Ancient Mysteries Tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 01 Mar 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Dark Inquisitor	01 Mar 2005
I just got my lovely Ancient Mysteries Tarot deck today by Roger Calverly. I like it even better in person than I did seeing the online scans. The majors are sculptures and artifacts of ancient cultures , which I find a nice relief from the usual tarot imagery. For example, Death is the head of an Egyptian mummy. (And not a pretty one !) The Chariot looks like a Babylonian archer figure on wheels. The Lovers looks like an entwined pair from a Hindu temple. The Hermit is a figure in the classic lotus/Buddha position. The lwb doesn't give you the identity of these images. I am assuming the book that is sold separately explains it all in more detail. I see now I should get it eventually. But, for me explanation is not immediately necessary. I am just enjoying the earthy colors , the textures, the stone borders. The borders are very reassuring somehow . Stone , but with a very slight black outline at the outsides. Just the right emphasis . The Fire cards are lovely, glowing with candles . The Earth suit is nice with some big stoneworks , like the Easter Island figures. However, the suits of Air and Water could have used more attention. They are monotonous. But then, - pip cards- oh well. The Hanged Man has been changed to Prisoner . Hierophant is now High Priest. Judgement has become Prophecy. (However, in the lwb, there is no mention of Prophecy and Judgement is there. Ooops. ) The backs look like an elaborate temple carving of some kind in mirror images . They are sort of squash colored , and they are reversible . I suppose it's not a deck for everyone. Some might not like so much stone, so many divergent images. Lack of the usual stuff. But I find it all very peaceful and worthy of contemplation. A little break to look back in time . http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/ancient-mysteries/ Better scans: http://www.astroamerica.com/t-amt.html http://www.tarotgarden.com/boutique/onlinecatalog.php?view_title=ancient+mysteries

The Ancient Mysteries Tarot thread was originally posted on 01 Mar 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.