View Full Version : Angels tarot by Robert M place
hello all,
Lately i have been drawn to this deck..its not my style and i have read just one little book about angels but i just really like the artwork! Its simple and beautiful. The minors are non illustrated but i'm trying to learn to read with those.
http://www.tarotwisdomreadings.com/TarotDecks/Angels.html
And on aeclectic ofcourse
lee wrote a great review of this deck of this deck on tarotpassages!!
I was wondering who else wants/has this deck?
And how is it working for you?
Love and light
Maan
Maan, I received this deck in a trade and yes it is simple but it is lovely. For now it is sitting in my collection waiting its turn for more attention, but it is definetly a deck I plan to explore further. The simplicity in the art is part of its beauty and openess. I am really glad I have it :)
Ohhhh and I am not familiar with all the Angel stuff either!
Violet Gargoyle
28-08-2002, 20:19
I'll agree with you on the artwork. I don't have the Angel Tarot, but I do have Place's Alchemical Tarot and The Tarot of the Saints. I rather like the masculine take on his work.
Logiatrix
28-08-2002, 21:39
maan,
i didn't keep this one.
i found the minors difficult to work with in this deck, but i use the visconti deck on a regular basis, so it's not that they're pips that bothers me, i don't think. hmmmm...
i AM a fan of place's artwork...i am much more impressed with "the tarot of the saints", which i still have.
place is a very impressive scholar, regardless of which of his work(s) you acquire, so check out his other stuff, too.
he's coming out with more!
The images are simple rather than busy, the kind where the whole image can sink into your imagination. I like that these are historical angels with names, rather than vague new age angels. One of the angels, Manu, does not seem to be an angel at all but a Mesopotamian god of fate and destiny, which seems like an odd choice to me.
Two of my favorite cards are number XVII Anael, Angel of the Star of Love, and number VI Theliel, Prince of Lovers. Anael is connected with Venus and represents celestial love, a higher understanding of the amorous love represented by Theliel, who is connected with Cupid. They are both beautiful cards that express the warmth of love with red and pink. In Theliel's image it is brought down to earth with the green stems, leaves and thorns of the roses that fill the bottom of the card.
The book is wonderful but leaves you wanting more. For the majors it has a lot of interesting information from a gnostic and Jungian perspective but doesn't go into enough depth! Arrgh! The minors are discussed very briefly, numerological meanings for the ten numbers seem to follow Waite, with five being "Change, upset in equilibrium" and seven being about choices. The actual divinitory meanings are very brief and simple but expressed directly in terms of guidance and advice.
Some people have said they don't like the pips on this deck, which are diamonds, hearts, clubs, spades. It is a matter of taste but I like their simplicity and the slight sense of cuteness and whimsy that balances an otherwise rather serious deck. (I still can't *read* unillustrated pips without various books to refer to but maybe that will come in time.)
The one huge problem with this deck is the card stock which seems to be coated with a thick plastic lamination rather than printer's varnish. They stick together almost as if slightly magnetized. It is impossible to fan these cards. I thought about giving them the Umbrae treatment but am afraid that that will only scratch up the glossy plastic surface making the images seem obscure and far away.
Hope I haven't rambled on too long but maybe someone curious about this deck will find it of interest.
--Myrrha
wauw i posted this ages ago.
I have obtained the deck in that time. Reading with it has not worked out for me. But i love the book and actually use the cards alot to put on my nightstand. I like to look at an angel before i go to sleep and every once in a while i pick a different angel..one with the energy or virtues that i feel that i need at that time
Love
Maan
Originally posted by Maan
wauw i posted this ages ago.
Oh, is it more polite to start a new thread? Sorry! It seemed better to have general comments about the deck in the same thread. Anyway I am glad you are enjoying this deck. :)
--Myrrha
Originally posted by Myrrha
Oh, is it more polite to start a new thread? Sorry! It seemed better to have general comments about the deck in the same thread. Anyway I am glad you are enjoying this deck. :)
--Myrrha
No,no,no its oke like this!:) I was rembering what was happening in my life while i wrote this thread...and it feels like years ago.
Geez i must be a real tarotholic i connect events in my life with the decks i obtained during that period ;)
Love
Maan
Jewel-ry
28-02-2004, 04:02
I bought this deck on a whim. When I opened it up my immediate impression was one of disappointment :( I was annoyed with myself for being impulsive and I put it away and thought 'out of sight, out of mind'.
A few days later I have taken it out, and I really can't make up my mind about it. I quite like the majors now but still feel a little disappointed by the pips. However, we tend to have instant reactions to things which are out of the ordinary don't we? I am now thinking that I should make myself work with this to see how it goes. The deck does have something but my feelings are so mixed.
Anyone else have any opinions on it? I need someone to convince me its workable.
J :)
SongDeva
30-06-2004, 10:49
Well, I bought this deck on eBay a couple of weeks ago. When it arrived, it smelled like cigarettes, had two 7 of hearts and no 9 of hearts. No wish card? I think not!
I let the seller know, and she told me to let her know what I wanted to do. Being an experienced tarot acquirer, I contacted the publisher, and let them know about the problem with the deck. It was clearly a publishing error, as the deck was otherwise unused.
They sent me a whole new set. *Party break*
Anyway, as usual for me, I love Place's art. I have the Buddha Tarot and a couple of Alchemicals. I don't know what it is....his characters have weight and import, with humor.
Anyway, I recently started doing daily pulls, a new deck each week, and I started this deck last night (my second week. :) ).
I love the illustrated cards, and am interested in the challenge of the pips, and pips that are unusual for that matter.
I want to try and get hold of this deck in a trade/ sale, but it seems either:
a) no-one has it any more because they hated it
and/ or
b) people love it so much they want to keep it.
So which is it? Am I wasting my time on either count?
Reviews seem so...... mixed.
Aerin
I'm one of the ones who loves the Angels, Aerin. Sure, the pips are unillustrated, but you get that with the Marseilles-type decks. The book does give very brief meanings for the minors, which closely follow Place's descriptions on his other decks. One thing I enjoy doing with them is to draw the same card from all my Place decks (5 of wands, for example), and compare between the Buddha, Alchemical, Saints and Angels.
The majors are lovely. I do love the white backgrounds on the minors, and the long, thin shape of the cards.
My deck is a little warped, and the cards don't really slide over each other. The cardstock and size of the cards is different from Place's other decks. I can see how one might be dissatisfied with that.
I think you said you're not drawn to the Saints, but some of the images in the Tarot of the Saints are borrowed from the Angels (the Judgment cards are almost exactly alike), and it is the next best thing. Don't give up hope, though, if only the Angels will do. One will turn up eventually. This sort of thing always does.
Thank you for your reply evelone. It is the pips I'm most attracted to.
I won't give up hope.... it may be like buses. None come for ages and then you get 3 at once.
Aerin
Llewellyn usually has their $5.00 sale in July, with the weaker dollar, it might be worthwhile even with the shipping to wait until then and get a fresh set?
I want to try and get hold of this deck in a trade/ sale, but it seems either:
a) no-one has it any more because they hated it
and/ or
b) people love it so much they want to keep it.
So which is it? Am I wasting my time on either count?
Reviews seem so...... mixed.
Aerin
This was the first deck I wanted back when I rebuilt my collection. It wasn't my most-used deck but there is just something about it. Maybe it is the way the cute cherub pips work with the serious angel cards. I also love the way the cards work in three-card spreads. The uncluttered art work really shows which way the people are facing. There are visual similarities and echoes in the images.
I don't know if you would be disappointed with this deck. There are probably more effective decks for general divinitory readings. I agree with evelone that a deck will turn up for you eventually. In the meantime if you want to work with angels the (non-tarot) decks by Kimberly Marooney are wonderful and she has an internet radio show now where you can learn her method of using the cards. The scholarly information in the Place deck is available in Ellen Guilley's Encyclopedia of Angels which also has line drawings of most of the major arcana cards.
--Myrrha
Thanks for your replies.
Funny thing is, I've never been big on angels.... I have DV Healing with the Angels deck, and the Angel cards but I just like the pips on this deck.
I'm really glad it has fans though.
I may have found one at a not too excessive price...... am waiting for an e-mail to tell me if this is the dreaded book only option.
Aerin
Llewellyn usually has their $5.00 sale in July, with the weaker dollar, it might be worthwhile even with the shipping to wait until then and get a fresh set?
Ooooooh I've never heard of this...... presumably when they get rid of remainders?
I'm with you on the pips, Aerin. They're just so clean and simple. Kind of angelic, really. There's no scene, and so each minor card is just an idea. It's a different way of reading, and I like that.
Myrrha, I have the Marooney Angel Blessings deck. Thanks for reminding me of it. I really love the book, but I find the cards a bit dull and muted in their coloring. Still, I'd like to devote more time to it. Maybe tonight instead of my usual tv watching.
(One more thing: I wouldn't count on Llewellen having any Angels tarot decks laying around. They didn't print it, though they did print the Saints. Also, the deck is ten to fifteen years old. I got mine on ebay, and paid an embarassingly high price for it.)
ahh...(One more thing: I wouldn't count on Llewellen having any Angels tarot decks laying around. They didn't print it, though they did print the Saints. Also, the deck is ten to fifteen years old. I got mine on ebay, and paid an embarassingly high price for it.)
I didn't realize that, just that I got my Saints kit last year during the sale.
Aerin, I don't think it is just remainders, I think it was everything. I got my Tarot of the Dead kit and Liber T then too, and all three of those are still very much on the market.
I do know from reading here that those that got in later on the sale had quite a few backordered, but if they are backordered, there again, they aren't remainders.
Now returning you to your Saints channel.
karen0205
07-05-2008, 21:28
I quite like the majors now but still feel a little disappointed by the pips. :)
I felt the same way. I kept looking at the cards and I do love them but I really wish the pips were illustrated. That being said, I would not part with my copy. I am going to use it more when I have time to really read the book and study the deck. Robert Place's decks seem to increase in value once they are sold out. It's almost like they are so detailed and deep that they aren't appreciated for the artwork, etc. until they are sold out. Then everyone wants it. He has really studied the tarot, etc. and his decks all have a lot of symbolism and you really have to read the book and study the cards. They aren't the kind of deck where you just pick it up and use it so I think they have a limited appeal at first. Some new card readers seem intimidated by his decks because of the work involved in learning the meanings.
From a collector's viewpoint, the artwork is different, not the usual watercolor painting or computer generated look. They are different and until you really look at them you don't see all the detail. I think they get passed over some because of that. It's too bad because they are fabulous.
I am curious about why some of the angels in the pips have different color hair than the rest.
Any info on that? Any ideas?
me