Tarot of Love by Marcia Perry

There's practically no mention of this deck on these forums that I could find, except for a passing mention here and there, in conjunction with similarly titled decks...so now it get's it's own thread.


I recently tried it out as a 'general-reading' deck at a day-long reading stint, and got great results. It was kind of an accident; I started with it on a relationship reading, and basically forgot to change to another deck for the other readings. Ultimately -- and to my gleeful surprise -- it actually made for a great all-around deck.


I'm thinking of continuing to use it for general readings, because it has a lot of traits I like the more I look it over. It's a nice balance to my other main working deck, the Witches Tarot, which I find is a deck not always best to present in mixed company (I think maybe it's the pentacle back design). However, the Love deck is quite non-threatening, and I think that's good to have as an option for a public reading deck. I also appreciate the many skin tones, and that there is no one particular religious focus. And of course, I like the artwork, especially the bright colors in contrast to all the white space.

'Strength' is 11 and 'Justice' is 8, which is okay with me; it works just fine in this deck, and I'm not picky about that anymore, anyway. I'm pleased that the wands are assigned to air, and swords are assigned to fire. I was looking around for another deck with those elemental associations, only to find very few choices of that type in the general market. So, here is another wands/air, etc. option, if you're researching such decks.

I could go on, but I'm more interested in other's opinions right now. Then I might go on and on about it some more, while my newly inspired deck infatuation is still going strong, LOL.

..........

Well there's no review on it. We have pictures, but I didn't see the link to a review. Why don't you write one?

It looks like an interesting deck. And a clean deck, too. Sometimes when I am working with decks that have so many details, a stream-lined deck is refreshing.

Thank you for sharing.

A recent re-thinking of these older AG Mueller decks...

I have begun to re-think of the old AG Mueller decks that I parted ways with because they weren't my style or cultural theme of choice with the tarot decks I liked...even the old softy Tarot of Love seems to stand out in sharper relief for it's innovative bent on on relational work and themes. If I thought about this, it has a nod to older deck structures in the majors and it might even have the Vision Quest's 'Thothy' minors...have to re-aquire the deck and explore it.
When I do, I'll be posting collected links of reviews and re-thinking this tarot...I wonder if anyone else has used it in recent years?
For me...a recent thread of head-shaking on some of AG Mueller's "generic fold-out" tarot pamphlets in 2008-2009...after me being used to seeing a colorful array of variety and stunning booklets produced in the 1990's to early 2000s catered to a particular theme deck--say the Roots of Asia, the Vision Quest, and incredibly beautiful printings of the Thoth with a booklet by "Tarot Hermit..." ...I think I am putting Tarot of Love in my 'older-favored-tarot' nostalgia....as some reviews might hint, there's simplicity and positive bents--I'll have to see if it doesn't shy away from relational feeling or strong emotion. A suit of lightning for swords (which might be fire?) sounds fascinating...

More later.

Cerulean

The deck is interesting in its approach to relationships.

I'm not sure how it would do in general readings.

I am curious about card #11 being entitled "Climax," for example. (I know this has a variety of meanings; I'm just saying since this deck is billed as being about love, relationships, etc., don't know how the cards would translate for general readings. Maybe they translate just fine.)

The Devil is entitled "Entanglement."

Here are some card images I found:

http://www.wicce.com/tarotoflove.jpg

I found another site that shows all the card images:

http://www.angelpaths.com/decks/lovedeck/index.html

And a review here:

http://www.angelpaths.com/tarotlove.html

The Courts are King/Queen/Prince/Princess like the Thoth. But the minors don't have Thoth keywords. (I guess not all Thoth-based decks use keywords?) But in the review they say the Three of Lightnings is "Lord of Sorrow," but from what I can tell the words "Lord of Sorrow" don't appear on the card, so they must appear in the accompanying book.

From looking at the minors, for example the Lightnings suit, it doesn't look like a beginners deck.

Per Amazon it still seems to be available in print; perhaps this is a reprint? Or could they still have them available? Tarot Garden lists this as printed in 1989 and still in print.

One of my relatives likes that deck for general readings. I started out using it with her for relationship issues. I liked it (and still do) because it has the virtue of simplicity without actually being simple. It works fine with her for general readings; I haven't tried it with anyone else. The deck seems flexible enough, but "love" decks turn some people off.

Just like the Reading with Erotic Decks (RED) Exchange shows that Erotic decks can be used for non-sexual (or even romantic) readings, I don't see why a "love" deck can't be used for non-love questions. Maybe someone should start an exchange for Love decks....

I worked with this deck briefly back in the 90's and it's on my list of decks to get back to some day.

Rodney

I found this on Amazon and the deck has a 74 page booklet...159 page book

The AGM Urania pink-box edition has a copyright 1991 booklet -- AGM Urania still publishes this deck with a 74 page booklet with extensive text and a nice font. Pages 56 -74 is all about different spreads and instructions unique to the Tarot of Love and pages 3-55 have card meanings. The emphasis on descriptions for the major cards, then the courts in this deck is part of the way the authors are describing the relational figures in this deck.

A note to interested buyers--there's at least three mentions in the 74-page LWB of the more extensive U.S. Games English language book produced for this deck. I don't think it is actually a tease or irritant, but I wanted to mention that for others. I do think for the $20 price if one bought it new in 2009, some people might want to make do just with having an extensive booklet for their decks already included.

I saw the U.S. Games book and the AGM Urania deck discounted a bit when I bought them separately.

In the separate 159-page book, I do like how the authors describe what they saw in Rider Waite and Thoth deck parallel cards and how it might be different or similar in a relational context in the "Tarot of Love" deck. I had taken it for granted how people used to be so thorough in comparison of different decks--now I am valuing this book even more! However for younger readers, when you look at the court card examples written U.S. Games book---you will likely want to google some of the people named as 'examples' for the courts...as this was written in 1991 and so some of the old celebrity names do not have the same context they had back in 1991 --I had to look up some of them to figure out the context.

Back to the cards...Ohhh...and >>Shiny<< glints in the cards!

One thing I had forgotton in the Tarot of Love decks that I had given away--or perhaps because previously I had bought used and faded versions? Anyway, my new deck has gold and silver ink--I think it's in the design of every card-- with a somewhat glossy gleam in their designs. Remember how people described the 1991-ish silvery ink and the white space around Tarot of the Old Path and Northern Shadows---all by AGM in the old days? Shades of silver and gold--it is still in this deck!

By the way, as I looked at the mysterious posted purple tarot deck in Rodney's post (link to be inserted later), I was reminded of Marcia Perry's pretty drawings and the gentle illustrations of this deck...although this is not billed as a beginning deck for kids, it might be a soft and friendly relational deck for one's thinking, journalling and assigning more real-world or practical meanings or associations with the 78 tarot characterizations or cards. It might also work as a more modern-day tarot because...the people aren't medieval stageplayers, they are dressed in a casual and generic way...

I had remembered thinking that the Tarot of Love was a 'groovy' new-aging sweetness from a transpersonal psych seminar. Card 15, Entanglement, can make one laugh...but there's a lightness that was also intentional in this deck...Silly me!

I agree it might not be the right deck for reading in all situations--might be that I just need a fresher and refreshing look to some tarot archetypes.

Best wishes

Cerulean

I absolutely love this deck, I have the one with the pink box and it's such a pretty deck. I got it and it hadn't been used shuffled to see the cards perhaps but, nothing else major.
the yin yang on one card with silver on it makes the yin yang show all different colors.
Gold on the cards too? I had no idea about this fascinating reading.