motto, it would be "Nobody likes a smart-ass." Williams managed to put his finger squarely on the pulse of bored, self-indulgent, late-20th-century American culture, and then tweaked its collective nose hard. I've had it since 1994 but seldom used it until recently, when I had a … Continue reading The PoMo Tarot Deck Interview
The World Spirit, Second Edition, Deck Interview
This sprawling RWS-based deck is one that I like to use for mundane (that is, non-psychological) questions. It has a rustic, earthy richness that makes it a good autumn and winter deck. I put my "Tell Me No Lies" Deck Personality Profile spread to it, hoping to learn something new about its inner nature. All … Continue reading The World Spirit, Second Edition, Deck Interview
Liber T and Navigators of the Mystic SEA: A Deck Comparison
By way of offering an example reading for my "Friend or Foe" two-deck comparison layout, I decided to run the spread on the Liber T, Tarot of Stars Eternal and Navigators of the Mystic SEA decks. I've had both decks for a while and have used them together before. Both are Thoth clones, and I … Continue reading Liber T and Navigators of the Mystic SEA: A Deck Comparison
The Rohrig Tarot Deck Interview
A few months ago I had a chance to pick up the brilliant Rohrig Tarot. (The Fool card had been haunting me for some time.) The English-language version was very pricey, but the Spanish edition wasn't so I went for it. Unfortunately I don't read Spanish, so I was a bit handicapped in using it. … Continue reading The Rohrig Tarot Deck Interview
“Companion” Decks
I create a fair number of spreads that use two or more tarot decks. (I know that some people like to do mixed readings with tarot and oracle or tarot and Lenormand decks, but I haven't gone far in that direction yet.) I have around 50 tarot decks now and am always trying to find … Continue reading “Companion” Decks
The Ship of Fools Tarot Deck Interview
When I returned to the serious study and regular use of tarot after an extended period of intermittent dabbling, I found that a number of practices had become entrenched in the culture that didn't exist previously. One of these was what is known as the "new deck interview." This is the engagingly animistic habit of … Continue reading The Ship of Fools Tarot Deck Interview
Confessions of an Incurable Thothie
By all reliable accounts, Aleister Crowley was not a nice man. Yet he fathered one of the enduring icons of modern tarot - the Thoth deck - along with its remarkable companion volume, The Book of Thoth or BoT. A revisionist attempt is afoot to give the lion's share of the credit for the excellence of … Continue reading Confessions of an Incurable Thothie
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 