Deck recommendations for Christians...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 26 Nov 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

HearthCricket	26 Nov 2004
I just bought the Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg and absolutely love it. The imagery really speaks to me, so I was wondering if anyone out there had any specific decks they thought would be more suited to Christians than other decks? For example, I am Anglican, so anything between a Medieval Scapini or the Russian deck works great for me. I have used Robin Wood quite often, but as I am not Pagan, I don't find all the imagery to work as well for me as it might for others, even though I like the deck. I am not really looking for angels or anything like that, but rather more like historical decks that may fit my style. I have been drawn to tarot since I was 12 (30 years ago, tomorrow!) and love both the artwork and the spirituality that I tap into when using them. So, any recommendations will be highly appreciated! Thank you!

lark	26 Nov 2004
Hi HearthCricket Sounds like you would like the Golden Tarot by Kat Black. www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/golden

HearthCricket	26 Nov 2004
lark wrote: Hi HearthCricket Sounds like you would like the Golden Tarot by Kat Black. www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/golden Hi Lark! Yes, that caught my eye, is on order and should be coming early next week. It probably would help if I listed what I have (short list). Universal Waite Sacred Rose Victoria Regina Goddess Gilded Tarots of the Renaissance Robin Wood Gendron Medieval Scapini Old English Aquarian St. Petersburg Bruegel Always looking to add! Golden on order!

Lurea	27 Nov 2004
I have a pal that has the Connolly Tarot, and it is very Christian oriented, with very pretty artwork.

Emily	27 Nov 2004
The Tarot of Prague is another you might like - Also the Morgan Greer. The Radiant Rider Waite is another coloured version of the Rider Waite. I noticed you have the Universal Waite, the Radiant is more brightly coloured but still easy on the eye. :)

Diana	27 Nov 2004
Have you looked at a Tarot of Marseilles? It speaks to Christians and non-Christians alike. Because it can be read on many different levels. And the fact that the minor arcana are not illustrated in the sense of the modern Tarot decks, gives a much wider possibility of interpretation than so-called illustrated minors. Helps one see outside of the box.

Rusty Neon	27 Nov 2004
HearthCricket, Like lark, the Golden Tarot comes to mind, in terms of Rider/Waite-inspired decks. I also agree with Diana who, in her eloquent post, suggests the Tarot de Marseille. In addition to the Marseille deck, another possibility are pre-20th century decks such as the Visconti decks and the Soprafino decks from Italy. Soprafino decks also have non-scenic pip cards and have removed some of the Marseille deck's hermetic symbolism. (However, the Sofrafino deck's pip cards are not as individually-distinctive as those of the Marseille.) For example, the Il Meneghello edition of the Soprafino deck: http://www.spiritone.com/~filipas/Masquerade/Reviews/soprafin.html I would also point out Lo Scarabeo's Golden Tarot of the Tsar, which has imagery inspired by Eastern Orthodox Christian religious icons (Slavic tradition). As I don't own the deck, I don't know to what degree the divinatory meanings (for the pip cards) follow RW meanings; Lo Scarabeo divinatory meanings can differ from deck to deck, i.e., from being quite close to RWS on one end of the spectrum, to being pre-20th century 'traditional' cartomancy meanings [different for every deck], to completely ecclectic. Based on the deck review linked below, it would appear that the pip card images don't always correspond to the little booklet divinatory meanings. Golden Tarot of the Tsar http://www.tarotpassages.com/golden-bb.htm

Melpomone18	27 Nov 2004
I've had a hard time with Robin Wood for the same reason, it doesn't really speak to me. Golden Tarot of the Tsar is a good suggestion. Although it may not be the easiest deck to read with in the world. I have this deck as one of my "collector's" decks and though it may be one of the prettiest that I own, haven't really used it much for reading. As with a lot of other Lo Scarabeo decks sometimes it's a little hard to tell where the artist was coming from, but overall the meanings correspond to traditional RWS and it is absolutely gorgeous to look at. The LWB explains in brief the biblical images that were chosen. Also, have you checked into "Tarot of the Saints?" From the images that I've seen it has rather beautiful historical, medieval images. I don't have that one, but it seems a little more traditional and a lot easier to read with than Golden Tarot of the Tsar. http://www.tarotpassages.com/saints.htm Or if images of saints aren't really your cup of tea you could try Old English Tarot.

HearthCricket	27 Nov 2004
Wow...some great recommendations, here! Thank you! I do have Old English and love it. Golden Tarot of the Tsar looks promising, and I definitely need to get Golden Tarot, plus a Marseilles deck. I will look at the pics and see which Marseilles speaks to me. Tarot of the Saints doesn't grab me....something about the illustrations. Actually, I would absolutely love a Pre-Raphaelite deck. I can't begin to imagine! Are there any Da Vinci decks or gosh, another famous artist, that for the life of me, I can't think of. Dutch, I think. Not Vermeer. One that did many famous religious paintings. Fiddlesticks. I turned 42 today, and my mind has gone to mush! It will come to me, around 2am est., when I am tucked in bed....

Melpomone18	28 Nov 2004
Yes, there is a Da Vinci deck, I'm afraid I don't know too much about it though... http://www.tarotpassages.com/davinci-lb.htm Was Rembrandt perhaps the other Dutch artist you were thinking of? If so, I haven't seen any decks based on his work. I also don't know of any decks that revolve around pre-raphaelite art, but there should be! If someone were to come out with a deck based on Rosetti or Waterhouse I would snatch it up in an instant! Other art Tarots that you may be interested in are Giotto... http://www.tarotpassages.com/Giotto-LB.htm ...and Durer http://www.tarotpassages.com/durer-bb.htm Happy birthday and hunting. :)

Shalott	28 Nov 2004
Another thing about Marseilles, was created by medieval Christians, and THEN you'll suddenly find yourself wanting to read "Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey Into Christian Hermeticism" http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=4709 (And then you can explain it to me since I'm not a Christian...LOL) Nice to meet ya! :D

spoonbender	28 Nov 2004
HearthCricket wrote: Are there any Da Vinci decks or gosh, another famous artist, that for the life of me, I can't think of. Dutch, I think. Not Vermeer. One that did many famous religious paintings. Fiddlesticks. I turned 42 today, and my mind has gone to mush! It will come to me, around 2am est., when I am tucked in bed.... Maybe you're talking about Van Eyck or another of the Flemish Primitives? Or maybe Rubens? I'm afraid there are only two decks about Dutch painters I know of: the Bruegel Tarot and the Bosch Tarot. I own the Da Vinci Tarot and the artwork is breath-taking. It's a really interesting deck to delve into... A lot of scenes in the Minor Arcana are taken from the Last Supper and thus it's possible to find out who is depicted. Spoon

HearthCricket	28 Nov 2004
Rembrandt was the artist I was thinking of-thank you! The Da Vinci deck looks very nice, the Durer looks fantastic! Great ideas, everyone! I also am finding myself now interested in the Bohemian Cat deck, though I had never seen or heard of it until the other threads. Doesn't Lo Scarabo put out gorgeous decks? I could stare at them for ages...

rosyelf	28 Nov 2004
When you say "Dutch" and "a religious painter" I wonder if you mean Hieronymus Bosch ? There is indeed a Bosch Tarot, produced by Lo Scarabeo (I think). He's not religious in the sense of portraying Jesus (as far as I know) but he did do some amazing Hell scenes, Adam and Eve in the Garden, and so on. I had the deck but gave it away-couldn't read with it, somehow. And I could never work out how many of the images were actually taken from Bosch originals and how many were simply images in his style, but that might not be a big problem. On the subject of painterly Tarots, I've just ordered Leonardo da Vinci, from Alida. love and blessings, rosyelf P.S. Sorry-I missed your above post, hearthcricket, when writing the above. Still, it might be of use.

smokey	28 Nov 2004
Hi HearthCricket, Have you had a look at the Master Tarot by A.G.M. Muller? It is the one I tried to use once when I attemped to get back into my Christian roots, but I failed to connect with it somehow. You may want to take a peek at it though. (All apologies for me being Completely computer illiterate, and therefore not knowing how to create links,etc.) It is listed, however under "decks" right above you @ the top right if interested.There's also a 'Tarot of the Master' by Lo Scarabeo... I've not seen this one for myself...I'm just thinking the name itself sounds Christian. Hope this helps! (Personally, when I decide to "take the plunge" once again, I know I'll definitely pick the Golden for this type of situation.) It's so comforting to me in all ways at all times.blessings. (edited to add: oops! my eye just caught your note re: Rembrandt, so I don't think you would enjoy the Master Tarot afterall, and I see you're already familiar with Lo Scarabeo's lovely work!)

HearthCricket	28 Nov 2004
Hmmm on Master Tarot. Not sure it is me, but thank you for pointing it out. I never know where to start on that long list of decks! I don't want to give the wrong impression, here, either. I'm Christian, but I don't necessarily need a deck full of Christian things. Does that make any sense? I just found Robin Wood was a very nicely done deck, but certain images didn't speak to me as well as some of the historical decks do. I am loving the Gilded. I can't wait for Golden. Those Bohemian Baroque cats are incredible, so that is on order, too. And Druidcraft-yep, gonna need that one, too! Needing that, and of course, the fact that I have The Goddess deck, and enjoy it, shows that my own spirituality is a blend of many things (a good thing, I think!). So maybe traditional is a better name for what I am looking for. I like crisp decks, well illustrated, pastels or gems colours (blue, purple, reds). Guess I am still on a path!

noby	28 Nov 2004
Have you looked at the Templar Tarot? (You can read the Aeclectic reviews here.) It was my first tarot deck and I still love it and use it regularly. The deck is full of beautiful Christian images and symbols which lean towards the "dark" and mystical. It's full of surprises, though, in that you'll also find many of the figures sprouting antlers (a pagan touch) and a Hindu goddess on the Magician card. As such, it's a visionary and not a formulaic deck: while not by-the-book, it all makes sense as the vision of people with a profound Christian faith, but open to received wisdoms which might have seemed heretical to the Christian establishment, thus forcing them to go underground. Its main subject is the Knights Templar, a group of Christian knights at the time of the Crusades with a mysterious history and seeming links to hidden knowledge. Lots of the stories around the Templar seem to be made up more of myth than history, and this deck is not about accurately reflecting history, but reflecting a vision which shows the archetypal inner lives, quests, and visions which one could associate with such a group. There are lots of images of Christ and the Crucifixion, the mystical Christian rose, angels, and various Christian figures from John the Baptist to Mary Magdalene. I've read quite a bit of writings from Christian mystics, and think this deck does a beautiful job reflecting ideas and images that moved and shaped the lives of those mystics.

Melpomone18	29 Nov 2004
HearthCricket wrote: Those Bohemian Baroque cats are incredible, so that is on order, too. And Druidcraft-yep, gonna need that one, too! ... So maybe traditional is a better name for what I am looking for. I like crisp decks, well illustrated, pastels or gems colours (blue, purple, reds). The Reinassance Tarot may be another one for you to check out. I don't have this one yet but a friend of mine has it and I positively salivate over it every time I see it, the artwork is so beautiful. So it's definitely on my wishlist. And judging by the things that you've said it may be one you'd appreciate too. So thought I'd recommend that one as well. Good luck. http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/renaissance/

Cerulean	29 Nov 2004
if you like lovely images, I really like the Druid Craft, but I am not certain that I would use it around fundamentalist Protestant relatives or even my conservative Catholic Irish inlaws. There are vivid Greenman/Panlike images that are beautiful to me. Perhaps there are similarities to the 'feel' of the Robin Wood that may be appealing to you? I like the Druid Craft and found them more meaningful to me than the Robin Wood. The authors also have suggested that their allegorical symbols-especially the courts-draw on ideas of balances and these idea threads can be pulled from the Tao, alchemy, wicca and druidry. Some people like the Connelly's Christian-oriented symbolism and colors. http://www.tarot.com/about-tarot/decks/browsedecks.php?newdeck=67 Best wishes, Cerulean

NightWing	29 Nov 2004
Many or most of the decks I might have suggested have by now been mentioned. But you said something about tradition, colour, and crisp images, not necessarily overtly "Christian", so let me weigh in with a few more suggestions: 1. Someone mentioned the LS Giotto deck, just in passing. The colours, the orderliness of the images, and its late medieval Italian style might well appeal. 2. Matt Myers' deeply coloured "Art Nouveau" deck with images that are rather like church stained glass windows might also appeal. 3. Speaking of stained glass, there is the "Tarocchi della Vetrate" by Scapini, I believe, which is very much modeled on church windows and is lovely. 4. Relating to this "theme", you might consider the LS Crystal Tarots; at least reminiscent of church stained glass, but very lovely in its own unique way. The original images were actually painted onto glass. Let me declare my bias; I have both the Golden Tarot of the Tsar, and Place's Tarot of the Saints, and love them both. These styles are not for everyone, I'd agree. BTW: though of interest to oraclists and collectors perhaps, but not really what you are after, is the 78-card deck from LS called "Voices of the Saints". I say this as a gentle warning that it is not a true tarot, but is a Christian/Catholic themed oracle deck.

Jewel-ry	29 Nov 2004
What about the Angels Tarot by Robert Place. I have this deck and the Majors are based on Angels whilst the pip cards are just that - pips. I much prefer non-illustrated pips so this suits me just fine. http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/angels/ ~

HearthCricket	29 Nov 2004
Great ideas, everyone! I will look at these decks. Druidcraft looks like a lovely tarot deck, and the Prague deck is beginning to strike some interest in me. Angels don't-not sure why. Neither do Saints, but maybe that is because I am Anglican, not Roman Catholic, so I would prefer something historical. I guess I need more "English" decks, like Old English, Ren., medieval that are not necessarily Italian, but maybe based on British themes, thus Druidcraft looks very interesting. Something about it reminds me of Mysts of Avalon!

noby	29 Nov 2004
I was thinking of the Templar deck this morning when I woke up, and thought I was in error to describe some of the figures on the deck as "angels"... One is struck by the fact that these winged figures are not divine beings, but human. I thought about it, and the way I see it, the wings represent connection with God, a spiritual quality, while the antlers represent connection with Goddess, a soulful / earthy quality. I like that idea of balance between those two aspects of experience and I like the idea of visually rendering it with wings and antlers. And the wings are very expressive as to the state of the person being depicted - some figures have only one wing, some wings are tattered or broken, others seem ethereal... really effective, in my opinion.

The Deck recommendations for Christians... thread was originally posted on 26 Nov 2004 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.