Lyle's Renaissance Tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 29 Sep 2001, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Thirteen	29 Sep 2001
I received this deck from a friend. There are, I believe, several Renaissance decks. I'd never seen this particular one before. The cards were done by Helen Jones and they're 3-dimensional. Raised sculpture done on a flat back ground in metal or clay painted with metalic paint. The images are clear and simple, not cluttered at all (singular, simple figures). But each has little extras that are extremely relevant and clarifying (Like the Hierophant wears a little horned hat--represenative of Taurus--and has acorns on the tops of the pillars to either side). Interpetations are very Wiccan. I have to say, this is one of the most beautiful and unusual decks I've ever seen. It's just striking, and takes my breath away every time I look at it. Very cool. But it's also a little mystifying to me, as I can't quite get a fix on it. It seems very heavily into balance (Pillars, doubles--like two cupids, two framing vines of grapes or flowers, or oppositions: Death is a pheonix rising from the ashes, a skull and cross-bones below; on the Wheel, two figures are to left-right, looking the same though one arches up, one down. In the tower, two figure, left-right fall, one facing out, one facing in, but in exactly the same arched positions--you get the idea). To me the "Air" suit is perhaps the most lovely, though all are just splendid. It's feeling very air, maybe Libra or Aquarius. On the other hand, that it's a scupture give it a certain "weight." Does anyone else have this deck? Have you used it? What do you think of it?

The Lyle's Renaissance Tarot thread was originally posted on 29 Sep 2001 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.