Hello,
I have been using the Haindl deck for over a year now, and in my experience it has been an incredibly rewarding deck to work with. It has challenged me in ways that no other deck has. There is nothing cute or fun about this deck. It is all business. If tarot is more to you than just a game or a pastime, this is a good thing. As you probably already know, the art is beautiful, ethereal and very evocative. I can't recommend this deck enough. Many people swear by Rachel Pollack's accompanying book(s) on this deck. I have to say, that while I love Rachel's 78 Degrees of Wisdom, I find her interpretations and insights into this deck rather lacking. This is especially evident when she discusses cards of the minor arcana. She is quick to explain what the various elements of the cards mean, but when I look at the cards, I don't see the things she sees, and therefore her interpretations come off as rather meaningless. An example of this is the three of cups, where she comments that the rocks in the picture are reminiscant of a shark fin and a croccodile. And then goes on to explain the esoteric symbolism of these two animals. Thing is, I've looked at that card countless times, and never saw a croc or a shark! Even having read her view of the card, I'm still befuddled on where she sees a croccodile...Or even something suggestive of one. Keep in mind that the pips are paintings previously done by Haindl, in which he superimposed cups, swords, stones and wands. Is it reasonable to glean meaning from paintings that the artist probably never intended to feature as tarot cards? I suppose it depends on the paintings and what they convey. Some are great (such as the ten of cups), and some are rather vague if not misleading (such as the three of stones). My recommendation is not to try to find meaning in a painting that was not painted to convey the meaning of the card. When these cards come up, simply stick to your intuition about it or the classic interpretation. Most of the cards in this deck are absolutely wonderful. Even the few that leave you scratching your head are a beauty to behold. If you decide this deck is for you, I wish you many hours of delight with it. Hope I helped some.
