Deck Review: The Golden Girls Tarot Cards--A Look into Your Future from the Lanai

 

 

The television series “The Golden Girls” appeared on our television screens for the first time nearly 40 years ago and ran from 1985-1992. It’s a sitcom about four women who live together in Miami. The show was known for its four amazing characters—Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan), Rose Nylund (Betty White), Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty), and Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur). All are divorced or widowed and find themselves under the same roof and let me tell you from personal experience that the show is hilarious. While the comedy is great, the ladies manage to take on serious topics regularly as well.

The show also won its share of awards. In seven short seasons it garnered a whopping 58 Emmy nominations, winning 11 times, as well as 88 Golden Globe nominations and 40 awards. All of the four main characters are comedy veterans with a pretty impressive list of credentials in their own right, but their on-screen chemistry is nothing short of magical.

 

Needless to say, it’s become a cult classic, which I strongly suspect is the reason behind why we are seeing “The Golden Girls Tarot Cards” on our online shelves.

 

With the introductions out of the way for anyone born after 1985, if you love bright pink and blue you will love the coloring of these cards. The back is a simple bright blue with an unobtrusive design and palm fronds, and the cards feel nice in your hand; they’re about the same size as the RWS standard.

 

The Golden Girls figure prominently in this deck, which isn’t really a surprise given its name, although there are a few appropriately placed men here and there for the Emperor and in the court cards. But that’s not who we’re here to celebrate.

 

The RWS imagery is all over this deck, and it’s basically a clone with a Golden Girl or three on each card. For the Major Arcana, all of the Girls have equal representation. The Chariot, for example, has Blanche in command of two good-looking male dancers; she was known for being the most romantically outgoing of the four and her sexual adventures were a common theme on the show. Sophia, who incidentally is Dorothy’s mother, makes an appearance as the angel on the Lovers, blessing her daughter and Dorothy’s ex-husband, both of whom stand apart in bathrobes; they got back together at one point. Rose’s positive attitude earns her the Sun, while Dorothy portrays the Grim Reaper on Death; she regularly killed with put-downs.

 

The Tower shows Shady Pines, the nursing home where Sophia lived after the stroke that caused brain damage to her verbal filter. Dorothy put Sophia in the home originally, but Sophia hated it and eventually came to live with Dorothy. For her part, Dorothy occasionally will say “Shady Pines, ma!” to try to keep her mom under control, with limited success. Interesting to note that Shady Pines never actually makes an appearance on the show, but it’s a great reference for the Tower!

 

We have our four standard suits, but each Golden Girl gets her own. Wisecracking Sophia gets the Wands. Sensitive Rose is on the Cups. Quick-witted Dorothy’s owns the Swords, while libidinous Blanche earns the sensual Pentacles. Each Girl is on almost every one of the cards in her suit, except for the Knights and Kings; those are normally occupied by a lover or boyfriend.

The Three of Swords shows Dorothy standing out on the lanai in the rain with palm fronds in the background, wearing a shirt with three swords through a heart, similar to the standard RWS imagery. The Two of Cups has Rose toasting with wine glasses with a boyfriend and it also mirrors the RWS.

In a slight nod to the RWS imagery, the Five of Wands has all four girls decked out in their bowling uniforms, highlighting the “friendly competition” meaning that is one of the standards for the card.  

 

In a few cases, however, it seems like the designer ran out of steam; the Ten of Pentacles just has a tree with 10 pentacles growing on it. This is Blanche’s suit, but she’s not on this card at all, and in the RWS there are no trees except way in the back. I mean…it’s a pretty tree…but it didn’t do a lot for me intuitively. Maybe I’m missing a show reference? That’s always possible.

 

The bottom line: If you’re a fan of the show, or you love the colors of 1980’s Miami, then this deck is for you. But this is really a niche deck and may not appeal to many younger tarot devotees.

The Golden Girls Tarot Cards: A Look into Your Future from the Lanai

Smith Street Gift

$19.95, Amazon

Tarot Tuesday: Does the Deck You Use Really Matter?

There are thousands of tarot decks. All you have to do is check out sites like Aeclctic Tarot and you'll find tons of them, complete with images and reviews. Honestly, it can be a little overwhelming. But does the deck you choose matter?

Let's look at it from two different perspectives: The reader or the client. 

If you're a reader, then the deck you use matters because the information flows through the images and has an impact on your intuition. Readers prefer certain decks over others. One of the biggest choices a reader makes is Rider-Waite-Smith vs. Thoth, for example, but as a reader, the bottom line is that you need to like what you're looking at. Does it reduce your effectiveness as a reader? I think it certainly might. 

If you're a client, it might be easy to say, "No...since the client isn't doing the reading, the deck shouldn't matter." But in my experience, clients do prefer certain decks over others. 

Back when I started my professional reading career, Ciro Marchetti's Gilded Tarot was one that I used for a while and it was a client favorite. In fact, it was such a favorite I had to stop bringing it after about three months to change things up. And the one that I use as a house standard when I read at Pin Curls Beauty Salon is the Rider Waite Smith, and some of my clients don't like it. 

A long time ago, I used to give clients a choice of decks, but I found that most of them preferred the Rider. I also have one client who liked a darker feel on the cards when I read for him so he preferred the Necronomicon Tarot, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft.

So I'll end by leaving you with a question to answer: Does the tarot deck a reader uses matter to you? If you read, do you care what you read with? Do you want me to offer different decks to use?

I'll take your answers in the comments or to hierophant@cox.net. Thanks!

Deck Review: The Quest Tarot

The Quest Tarot

I picked up this deck in Salem, MA, a few years back in the winter. Salem’s a great place to buy tarot cards—I think I came home with more than a couple of decks that day—but next time I’ll do it when it’s not snowing. BRRRRRRR! But I digress.

To get the most out of this deck, get the boxed set that has both the deck and the book. There are many correspondences across the top of each card that represent astrological signs, gemstones, planets, runes, the I Ching, and the Kabbalah. The book will help decode the symbols for you.

All of the suits retain their traditional names, except for Pentacles which is represented by “Stones”. The Court Card titles are not traditional; they are Father (King), Mother (Queen), Son (Knight), and Daughter (Page).

While the symbols are an excellent way to integrate your knowledge of the tarot with other related disciplines, it can get a little busy at the top of the card. Also, all of the cards, Major and Minor Arcana alike, have a Roman numeral at the top center, so without looking at the title of each card it’s not possible to know which Arcana is which.

The cards are really beautiful and bright, and have some traditional RWS tarot imagery. It takes liberties with the images but they come off more optimistically than in many other decks. For example, the Fool looks much happier, and a larger, gorgeous landscape can be shown around him, including a river, a rainbow, and a half circle of stars in the distance. The Five of Pentacles (Stones), whose traditional image shows two poor people outside a church, shows a simple picture of five stones in the Quest Tarot.

One of the factors that makes this a good deck for a beginner is that each card has a description underneath the card name in the bottom center of each card. For example, the Four of Wands’ description is “perfection. While this card certainly has other meanings, it’s nice to have a key word to use if you blank on the meaning of a card (and this happens even to those of us who have been reading for some time). As long as you don’t allow these meanings to be absolutes and only as a jumping off point for your own intuition you’ll be just fine.

My favorite card in this deck is The Tower. It shows flaming rocks heading toward the tower, and to me it expresses exactly what you would feel if you were sitting in that Tower just thinking that today was going to be ordinary and then looking outside. Even the word on the card, “demolition” is very appropriate; the word is rather neutral and describes the removal of something no longer useful to us.

I really enjoy this deck. It allows both beginners and advanced tarot students the opportunity to learn about many of the tarot’s correspondences in a bright, beautiful, artistic way. Remember: Buy the set.

Deck Review: The Aquarian Tarot

The Aquarian Tarot

I’ll say right at the outset that this deck is an acquired taste. The deck was illustrated by David Palladini, who has drawn for the illustrated version of Steven King’s Eyes of the Dragon. He has also recently (several years ago) released his New Palladini Tarot, which I also own. 

So the artwork is not what many of us will be used to, given the difference in artistic styles between 1970 and today. That alone may well turn many of you off from it, but since anything “retro” could become popular at any given moment you never know.

The color palette that Palladini uses is heavy on subdued fall colors: oranges, browns, and red-orange hues. There are very few colors that really catch the eye; the one that hits me the most is yellow, which is not used that much but is bright when it does appear. For this reason I found it difficult to tell many of the cards apart. Palladini tries to help by giving each one of the Major Arcana cards a different font for the name of the card and sometimes a different location. Each card of the Minor Arcana has the card’s name clearly indicated at the bottom of each one in the same font for all four suits.

The images themselves are “inspired” by the Rider-Waite, but Palladini clearly takes some liberties with them. For example, this is the first deck in which I have ever seen the Strength card feature a man as the central figure. Also, the lack of a struggle of some kind is interesting. In the Aquarian, the card features a man with a dog that looks like a greyhound, but the dog appears to be the man’s companion and not an adversary. Another example is The Star, which features no person (a woman is usually present), but has a large peacock in the middle of the image. It appears that

Palladini exercised artistic license more with the Major Arcana than the Minor, as the four suits are very close in most cases to those of their Rider-Waite cousins.

What surprised me a lot more than I expected was the backs of the cards, whose loud blue and white pattern is a tremendous contrast to the cards themselves. I found myself staring at the card backs for some time; they’re cool!

My favorite card in this deck is the Five of Pentacles. The reason I like it so much is because while the Five of Pentacles is a card of “when bad things happen to good people” (bankruptcy, illness, rejection, daytime television, etc.), Palladini’s rendering enhances the spiritual aspects of life by putting the church window in the sky without a physical church building around it. It gives the interpretation that I like to stress when people draw this card: That the spiritual aspect of your life will see you through when things get rough.  Of course, it also means that your personal spirituality is not tied to a physical place; it should always feel like it is an integral part of you. Many times we look outside ourselves for spiritual answers that we already have.

This is not a deck for beginners, as much of the Rider-Waite imagery is lost or distorted. I would recommend it for advanced Tarot readers who feel comfortable enough reading without a book, and who enjoy a 1970s-styled deck.

Deck Review: Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot

The Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot

I found this deck in a place where I least expected it: In a toy store in New Hope, PA, a number of years ago. But for enthusiasts who are looking for a fun way to access the tarot, this may be your ticket.

In a word, this deck is “otherworldly”. The images on the cards are bright and funny; you may find yourself chuckling as you go through this deck. It definitely has a carnival/side show feel to it, and some of the drawings remind you of things you’ve seen up on the refrigerators of proud parents.  

OK, so let’s be honest…it’s easy to write off this deck. Heaven knows I wanted to, but I was too intrigued to walk away. It is definitely a more modern take on a venerable tool, but if you choose to work with it I think you’ll find yourself letting your intuition tell you more; since the imagery on the cards is decidedly less “serious” than on the traditional RWS, for example, you may find your subconscious taking you to places you never imagined you could go. 

So to say this deck is not typical would not be much of a stretch, based on what I’ve said so far. The major arcana is excellent at bringing out the astrological meanings of the cards, with the astrological symbol of the sign it represents somewhere on the card, like the Pisces symbol on one of the bottles on the Moon. The Emperor has a symbol of Aries on his forehead, but he definitely looks like a woman. 

For the first time in any tarot deck I have seen, the Devil appears as a woman, but she doesn’t look imperious; rather, she looks like she is enjoying her role as Princess of Darkness. The Tower is shown as a broken castle on a chessboard, but the bright red and blue colors make it look more like a buoy than the shocking revelation it portends. The Empress holds a shield and whip and looks a little bit confused as to what her role should be, while the High Priestess’ one eye is a pentacle.

The minor arcana has the traditional suits of Cups, Wands, Swords, and Coins (replacing Pentacles). Once again, the imagery is not traditional, yet the cards do convey meaning just the same. For example, the 10 of Swords shows a woman holding her head like she has a migraine, and a large cup has tipped over spilling an orange liquid on what appears to be a blueprint. The “Woe is me!” idea that often comes to mind for this card is apparent despite the nontraditional representation. The Two of Coins has a child with a barcode imprinted across both its eyes holding a mask, while other masks line the walls. For me, the masks represent the “fun” that is represented by the card, and the number of masks (at least 10) show the “flexibility” meaning rather well.

My favorite card in this deck is the Fool. He wears a tall pointed hat with question marks (a recurring theme in this deck) standing near the top of a mountain of brightly-colored rounded platforms. I know I’m dating myself but it reminds me of the game Q*Bert. [NOTE: If you were born after 1980 or so, or if you are as old or older than I am and video games did not have as formative a role in your childhood as they did my own, do a web search and take a look.] As he steps off into the unknown, The Fool is accompanied by a rat, who makes an appearance on several other cards; typically the rat is not an animal found on many tarot decks, but he seems cute enough.  

After reading tarot for a while, you figure out that no deck is for everyone. But this deck will appeal to Sagittarius folks and others who want to explore the playful side of the Tarot and let their subconscious mind out for recess.  However, it is NOT for beginners and will only appeal to some. For me it is a great, playful change of pace from the Rider-Waite imagery.

Z is for Zombie

Once again, we have reached the end of the A to Z Challenge. Holy fuckballs! It's an amazing exercise but it takes a lot out of you. :)

On this particular post, I'm going to send you back to my post last fall on "The Zombie Tarot". I know, it seems like I'm cheating, but let me tell you: If there's one deck review you need to see again, it's that one.

Thanks for tuning in during April! I'm going to try to keep it going by posting more often in the coming months.

I thank you as always for your time, dear reader, and hope you think it is time well spent.

A TO Z BLOGGING CHALLENGE COMPLETED. AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING! YAAAAAY!

Deck Review: Mythic Tarot

Mythic Tarot

If the Tarot is “all Greek” to you, then you’ll love this deck, which is based on Greek mythology. It is a standard 78-card deck whose imagery is loosely based on that of the Rider-Waite.

I owned this deck once before and lost it somehow, probably in one of my many moves. I purchased it again and I’m very glad I did.

Actually, I originally bought this deck as a way to bone up on my Greek myths, very similar to what I did with the Arthurian Tarot. A basic knowledge of Greek mythology is helpful, but not required; the book that comes in this set does an excellent job of giving you the background and how it relates to the Tarot.

Each of the Major Arcana have one or more gods and goddesses on them. For example, the Emperor is Zeus, the ultimate male authority figure in Greek mythology, while the Lovers card features Paris having to judge a beauty contest between Hera, mother of the Gods; Athena, Goddess of Wisdom; and Aphrodite, Goddess of Love. Talk about a tough choice! Paris’ choice of Aphrodite ultimately starts the Trojan War when Aphrodite gives Paris his prize for picking her, the beautiful Helen of Troy.

Each set of pips of each suit of the Minor Arcana tells its own story. In the suit of Wands, for example, we see important events from the story of Jason as he goes on his quest for the Golden Fleece.

The Court Cards of each suit have famous Greek mythological figures to round out the deck. However, the names of the deities and figures does not appear on the cards themselves. I’m of two minds about that. It makes them a little more difficult to learn initially, but at the same time, the name does not draw the Reader’s attention away from the imagery either.

All of the cards are labeled with the name of the card in black print at the top. That way you don’t have to count how many of a particular suit are in the picture.

The backs are a dark blue with a rectangle border of a Greek urn pattern with a few magickal symbols.

There are so many excellent cards in this deck it would be hard for me to choose just one. I happen to like The Star card in this deck very much. The image is that of Pandora (of Pandora’s box fame). She kneels before the box after it has been opened to watch what comes out of it. She is nude and looks very innocent. It shows that inspiration can be a dangerous thing depending on what it inspires us to do.

If you like Greek mythology and are new to the Tarot, I’d recommend this as a starting Tarot deck as well.

Deck Review: The Archeon Tarot

The Archeon Tarot

If your dark side is itching to be scratched, then you’ll want to take a long, hard look at the Archeon Tarot deck.  I’m not usually attracted to very dark decks like this one, but it has gained a special place in my tarot collection. It also is one of the decks most beloved by my favorite store owner, Rev. Samantha Harey, and she encouraged me to add it to my ever-growing tarot box.

I wouldn’t recommend this deck for beginners at all. Most of the Rider-Waite imagery is not present. This not to say that the cards are meaningless at all; however, you may find yourself giving readings that are more biased toward negative outcomes. Make sure you’re considering both the dark and the light when this deck comes out to play.  

Many of the Major and Minor Arcana cards have nude figures which are very tastefully portrayed; this is not an erotic tarot deck at all. Sadly, most of the unclad figures are women; you’ll have to go with something a little more racy for male frontal nudity.

The cards are a combination of drawings and photographs, and despite the lack of RWS tarot imagery, I am impressed with the composition of each card.  The Chariot, for example, has a nude woman as its central figure, standing between a blue horse and a red horse. The full moon is behind her, and the artist did keep the image of the stars (which on the Rider-Waite appear in the blue canopy of the Chariot) as symbols of constellations in the background of the cards. These constellations and the moon also appear on several other cards, like The Star.  The Devil depicts a nearly naked man (the darkness hides much of him) with a very seductive look on his face, an almost impish grin. He will definitely remind you of Pan. And the one Major Arcana card that is supposed to give you a little nervous rush, the Tower, really fails to do so; I must admit that disappointed me a little bit.

The court cards all seem very serious; it is hard to see these cards as happy people at all. The Queen of Swords, for example, looks much more unhappy than her Rider-Waite counterpart, while her sister, the Queen of Wands, can’t even manage a smile.

 My favorite card in this deck is The World, which has one of the brightest images in the entire deck. It depicts a huge tree with bright orange leaves that takes up almost the entire card beneath a starry sky. It exudes a sense of calm completion.

This deck is not for everyone, but if you’re doing introspective work or readings for yourself (during the dark moon, ideally!), you may find it rather useful. I have found that many clients who are experiencing adversity in their lives tend to gravitate toward it. 

Deck Review: The Universal Fantasy Tarot

The Universal Fantasy Tarot

I received this Lo Scarabeo deck as a Yule gift several years ago and couldn’t wait to get home to try it out. As an unrepentant Dungeons and Dragons player—I started playing when I was 10 and still play to this day—I had high expectations for this deck, that it would be something different.

Turns out that I wasn’t disappointed. The artwork on the cards is gorgeous. Even if you bought this deck just for the images and weren’t planning to use it for divination, I found the pictures on each card fascinating and unique. It is unlike any other deck I have seen before. I did find, however, that the images had an edge to them. This deck is darker than many of the decks I normally use, and as such could work well for someone who is exploring that side of themselves.

Many of the cards do look alike at first glance but Lo Scarabeo has made it easier to identify what is what with their numbering system. At the top center of each card, a yellow Roman numeral (for the Major Arcana) or Arabic number (for the pips) is clearly visible. However, there is no designation for the Court cards. In addition, like almost all of Lo Scarabeo’s offerings, the titles of each card is given in many languages; in this case, the titles are in English, Spanish, Italian, French at the top, and German and Dutch at the bottom. I’m a big fan of multi-lingual decks.

The Rider-Waite imagery is present, at least partially, on many of the cards. The 9 of Cups, for example, shows a table set in a forest with eight of the nine Cups suspended in the trees with lit candles in them. The ninth lit candle sits in a Cup on the table itself. A lizard (dinosaur?) dressed in what appears to be Renaissance garb is standing before the table. So the image of pleasure is there with the table, but if you’re expecting the lizard to be smiling with satisfaction…well, let’s put it this way: He MAY be smiling but it’s not obvious. And Smokey the Bear is definitely NOT smiling; doesn’t that lizard know he can start a fire with candles in the trees? :)

The 8 of Pentacles card shows a man at the bottom of a tree spiraling upward into a starry sky. He looks upward, and to his right is a ladder sitting against the tree next to his toolbox. The pride in work image of the cards is clearly here, and evidently he does need to pay attention to the details to get all the way up to the top for that last pentacle. Incidentally, the suit is called Pentacles but in this deck they are more like golden disks with blue centers. The only true pentacle I saw in the deck was that on the Magician, but I may have missed others.

The Devil card is very interesting. In the background looms a large purple winged monster that looks like something like Frodo and company faced under the mountain. In the foreground are not two chained people, but two chained stone cat statues. If the cats are actually alive—and given the nature of this deck, anything is possible—there is no room for them to slip out of the chains. I think this is probably the first devil card that I have seen that has a cat on it. The image was chilling until I got to the cats; no offense to felines intended, but it lost its punch right then and there. The fact that the cats appear to be standing stock still and unconcerned about their situation just took something away for me.

My favorite card on this deck was Justice. This card is truly stunning. Lady Justice has an interesting sword in her right hand; the magenta handle is almost is long as the blade itself. The scales in her left hand are truly original and she holds them almost delicately; they hang down almost the entire length of her torso and truly must be seen to be believed. Like many modern images of Justice, she has her breasts bared (Author’s note: There is some female skin to be seen in this deck but very little male nudity. My apologies, ladies!) but wears a long flowing blue dress. She is not blindfolded but has her head turned dispassionately to the left, looking at the scales. 

The bottom line is that you really do have to know what you’re getting into with this deck. Because of the fantastical nature of the images, those who prefer something more conventional are not going to like it at all. But if you’re into fantasy or sci-fi, and have progressed in your studies of the tarot to the point where the card images do not need to be totally traditional, then you will be very pleased. 

Deck Review: The Celtic Dragon Tarot

The Celtic Dragon Tarot

Dragon fans rejoice! This deck represents my first foray into dragon-themed decks (of which there are many), although since purchasing this one I’ve acquired another dragon-based deck. You may recognize one of the designers of the deck, D.J. Conway. She is also the author of Moon Magick, one of the textbooks we use here at the Tradition of the Witches Circle.

While this deck is far from my favorite, it is a favorite with clients who are looking for the interactions between humans and dragons that are portrayed here. This deck has at least one dragon on each card, and three on the card backs, which are nice and simple with a combination of which and gray.

One of the reasons that I tend to shy away from this deck is because it lacks much of the traditional tarot imagery. This fact makes it difficult for new readers to use right away, especially if the book was not purchased with the deck or not available during a reading. For example, the Five of Pentacles has two humans and five dragons, as well as the five pentacles, but no symbolic insight can be gleaned from the card itself. The expressions on the faces of the humans are neutral, while the faces of the dragons are somewhat menacing.

Another reason that this deck is not one of my favorites is that the suits do not necessarily have the same element as in the traditional Rider-Waite; Swords are represented by Fire, and Wands are represented by Air.  Yeah, I know…I’m a purist in many respects. But this is a change from many Tarot decks out there, so know how you’re going to read the cards before you lay them out. For me, Swords are Air and Wands are Fire, and I interpret them as such, but the choice is up to you, of course.

However, there is some fantastic artwork on these cards that made it necessary for it to be a part of my collection. The Two of Cups shows a large dragon filling a cup which is being held by a man and a woman standing across from one another. This was an original way to get the dragon into the image. They are surrounded by roots and flowers—solidity of the relationship and fertility—and the whole scene is presented with a full moon as the backdrop.

For major arcana cards, The Hermit is one of my favorites, showing a large green dragon on a hillside studying books. Temperance shows three different color dragons of equal size, showing the balance of the card meaning. However, Chains, which is The Devil in more traditional decks, is quite a disappointment to me. In this card, the man and woman appear chained together by a dragon who is holding the chains. But the chain does not go around the figures; in truth, the chain only is shown on the floor and not at all connected to the humans.  The book talks about there being sparks from the chains, which I saw but only upon close inspection.

My favorite card in this deck was the Ten of Cups, which shows a family at a table. The cups on the table have rainbows coming out of them, and small dragons come spilling out of a jug on the tabletop. It shows much of the traditional imagery of the card: family, peace, and happiness.

If you’re into dragons and have a solid understanding of Tarot imagery, this deck may be just what you’re looking for. Buy the deck and book set together to make sure you’re not missing any of the imagery

Deck Review: Tarot de los Muertos

Tarot de los Muertos

Many of us wouldn’t even look twice at a Tarot deck called “Tarot of the Dead”. And I’ll admit that I was skeptical about it at first mainly because I was afraid it was too morbid. However, I was intrigued by the whimsical way in which the deck was presented.

It is a standard 78-card Tarot deck whose suits are pens, coffins, pistols, and (movie) reels.  All of the cards have blue or yellow squares with blue or yellow numbers or letters: Roman numerals for the Major Arcana, letters or Arabic numerals for the pip cards (A-10), and letters for the Court Cards. Nearly the entire color scheme of this deck is muted greens, purples, and blues, with plenty of white out of necessity.  The text on the cards is written in both English and Spanish; I couldn’t stop thinking about Mexico’s Day of the Dead as I went through them the first time.

Before you say “no way”, hang in there for a few more minutes. This deck is just starting to get interesting. The Major Arcana have taken their inspiration from that the Rider-Waite images, but the first twist is that all of the figures (except for one) are skeletons. This includes the animals as well. The skeletons are pictured doing things that humans and animals would do. For example, in the Chariot, a skeletal charioteer is being pulled by two large skeletal beasts. Many of the other Rider-Waite images, such as the blue canopy and the crescent moons on the shoulders of the charioteer, remain. Also, this deck has modernized the images while still trying to remain true to the original Rider-Waite.  In this deck, The Fool and his (skeletal) dog are not walking off a cliff, but hitchhiking; a car waits nearby to pick them up. The Emperor sits in an office talking on the telephone in front of a computer.

The pip cards (ace through ten of each suit) were a little bit of a letdown for me because of their simplicity. The Six of Reels, for example, just has six reels on the card with the number 6.  There are no figures of any kind. The aces are a little more interesting, and they are the only pip cards in which you may see the element they are representing. The Ace of Pens, for example, has a pen with fire coming out of it.

The Court Cards are probably the greatest departure from the Rider images. The Page of Coffins, for example, has a skeleton in a coffin twirling a spoon. Those of you who use reversals will be pleased to see that if you turn the card upside down, there is a different image: a skeleton peeking out of a coffin.  Both the pips and the Court Cards can be read upright and reversed; the Major Arcana are not designed to be reversible, however.

My favorite card in this deck is The Magician. This skeletal figure is seated at a red table, keeping the red and white color scheme of the original Rider-Waite Magician’s clothing, writing with a pen while a movie reel plays onto a screen behind him. A pistol in a holster hangs off the front of the table, and a skeleton puppet sits in a small coffin not too far away. All of the elements are represented and the infinity symbol appears over the Magician’s head.

This deck is clearly not for everyone, and I wouldn’t recommend it for people just learning the tarot. But if you feel somewhat comfortable with the tarot and want to embrace your dark and playful side, you’ll want to buy this one. Astrologically speaking, Scorpios will especially gravitate toward this deck because of its theme, but some braver Pisceans might do well to check it out also.

Deck Review: The Zombie Tarot

The walking dead are everywhere in America today, and no, I’m not talking about high school students…I’m talking about zombies. We’ve had a fascination with them for many years but in recent times that interest has become more and more honed. Shows like “The Walking Dead”, games like “Resident Evil”, and books like World War Z fuel our insatiable hunger for brains. I meant zombies.

Anyway, the Zombie Tarot is not brand new, but it’s been shambling around in my mind for quite some time. I was lucky enough to receive it as an early birthday present and I just can’t get it out of my brain for some reason.

I have to give them props just for the BOX, folks. They eschew the standard packaging and go with a container that is much larger than the deck itself, but you get a look at the style of the deck before you even get it home.  We’re not talking about modern zombies here…it’s 1950s kitsch all the way. When you open the top of the box and look around the edge of the inside, it looks like a case of bullets.

The little white book—which is, in this case, black—is pretty good, with one card per page. It’s designed to sit right in the box with the cards, and has an interesting story about how you should make the Zombie Tarot your weapon of choice in these difficult times when everything—and everyone—comes back to haunt you. Some information on the suits and reading is also provided, and it’s just enough to be dangerous but not too boring. Because let’s face it: People want to get right to the zombies.  

The deck itself is a little smaller than the Rider-Waite and is easy to hold in your hand. The cards aren’t going to need much breaking in, either; they are fairly easy to shuffle. One of the drawback about some of the newer decks is that to me, if you can’t fit it easily in your hand, you’re less likely to pick it up. I love, for example, “The Gilded Tarot Royale”, but it’s too big for me to pick up easily.

It has 78 cards and stays true to the standard suits except in one area. Pentacles have been replaced by “Hazards” in this deck, represented by a biohazard symbol. Wands are actually bones, cups come across as skulls, and swords are…well, things to defend yourself with in the event of a zombie apocalypse, so no translation is required. On the pips, the number appears in the top left and bottom right corners of the card, with the appropriate symbol in the other two corners. This make card recognition easy.

 Court card names are King, Queen, Knight, and Page, with the pages all being represented as children. This reinforces the idea of youth and/or immaturity—my best friend Sam and I go back and forth on this—present in the pages. The first letter of the title of the person on the card replaces the number that appears on the pips, but they retain the suit designation in the same corner.

I think what impressed me the most is that the deck does a fantastic job translating the RWS themes in many respects, while staying true to its undead motif. The Empress, for example, has a woman kneeling next to some flower pots. I think it’s the woman from “Mommy Dearest”, but don’t quote me on it. Anyway, she has her arm around what probably was her child, now a revenant. In a fantastic addition, the little girl is chained to something out of frame.

[Just as an aside, what is it about zombies that make people want to confine them? I know they used to mean a lot to you, but SERIOUSLY:  Don’t you people know that they’re NOT going to get better?!?! Time and time again I see this. Just sayin’. And for the record, Jen, if I turn into a zombie, please do NOT chain me up to the television and try to hand me an Xbox controller. Just put me down. THANKS!]

The Five of Cups pictures a woman and child in a cemetery. The woman is crying next to a grave, while the little boy holds a box of tissues. Various zombies roam around behind them. Once again, the themes come through: Death, grief, and loss, all of which can affect us at any age.

The Queen of Wands, who is—or used to be—a nurse, is holding the bottom half of what was her right arm in her left arm, complete with bone protrusions. The right arm is holding what appears to be a femur. Her uniform is no longer completely white, either, but it’s just gory enough without going over the top. And that can be said of many of these cards: They don’t try to gross you out, but they reinforce the theme very well.  

My favorite card, hands down, is the Two of Cups. You are looking at two pretty 1950s place settings at a dinner table from above, with two different meals and two sets of hands. At the top of the card is a pair of women’s hands, holding a knife and fork ready to start eating a very nice-looking meat and potatoes meal. Her partner across the table was not so lucky…the left one is missing most of its flesh, while the right picks up a kidney or other organ. In the center of the bottom plate is a slightly bloody brain. Again, it shows the togetherness theme of the 2 of Cups; even after one of the parties has gone on to the world of the undead, they still have meals together. I have to wonder if the woman will be the guy’s dessert.

This probably marks the first time that I have felt the need to sit down and do a review on a tarot deck after just 12 hours of having it in my hot little hands. It makes my brain bleed to think that I’ll actually have to put it down. If that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is. Go and buy this one so you’ll be prepared when the apocalypse happens.