Hi all! I received this deck for a Yule gift and am so excited to share it with you.
It is unique, visually stunning and cool as hell. I've included pictures of every card, the book, and the box. Check it out!
One of my favorite things about opening this up was the little saying on the inside of the box. It reads "It's all in your hands". Those words really resonate with me and the point that I am at in my life. Taking responsibility for my future and making the things that I want to happen come to fruition are at the top of my priority list for 2020. I honestly believe that we are all the masters of our own destinies.
The guidebook that came with this set is informative and easy to read. There are short, yet detailed descriptions for every card. The book is in full color and offers some great tips such as caring for your deck. Another bonus to this book is that it offers three great spreads with detailed information on how to read them. Two of them are the common three-card spread and the Celtic Cross spread. The other is Moon Cycle spread which is super cool. I can honestly say that this is one of the best, most to the point guidebooks I've seen.
In Tarot, the Major Arcana represent major energies in our life. Normally, there are 22 Major Arcana cards in a deck as there are in this deck. Occasionally there are some decks that have added cards into the Major or Minor Arcanas like The Quantum Tarot.
Look for that deck review coming up.
The Major Arcana:
I love the way that the Major Arcana is so unique. Alchemy has always been interesting to me so I appreciate the gothic, old feeling that these cards have to them.
One of my favorite cards in this deck is The Tower. I love the way it's represented with the precariously stacked skulls with the crushed skulls on the bottom representing an unstable foundation.
The Judgement card in this deck is another of my favorites. It really shows the energy of the card as a karmic cycle being completed so that you can move on in a new direction.
The Minor Arcana of the Tarot are sometimes thought of as not being as important as the Major Arcana. This is simply not true. While Major Arcana cards represent more major energy in our life, the Minor Arcana cards represent our day to day lives. This is how we spend most of our time and energy so it's equally important to pay attention to these cards. Although the energy of the Minor Arcana moves through at a quicker pace, it's important to give them the focus they deserve as they can help us see things that need to be changed or enforced in our lives.
The Minor Arcana are broken up into four suits or elements which all relate to important energies and, for me, relate to astrological aspects as well.
In the Antique Anatomy Tarot, the suit of cups is called Elixirs, which is pretty much the coolest representation ever in my opinion. Cups/Elixirs are of the water element and represent our emotions and creativity. They can feel especially important for people with their Sun, Moon, Rising or Venus signs as Cancer, Pisces, or Scorpio. We find our intuition and internal guidance system in these cards as well as healing. As you can see in this picture, I've included the court cards with the Minor Arcana. I chose to do this because I feel that court cards are the continuation of a particular suit on a human level.
Next, we have the Rods which are also known as Wands and are of the fire element. This suit relates to Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius and shows us our passion, drive, and life goals and ambitions. This energy is fast-moving can be intense for some. Others will thrive here and will look for these cards. It's especially nice to see this suit come up when we are talking about starting anything new.
The suit of earth energy is called Coins in this deck. We also see it called Pentacles in some decks. Earth energy represents our foundations, stability, and material abundance or lack thereof in our lives and relates to the signs of Virgo, Capricorn, and Taurus. These are the cards to look for when wondering about abundance, permanence in relationships, and solidity. A person may see a lot of these cards in a reading when they are not grounded.
Last, we have the suit of Blades or Swords. This suit relates the element of Air and to Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius in Astrology. Here we will find information on intellect, thoughts, and communication. This suit can help us make decisions and to cut through the bullshit to find our truth. Use these energies wisely as it helps us to see things clearly and in a new way.
Overall, I think this is such a beautiful deck. I've used it for a couple of clients and they have loved it as much as I have. The only thing about this deck that is a bit unusual is the card stock. These are, by far, the thinnest tarot cards I have ever felt. Not quite paper feeling but definitely thinner than, say, a business card. Nevertheless, I adore them and will be using them often.
Thank you to all who stopped by. I truly hope you've enjoyed this review. Love and light!