I bought this deck on a whim, and it arrived yesterday. I am a recovered Catholic, but I always was and still am fascinated by the saints. I have my favorites -- Mary, Joan, Francis, Clare -- and my not-so-favorites, like Paul and Augustine.
Unfortunately, on my first look through this deck, I found it to be completely unusable for me. Mary, the mother of Christ, is demoted to the Moon, while a virgin saint who never gave birth to a child is the Empress. This absolutely flabbergasts me. Speaking from a Tarot standpoint, the Empress (for me) is the mother of all life, the feminine creative force, the nourisher and protectress of her children. Speaking from a Catholic standpoint, Mary -- the blessed Virgin Mother, the Queen of Heaven -- is the Empress of the Church. This demotion is, to me, so fundamentally wrong-headed that I simply cannot touch this deck anymore. Consequently, it's up for trade in the trading forum.
I understand that Robert Place is the designer, and it's his vision that counts when creating a deck. However, as a reader, it's my vision that counts when choosing a deck, and this deck is one that I can never choose to read with.
Profoundly disappointed,
Kim