Sacred Rose

It was my only deck for years. I bought it (late 90s) because I loved the artwork. Now I really don't like it at all, partly because the blank eyes have started to bug me, but I'll always keep it as I feel quite connected to it and it has given me some very good readings. Maybe I'll make friends with it again down the track sometime!

Freddie said:

I will admit that back in the 80's I found it a little bit too scary to use.
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The reason that some of the images do not have pupils is because they are kind of masks for the reader or sitter. Just think of those fun fair panels where people stick there head (or eye holes) in a hole to enter a scene for a photo. That is not sinister at all. People seem to get rid of this deck for this reason, but really there is no need to. I find decks with too pretty of people impossible for me to work with anyway.

Anyone else here have any feelings about this deck?

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I have this deck. It has never scared me. The white eyes bother me less than the white eyes on classical Greek statues (as they are today). But I'm not overly fond of the deck. Why? It is just too over-ornamented. Every card is too crowded. That's why.

i love the sacred rose. i don't have too many decks, but it is one of my top three. why? readablilty! the artwork finds a way to draw you into a mystical, cosmic realm wherein all of your questions are answered ~~ i find this deck to be one of my most readable decks, at least for me.

it rides the line between scrabbly carelessness and intense symbolism; it is both scratchy and precise. and of course, very spacey and dark. (five of swords, anyone???) again, it might just be me, but i love the blank eyes, the darkness, and the clutter ~ it just works.

for those concerned with quality and cardstock, i have a red and purple box featuring the fool, printed in the USA. (edited: oops! "made in switzerland, box and booklet printed in the USA".)
the colors are rich, the cards are silky; there are copyrights in the corners, but otherwise, it's lovely. i also have a deck that unexpectedly came along with the companion book (which is so good!) that is in a green box, featuring the six of cups and the king of pentacles, printed in belgium. there is no copyright on these cards, and they're nice in the hand, but the colors/printing is crazy bad. i'm not usually picky about things like this, but having had the other deck first it was really obvious how much worse it is. washed-out, uneven - there are a couple of cards where the color printing doesn't even match up with the outlines... boo.

anyway, the sacred rose has my devotion, this deck is amazing! i use it all the time.

Pipistrelle said:

I think it has the one of the most beautiful and poignant Death cards of any deck, hands down.

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Yes, I agree. But I reckon that this was copied by Robin Wood. Something faceless & shrouded in the woods. It has a very similar vibe. I can't believe its accidental.

Le Fanu said:

Yes, I agree. But I reckon that this was copied by Robin Wood. Something faceless & shrouded in the woods. It has a very similar vibe. I can't believe its accidental.

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Hey, when you see a good idea, run with it.

I've had this deck for decades. The eyes have never bothered me. It did sit dormant for many years (after I had gotten so many other decks), but in recent years it has come out every autumn. I'm always amazed at the contrast between the lush foliage overhead and the starry blue beneath; is it a pool which reflects only night stars, whatever the time, or is it the cosmos itself underlying everything? So many layers here!

It's a beautiful deck.

Sacred Rose is classic-- to me

I keep this deck AND the wonderful book that came with it thankfully, very close by. Really enjoy reading with it.

Although I have the 6 of Cups boxed version, now am probably going to be looking for an older version NOW, just to see what I missed. (Better cardstock? Hel yea!)

I feel the SR has few rivals.

It's one of my favourites too.

I think it was the third deck (the first and second being the Rider-Waite and Thoth) that I really sunk my teeth into. I bought it with the Mary Greer book, 'Tarot for Yourself' and really really enjoyed working thru' the chapters with the Sacred Rose...and since then - back in the mid-80's - it's been one of the decks dearest to my heart.

I never got the 'scary' vibe! I was a little taken aback by the suggestion that it was creepy. As for the eyes, I'm not sure I'd even noticed their being blank; I'm pretty sure that I just thought it was how the artist was interpreting supernatural beings.

The LWB is brilliantly concise, original & informative.
I love the rich colouring and decades later the condition of my deck is still pretty great. So I suppose I'd recommend getting an older one if possible.

I think I've written about this deck before, defending it and mentioned how for me its tied up with memories of trance-y, magickal -y, dance festivals and summer evenings! It's made me want to listen to Ozric Tentacles and Gong!

So yes, I love love LOVE my Sacred Rose!

edited to add my old post

"This deck has a special place in my heart & I am very biased towards it- but BACK IN THE DAiY there wasn't the amazing selection there is now & I really felt I'd discovered something special when I found the Sacred Rose.

It wasn't a Waite-Smith clone (like my elegant Aquarian) and it wasn't in-your-face Magick (like my Thoth), it wasn't subtle (like my Madonni) and it didn't have an agenda (like my Motherpeace)

I love the rich colours & 'knotty' drawings. I imagine the artists scribbling intensely, going over & over & over, in a state of trance.

The Sacred Rose corresponds for me to a time in my life where I was either pregnant, being a mother or dancing in tents & clubs or hanging around with 'alternative' types...goodness, things are alot quieter now!

Anyway, that intensity is in the Sacred Rose.
Or did I put it there by association?

I'd recommend it to anyone who read 'Psychonaut' or loves the Fields of the Nephilim track with the same title! "

I love this deck, too. I love all the 'lens flare' and sparkle. When people ask my opinion of the 'witchiest' tarot, I always cite this one. To me, it has that old school witchy feeling.

Great posts all, very interesting reading. I have researched this deck a bit and it seems it may have been the first deck commissioned for U.S. Games by Stuart Kaplan. The artist also declined to make create another deck as she feels this is her opus magus. I do think this deck has been borrowed from, but I don't think the other decks have quite same feel as this one. I used the word creepy, because that is how others have described it on here or in reviews. I don't find it creepy at all. It does have an slight chill factor to it like watching a psychological scary movie like 'Rosemary's Baby' or listening to something like 'The Mephisto Waltz' by Liszt. I can't quite find a word to use that doesn't have a negative connotation. I think this 'chill factor' makes a Tarot deck work better for me. I also struggle to put the art style into any kind of genre. It does look very 'stained glass', but beyond that I might say it is kind of like Fauvism... I don't know.

The deck work wells for readings as in spreads they look like a otherworldly type of dreamscape. I think the deck goes straight for the subconscious and for this reason, I think it is a masterpiece.


Freddie

It has always struck me that this deck was the inspiration for the Sidhe. For some reason though the eyes don't bother me in SR, while the pointy eye shapes in Sidhe make it too creepy for me. I also love the magical sparklyness of all the white; very like Fairy Lights in feel ( well I hope so when FL gets ordered )

I haven't got a ruler out but are these cards slightly taller than normal? Anyway they feel lovely to hold.