Golden Tarot of Tsar - Lo Scarabeo

[Le Fanu]

Originally Posted by Rhinemaiden

... did Rasputin use cards?

Not that I know of. I too have read lots about the family and the period and never came across any mention of divination. I think his forté was laying hands and healing the Tzarevich Alexis. But I secretly suspect the Tsar's daughters would have had a play around with fortune telling cards. Or something...

[Rhinemaiden]

Originally Posted by Le Fanu

Not that I know of. I too have read lots about the family and the period and never came across any mention of divination. I think his forté was laying hands and healing the Tzarevich Alexis. But I secretly suspect the Tsar's daughters would have had a play around with fortune telling cards. Or something...

Sounds like a good topic for further exploration... use of tarot/divination in Romanov Russia. I'm game...

[Parzival]

Originally Posted by Le Fanu

I think Golden Byzantine Tarot would have been a better title but I quite like the thought that this is the deck the Romanovs would have used to foresee the Revolution!

"Golden Byzantine Tarot" sounds just right-- can't lose with "Byzantine." The important thing is the iconic expression, not the czar's rule.

[Rhinemaiden]

Found a reference for the history of divination in Russia...The Bathhouse at Midnight: An Historical Survey of Magic and Divination in Russia (Magic in History Series)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/027...C6YPT5K54E97T1

[Freddie]

Good idea on the name change. I have taken a couple of books out of the college library here where I work to study Byzantine art and I am really enjoying it.

Freddie

[Freddie]

Has anyone here ever used this deck to read for others or used it with the general public? This deck seems to me to be quite controversial and I wonder if some sitters would refuse to have a reading with it (e.g. Thoth). One only has to look at the back design of this deck to know that this is a serious deck and not dancing around the subject matter like Connolly (I like this one so I am not cutting it down) or the various Templar/Grail decks (I like these too). I must admit I find myself in awe of Lo Scarabeo at times, because I think they are gutsy to put out decks like this one.

I am not sure why, but I feel this deck has a powerful esoteric quality about it, but I may be wrong about this.



Freddie

[Bhavana]

I don't have it yet - but I want it. I think it is one of the most luxurious looking of all the "gold" decks...

[missy]

Originally Posted by Freddie

Greetings All,

My mum bought this deck for me and it finally came the other day in the post. Anyone here using it or care to comment in general????

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards...ar/index.shtml

Very golden for sure!!!

Freddie

Freddie, I have it, and it is a lovely deck, for sure. It is dripping in gold!

For anyone who doesn't have this deck, the front of the cards have a lot of gold foil on them. The sides of the cards are not gilded. The backs of the cards do not have any gold.

The box has quite a lot of gold on all sides except one (?) I believe, which makes it a very decorative box.

I do not use this deck to read with.

The pictures in the center of each card are somewhat small. I can tell what each figure in an image is doing.

One has to be familiar with that period in history and its religious icons. If one is not familiar with the saints and religious scenes as portrayed on each card, one will not know what story is being told and thus interpretation of the card becomes difficult. Some of the scenes will be very familiar, but someone who is not familiar with a lot of these particular archetypes will have trouble reading these cards.

I have found it to be a pretty, decorative deck that I have on occasion retrieved from its box to flip through a few cards. It has been said that with its festive red-and-gold theme that it would be a good deck to have on display during the holiday season. If you have a place in your home, this would make a beautiful display.

I think without using the LWB it could be hard to read. With the LWB I think it is a readable deck.

[Nica]

This deck came to me as an unexpected gift from my Grandfather on his latest trip to Russia. It was an unforeseen gift, which helped me take a second look at a deck that I had not manifested much interest in before.

I wanted to share a story with the AT forum about it. I host a blog called Samhain Moon in which I do weekly card spreads for a better look at what I can expect later. The card for Sunday was Death, and I was pretty nervous about the way in which it would manifest. Usually when this card shows up for me, it brings with it changes that are bothersome or painful in a way. The way the card manifested was actually quite beautiful.

My Grandfather had not spoken to me since New Year's Eve when my Aunt rose up against my mother and I got caught in the exchange of sharp words. He sided with her and refused to see me until the day he got back. As soon as he did, he asked to see me. When he presented me with the gift, he asked for me to do a reading for him.

After the reading, he pulled out an additional card, which ended up being the Death card. I didn't tell him anything, just smiled. Its been wonderful since.

Finally a good change! I suppose it was hard for him to change his mind, but I really enjoyed the manifestation of that card.

[Freddie]

Originally Posted by Nica

This deck came to me as an unexpected gift from my Grandfather on his latest trip to Russia. It was an unforeseen gift, which helped me take a second look at a deck that I had not manifested much interest in before.

I wanted to share a story with the AT forum about it. I host a blog called Samhain Moon in which I do weekly card spreads for a better look at what I can expect later. The card for Sunday was Death, and I was pretty nervous about the way in which it would manifest. Usually when this card shows up for me, it brings with it changes that are bothersome or painful in a way. The way the card manifested was actually quite beautiful.

My Grandfather had not spoken to me since New Year's Eve when my Aunt rose up against my mother and I got caught in the exchange of sharp words. He sided with her and refused to see me until the day he got back. As soon as he did, he asked to see me. When he presented me with the gift, he asked for me to do a reading for him.

After the reading, he pulled out an additional card, which ended up being the Death card. I didn't tell him anything, just smiled. Its been wonderful since.

Finally a good change! I suppose it was hard for him to change his mind, but I really enjoyed the manifestation of that card.

Great story, thanks for sharing Nica. I think this deck is nothing short of awesome.


Freddie