This Native American based deck is a standard 78 card Tarot with the 8 = Strength, 11 = Justice configuration. The Major Arcana cards retain their traditional names. That is pretty much where the "standard" Tarot ceases. The suites are renamed: Wands are Thunderbirds, Cups are Frogs, Swords are Butterflies and Pentacles are Turtles. She holds to the Wands equating fire and Swords equating air thought form. Additionally, the deck is round. However, unlike many of the other round decks, this one is not so large (about 4.5 inches across) making it much easier to shuffle and handle. The card backs are decorated with an eight pointed star in the center, so you cannot tell inverted cards by the back.
According to the 200 pages book which accompanies the deck, this deck is meant to be read not only upright, but also in the "waxing" and "waning" to show the phases of the situation. I would not advise reading with this deck until one has read the companion book. I also do not feel this is a deck for a beginning Tarot student to use.
The illustrations for each card take up about 2/3 of the surface of the card. A budding branch acts as a divider between the art and the written title/number of the card. The artwork is very simplistic, drawn by the deck's creator with colored pencils. The pictures depict Native Americans and Native American themes. Do not expect to be able to identify the cards without reading their titles; very often there is no symbolism of the suit in the pips.
The card stock is fairly light weight with a laminate coating. For me, it is a deck that will spend its time on my shelf of collectible decks and not in my basket of working decks.
Tarot of Oz is a 78 card deck with
8 Strength/11 Justice configuration. Wands signify Fire and Swords signify Air.
Pentacles have become Stones. The cards measure 3.25 x 4.5 in size and are fully
illustrated. The card back allows the reader to distinguish the card position
from the back. The background image on all the cards is a large "O"
with a smaller "Z" tucked inside the circle. The imagery on the cards
draws more from the series of 15 Oz books than from the classic movie. For those
who have not read the books, some of the imagery is likely not to be obvious.
For someone who has neither read the books or seen the movie, the imagery is
downright vague. Sexton's artwork is clear, clean, vivid and sharp. It is almost
minimalist in content. The accompanying booklet is 180 pages and measures the
same as the deck. It includes Sexton's Yellow Brick Road Spread of nine cards
to clarify physical, emotional, intellectual and creative goals. In my opinion,
read the Oz books before you read with this deck.
Lovely Japanese Anime style deck.
The pip cards are not illustrated, but the Major Arcana and the court cards
make up for it. The accompanying book is 79 pages in Japanese and includes some
spread designs as well as a Tarot Game for those who can read Japanese. The
art work is vibrant, with rich color and strong attention to fine details. Cards
are labeled both top and bottom in English and stick with the traditional suites
- Wands, Pentacles, Cups and Swords. Strength is 8 and Justice is 11. Printed
on either a very heavy, well coated cardstock or possibly a light weight plastic.
They seem very durable. Back of cards is black with a pale goldish design. You
cannot tell whether the card is upright or reversed by the back, which is something
that I really like. Really nice deck and I am truly glad I bought it.
Fenestra Tarot
by Chatriya Hemharnvibul
Born in Bangkok and schooled in such unique locales as Ethiopia and New Zealand, Chatriya Hemharnvibul draws on numerous artistic influences in her Fenestra Tarot. The 78 card deck is fully illustrated with the art of each card framed in an Art Deco style linework incorporating roses. Her acrylic work is done in a watercolor manner, softening the color tones. I also detect the influence of Japanese Manga in her work. The deck uses the 8 - Strength/11 - Justice configuration. It draws symbolism from classical mythology, Egypt, Western art and Thai cultures. The deck has a very "fey" sense to it; it is a touch otherworldly in its nature. The card back design, of roses on an Art Deco style background, does not indicate upright or reversed cards from that vantage. I like this deck enough to add it to my rotation of working decks.
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