Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Review: Lisboa Tarot

Lisboa Tarot - Tarot through the Streets of Lisbon
Author: Beth Seilonen
Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing, 2023

Description: 78 cards, 128-page guidebook, box with magnetic closure lid.

Card Size: 3 x 5

"The Lisboa Tarot was inspired predominantly by a summer visit to the city of Lisbon, Portugal."


The Lisboa Tarot is printed on thick card stock. The deck measures 1 1/2 inches thick. They shuffle fairly well hand over hand. The images have a slightly blurred effect. The colors blue and yellow are predominate in this deck, a little too much for my taste. The images are simple, yet in a way complex. 


"The people that are showcased in the cards are statues found throughout the city." 

The King of Cups - "This King card was inspired by the statue that stands in the small plaza outside the Santa Casa da Misericordia." 


The Four of Wands - "This card was inspired by the gazebo that sits in the Jardim da Estrela. One can find impromptu dancing there in the evenings, with lots of positive vibes."

XI Justice - "This card was inspired by the central figure found in the pediment of the Assembly of the Republic, the Parliament."


The Guidebook, after a short preface and introduction to the deck, dives straight into the cards. Each Major Arcana is presented with its number, name, and a small image. The upright and reversed meanings are given, followed by the details about the image.




The Minor Arcana cards are first presented with an explanation of the overall suit. Each individual card has its name, a small image, the upright and reversed meanings, and details about the image.



The author ends the journey by sharing two spreads, a 5-card (for making choices) and a 7-card (for planning). A short conclusion and about the author section completes the small guide.

Overall, I enjoyed exploring this deck. I wasn't exactly captivated by the images, but the guidebook presentation is worth exploring. Based on the Rider-Waite system, this deck would make a nice addition to the shelf. The readings I did were accurate. I just didn't feel much of a vibe with them.




(Review Product supplied by Schiffer Publishing)

Friday, September 6, 2024

Review: the Fool's New Journey Tarot

The Fool's New Journey Tarot 
Sixty Triumphs for a New Dawn
Author: John Matthews
Artist: Charles Newington
Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing, 2024

Description: 60 Cards, 248-page guidebook, box with magnetic closure lid, and cardboard slipcase.

Card Size: 2 3/4 by 4

"John Matthews's idea to reinvent Tarot is, to put the matter in simple terms, sublime." ~ Andrea Aste

After a praising foreword by Andrea Aste, the author gives an introduction of the history of the past and present tarot and explains why he felt the need to create this deck.

"The Fool's New Journey Tarot avoids misreadings of its symbolic language by representing recognizable aspects of the human condition without losing the resonance of traditional Tarot."

Part One of the Guidebook covers the Sixty Triumphs. "The less you compare these with the older traditions, the better, though there will be some overlaps and references that you will recognize." Each card is covered in two pages - a small card image, number/name, card description and meaning, reversed meaning, upright keywords, and reversal keywords.

Part Two of the Guidebook the author tells two fables which follows the Fool's journey through the traditional Major Arcana Cards and then the New Journey Tarot Cards. "These are designed to illustrate the differences between the traditional Tarot sequence and this wholly new sequence of The Fool's New Journey Tarot."

Part Three of the Guidebook covers working with the deck - questions, sample readings, interpreting, dealing with reversals and other techniques. Three spreads are offered to use specifically for this deck.

Overall, I was very impressed by the guidebook. I enjoyed both stories of the Fool's journey. The card descriptions were interesting. The only issue was the guidebook doesn't open fully. I tried bending the bind, but I couldn't get it to flatten out for easier reading.

The cards are easy to shuffle. The card backs allow for reversals. The images are simple, and somewhat cartoonish.   The card box is very tight and makes it hard to get the cards in and out.

The cardboard slipcase fits tightly over the box, which makes it difficult to pull off and back on. Not sure if it would be worth the trouble, unless its plan is to sit on the shelf.

Although I saw glimpses of the traditional Tarot throughout this deck, I would have to call this a Tarot Oracle. In my opinion, this deck could not take the place of the Tarot deck. But, I'm not sure if it's meant to. The author states, "literally a new journey for The Fool, resetting the style and purpose of the deck more or less back to zero, then taking it to places it has never been before."

While working with the deck, The Wasteland became my stalker card.

"The Wasteland is the place we make when we forget the meaning of life and take up the dark path of warfare and destruction." 

Keywords include: Desolation. Destruction. Stagnation. Loss of direction. Loss of purpose. Abandonment. Environmental failure. Old wounds. Madness.

As I read through the description of the card, the image of the 5 of Swords popped into my mind, but also the 9 of Swords, and a few other cards. "In the individual this speaks of a deeply hidden sorrow for which there seems no cure; yet, we have hope, and if our will allows us, we can search for healing for ourselves."

For a deeper look into this deck, here's a sample three card reading. Past, Present, Future position. Question: an overview of where I am, and where I'm going. 

44 The Star - "Here we have chosen to show a dancer in the spotlight, symbolically representing you in your desire for success and clearer insight." As a representation of the past, The Star suggests you had an expectation of where you might be at this moment in your life. "-literally the star of your own life."

41 The Clown - "When this card comes up in a reading, you should be wary of your own actions, as well as those of others, being careful not to use mockery as a weapon, which may all too easily turn against you." The Clown, representing the present, may suggest feelings of imposter syndrome. "The face may be painted on in the form of a smile, but beneath this The Clown may be angry, sad, or vindictive." You may feel like you haven't fulfilled your expectations.

47 Judgement - "For most readers today, it is more likely to be seen as a call to rise, not to heaven but to a new direction or purpose in life." As representation of the future, Judgement suggests a time of change, of redirection. "In most readings, depending on the adjacent cards, Judgement reflects a need for change-" If you currently feel you're not where you want to be in life, a change will be necessary to redirect your path. "The card often appears at a time when you may be at a crossroads and need to make the appropriate decision as to which path to take, on the basis of your own judgement."

Overview - Your hopes and expectations may have failed to come to fruition. Instead of sitting with the disappointment, a much-needed change needs to occur in order to redirect your energies toward your dreams. It's never too late to accomplish what you may have strayed from. Take some time to sort out your thoughts and expectations. Make a plan and follow your chosen path.

I was impressed by the resulting readings of this deck. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new type of reading. The Tarot messages are here, just in a different form. The Fool's New Journey Tarot would make a good deck to any collector, or reader. 



(Review Product supplied by Schiffer Publishing)

Friday, July 5, 2024

Review: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot
Author: Nick Lawyer
Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing, 2023

Description: 78 Cards, 111-page guidebook, top-lift lid box.

Card Size: 3 x 5

"In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot, artist Nick Lawyer takes the gothic subject matter of Irving’s novel and intertwines it with the profound themes of the Tarot to create a powerful tool for self-discovery."

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot is a collection of vivid, sharp images based on Washington Irving's gothic novel. The deck also "includes additional characters and scenes pertaining to the local culture, history, and folklore of Sleepy Hollow and eighteenth-century New England, as well as Irving's short story "The Devil and Tom Walker.""


The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot is printed on average card stock, making them easy to handle and shuffle. The card backing is an interesting feature, with its gold on blue background. Overall, this is an impressive quality deck.


The deck follows the Rider-Waite theme, with some variations in images.


The Major Arcana begins with The Fool - Ichabod Crane and ends with The World - items found in his schoolhouse in The World. Each card contains number and name.


The Minor Arcana are labeled only by number. The author chose various items to represent the suits.

The Wands range from broomsticks, trees, logs, and in the case of the Three of Wands, - "An Algonquin warrior watching ships sail by. He carries a musket, tomahawk, and war club." 

The Cups contain many types of cups or containers, ranging from tea cups, beer mugs, and in the case of Ten of Cups, - "Brom Bones and Katrina walking together" down a path lined with flower vases.

The Swords are the easiest to recognize with their many swords. Ace of Swords shows "The horseman holding an impaled jack-o'-lantern." The Seven of Swords, "A smuggler rowing a boatful of swords out to ship." 

The Pentacles cards contain some form of pentacle, ranging from coins, tin lanterns displaying pentacles, and to carved pumpkins. The Ace of Pentacles holds a single coin. In the Six of Pentacles, "A man distributing carved pumpkins", each carved with a pentacle.



The Court Cards are titled with their name and suit. The Page of Cups features "Ichabod sipping gin as he reads Cotton Mather's History of New England Witchcraft."  The Queen of Wands, "A mischievous old witch flying on her broomstick."



The Guidebook, after a short piece about deck and author, goes straight into information about the cards.   

The Major Arcana cards are presented with a full-page image along with a short description. A second page gives number and name, a fun fact, and the upright and reversed keywords.  The Hermit features, "The Woman in White haunting Raven Rock." The fun fact shares, "Raven Rock is a historical landmark found on Buttermilk Hill in Rockefeller State Park Preserve, New York."


The Minor Arcana is divided by suits. A two-page display of the fourteen cards of each suit begins each section. The individual cards are covered briefly - name, short image description, and upright and reversed keywords. The Two of Wands image description states, "A witch looking over the little village, holding a broom and a crystal ball."

The author closes the guidebook with four Sleepy Hollow Themed Spreads, a short conclusion and bibliography.

In my opinion, this is a deck for fans of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Washington Irving. With its close representation of the Rider-Waite theme, the cards are fairly easy to follow. The guidebook seems more of a tidbit fun fact book, rather than a Tarot guide. The keywords do follow the traditional meanings.

This deck would make a good collection piece for any Tarot enthusiast who also has an interest in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. 




(Review Product supplied by Schiffer Publishing)