Russian Tarot of St. Petersberg

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 01 Jan 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

nina	01 Jan 2003
Hello, I just received this deck as a Christmas present. I know there is a companion book and I intend to get it, but in the meantime does anyone have any insights as to the visual images' relationship to traditional Russian folklore? Does anyone really love or hate this deck, and if so, why? I just browsed through it, but I kind of like a lot of the imagery on the pips. -Nina

zorya	02 Jan 2003
i was gifted with the russian st. pete's several months ago, and i love it! i have slavic ancestry so the imagery touches a very deep place for me. the book does go into the folklore as well as the history and dare i say... the russian spirit. there is much too much to go into here, so i will just touch on a few of my favorite symbols. as you may know, the devil card is of stalin. LOL he even has vampire like wings. (vampires are a slavic invention) the three of swords is one of my favorite's in this deck because it touches on the beauty of sorrow. i can almost hear the violins playing in the background. the firebird also makes his appearance on at least a couple of cards. the hangman's tree is an apple tree. apples go way back in russian folklore, as a symbol of immortality, and several cards contain very green living trees. which to me symbolize the 'ancestral tree'. i hope you enjoy this deck as much as i do.

MystiqueMoonlight	02 Jan 2003
Rats! I've been trying to set up a trade to get me this deck for a year. Hhhhhmmmmmm, will I have to be forced to buy it? :)

zorya	03 Jan 2003
nina asked me about the firebird legends so i thought i would post here. the firebird has feathers that shine like silver and gold, its eyes sparkle like crystals. at midnight it visits gardens and fields and illuminates the night as brightly as a thousand lights. just one feather from its tail could light up a dark room! the firebird eats golden apples which give any who eat them youth, beauty and immortality. when the bird sings, pearls fall from its beak. it's songs can heal the sick and return the vision to the blind. the firebird is the symbol of fantastic and elusive desires, here is a link to the legend which is referred to in the book and which illustrate's that symbolism. http://www.lacquerbox.com/wolf.htm recently the firebird has also become the symbol of artistic freedom, here is the link to one of the legends that inspired that symbolism. http://www.russianart.com/rrfirebird.html there are several other firebird legends, stravinski's ballet being one of best known. enjoy!

Hummingbird	04 Jan 2003
I love it and appreciate its beauty, but I am unable to read with it.

Osher	05 Jan 2003
I think the Russian tarot is beautiful. Yet, when one realises that the artwork was drawn at actual size, not shrunk, one is even more in awe.

juice	08 Jan 2003
It's beautiful. I first saw this in a metaphysical shop that allows you to go through some of the decks, many. The lighting must be terrible in there. I thought the cards were just ok and too small the first time I saw this deck. Other decks I later decided I liked didn't look so good in there. I got this deck cheaply ( should be my new middle name) a few months ago and had a chance to take it home and look at it closely in house lighting. I was amazed at how rich the color and how fine and precise the details are. I think it would be a readable deck if I could see the pictures better. You should take that last with a grain of salt because I have poor vision to begin with.

nina	05 Feb 2003
Hello, It's now been a few weeks since I got this deck and though I have sadly still not gotten the companion book, i absolutely love reading with it! It's really been an incredible breakthrough for me. I would highly recommend it. -Nita

IsisUnveiled	05 Feb 2003
It is the best deck ever! I got so many accurate and detailed readings from it!

The Russian Tarot of St. Petersberg thread was originally posted on 01 Jan 2003 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.