Alchemical Tarot (illustrated by Robert M. Place)

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 May 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Jenny-Li	10 May 2003
I've just found this deck, through the artist's web-site (www.thealchemicalegg.com), and I LOVE what I see, but still - I want to know more... :) Who has - and uses this deck? Is it any good? Is the book focused more on divination, or on personal development and guidance? The artist had a great quote on his site, saying: "Instead of predicting the future, /the tarot/ can guide us to a better future." That is one statement I agree with 100% and find very promising. How is the book? Basic? Too basic? Complicated? Too complicated? Deep? Shallow? Well written? Badly written? etc. etc. I really like the imagery of this deck, it's simple yet expressive, which I like very much. But is it as good as it looks, or does it look too good to be true...? ;) :D I'd be sooo greatful for any input on this deck - thanks a million! With light and love, Jenny :)

Keslynn	10 May 2003
Hi Jenny, I have this deck, and the artwork is quite lovely. It's remarkably simple for the emotion it can get across. To be honest, I haven't used it much for readings, but I would like to work with it more at some point. The pictures are focused on the path of self-development as symbolized by alchemy. However, you don't need an in-depth knowledge of alchemy to figure out this deck. I'd say even if you know nothing about it, you can get something from most of the pictures. It's a great deck - very well thought out and drawn. The book is okay. It explains the cards well, but to my picky standards, I would have liked to hear more about the alchemical processes maybe. The book gives a basic knowledge, but if you want more, you'll have to go to other books. Of course, I also like to know all the technical historical details while he's focusing on it more as a developmental tool so it's probably just me being nitpicky. I don't know if that helped you. I do recommend the deck though. It's lovely and I'm sure readable. :) Kes

Jenny-Li	10 May 2003
Keslynn: That is exactly the kind of information I was looking for - thank you! Deciding on a deck based only on little jpg's from the web... it's really tricky! :) It's nice to hear from someone who has had their hands on the cards, what their opinion is - for good and for bad! I have put up a thread about trading my Buckland Romani set for an Alchemical set, in the UK/Europe section. I might have that thread moved to the Worldwide section, if there doesn't seem to be anyone in Europe wanting to trade. Cuz I think I definitely want this deck...! :D Thanks again for replying! Jenny :)

Strange2	10 May 2003
I have found the Alchemical Tarot to be a high-quality and well-designed deck. It strikes an intriguing balance of crisp, effective artwork and subtle hints of esoteric depths. The cards are large (3 1/8 x 4 3/4 inches), but shuffle well due to their coating. My only complaint about the cards is that I wish the images were bigger; there is a white border and then the image is within a frame of columns and pedastle, leaving only 2 x 3 1/4 area for the image. The book that comes with the deck is excellent, particulary the lengthy sections on Alchemy and the Tarot. The write-ups on the majors are in-depth and insightful, however the sections on the minors just have a paragraph of description and symbolism, then a paragraph on meanings or "Tarot wisdom". Still, much better than a simple LWB. The minors are pictorial, for the most part. I found some of them to be cryptic on the surface without knowing or researching their alchemical significance. The artwork overall is clean and clear, and is reminiscent of the style of early alchemical illustrations. The packaging of the deck is outstanding. A slipcase covers the box, and the book fits inside a cutout well, and behind that is another well for the cards. I really like this approach. Overall, I definitely recommend the Alchemical Tarot, and it may spur one onto additional research and mystical meditations.

Marie	11 May 2003
This is one of my favorite decks! And I am a big fan of Robert Place's. The book is good, it gives an understandable introduction to alchemy, kind of right brain scholarly, if that makes sense. The images in the cards are very nice, very simple and clean and colorful; quasi traditional. I consider this one of my masculine decks. It's expressive but it isn't mushy. The quality of the art is high throughout the deck, if you like the cards you see on one of the review sites you will probably ooh and ahhh over the whole deck (like I do). Marie:)

Astraea	11 May 2003
Robert Place is one of my favorite tarot artists and authors. The Alchemical Tarot is lovely and well researched, and it speaks to me. The accompanying book is a reasonably good introduction to a very complex and multi-tiered subject. So many times, I have been disappointed when I've bought cards on the basis of scans -- but not in this case. The deck is beautiful, and the images are stately, symbolically rich but accessible, and convey the level of integrity I have come to expect from Robert Place's work.

Cerulean	12 May 2003
This is one of the decks that I want to use more. I picked up a second used copy and was going to cut off the borders, then use as a comparison deck with the astrology-based Oracle of the Radiant Sun. It's not a high-priority experiment, but one that I look forward to, as the artwork by Robert Place is excellent. The little that I know of alchemy in Renaissance times seems to match with his work--and his engraving style is beautiful. The deck is free of Golden Dawn and later esoteric content, almost as if a Renaissance artist had the idea of doing tarocchi and alchemy. If you have a true pre-1850 Marseilles, it might be interesting to compare the designs. Ah, another project... Of the three decks (Alchemical, Saints, Angels), Alchemical is my favorite. He's doing a Buddha deck done from a Mayan India perspective that might be even more interesting...when I was young, in language school they gave us a comic book of Buddhist concepts by Japanese graphic artists. From what I recall, Robert Place's artwork is Western-style, so I'm quite interested in his take.

zagone	17 May 2003
This set is a rare case of the book being as good as, or perhaps even better than the deck. I highly recommend it. The book is a very good beginners guide to alchemy via tarot. The first 50 pages are a primer on alchemy before the book even deals with tarot. For the difficult subject matter, this is an easy-to-understand introduction. I like to approach new subjects I have not studied before through relating them to subjects I have studied some (such as tarot). For me, this was/is the perfect way to approach alchemy. I like the handling of the major arcana, and I like the numerology used. The book places an emphasis on learning alchemy over teaching reading of the cards. You can definitely do both (read with them and meditate on them). I'd say the deck leans only just slightly towards the meditation side. Buy them. -- Zagone

Woof	17 May 2003
And it's the one I use for myself. I find some it visually very simple. What I mean by that is the artwork is very clear and you don't have to hunt for little details. I also find that there is something that speaks to me in this deck and I don't quite know what it is. Other than that I would like to ditto all the positive comments above. If it appeals to you at all buy it! Woof

The Alchemical Tarot (illustrated by Robert M. Place) thread was originally posted on 10 May 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.