Archive for the 'Card Deck Reviews' category

A Party No One Should Miss!

Feb 06 2012 Published by under Card Deck Reviews, US Games

 

U.S. Games Systems,Inc

Patrick Valenza’s life-long obsession with cemeteries and abandoned buildings infuses the humorously surreal illustrations that comprise this deck. He explains the highly inventive techniques he used to create them in the accompanying booklet. The symbolism traces back to childhood dreams. The color palette is provided by the moon. The characters clearly arise from the deepest parts of the psyche — but stop just short of becoming grotesque. They are lovingly pulled back from the edge with subtle humor and obvious joie de vivre. They shout, whisper, seduce, and query. One can’t help but enter their world.
The deck, built on the traditional Rider-Waite format, has been a lifetime in the making; this final version took three years to complete. It is fabulous to do readings with.

© 2010 Anna Jedrziewski and InannaWorks

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Review – Tarot of the Vampyres

Feb 02 2012 Published by under Card Deck Reviews, Llewellyn

Llewellyn

The marriage of myth, romance, and danger makes this deck both modern and eternal. Ian Daniels takes full advantage of the decoratively lush Gothic-Vampyre style in his 78 illustrations. Those illustrations are often simultaneously bloody and seductive as Daniels reaches into the darkness of the human mind in search of the Divine essence that is our true self. In the companion book, Phantasmagoria, he explains that the hidden parts of our minds hold important messages and that spiritual awakening requires us to integrate these shadow aspects. This deck is meant to pull those aspects out into the light.

The deck is built on the traditional Rider-Waite format and incorporates numerology, Kabbalah, astrology, and ancient esoteric wisdom. It brings the wisdom of the tarot to a new audience and opens the door for many more people to explore both the occult and the deeply psychological realms.

© 2012 Anna Jedrziewski and InannaWorks

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Review – The Secret Language of Birds Tarot

Feb 01 2012 Published by under Card Deck Reviews, Schiffer Publishing

    Schiffer Publishing

This exotically rendered deck,with its cast of seductively emotive humans, its pantheon of winged creatures from around the world, and its hand-drawn Italian titles, invites the user into its ancient world of mystery. As far back as we can trace, people have watched the skies looking for signs and omens. The natural inhabitants of that realm quickly became recognized as messengers from another world and every detail of their appearance and behavior was studied and recorded.

Nozedar and Sutton have captured both the symbolism and the personalities of these winged creatures in this unique and lively set of oracle cards. The layers of meaning they have put into every card will provide endless opportunities for interpretation as the magic of each card unfolds. The boxed set comes with 78 cards and 208-page book.

© 2012 Anna Jedrziewski and InannaWorks

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Review — 99 Names of God Sufi Cards

Jan 26 2012 Published by under Card Deck Reviews, Llewellyn

 

 

Llewellyn Worldwide

In Sufi teaching, God has 4000 names. Most are known only to God, the Angels, and the Prophets. Only 100 of the names are mentioned in the Qur’an. Of those one is hidden. The other 99 are illustrated in this unique and powerful deck. Each name represents an attribute of the Divine and is chanted to open a connection to that attribute within one’s heart and to receive its blessing. Sufi tradition contains elaborate rituals for chanting these names of God. Anna Eva Jahier has made them accessible to a broader audience with these beautifully designed cards and companion guide book which provides translations of each name.

Don’t be mislead by the similar appearance of each card. A closer look will reveal the complex subtlety of each name. The background for each card represents water, the water out of which everything is born. Water is also indicative of our subconscious minds. Thus in these cards, the names of God arise from the depths of our mind to manifest the inner attributes of Divinity that lie hidden within us. The shift in perspective which the non-familiar language and images create will facilitate access to those hidden inner regions. This is a terrific new meditational tool, as well as an intriguing oracle.

Anna Eva Jahier is also the creator of the Reiki Inspirational Cards

© 2012 Anna Jedrziewski and InannaWorks

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Review — Romance Angels Oracle Cards

Jan 24 2012 Published by under Card Deck Reviews

Hay House

Self-professed romantic (and long-standing angel guru) Doreen Virtue has devoted an entire oracle deck to love and relationships. This confection of a deck has been specially designed to resonate with the group of romance angels that she calls upon in readings about love and intimacy. The wisdom of the Law of Attraction has been distilled into short sentences on the bottom of each of the 44 cards. The 104-page companion guidebook elaborates on those directives and provides additional advice from the angels.

The elaborately detailed illustrations echo paintings of the Old European Masters. The images are highly sensual and, at times, intensely erotic. The deck is subtly laced with humor, as in the conspiratorial look at the viewer by the woman at the center of Unrequited Love, and the aggressively drawn bow in You Deserve Love. (Is the querent the shooter or the prey?)

If you don’t know much about oracle cards and divination, this is a fun purchase that will help you discover your inner psychic. If you’re an experienced card reader, you’ll definitely want to add this unique deck to your collection. I’ve been a Doreen Virtue fan for decades, and this deck definitely goes to the top of my list of Virtue favorites.

© 2012 Anna Jedrziewski and InannaWorks

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Review — Joie de Vivre Tarot

Jan 13 2012 Published by under Card Deck Reviews, US Games

U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Joie de Vivre Tarot picks up where Paulina Cassidy’s Paulina’s Tarot left off, adding a new cast of characters to her lively, and very expressive, world of inner adventure. Cassidy’s style could be described as “Alice-in-Wonderland meets Paul Klee, with just a hint of Salvador Dali here and there to liven things up”. From the fairy-godmother smile of The Hierophant to the foot-stamping stare of the Queen of Swords, these magical illustrations lead us through the traditional 78-card tarot format with whimsy and wisdom.

Beautiful to look at, fun to do readings with, and insightful in its imagery, this would be a good starter deck for those new to tarot, as well as a joyful addition for serious students of the tarot.

© 2011 Anna Jedrziewski and InannaWorks

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Review – Tarot of the Silicon Dawn

Dec 05 2011 Published by under Card Deck Reviews, Llewellyn


Llewellyn Worldwide

Superhero meets tarot — somewhere in the future!
Egypt Urnash’s delightful parade of tarot characters is rooted in the Rider-Waite deck, with a nod to Crowley’s variations. From there, however, The Tarot of the Silicon Dawn takes flight. Creative license becomes humor, then irreverence as The Suit of Void is added, modern technology is incorporated, and the landscape becomes more sci-fi than occult. Surprising, sometimes shocking, the deck doesn’t stray completely from the original Golden Dawn symbolism. What is consistently added is emotion. Each character radiates an emotional state as if it were caught on camera by the paparazzi. Altogether there are ninety-nine cards, each one more intriguing than the last.

© 2011 Anna Jedrziewski and InannaWorks

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Review – Cat’s Eye Tarot

Nov 22 2011 Published by under Card Deck Reviews, US Games

Have you seen this new deck from U.S. Games Systems, Inc.?

It’s an early holiday gift for both tarot afficionados and cat lovers. Affectionately created by veterinarian Debra Givin, the deck lets the cats speak for themselves, using their body language and behaviors to communicate their natural wisdom. Based on the traditional Rider-Waite format, the deck will be a natural tool for experienced tarot readers. (Reptiles, fish, birds, and mice replace wands, cups, swords, and pentacles with some very interesting results.) The deck’s lively, simple, and creative illustrations will also allow novices to easily access the esoteric wisdom of the tarot without previous training. It will be a cold-hearted individual indeed who isn’t won over by the lively felines in Cat’s Eye Tarot. This deck is another standout addition to U.S. Games stellar lineup of oracle decks.

© 2011 Anna Jedrziewski and InannaWorks

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The Fairy Tale Tarot

Jan 24 2010 Published by under Card Deck Reviews, Llewellyn

Fairy Tale Tarot

This is a great deck! My current favorite. Lisa Hunt has combined her knowledge of fairy tales (“The fairy tale can supply a vehicle for transformation … by helping us see beyond the confines of limited thinking.”) with her understanding of the deeper esoteric teachings of the Rider-Waite Tarot. The result is an inventive and magical new oracle.

Remaining true to the symbolism of the Waite/Smith tarot wasn’t an easy task, but Hunt has managed to find a fairy tale for each card that captures Waite’s teachings. The World becomes Happily Ever After with a castle representing spiritual attainment and wholeness. The Tower becomes Deception and is illustrated by The Emperor’s New Clothes. The people in the cards are drawn with great individuality and character. I especially like Hunt’s varied portrayals of women.

The Minor Arcana cards are as lovingly drawn as the Major Arcana cards, giving us 78 little treasures which are rich with hidden faces and symbols. I hope the artwork will be used for other products. Llewellyn Worldwide

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