Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 26 Jan 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

stella01904	26 Jan 2005
MM ~ Anyone want to talk about this one? I got mine recently. I like the luminosity of the pictures against the black background, almost like little visions in a magic mirror. I'm still getting the feel of the deck. I could read it right out of the box, it's so close to RWS. There is a deck and book set available, (I just got the deck) - is the book worth getting? Also, the Star is unusual. The woman is clothed, and there is also yet another dress lying on the bank beside her! Any insights on that? BB, Stella

tarotbear	27 Jan 2005
PS - The book is very good once you get past a hell of a lot of Russian history that may or may not be reflected in the cards. One difference is that it is not an angel (as in the Rider) but a mortal woman. quoting the book here : "The empty costume on the bank suggests the ephemeral nature of the body, from which the ressurected soul has been released. The woman - wearing traditional Russian costume, represents the soul clothed, or embodied - reinforcing the symbolism of continuity and the 'cycling' of the soul through many stages, just as water is cycled through many states of being on its journey from rain to flowing stream and back to rain again." Buy the book when you have the chance. ***** I love this deck, and have used it successfully, but no matter how many times I say to myself that they look like Faberge eggs or black lacquered boxes, I cannot get used to the sun shining in a black sky!

Rosanne	27 Jan 2005
Hi Stella01904. I have this lovely deck, and it gets chosen by querents a lot.I must admit although I love the deck and find it a good reading deck, it is the only deck that The Devil makes me laugh. I know he is supposed to look like Stalin, but he looks like the one in bondage to me. He does'nt look Devilish to me at all and I don't intuit change in him. I like the Fool though. The puppet as repeat of himself is very clever. Tarotbear hit the nail when he said "..Sun in a black sky" it does feel odd. It is a copy in different style to RW, but it has enough little jems, like the apples in The Hanged Man to keep me interested. I hope you enjoy it. I thought the book was worthwhile as I like a taste of how the Artist thought, and the Russian History. Regards Rosanne

tarotbear	27 Jan 2005
I love Stalin as the Devil! I think that is a terriffic idea! When I teach classes and bring in my various decks from the growing collection I have, I always bring in this card when I do card comparisions

Moonbow*	27 Jan 2005
I haven't looked at this deck for a very long time, and never really got to grips with it although I like the artwork. But something was pointed out to me which you may find interesting, and that is the 'faces in the rocks' The Fool rock seems to be smiling, The Emperor rock is very straight and neat, the Death rock is white with it's eyes closed. The Hermit rock has a hole it! Why? Don't know, but maybe it needs some reflection, and I also think adds a new dimension to reading the cards.

stella01904	27 Jan 2005
tarotbear wrote: quoting the book here : " The empty costume on the bank suggests the ephemeral nature of the body, from which the ressurected soul has been released. The woman - wearing traditional Russian costume, represents the soul clothed, or embodied - reinforcing the symbolism of continuity and the 'cycling' of the soul through many stages, just as water is cycled through many states of being on its journey from rain to flowing stream and back to rain again. " Buy the book when you have the chance. MM ~ Okay, I'm sold! "Putting on forms and casting them off again..." And yes, Stalin IS a hoot! BB, Stella

The Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg thread was originally posted on 26 Jan 2005 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.