Tabula Mundi

silvereye

What's your opinion on this deck?

Does someone have the add ons for this deck with the 12 cards? Are those cards only useful if you read astrology and are these 12 decana cards covered in the Book for the Tabula Mundi deck?

I am also wondering if this deck is easy to read for someone coming from a RWS background (can we rely on the companion book) or if you will need to have an in depth knowledge of Thoth?
 

Peachess

I'd like to know too! I found a review for the Tabula Mundi on Benebell Wen's blog and I've been debating whether to get the deck or not ever since :)
 

Barleywine

The deck is beautifully made and sturdy (and expensive, but you get what you pay for). It's loaded with symbolism, so it could be a stretch for the RWS-weaned to get their heads around without some background study. I don't have the book, but reports about it are good. I don't have the twelve astrological cards either, just the one I got as a bonus for backing the deck. I would probably find a way to use them in an astro-tarot sense if I had them, but not in regular reading. I'm also an astrologer and like finding creative ways to blend the two.
 

baconwaffles

I bought the fool's dog app that comes with the in-depth companion book and have been reading the book with gusto. It is eloquently written and detailed. Including astrological and decan associations. The book is incredible to be honest and after playing with the cards on the app I couldn't resist and had to get the physical deck. It is on it's way at the moment.
Perhaps you could get the app, it's only 3.99 and play with that, see if you like reading with it, look at the book, and if you feel you want to the deck afterwards get it. It is costly but judging by the app and using the cards, the deck is more than worth it.
 

Nemia

I absolutely LOVE this deck. I don't come from a RWS background but if you do, I'd encourage you to step out of your comfort zone ;-) because it's worthwhile (as I found when after many years I bought my first RWS). It's not totally different as far as card meanings are concerned - the approach is different.

The RWS gives you scenes like in a theater. It's easy to read in a narrative style with it, and that's great, it's a wonderful style and intuitive.

But the RWS doesn't usually challenge you to read abstract images. The Tabula Mundi, like the Thoth,is not a pip deck; there are strong differences in arrangement, composition, colour etc of the motifs, there are figures and animals... but there is no story in the minors that you could immediately latch on to. You have to interpret colours, shapes, composition, atmosphere, the whole scene with all its symbols - and that's intuitive reading, too. But non-narrative. Intuitive-abstract.

I'm sure that you can read this deck even if you don't have the astrological, kabbalistic and alchemical background its creator has. It's possible to read the Thoth perfectly fine just by working with the visual clues and basic knowledge of the tarot structure, I did it for years, and I'm sure it's great fun to do so with the TM. Yes, there are some minors with different meanings and some "intensified" majors but you'll get along.

But the best of all worlds is when the deck and its absolutely fantastic book start to draw you in. All this esoteric knowledge is like a wonderful wine whose mere smell makes you want to taste it.

After a while, you notice that you understand the Tree of Life and what decans are and the deck taught you.

That's what happened for me with the Thoth, I brought the (sparse) knowledge to the Tabula Mundi, and it's a joy.

I have the decan cards, too, they're such an intelligent, visually clever, stimulating idea.

The Tabula Mundi, more than any other deck I know, is built like a Wagner opera - not overlong and heavy and fulll of fat German tenors :) but in its structure. There are leitmotif symbols that appear and echo and change through the deck. Like a net that pulls you in. It's not a collection of 78 individual cards, it's ONE complete, layered, tightly woven cloth. It's innovative in its fully-developed structure. It works like an organism.

I can't recommend this deck enough.

Card stock, art, creativity, presentation (beaaaauuuutiful box and additional stuff), and an outstanding book - no, this deck is a must-have.

For me, it's the deck of our generation. I'm sure this deck will be remembered as a milestone.

I love many decks and don't mean to put any other deck down. But M.M.Meleen set her aims very high, I can't imagine the scholarship and hard work that went into this deck - and achieved a deck that IMO looks eye to eye with the Thoth.

Everything you learn with it will benefit your RWS readings, too. The RWS goes nowhere, it's still there, you don't have to choose.

So why not go for it?

Sorry for my hyperbole, but that's how I feel about the Tabula Mundi.
 

Le Fanu

Oh my goodness Nemia - I think I just have to go and get it NOW!

The fact is, this has been popping on and off my radar for ages...
 

magicjack

I too am on and off with this deck and had decided I didn't need it. I wasn't in the mood to buy another 50 dollar deck and then maybe or not use it. But then I thought hey, why not get the app? First few days, again maybe I'm not needing this deck. Afterall, I have the Thoth. As I started reading the book that comes with the app, and looking at the cards, I started getting the picture much better. The cards are distinctly described in the book well enough to understand the blending of the Sepheroth's, the planets, and the zodiac. The cards are beautiful! Right now I'm satisfied with the app. Not in a hurry to have the cards but if after I get thru this deck and the book, I may finally need the deck.
 

Tea&Temperance

I have to agree with Nemia. I still consider myself a newbie as my study of tarot has been off and on through the years but I really enjoy the TM (I've also never picked up a proper Thoth deck in my life). As it was said before its more about reading the symbols than reading the scene. I ended up getting TM cause I could not get over how much symbolism went into each card - I feel like I could study each card for hours.
 

Rose Lalonde

It's my all time favorite tarot deck and book. It made tarot more meaningful to my life. I say that for the intelligence and beauty of the way it conveys the Golden Dawn and Thoth brand of Kabbalah and astrology in tarot. Although I've never studied astrology outside tarot, I was taken by what Kabbalah had to say about the nature of the universe, and this deck and Book M brought it home for me more clearly (and enjoyably) than anything else.

Obviously I wouldn't suggest it for anyone who'd rather steer clear of the Golden Dawn influence in the Thoth and RWS, or for someone who didn't like the Thoth at all.

But the sheer depth and clarity of meaning at every level is stunning, and Book M is as good as the deck, a joy to read, ranging from ancient mythologies to the nature of black holes. I think deck and book were clearly AT member Babalon Jones' labor of love. The Fool's Dog app is a steal, since it includes the entire book, as baconwaffles mentioned.
 

Le Fanu

My reservations had always been;

- fear of Customs Charges
- astrology *backs away in dread*
- a sense that overly esoteric decks (Thoth excepted) - with layer upon layer of "systems" - give the cloudiest, vaguest readings.

But maybe I need to rethink if it's accessible.