Review: Auset Gypsy Tarot

Auset Gypsy Tarot
Author: James Jacob Pierri
Illustrators: Rebecca Stotsenburgh and Heather Scott
Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing, 2021

Description: 78 card deck, 96-page guidebook, box with magnetic closure lid.

Card Size: 3 by 5

"The Fool card through the World card is the story of the Tarot as it has been relayed for generations, and it's the most popular explanation of the Major Arcana. But this is the Auset Gypsy Tarot Deck and it's a new story, a different telling, true to tradition but with its own unique adventure!"

The Auset Gypsy Tarot deck is unique in imagery, but does follow the traditional path of the tarot story. The Major Arcana cards are depicted in cartoon style images and include the astrological associations. The Minor Arcana cards are presented in pip style, while the court cards take on a playing card design.

The guidebook begins with a forward and the story of the Auset Gypsy Tarot and then dives into the card meanings. The Major Arcana are given two pages each: the astrological association, traditional meaning, Auset Gypsy meaning, and story plot, and a full-page picture of the card.

The Minor Arcana sections are smaller, two per page, and gives the astrological association and key words and phrases. You'll find some of these expand on the traditional meanings, while some seem very different than the normal suggested meanings. The court cards are also presented two per page.

The guide closes with three suggested tarot spreads and a bit of tarot advice, a two-page section for notes, and a short about the author.

The card stock of this deck is very thick and stiff. I found them hard to shuffle. Although this is a beautiful deck, I didn't find any connection with the cards. Each reader will find certain decks attract them more than others, this just isn't a deck for me.

I do recommend this deck to readers who want to step a little outside of the tradition and explore a new story. I wouldn't suggest this as a beginner deck. The Minor Arcana, presented in pip style, doesn't allow for a visual interpretation or any guide to the meanings. With that said, a little challenge isn't bad, just be prepared to see the different aspects outside of the traditional book meanings of the Rider-Waite decks.

Grab your copy at Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing.

(Review Product supplied by Schiffer Publishing)

Review: Intuitive Wisdom: Color-Your-Deck Tarot Cards

Intuitive Wisdom: Color-Your-Deck Tarot Cards

Author: Michelle Motuzas

Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing, 2020
 
Description: 78 card deck, 96-page guidebook, box with magnetic closure lid.

Card Size: 3 1/2 by 5 1/4

"This innovative Tarot deck taps into your creativity, intuition, and inner guidance to create a personally colored deck that not only resonates with you on a deep, intimate soul level but also allows you to become your own best oracle!"

The guidebook that comes with this deck is very detailed. An exercise is given for each category: the Major Arcana, the Court Cards, and the Minor Arcana. The upright and reversal meanings of each card is presented. The Court Cards have a little extra, as the author views the cards in two ways - the level of power and as people in your life. The guide then goes over the Cross Spread, in order to bring it all together.

The cards are not the traditional Rider-Waite theme. Images of animals and nature scenes populate this deck, reminding me of an Oracle deck. Each classification, the Major Arcana and the four suites are given different borders to help identify the cards. The Court Cards and Minor Arcana have blank banners across their bottom for identification purposes.

I'm not sure what happened, but there is a contradiction to the Wands and Swords suits. The guidebook identifies the Wands as Fire and Swords as Air. The borders of the Wands are clouds and the Swords are flames. Seems like someone got their wires crossed on this aspect.

The deck is okay, but to be honest, I see no connection to the Tarot system that I'm used to, which may be because it's a mix of the traditional Thoth or Rider-Waite images and symbolism.

The Four of Wands, an image of a hummingbird, presents a nice coloring opportunity. But the guidebook gives no explanation to the connection of image to the meaning at all. And, the meaning stated for this card has no connection for me to the card at all.

I honestly don't recommend the Intuitive Wisdom deck to anyone looking for the traditional Rider-Waite them. But, if you enjoy coloring and want to make this deck into an oracle of your own, it would be a good fit.

Grab your own copy at Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing.

(Review Product supplied by Schiffer Publishing)

Secret Woods - A Deeper Look Reading

On Monday, I posted a review of this deck, Secret Woods. Because I'm so delighted with the deck, I wanted to go a step further and offer a quick view of them in action. Below, is one of many amazing insights I've gained from the cards so far. 

The deck is made up of unique guides offering advice and guidance from a hidden place just beyond the veil. Whether you use the one card pull or one of the two spreads offered in the book, you're sure to discover an inspiring solution to any situation.

~~~~~~

Recently, I've found myself in the midst of an overwhelming situation. I feel like I have no control over my life, everything seems upside down, and sometimes it's as if I'm going to drown. I'm at the point where I have no idea what to do, or where to turn for help. I won't go into too much detail because the nature of the situation has to do with other people in my life. But the cards revealed a very interesting solution to the matter.

Naturalist - A secret to protect your power.

The Naturalist collects creatures by offering them golden pellets, which then turns the creature into a pellet, which the Naturalist buries to release the creature into the invisible realm away from the harms of our world. 

A deeper look suggests that some things should remain secret. It warns you not to reveal everything to those who could judge and destroy your beliefs. You should bury the belief and watch it take on more power. 

My Take Away: I'm in more control of the situation than I realize, but my silence is more important than my voice. Actions speak louder than any words. I should remain neutral in my opinions, watch in silence, and only act when necessary. 

Recent Results: After revealing this message, I took the advice and stepped back from the situation. Being quiet and watching is hard when you're faced with those you care about making self-destructive decisions. But I bit my tongue, watched, and waited. Within a couple of days, things began to shift and seem to be correcting themselves. I have a different perspective now on the whole situation. For the most part, it seems like everything is running a course and settling back into place. 

Read Monday's post for the Review of this deck.

Grab your own copy at Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing.

(Review Product supplied by Schiffer Publishing)