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

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

    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

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

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

U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

This is a magical new book from two of the most successful international tarot experts in the modern era. It is anchored in the current transformational transit of Pluto through Capricorn (2008 – 2024), and divided into three very different, but related, parts.

The book begins with a series of essays. The first one is by Rachel Pollack, the elegant voice-of-reason in the world of clamoring tarot enthusiasts. She manages to provide a new perspective in the long-standing debate over the origins of the tarot, as well as a beautifully-written overview of tarot interpretation. Then Johannes Fiebig, world-renowned for the psychological interpretation of symbols, demonstrates his expertise with an broad, in-depth analysis of The Tower, providing a model for distilling the wisdom in this ancient oracle. These writings are followed by a “guest essay” by astrologer Ernst Ott. Ott uses his knowledge of tarot and astrology to provide unique insight into the current Pluto transit which is tearing down the walls of the old order — releasing fear, opportunity, and aspects of our shadow selves.

The second part of the book contains interpretations of the symbolism of each of the 78 traditional Rider-Waite-Smith tarot illustrations. It includes concise divinatory meanings, followed by a suggested course of action, making this an excellent tool for those seeking help in using the tarot as an oracle.

The last part of the book is a thorough analysis of the Order of the Golden Dawn’s system of correspondence between the tarot and astrology. The extensive discussion of each card (in relationship to the horoscope sign or decan it is assigned to) provides additional insight into each of those cards. I’m delighted to have added this refined, intelligent, and prophetic tome to my tarot library.

© 2012 Anna Jedrziewski and TarotWise.com

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

In this follow-up to her successful Easy Tarot, Ellershaw gives us additional insight into the process of reading tarot cards. She begins with the basics, even concisely reviewing some of the starter points in Easy Tarot. The bulk of the book is, however, devoted to putting what she teaches into practice. We get to look over her shoulder as she does ten readings, witnessing the interaction and her interpretive skill. She shares the thoughts that go through her head as she puts the pieces of those tarot readings together. She points out the ethical considerations involved in the process. She gives us feedback from the seekers. She adds a commentary at the end, discussing the special lessons/challenges that a specific reading presented.

If you’ve never read cards before, this is the book to start with. If you’re already reading cards, this is the book that will help you fine tune your skills (including tips for email and phone readings). Ellershaw meticulously documents her personal relationship with the tarot, and in doing so, points the way for others to discover new aspects of the cards for themselves.

Anna Jedrziewski
TarotWise.com

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

 Red Wheel/Weiser

With this new book, Mary Greer once again demonstrates her mastery of every level of the tarot. She was one of the first tarot writers/teachers to offer people ways in which to use these powerful archetypes for insight, personal growth, and healing. Now she is applying the concepts of astrology, numerology, and qabalah to the cards in a new and creative way. The book draws the reader in almost immediately, suggesting exercises for exploring the depths of the cards in personal ways and providing simple spreads to further that exploration.

Greer’s knowledge of tarot history is impeccable and her card interpretations provide new insights, even for those of us who have studied the cards for decades. She has made another stellar contribution to the world of tarot literature. Bravo!

© 2011 Anna Jedrziewski and InannaWorks