Tarot for the 21st Century... FINALLY!!!! Like some of my fellow reviewers, I have been watching the conception of this deck, and did the agonising wait after pre-order (5 mths) for it's release, and folks, let me tell you - IT'S EVEN BETTER THAN YOU IMAGINED!!!!
The packaging is extremly sturdy, and includes - the deck, a far from standard book with details on EVERY SINGLE CARD and a white reading cloth which is an awesome bonus!
This deck is the first deck to come out in ages, that actually represents a GIANT LEAP FORWARD for Tarot on the whole.. finally a tarot deck worthy of the 21st Century - it's minimal, yet profound images in combination with it's layered possibilities makes it easier for it's reader to be more perceptive and by extension allows the reader more freedom to be able to read intuitevly.
This deck would be of great use to novices and enthusiasts alike, as well as a phenomenal training tool for those who teach tarot. Even in writting this review my mind is in overload with all of the possibilities of different ways to read the cards ie. layered (Composite Image), Film Reel or Mirrored - not to mention all the different combinations that one could arrive at...
I have no hesitation in recommending this to anyone who has a love of Tarot (I ordered 2 for myself, with 1 as a back-up), in a matter of days this has become one of my all time favourites!! And will be on the lips of Tarot Enthusiasts for years to come!
Well done Ms. Carding!! And thank you for sharing this with the world...
Exactly as good as you were hoping it would be... There are a handful of excellent new decks released in the last 18 months -- but this one is by far the most unique, and the most flexible in its ability to inspire creativity.
It's been many years since I've sat down and read the "accompanying book" that so often fills out a box of new cards, but this one has been fascinating. Many of the cards do not appear, on first glance, to correspond to so many familiar and traditional decks. The images are much more simple and streamlined (a necessity since so many of the possible layouts would require them to be stacked, staggered, or otherwise overlapped.) Images are placed in various locations on the cards' geography -- one or more corners, centered, lower-middle-or-top portion of the card -- human figures face left or right, fill the card, or occupy a tiny portion of the surface. This wide distribution allows overlaped lay-outs to create 3D images with a foreground, and middle ground and a background.
It is precisely this fore-middle-background phenomenon which offers the most unusual a satisfying potential when using the Transparent Tarot -- the potential of a truly layered meaning turing up in any position of any layout -- even a temporally layered meaning.
On top of everything else, the images are simple, graceful, and enchanting.
Here's my only caveat. I like natural-fiber cards. Cotton fiber. Linen. wood. hemp. Bone. :) You know. So. like any other petroleum by-product (which we assume the transparent cards to be) they are not destined for a long life. Like all other plastics, they will become brittle, yellowed or otherwise discolored etc. If constantly protected from sunlight and heat, they've probably got a 15 year life. The images themselves may not last as long since there is the potential for scratching, and for muddying the images with the oil that naturally exists on our hands. If this is somehow, miraculously NOT a petroleum by-product (cellulose? really aged Jello? transparent aluminum? ) then I'll be pleasantly surprised, and happy to hear it. Otherwise, in bio-degradeable terms, these cards are like and 80count stack of compressed disposable diapers & non-recycleable water bottles. But since transparancy is highly unlikely in any other form (how tall would a stack of pane-glass cards actually be?) -- we once again sacrifice the planet for the useful and the clever. Besides -- nearly all cards are plastic coated by 1mm or another -- that's the only way they stand up to years and years of use.
The cards come with a nearly transparent micro-fine powder between them which wipes away with very few touches. I'm not yet sure what happens when the powder is all gone -- static electricity is bound to be a big problem. We'll see.
Outstanding new way to look at, or through, the tarot There are many new tarot decks that come out each year, but THE new deck that people will be taking about for a while is The Transparent Tarot. This deck breaths new life into the 78 cards with its unique layering of the artwork that is achievable by the clear cells that it's printed on. Stripped down of the heavy weights of having every symbol known to mankind shoved onto a card the minimalist artwork is surprisingly deep and helps to bring the cards into a sharp focus that many other decks with their multiple systems of symbolism seem to somehow loose in their quest to become the most esoteric-y or witch-y out there. Seeing the way the cards interact with each other is a marvel of artistic vision. Each reading can become, in a sense, its own unique single image. The cards themselves are very sturdy made of a good grade plastic and will not tear or snap easily but shuffle very nicely. The presentation box is very sturdy and not like the flimsy cardboard that most decks come in. Packaged with a book that is more of a guide to how the artist arrived at the images she did rather then a standard LWB the set is rounded off with a sturdy white cotton reading cloth. My only complaint is that the clear acetate cover is a bit flimsy if one wants to use the box for storage, but it's not a big deal. Back to the book, it is clearly written by one that understands that the meanings of tarot cards are very personal things. She starts off as any real good teacher would tell you by having you go through the deck before reading any more of the book. Each card is them broken out and given a few pages telling you not just what the meaning is, but more interestingly how she came to the essence of the card to create the image. That alone is a fascinating read. The set is well made, well thought out. Not you're run of the mill art deck or RWS clone this is truly a unique deck that will change the way you see the cards fluidness. Don't be put off by the high price, it costs are very much apparent in the sturdy acetate cards, heavy cloth, almost wooden feel to the box and a nice thick book. The set is also published by a smaller publishing house and thus is going to be harder to find and might not be out as long as we all hope. Treat yourself to this deck, because it will be the most surprising and unique deck you will see for quite some time.
Awesome deck! Too bad there is a 5 star limit. It deserves way more than that. I just received my Transparent Tarot deck set yesterday after waiting for months for the finished product. I watched and read patiently the artist's blog as she was creating the deck. It was definitely worth the wait. I highly recommend this deck for anyone interested in deepening their knowledge of tarot or for those just getting started. Along with the deck, the set comes with a very indepth book and a cloth for laying out the cards. The cards are a good size and shuffle really well. They have a good, sturdy yet flexible feel. This could easily become my FAVORITE deck of all time. The best thing about these cards is the transparent quality which creates the ability to layer cards on top of each other to deepen the meaning of each position in the spread. When I first read about this concept, I thought it was an awesome idea. Now that I have the set in my hands to actually work with, I KNOW my readings will be so much more...everything. My hat's off to Emily Carding! Thank you!
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
