Nigel Jackson Tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 15 Apr 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Temperance413	15 Apr 2002
Does anyone have any opinions about the Nigel Jackson Tarot? Do you like it, or hate it, how is it to read with, shuffle and meditate with. Just was curious and needed feed back. Thankx

purplelady	15 Apr 2002
I Love this deck! Have been using it for occasional meditation, of the majors, in order. On occasion , they speak or sing to me.The cards really come alive when I enter into them. The colors are beautiful , the artwork is beautiful. And the minors have detailed scenes on them.

Temperance413	15 Apr 2002
Thankx Purplelady, do you have a hard time shuffleing them? I have seen this deck and really like it, but it's on the larger side and was wondering how they are to handle.

Geenius at Wrok	15 Apr 2002
I love it, and I'm astoundingly picky. The drawings and composition are crisp and elegant (one big plus in my book is that the women in the drawings look like women, not like Barbie dolls or faerye princesses), with the 2 through 10 suit cards featuring pip patterns above and illustrated tableux below. The symbology conforms to Rider-Waite meanings but doesn't slavishly imitate RW in content—for example, the 7 of swords features a fox, the 3 of wands a ship, the 10 of swords a ruined city. I find it very comfortable to read with. The back design is symmetrical, which is great if you read reversals (as I do). The cards are large (8.5 by 13 cm, about 3¼ by 5 inches), stiff and very slippery; shuffling them will take some getting used to. If you riffle, I strongly recommend overlapping them at one corner rather than along the whole short side. Strangely, despite the slipperiness of the cards, they're hard to push together, probably because of their large surface area. However, the same thickness and slick finish that make the deck hard to shuffle also suggest great things about its durability. This one will not wear out easily. The LWB (actually more of a medium-size WB) contains a few interesting spreads, but the only one that strikes me as particularly practical is the Key of Hermes, a nice little four- (or, optionally, five-) card spread. Interestingly, it does not include the Celtic Cross. I wouldn't rely on it for interpretations of reversed cards or court cards—go with a more traditional source for those. Some folks may be unhappy to see that the Ace of Staves depicts the element of air, and the Ace of Swords fire. I'm not sure why it's so, but it doesn't bother me. Also, the names of the cards hark back to the earliest days of tarot, when the cards were only used for playing games: you've got coins and staves instead of pentacles and wands, a Pope and a Popess instead of a Hierophant and a High Priestess, and a Juggler instead of a Magician. Overall, a very well-made, grown-up, professional-looking deck.

truthsayer	15 Apr 2002
what i like most about this deck is it's clear pen, ink and watercolor drawings. the paint is clear and unmuddies. this gives the deck a light appearance. the death card actually shows a sense of humor--a skeleton beating a drum with a bone. could the author/artists be a fan of the grateful dead? there's lots of detail in each card. the deck feels adult and doesn't wince words or try to make things all nice. while i love mary hanson roberts work, this deck is totally opposite her work. where her drawings have a childish touchy feely happy appeal, nigel doesn't. this is for ppl who want the truth. the drawings seem more 3D than roberts' decks, too. i can almost see one of the ppl leaping off a card and starting a conversation for me. this deck is perfect for someone who wants a more traditional deck w/o the rws imagery. even tho the drawings are detailed, they are uncluttered w/ symbols like the rws is. the finely inked in details serve to make the images look realer. i don't read w/ this deck often but i recognize a winner when i see one. :)

faunabay	15 Apr 2002
It took me a while to warm up to the NJ. I had to flip thorugh it and put it back - come back a couple of days later, do the same thing again, again and again LOL before I decided to break down and just buy it. But boy was I glad I got it. I Love this deck!!! For whatever reason it just talks to me. I get great, clear readings with it all the time. Very highly recommend it if it's calling to you!!!

Temperance413	15 Apr 2002
Thanks guys, I am buying this deck tomorrow, oops, today Yeah!!!!

Kiama	16 Apr 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Geenius at Wrok one big plus in my book is that the women in the drawings look like women, not like Barbie dolls or faerye princesses Hey! I'm a woman, and I look like a Feary Princess! :) ;) :p He he. Aren't I modest?! Anyway, about the deck... This deck has done somethng which no other deck has done EVER: It actually REPLACED my Robin Wood for a while! (For about 2 months!) I can already hear the shocked gasps from Faunabay... :p Yes, it is quite hard to handle if you've got small hands like me, but its not too difficult that you can't at all! The artwork is very detailed, and I thought I wouldn't like it cuz of its Renaissance theme, but I was wrong! This deck depicts the meanings excellently with the theme. Btu I don't agree with what Jackson writes about in his book, all that stuff about the Tetraktys Key, and how Tarot was quite obviously connected to ancient Mystery Schools... I'm a strong advocate of the Italian Renaissance origins of Tarot, so this book didn't quite cut the mustard for me, although I know of people that really enjoyed it. The cards are full of symbolism, which is a plus in any deck. Its just amazing! Kiama

Kissa	16 Apr 2002
I don't know so many decks but so far, the NJ is the only one where I've seen that the Fool walks around with a CAT instead of the traditional little dog. It is worth mentioning !!!!! ;) It looks nice but I dislike very much the frightening Moon face on the Moon card. It comes as a set yet the cards have their own box which is not so common, worth noticing if you don't automatically repack your decks, as I do (cannot sew proper bags :( ) Kissa

Kiama	16 Apr 2002
Kissa: I was a bit thrown by the cat too! The Arcus Arcanum is another deck that has a cat instead... Kiama

Kissa	16 Apr 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Kiama The Arcus Arcanum is another deck that has a cat instead... Thanks for the info, Kiama. I only own 8 or 9 decks so my tarot universe is not as wide as yours, "Miss46-47" ;) ... Kissa

DeLani	16 Apr 2002
I have to ring in with another thumbs up for the NJ. Like faunabay, I didn't automatically fall for it. But I kept being drawn to it... again & again...till I broke down & bought it. And, like Kiama, it quickly replaced my Robin Wood. All the same kudos: great artwork, very evocative, really pretty backs. DeLani

Zhritza	17 Apr 2002
I'm glad someone brought this deck up... I've been considering buying this deck and now I will, by gum. Geenius, thanks for the shuffling tips. I have small hands despite being sort of a gangly girl and this kind of info is very helpful to me. Now there's, what, seven decks I have to buy right away and another ten that I need almost immediately?.... ;)

Jewel	17 Apr 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Qolus Now there's, what, seven decks I have to buy right away and another ten that I need almost immediately?.... ;) Welcome to tarot-holics dear

Zhritza	17 Apr 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jewel Welcome to tarot-holics dear You mean I'm in? Yay! :D

Chana	03 May 2002
Hi all, I just ordered my N J tarot today should be ready in the next week or two and I bought the Robin Wood deck Yay! Chana

The Nigel Jackson Tarot thread was originally posted on 15 Apr 2002 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.