This must be the most out of the ordinary deck review I’ve written up-to-date. The Court Games Tarot is all kinds of special: the designer wants to remain anonymous and goes by “M” and the deck itself: it is for free. Yep, a free Tarot deck. So if you have been thinking of stepping into the world of Tarot de Marseille but want to start slow (which usually means a deck closer to the Ancient Italians) and…
Unlike RWS-readers, Tarot de Marseille lovers have a limited amount of decks to work with and aren’t treated to exciting deck reviews very often. All the more reason for The Queen’s Sword to ask TdM experts & professionals*: Which TdM decks that are already out there *should* you collect or read with. Here’s their Top 9 Tarot de Marseille decks: #9 Pierre Madenie Several Tarot de Marseille (TdM) decks got the same number of votes but coming in on a joint last place (therefore 8&9) are the Pierre Madenie TdM (c1709) and Le Veritable Hadar TdM. These two decks reflect the differences between TdM decks; a facsimile copy of the original deck or a reproduced modernized version. The Madenie is one of the oldest TdM’s in existence and usually called ‘the most beautiful’. Sherryl Smith (from the multimedia tip) prefers the Paul Madenie TdM “because of the faces, because it’s a photo-repro and not restored and diddled with …” Yves Reynaud and Wilifried Houdouin made their reproduction based on copy in the Swiss National Museum. The Reynaud/Houdouin Madenie will be available again in fall 2016. A redrawn version of the Madenie is also available from Mary Packard. #8 Le Veritable Hadar…
Oracle decks: light, fluffy, colorful and loving thoughts, right? Wrong! It seems oracle makers are making more and more exceptions on the ‘uplifting’ rule and dive deep into the dark soul. Where a certain type of reader rather stayed away from the colorful animals, angels and fairies and thought oracles had nothing to offer Schiffer’s Shamanic Healing Oracle shows once again that oracles can bring a whole lot more to the table when it comes to reading the cards.
If you want to have gorgeous reproductions of ancient decks there are only a few ‘addresses’ in the world. One of them is the ‘webshop’ of Rinascimento and art-historian Giordano Berti. And with the Tarocchi Perrin, recently released, they offered the tarot world yet another faithful remake. The Perrin Tarot only has 600 copies. Should you stand in line for one? I’ll tell you. As always, a Berti reproduction comes in a beautiful book-box, designed by artist Letizia Rivetti. The tobacco-colored paper, gold speckles and caramel ribbon make this box look very luxurious and a show-stopper in any tarot cupboard. The front has a World card sticker with Tarocchi Perrin written on top of it. Once opened you see the inner red velvet lining holding booklet and deck with its cream-colored band. Sturdy & smooth The Perrin Tarot is a deck on the smaller side (11,5×6,8cm). The cards have a back with black & white little diamonds and, if that is your thing, can be used in reverse. It’s printed on sturdy paper with a very smooth linen finish. If you ask me the card-stock is every reader’s dream: thick enough, still flexible, smooth, not sticky or slippery and with…
Instagram is sometimes the best place to discover new art & divination work. For one, it told me that Bonefire Tarot artist Gabi Angus-West had just published an oracle with the rather curious name The Wyrd of Sarah Howard Oracle. Truly limited edition: 100 copies**. At the time of receiving my personal package (nr 17!) I exclaimed on Facebook: “It rarely happens that my heart beats faster from an oracle. Sure, most have gorgeous art, but true oracles that can replace my tarot decks for advice and divination? Exceptional. One where…
