78 Journeys into the Tarot

The tarot is a fascinating tool for reflection and divination. I have been reading with the tarot since I was nineteen. In all that time, I have endeavored to become better and better at my craft. Since I enjoy researching and writing, I decided to do a series of essays on the tarot; each essay taking on a different card. But the tarot is so expansive. Its imagery is alive and ever-changing. I knew that I couldn't just take one deck and work with it; I risked leaving so much unsaid. With that in mind, I selected seven decks, and even though four of the decks are inspired by the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, I believe that they are different enough to each bring something special to the table.

The first deck is the Halloween Tarot from U.S. Games. I love Halloween, and so this is one of my favorite decks. Monsters, trick-or-treaters, and even German vegetable people populate its images and a black cat appears in every card, walking the reader through the thread of the reading.

The second deck is the Robin Wood Tarot. I love this deck because it was the first purely pagan deck I ever had. The artwork is brilliant.

Next, is the Universal Tarot, not to be confused with the Universal Waite Tarot.

Then, there is Ellen Dugan's Witches Tarot, also not to be confused with the Witches Tarot by Ellen Cannon Reed.

Fifth, is Crowley's Thoth Tarot. It is an enigmatic deck that has layers of meaning. For the purposes of this series of essays, I will only be considering the artwork and meanings as they compare with the other selected decks.

Sixth, is Barbara Moore's Steampunk Tarot. So many steampunk inspired tarot decks have sprung up since this one was released, but I really think that hers is the best. And Aly Fell's artwork can't be beat.

Finally, to add an extra bit of diversity to the mix, I have selected Joseph Vargo's Gothic Tarot. Like Aly Fell, Vargo produced original artwork and modified some of his existing paintings to produce this deck.

My first essay, on the Knight of Pentacles, is nearly complete and will be posted soon. I hope to have at least two essays posted each month. Fingers crossed!

Ever in service,
Ignacio Ceja

P.S.
Click here to learn to read the tarot quickly and easily.