Most of us want to know the future, at least at some time in our lives. At this turning of the seasonal wheel, divination is commonly practiced, and with so many new Tarot decks coming out, I couldn't resist giving you glimpses into a few. Both older and new are represented here -- what's different about these decks is that they are all unusual. Maybe these cards will give you a whole new twist on divination!
The Faeries Oracle
created by Brian Froud
illustrated by
Jessica Macbeth
If you remember Brian Froud's book Faeries, you'll have an idea of the mystical beauty of the 78-card Faeries Oracle, published by Fireside. Faeries sinister and luminous are depicted, as well as beautiful scenes of elves, pixies and trolls, as you journey into the magickal world of Faeryland.
This deck is intense energetically. You can feel the faeries, and the world sweeps you inside. But it is much more a peek into Faeryland than into yourself or the future.
I have been reading Tarot long enough to be able to spot the traditional symbolism in most decks. Not so with this one. That is the main problem I can find with this deck: its lack of consistent symbolic imagery. It is harder to read than most decks, because the symbology is sometimes so subtle as to be obscure. There is a good book with explanations of the meanings of each card, but that means some study before you can grasp the deck and shake any meaning from it -- unless you want to divine your own meanings, which in my opinion is perfectly valid. I find this deck good for dreamy psychic types who already have a basic understanding of the Tarot, not for beginners.
The Halloween Tarot
created by Karin Lee
illustrated
by Kipling West
The 78-card Halloween Tarot is presented as a boxed set, book, cards and layout sheet, published by U.S. Games. The book, written by Karin Lee and illustrated by Kipling West, as the cards are, includes a great deal of entertaining information about Halloween, from the origins of trick-or-treating to why we have jack o' lanterns at this time of year.
This fun Tarot deck is done in mostly black,orange, purple and green. Vampires, skeletons, and monsters are plentiful. Its symbolism is based on the Rider-Waite deck created by A.E. Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, the basic Tarot deck for most beginners. In the Halloween deck, though, pumpkins, bats, ghosts and imps have replaced the traditional Minor Arcana, and the Major Arcana is represented by things like a man on an knife-throwing wheel decorated with astrological symbols in place of the Wheel of Fortune, a witch brewing up a potion in lieu of Temperance and a skeleton watering his garden instead of the Death card. There's a charming black cat that provides continuity by making an appearance in more or less every scene.
Frankenstein makes an bizarre Emperor; there's a daunting werewolf as the Moon and an old truck reminiscent of the Munsters' as the Chariot. This deck is ghastly and hilarious with painless-to-read symbolism based loosely on the traditional.
The Wonderland Tarot
created by Christopher and Morgana Abbey
The 78-card Wonderland Tarot is based on the illustrations by Sir John Tenniel for Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and is published by U.S. Games. A whimsical interpretation of traditional symbolism, the Wonderland Tarot attempts to speak to the child in us... not always easy for an adult to interpret but thought-provoking and mystical in a simplistic way.
This deck takes a while to get used to, with the suits of the Minor Arcana bearing flamingos instead of swords, peppermills rather than staves, hats for cups and oysters for coins. As an example of 22 Major Arcana, the Mad Hatter appears as the Fool, Tweedledum and Tweedledee on behalf of the Lovers, Alice in lieu of the High Priestess, Humpty Dumpty as the Sun and the Red Queen perfect in the role of Death. Court cards are the usual King, Queen, Knight and Page. Most cards seem to be based on the Rider-Waite symbolism, some more obviously than others.
I can understand the play on Tarot symbolism, but this deck is a bit too silly. It does not speak to me. It would be a terrific deck for a young person, or for someone with a matching sense of absurd humor. The book with my deck was missing a bunch of pages, so it's hard to rely on that; just learn the classic symbolism and you should be fine with this deck.
The Voyager Tarot
Created by James Wanless and Ken Knutson
The 78-card Voyager deck, created by James Wanless and Ken Knutson, is the one I employ when I do readings. I have been doing professional psychic readings with it almost since it became available in the '80s.
Jumbo cards make this deck a bit awkward to handle, but with intensely powerful, bright and colorful photographic collages of countless images, this deck is an interesting one. Originally intended to be used for self-empowerment and self-awareness, it has a wealth of exemplary multicultural images that lead you on your journey.
Suits include worlds, wands, cups and crystals. Court cards are man, woman, child and sage. Rather abstract but evocative, this deck works well for those who disdain tradition and structure and rely instead on their own psychic resources for information about both inner and future trends. I believe almost anyone can sit down with this deck and do an accurate reading.