What if The Fool falls of that dangerous cliff, or the man in the 9 of Wands is given a helping hand? Maybe we’ve all asked these questions once, but they are now more relevant thanks to Lo Scarabeo’s latest release. Giula F. Massaglia’s newest creation, the After Tarot, shows us what happens next in an altered vision of Pamela Colman-Smith’s famous scenes. I am reviewing the cards-only deck in tuck-box, but soon there will be a sturdy kit with companion available. The tuck-box is a normal Lo Scarabeo type. Outside is a picture from the deck, and inside you have the cards wrapped in plastic, along with a small, multi-language ‘little white book’. To my hands the card stock seemed a little thicker than expected, but this could just be my imagination seeing as I was working with a rather flimsy deck beforehand. Anyway, the cards are on matte stock that is easy to shuffle so there is nothing in particular to say about the quality. Most of us know what a Lo Scarabeo deck is like 😉 Perspective-tarot The After Tarot falls in a similar category as The Tarot of the New Vision or the Vice-Versa Tarot which…
October 2016 saw the release of another innovative deck, by Nora Huszka & Steph Engert. The Starlight Dragon Tarot, a 79 card-deck inspired by dragons, stands out due to a strong elemental orientation and surprising art and shapes. With a name like that you’d expect the motherload in fiery breath creatures and scales, but that isn’t the case. The Starlight…
Uusi is renowned for their creative playing cards, but with the Pagan Otherworlds Tarot they’ve really conquered the world of divination. After falling in love with the examples shown on their Kickstarter campaign, I pledged and followed the deck’s progress on Instagram. I think I have been gushing and drooling over practically every card. Which makes this review a difficult one: can Pagan Otherworlds Tarot live up to the expectation or will I hear that record screeching in my mind?
When this deck came out, I was a bit ‘intimidated’ by it. I’m an analytical person up to a point, but when it comes to tarot I usually work with the art too. At first sight that seemed like an impossibility with the Orbifold Tarot. A deck that ‘just’ has orbs and is focused on numbers and elements. And then there was the mathematical inspiration behind it… However, here I am now: with a review on the Orbifold Tarot by Michael Bridge-Dickinson. Are first impressions correct or not?
A lot of card readers use crystals in their practice. Either because of a ‘gemstone-fetish’ (guilty), to ‘infuse’ cards with energy, to protect themselves or perhaps some clients expect to see them. And then there is of course gemstone therapy. Carry Me Crystals Oracle combines a few things of the above. This oracle is said to offer a substitute for stones and a message on what you need right now. The Carry me Crystals Oracle, released quite recently by Schiffer Publishing, is delivered in a nice container. The white and lilac colored box feels like a rather luxurious chocolate bonbon packaging. The cover can be opened by pulling a little ribbon (cover lid will remain standing), revealing a large full color companion book and a small opening for a Lenormand sized oracle deck. It was a bit surprising to have such space for such a tiny deck, but the Carry Me Crystals Oracle won’t be overlooked this way. Besides, I do believe there will be options to use it in a different way. With its special top it can become a beautiful display when you take out the carton that holds the oracle. Instead you might find something to keep…






