LITTLE REVIEW TAROT REVIEWS

The following are my Tarot deck recommendations. I read for psychological and spiritual development, not to divine the future; the art and archetypes of these decks are particularly useful for meditation and artistic inspiration. I have been a collector and reader for nearly two decades following my formal education in Jewish mysticism and a lot of informal reading about the Gnostics, the Druids, the Essenes and others whose knowledge has passed through mystery school traditions. Though I am well-read in Wiccan history and practice, I celebrate only the major festivals of the wheel of the year.
My very favorite deck is the Star Trek Tarot my husband made me as a wedding present in 1992. I have made several other themed Tarot decks, but none exists in printed form. The rest of these links will take you directly to amazon.com. I recommend that before purchasing a deck, you peruse at the reviews and illustrations on Wicce's Tarot pages.
I have not done a good job of updating this page, but some of my newer favorite decks include Goddess Tarot artist Kris Waldherr's The Lover's Path Tarot, Lisa Hunt's Animals Divine Tarot, the whimsical Housewives Tarot, the pagan-themed Druidcraft Tarot and the beautiful constellation-based Celestial Tarot.

A family friend gave me a used deck of Swiss 1JJ Tarot cards when I was very young, in the days when bookstores put Tarot in the "occult" rather than the "New Age" section. I used them like playing cards, removing the Major Arcana, and so discovered the Tarot suits. Those planning to use this deck for inspiration must memorize the symbolic meanings of the Minor Arcana cards because the wands, swords, cups and coins are depicted numerically, rather than with embodied illustrations. But the ancient style inspires interest in the history of Tarot -- at least, it did for me.
The Mythic Tarot deck and book set, along with The Mythic Tarot Workbook, was my introduction to the study of Tarot after I discovered that some people believe its origins may coincide with those of the Kabalah. The Greek myths have always been favorites of mine, so it was very easy for me to relate to the archetypes portrayed on the cards. Aesthetically I also like the Pre-Raphaelite references in many of the illustrations.
The recolored Universal Waite Tarot is more appealing visually to me than the primary-color, hard-outline images of the well-known Rider-Waite Tarot, of which some knowledge is essential for serious Tarot study because so many contemporary decks use its symbols. The large Tarot Affirmations deck features small Universal Waite images with poetic interpretations of the cards' traditional meanings, very useful for psychological study of the archetypes.
Another beginner-friendly deck, the Quick & Easy Tarot, has divinatory interpretations printed on each card with a small Universal Waite image at the center. The Tiny Tarot (Universal Waite) is inexpensive and portable, though the postage stamp-sized cards can be difficult to shuffle. The smallest deck I've ever seen, a dime-sized version of the Nova Tarot, comes with a miniature divination book that makes it a lot of fun as a gift, though hardly practical for readings.
For many years The Barbara Walker Tarot was the deck I used to meditate. Each card has a keyword imprinted along with its number and suit in several languages, and the images are very clear and striking. This is an excellent if rather dark deck to begin contemplating the Tarot symbols, and for associating the minor arcana with emotional touchstones. But as I studied the images, I started to find the deck very Eurocentric -- the people of color are portrayed as alien and often terrifying. Now I prefer The Goddess Tarot, a beautiful feminist deck with a non-traditional Major Arcana and empowering images from all over the world. There's a Goddess Tarot Workbook as well, which isn't as deep as some others but does get the reader to spend time thinking about the cards.
The Motherpeace Tarot is not as "pretty" as the other feminist decks listed here and the circular cards are very hard to shuffle, yet the portrayals of women's community can be very empowering. Daughters of the Moon Tarot is a joyous, multicultural feminist round-card deck. The Gendron Tarot has brightly colored feminine designs and multicultural goddess imagery dominating computer-designed cards.
The Cosmic Tarot, Norbert Losche's magnificent "movie" Tarot deck, has images reminiscent of famous photos of Ingrid Bergman, Rita Hayworth and many others. Because it combines two of my favorite things -- Tarot and cinema -- it's the deck I flip through most often just for fun. The Sacred Circle Tarot is one of the most gorgeous sets I own, with pagan-based nature imagery; this is a wonderful deck for meditation because it's easy to stare at the oversized photographic images for a long time.
Aleister Crowley's famous Thoth Tarot is a famous divination deck that requires more study than most, but the dark mosaic-style images are striking and eerily beautiful. The Gill Tarot uses Qabalistic imagery and can be confusing as well; some readers find the people on the cards bizarre-looking. Astrological and Pythagorean symbols appear in the delicate line drawings of The Alchemical Tarot.
Lee and West's fun and fanciful Halloween Tarot depicts cats, imps, witches, Boris Karloff and Morticia Addams! This deck is a lot of fun and also very easy to use to ponder one's performative, rebellious side. The Vampire Tarot is too dark for me, but fans of bloodsucker lore and Buffy The Vampire Slayer love its elaborate, Gothic feel.
The Zerner-Farber Tarot's spirited, colorful tapestry images are useful for both quick readings and deeper contemplation of the Tarot archetypes. Zerner and Farber's equally superb, oversized Enchanted Tarot has non-traditional, oversized cards with artwork that's lighter and more intricate than many other decks.
I'm a long-time fan of Arthurian lore so Matthews' Celtic-pagan Arthurian Tarot really resonates with me. Llewellyn's newer Legend: The Arthurian Tarot is another beautifully illustrated deck which will appeal to fans of the mythology.
Antonia Castelli's beautiful artwork in her Tarot Art Nouveau is reminiscent of Alphonse Mucha's drawings. The very different yet equally memorable cards of Matt Myers' Art Nouveau Tarot resemble Tiffany stained glass windows. The Connolly Tarot also offers many aesthetically lovely images reminiscent of stained glass.
The Robin Wood Tarot is a great deck for beginners and hugely popular with women and fantasy fans in particular, offering very attractive artwork and positive pagan imagery. The more fanciful Tarot of a Moon Garden, full of unicorns and moonflowers, is a long-time favorite of mine that's easy to use for those familiar with Rider-Waite, though you won't find astrological associations or anything like that here. The Whimsical Tarot has a similar lighthearted spirit.
The contemporary Osho Zen Tarot teaches "The Transcendental Game of Zen." It's non-traditional, but a wonderful meditation tool even if you've never studied Tarot, and stunning from a visual standpoint. The Ancient Minchiate Etruria is a game as well, reproducing the 97 cards of the original Italian Renaissance deck including the zodiac and the elements.
Brian Williams' Minchiate Tarot comes with a detailed book explaining the historical meanings and use of the cards in this expanded deck. The same artist's Renaissance Tarot has too many fine-line pastels for readers who prefer more directly derivative imagery from the era, but it leaves a memorable impression nonetheless.
Delicate watercolor images in The Nigel Jackson Tarot showcase medieval and Renaissance occult symbols. The accompanying book spends time on theories involving Pythagorean numerology. The Old English Tarot is another deck done in pastels, to which some readers object because it features medieval imagery (traditionally done in jewel-tones); this deck has a strong sense of historical tradition otherwise. The Medieval Scapini deck, which I received as a gift many years ago but is only available used now, captures the gilt and grandeur of Italy in the Middle Ages.
The Ancestral Path Tarot, a multicultural deck with global archetypes, and the psychedelic, gay-friendly Cosmic Tribe Tarot will appeal to those seeking common human connections. Beautiful colors and imagery make the spiritual Wheel of Change Tarot interesting on its own rather than a Rider-Waite clone.
Navajo legends provide the imagery for the striking Santa Fe Tarot, though some readers feel that Native American tradition doesn't mesh well with Tarot. Similarly, The Chinese Tarot reimagines the symbolism in sometimes anachronistic yet stunning traditional Chinese graphic style. The Ukiyoe Tarot recasts Rider-Waite imagery in Japanese woodblock print style.
The explicit, striking sexually-themed artwork of Milo Manara's Erotic Tarot features many gorgeous naked women. I particularly like the water cards. The Casanova Tarot is another erotic-themed deck, not as explicit, depicting the game of love as played in 18th-century Venice -- think Dangerous Liaisons to get an idea of the style.
In US Games Systems' Tarot of Baseball, the artists reconceive traditional symbols in the suits of bats, gloves, balls and caps, with figures like The Rookie and The Natural as Major Arcana parallels. The book outlines a "game of baseball" that makes one recognize anew the parallels between sport and life. Workman's Baseball Tarot isn't as witty because it doesn't parallel traditional Tarot images as closely and the cards are inconveniently large, but it's a more powerful meditation tool (think The Natural as opposed to Bull Durham). Women will be pleased to find female characters on many major cards, not just "the girlfriend" and "the owner."
Though unfortunately out of print, one of my very favorite decks is Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki's Shakespearean Tarot, with characters and quotes from the plays paired perfectly with traditional cards. Also out of print, The William Blake Tarot combines the poet-artist's imaginative, colorful imagery with Tarot symbolism.
Figures from Alice in Wonderland dominate the witty, whimsical Wonderland Tarot -- a must-have for Lewis Carroll fans. Tolkien aficionados generally love The Lord of the Rings Tarot (except those who insist on believing that as a Catholic the author would have deplored it), but Tarot readers sometimes object to the atypical interpretations of the Major Arcana to fit in with the books.
The Faery Wicca Tarot includes cards with Irish-specific themes and beautiful mythological art. The Celtic Wisdom Tarot is a strong deck for pondering spiritual issues, but purists may be thrown by the non-traditional cards. The Celtic Dragon Tarot suggests that one summon one's own dragon using its striking Wiccan-influenced cards.
I had to include The Voyager Tarot because of the title, which I know will resonate with Captain Janeway fans. The cards feature contemporary images suitable for a spiritual journey. The Shapeshifter Tarot is another deck I first noticed because of its name; The Dominion isn't included, but the images of nature and animal presences from a European shamanistic tradition lend themselves to considering the uncanny in all of us.
Click here to read My Amazon.com Tarot Listmania List.

TAROT LINKS
49 Chariots
Aeclectic Tarot Reviews
Brian Williams Tarocon
Hermitage Tarot History
International Tarot Society
Learn Tarot
Tarot Fool
Tarot Passages
Tarot Readings and Cards
Wicce's Tarot Collection

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