Sacred Rose Tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 03 Feb 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Clau	03 Feb 2005
This one has become -I don't know how- my deck by default. I really like it, I think its images are powerful, although the blank eyes are somewhat weird, but at the same time misterious. What do you think about this deck? do you like it? why? Don't you like it? why? What is your favourite card? Let's talk about it! Blessings, Clau

Stregaverde	03 Feb 2005
I was looking at this deck in a shop the other day, but only the box. It looks intriguing, but I don't know much about it.

tinkerbell	03 Feb 2005
i first became familiar with this deck as it is one of several which james ricklef uses to illustrate his "tarot tells the tale" book. about 2 weeks ago, i decided to browse the decks here at aeclectic and up came the sacred rose again. i'm really taken by the vibrancy of the colours and the style of the illustrations. it's definitely gone onto my wishlist! i even dreamt about it the other night! can anybody clarify if the colouring of the deck is as bright as the scans shown here at aeclectic? hopefully, i'll be able to buy it soon and compare for myself! love tink xx

Sulis	03 Feb 2005
I don't have it myself but it's one of those decks I think about getting from time to time. The colours do seem very vibrant. You can see all of the cards at tarot.com http://www.tarot.com/about-tarot/decks/browsedecks.php?newdeck=26 Love Sulis xx

DollieAnna	03 Feb 2005
This is the only deck that i read from. The companion book is great. The cards are brighter and deeper than shown here. But take note this is a deep deck and alot of ppl don't like the missing irises. But I do. And I would never draw them in!

Clau	04 Feb 2005
DollieAnna wrote: This is the only deck that i read from. The companion book is great. Yeyyy! good thing to find a fellow Sacred Rose lover! I got the deck without the book because I didn't know there was a book to accompany it, so i just ordered the book... I'm excited and waiting anxiously! DollieAnna wrote: The cards are brighter and deeper than shown here. But take note this is a deep deck and alot of ppl don't like the missing irises. But I do. And I would never draw them in! LOL!!! Although the eyes do bother me a little, I NEVER thought of drawing them in!!! LOLOLOL Yes, the deck is very colorful, each card has many details to look at, some people might think the cards are too busy, but I think is powerful, energetic. It is a strong deck, not rude, but always to the point but also has a very feminine side. My favorite card is the seven of wands....talk about energy! Blessings, Clau

DollieAnna	04 Feb 2005
I would say that Death is my favorite because of the cloak. The Swords are a beautiful suit!

Sulis	04 Feb 2005
I just ordered it :D One of Amazons' market place sellers had it for £6.50 so I couldn't resist. I very rarely buy decks these days but I'm really looking forward to the arrival of this one: I think it looks just wierd enough for me to like it. Do you think the book is necessary to really understand this deck? I was going to wait for the deck to arrive before ordering the book but now I'm thinking that maybe I should just go for it and get the book too. Love sulis xx

lark	04 Feb 2005
I put eyes on all the cards. I never used this deck untill I fixed the eye problem. At least it was a problem for me. I feel whatever I need to do to a deck to make it valuable, and a working deck for me is OK. Hope you enjoy your new deck Sulis. It's very colorful and full of symbolism. There have been two books that I know of written about this deck. Reveal the Secrets of the Sacred Rose by Steven Culbert Guide to the Sacred Rose Tarot by Johanna Gargiulo-Sherman There might be more but these are the two that I found.

DollieAnna	04 Feb 2005
Sulis wrote: I just ordered it :D One of Amazons' market place sellers had it for £6.50 so I couldn't resist. I very rarely buy decks these days but I'm really looking forward to the arrival of this one: I think it looks just wierd enough for me to like it. Do you think the book is necessary to really understand this deck? I was going to wait for the deck to arrive before ordering the book but now I'm thinking that maybe I should just go for it and get the book too. Love sulis xx Yes, the book it very helpful. It strays a bit from regular Rider Waite. I love the book. this book Guide to the Sacred Rose Tarot by Johanna Gargiulo-Sherman

Sulis	04 Feb 2005
Ok, I'm ordering the book too. If I really hate the deck I'll trade them as a pair :) Love Sulis xx

Clau	04 Feb 2005
You know Sulis, not to rock your boat, but I've had the deck for more than two years with no book....and always worked great for me. I ordered the book just yesterday because I didn't know there was a book, maybe if I did I would've gotten (REALLY not sure about the grammar) it earlier. I think you ordered the deck and then the book? There is a set (book and deck) available too, maybe it'll be cheaper... Lark: of course, you have to do whatever you need to do to be comfy with your deck! many people cuts the cards, draws irises...lol :P is just I never thought of doing it since those irisless eyes are unpleasant but challenging, mysterious, I know is a terrible analogy but is something like a car crash: you know is awful but you can't help looking..catch my meaning? "Reveal the Secrets of the Sacred Rose by Steven Culbert" two books about this deck? wow, I'll check it out after I read the first one. Sulis, let us know how you like the deck once you have it! blessings, Clau

lark	04 Feb 2005
Clau wrote: Lark: of course, you have to do whatever you need to do to be comfy with your deck! many people cuts the cards, draws irises...lol :P is just I never thought of doing it since those irisless eyes are unpleasant but challenging, mysterious, I know is a terrible analogy but is something like a car crash: you know is awful but you can't help looking..catch my meaning? Yes, I know what you mean. If it gives extra depth and mystery to the cards for you, you should keep them as they are. At frist I was scared to put eyes on. :eek: But after I did a few cards their personalities just leapt out of the deck at me. And I had to do them all.

Clau	04 Feb 2005
Well I hope I don't come across as obsessive ;), but I had to look about the books. And I found out: the tarot deck+book set by US Games Systems comes with the book by Johanna Gargiulo-Sherman (I found it at Amazon) And the deck+book set printed by AGMuller Switzerland comes with the book by Steven Culbert (I found it at Astroamerica) there, I got it out of my system. have a great weekend! blessings, Clau Btw: I read somewhere gargiulo-sherman says why she drew the people without eyes in her book, so as soon as I get it I'll let you know!

Logiatrix	07 Feb 2005
The Sacred Rose is my primary reading deck; it's wonderful to see someone bring it up on the threads! About the books... Here's a fine review written by our very own Aeclectician, Lee; in one of the ample paragraphs, he discusses the book by Steven Culbert: http://www.tarotpassages.com/bursten9.htm James Ricklef reviews Gargiulo-Sherman's book: http://home.att.net/~jwricklef/Rev_SRT_Book.html ...which made me curious enough to read his "mini-review" of the deck (bottom of the page): http://home.att.net/~jwricklef/Mini_Deck_Revs.html So far, I've not invested in either one of the books, but I'm planning on purchasing the one by the artist, at some point. There are so many cards in this deck that I like, but a few that come to mind on the spot are: the 10 of Swords--the use of the tree is so evocative to me; also the Death card--mysterious, rather than sinister or skeletal; also, the Sun card exudes such absolute JOY that it remains my favorite Sun card in all of Tarotland, LOL. :)

Sulis	07 Feb 2005
I'm really excited about this deck. Can't wait for it to arrive. I ordered the book seperately because the deck and book set seem to be quite hard to get hold of and very expensive. Amazon Uk had the book by Gargiulo-Sherman for £3.50. This really is one of those decks I've been looking at off and on for years but the eye thing has always put me off. Somehow I don't think it will anymore but we shall see. I'll let you all know what I think of it when it arrives :D Love Sulis xx

DollieAnna	07 Feb 2005
Sulis wrote: I'm really excited about this deck. Can't wait for it to arrive. I ordered the book seperately because the deck and book set seem to be quite hard to get hold of and very expensive. Amazon Uk had the book by Gargiulo-Sherman for £3.50. This really is one of those decks I've been looking at off and on for years but the eye thing has always put me off. Somehow I don't think it will anymore but we shall see. I'll let you all know what I think of it when it arrives :D Love Sulis xx You are going to love it!!!! Cards abit stiff, so shuffle alot! (as opposed to say Crow's Magic....very easy to shuffle!) And do tell us which card strikes you first! (not literally LOL!)

Clau	07 Feb 2005
Well Logiatrix, welcome to the club!!! I'm waiting anxiously for the book to get here....As soon as it does I'll let you know. Btw, I read the reviews,and you know it surprises me they *specially Lee's review* talk about the deck as being scary, disturbing and terrifiying...I'm not sure, I mean I can't say the eyes aren't at least weird, but scary? Of course it is a matter of personal taste and choice, but I've never gotten any comments about it being ugly or scary....I find it more energetic than many of the decks I've seen so far... I feel the SRT has this extra punch to really look inside, you know, to uncover what we don't want to see...as I said earlier, this deck is not rude, it's just frank. Of course I'm not what you can call a lacey-pink-Hello Kitty kinda girl, ;) but I'm not the wicked witch of the west either... Oh well, enough blabbing about the SRT, I'll go by the window to see if the mailman is coming.. Blessings, Clau

Fulgour	07 Feb 2005
DollieAnna wrote: This is the only deck that i read from. The companion book is great. This is one of those decks that I must have looked at a hundred times and then I finally stopped torturing myself and bought it (deck/book set). The first thing I knew for sure was that it wouldn't be my primary reading deck, but that the energy expressed by the artist would definitely add depth and intensity to my understanding of the Tarot. It's a really great Tarot. :)

Clau	10 Feb 2005
Well, the book+deck set got here today, surprisinlgy soon considering I ordered it last wednesday!!! Sooo, I'm very impatient to get through the book, I can't wait to get home and have the girls asleep! The set comes with the book, the deck and a spread sheet. So Sulis, did you get yours? Blessings, Clau

Sulis	10 Feb 2005
Clau wrote: So Sulis, did you get yours? Hi Clau, No sadly mine hasn't arrived yet. It's being shipped from the States and I'm in the UK so I should get it next week some time. Love Sulis xx

Sulis	27 Feb 2005
It's arrived and I have to say I really like it. I was a bit put off by the faces at first, not really the eyes, more the faces: Some of them have a sort of sqashed up look. I prefer the minors to the majors. I really like the different slant that Johanna Gargiulo-Sherman's given them. I think this will be a good reading deck - it seems to use a combination of RWS and Thoth meanings - I like that too. I love the 2s - the way they both have 2 people on them - very nice. The 3 of Swords is gogeous. I like the psychedellic look this deck has. I'm going to trim off the white borders - I don't like white borders and I think trimming it will help me forge a bond with this deck - that's what happened with my DruidCraft. I loved it when it arrived but I was a bit unsure; that's how I feel about the Sacred Rose. Once it's trimmed I think it will be a lovely handbag sized deck. I have the book too and that looks like it's going to be a good read. I need a bag for it now. Love Sulis xx

Clau	02 Mar 2005
Great! I'm glad you got the SRT! I'm just back from vacation and I took the book to read it, and I'm very happy with it really. You know I've been reading with this deck for a long time now, but the book gives the cards a new depth...and a really new twist to them, I'm very satisfied with the book really, it kinda "touched" something, I find it is very different from the other books I have, maybe is because this book is only about A deck and not so general.... I think the book is very...how can I say it...Spiritual? Let me know what you think about it dear Sulis. And LOL "psychedellic" is a great way to describe the cards!!! Blessings, Clau

Scion	11 Mar 2005
Just wanted to jump in and say that recently I've been reading quite a bit with this deck. Beautiful, beautiful results and a palpable presence. Also, I don't know if it's the eys or the lush coloring, but Iall my results with this deck give the impression of a passed secret. By that I mean to say, invariably with these cards, it's as if someone is leaning over my shoulder and decanting advice into my ear in a husky whisper. Some decks are shouters and some decks are blunt matter-of-facters, but the Sacred Rose has a sibillant, serpentine quality that's potent and uncanny. And I find it more literally predictive than a lot of newer decks. Anyone else had that experience? Just bought the author's book and looking forward to reading it once I've met all my deadlines. Scion

The Sacred Rose Tarot thread was originally posted on 03 Feb 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.