Shadowscape Tarot: Deck Review

I had been wanting the Shadowscape Tarot ever since I had seen it on Stephanie's website. But, I held back due to the various reviews on card size and deck quality. Finally I relented and ordered my copy from Flipkart which I received last week. I have been over the deck and book and a couple of readings. Here's my take on it....

Deck Inclusions and Packaging: The deck and book set come in a pretty box (thin card and not study). The box which measures 8 inches by 5 inches (about 2 inches thick) is illustrated with the Queen of Swords. The Book, measuring 8 by 5 inches, is definitely not your usual LWB.It has an introduction by Barbara Moore and Stephanie's thoughts on how you should explore the deck. There is a full page black and white illustration of each card in sharp print with Stephanie's meanings and interpretations. I liked these a lot as it gives the card a new dimension. For example, in the Ace of Cups section, she writes, that a small ripple create larger and larger whirls and ultimately have a greater effect on things than initially anticipated. To note is that the cards do not have a box for themselves which is very inconvenient.

Card Stock and Print: There are no two ways here, the publishers went into cost cutting mode for this beautiful deck. I had been looking at the Shadowscape cards on their website since some time now. These are large and the colors are rich. The actual cards are scaled to the size 4.75 inches by 2.75 inches. They have a purple back with a white/silver wheel and are reversible. The card stock is thin and will have to be used carefully or will easily bend. I stacked up all the cards and the height comes up to 1 inch only. Its almost 50% thinner than my Mythic deck. The front has a think silvery lavender border which needs no trimming. The details are of course shrunk but I took that in my stride since I knew the cards were going to be small. But, what I was disappointed was with the color print quality. It is sharp and smooth no doubt, but lacking in richness. So what happens is the figures will not leap at you, they stay there, behind the window frame.


How the deck reads: The most important part which also happens to be the good part for the deck. The images are very intuitive. Even if you do not read the Guide Book you can understand the differences between this and the other decks by just looking at the cards. The Chariot for example is not trying to control here, it is simply confident and telling the horses to lead the way. Fairy characters and animals dominate the cards of course. Fishes in the cups, foxes in wands, swans in swords and reptiles in pentacles. I tried a number of readings with the deck. The deck, I noticed worked beautifully with relationship readings. They turned out bang on. When I placed the cards side by side they seemed to flow one into the other. For some strange reason, many cards repeated themselves in a couple of related spreads despite shuffling well. I was able to read in a fluid manner without referring to the book. And when I did, it added a whole new dimension to the reading.

All in all...I am very happy with the deck. I will though be using it primarily for relationship readings. They have a lot of depth and read well. My only regret is the production quality of the deck.

Shadowscape tarot: I really want my own deck but I think I will wait

Oh! was my first reaction as I saw the cards on the artist's website. Breathtakingly beautiful and full of detail. It feels as if I can touch the figures or maybe enter their world? And when I look at the 2 of cups card above I know seem to know exactly what the characters are feeling. The way they are looking at each other tells it all. I sigh. I am determined to have my own deck. I research the web. I read the reviews at amazon. Maybe I can order the special edition. But the reviews on the small cards and thin card stock play back at me. I know I want these cards to be large when I read them. And I know I will just have to wait until the publisher decides to re-print these better. They will! 

A reader at the Aelectic forum posted a link to the Shadowscape tarot. Though it has been published in 2010, it is quite well known amongst most readers as the artist Stephanie Pui-Mun Law the has been uploading the cards as they finish on her website. The official website with large images of the cards and the artist's blog are below.

Shadowscape tarot
Stephanaie's blog

Purple Box Thoth Deck

I had been searching for a Thoth deck since over a year but with no success. In India, most bookstores carry varions of Rider Waite or popular decks like Osho-Zen. I finally lucked with Flipkart.com (a website to order books In India). I have ordered several books now and am very pleased with them.

Onto the Thoth deck:

With various versions and confusion about size and color I was not sure what to expect. But since I was not going to lose this chance I just went ahead. First the ISBN number of the deck is 0880793082. Most sites mention the box size which is useless. The cards are medium in size measuring 7 X 11 cm. I have been using my cards over the last month and like it. (they are smaller than my Mythic deck and maybe someday I buy the larger size but for now this is fine)

The card stock is of good quality and so is the print. The colors are bright and stand out. My brother (who does not read cards) was also very fascinated and said that they are beautiful to look at. The deck comes with three Magnus cards and a small booklet.

If you are trying to figure out which print version of the Thoth you want to purchase check out the below site. It tells you exactly what to expect from which print...

Choosing between the various Thoth deck prints

Back to being a beginner

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I have been reading a lot of Douglas Gibb lately and am looking back at all the Tarot I have practiced from an entirely different angle now. More than anything, I feel the need to start anew. To first unlearn and then begin with a fresh and more open mind.

Why? I think what I have done until now is to know my cards on a basic level (a little superficial if I may be entirely truthful to myself, ugh that hurts). While reading spreads, I need to connect a lot more between the cards and maybe also try some new spreads. I have also been a bit shy of doing larger spreads lately (to avoid taxing myself?) and am sticking to the comfort zone of doing spreads with 3-5 cards (justfying it by saying these are more to-the-point).

It might be just the right time to start with my Thoth deck. A deck which draws and fascinates me but I am yet to begin to understand. I hope to start soon and will record my exciting new journey. Wish me luck!

My new deck: Thoth Tarot

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I received my new Thoth tarot deck through mail yesterday. I could barely wait to open the packaging and look at the cards! I have been trying to locate them since over a year now. I spent some time with the deck yesterday, going over the cards and illustrations. I love the images and I know I will enjoy working with these. It will, however, take some time to get a feel for the decks and be able to differentiate it from the others.

Its strange how my quest began for the Thoth deck. The first time I looked at the deck at a store, I did not like them. In fact I quite disliked them, I thought the images were dark and of the sinister kind! I soon forgot all about the Thoth deck. But, about two years back, I started reading about the Kaballah and the Tree of life. The more I read, the more fascinating the theories became. And slowly the illustrations of the Thoth tarot did not seem that dark. And after some time they began to look quite interesting! About a year back, I knew I just had to have the deck, but, I could not find it on any of the stores. Amazon said it was out of stock! I just found this available on Amazon and Flipkart (Indian site which lets you order books etc.) and managed to get it. The deck is out of stock again.

Reference: Most interesting tarot decks and books are not available in India. However, you can order them through Flipkart

I was quite apprehensive on the service but was pleasantly surprised. The site told me upfront that since my product was an imported edition, it would take 14-21 business days to reach me. I got it in 16 days through Bluedart and in good condition. I plan to order a couple of books too and will update as I received them.

Exercise 1: Why Tarot?

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What is tarot (how would I explain to a friend)?
The tarot is a pack of 78 cards (usually) with illustrations meant to depict various emotions/stages/activities of life. The cards are divided into 22 major arcana cards (which illustrate significant aspects of life like Fortune, Strength, Sun) and 56 minor arcana cards which are further divided into 4 categories of Wands (Creative energy), Cups (Emotions), Pentacles (Wealth/Material aspects) and Swords (the Mind). Tarot cards are usually used for introspection or for making a prediction in future.

What do you feel is the purpose of the tarot?
The purpose of tarot is to bring together the learnings of all human subconscious across times and distances. We all experience common themes in life. A card we pick from a tarot deck reflects our current situation/feelings and helps to see life more clearly.

What do you want to learn from the tarot?
I want to know myself better and grow more as a person through the tarot. When I look at the cards, I realize the various lessons I need to incorporate in my actions. I also want to be able to be better prepared for the future or at times simply know what it might hold.

Reference: Tarot for Your Self: A Workbook for Personal Transformation,  By Mary K. Greer , Chapter 1