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	Fortune Telling With Playing Cards

Tarot Deck Reviews

The following list is divided into various groupings

Occultist Decks

These decks are derived from decks revised by A. E. Waite, Aleister Crowley and contemporaries. These decks are generally designed for divination, meditation, and occult uses. Since most of the early 20^th Century occultists related the Tarot to ancient Judaic mysticism, the symbolism on the decks is strongly Judeo-Christian in origin, with some Egyptian symbols added.

Neo-Pagan

A sub category here is for decks where the Judeo-Christian symbols have been exchanged for neo-Pagan symbols. Card meanings generally remain connected to the earlier occult decks.

Psychological

This sub-category is for decks which emphasize the psychological symbolism of the cards, in conjunction with the generally accepted occult symbols.

Traditional Style Decks

These decks are derived from early decks, prior to revision by occultists. The symbols on the decks are primarily Judeo-Christian. Order of the Trumps (Major Arcana) varies, and in some decks, the Trumps are not numbered. Although these decks do not necessarily have the overt occult symbols on them, and were likely used as a card game, most are suitable for divination.

Minchiate Decks

There is a sub-category here for decks which maintain much of the Tarot, but have added cards, totalling 97 in the deck. The Minchiate deck contains all the cards that the Tarot contains, and more.

As opposed to the 22 Trump (Major Arcana) cards, the deck contains 41 Trumps. There are eighteen of the twenty-two regular Trump cards. Noticibly missing are the Emperor, Empress, High Priestess (Papess), and Hierophant (Pope). In their place are the Grand Duke, the Eastern Emperor and the Western Emperor. In addition, there are the Four Elements, the twelve Zodiac signs, and four Virtues. Several of the normal Trumps have different names (such as Strength is often called The Force).

Some suit cards have animals or mythical beings on them, but seem to be more than decoration. The Knights of each suit are represented as Centaurs. The suit of Coins has portraits of people or animals on the coin faces.

The Minchiate deck may be a more complete Tarot, or may be cards added to the Tarot, to create a new game. Minchiate was definitely a game in Europe in the Renaissance.

Modern Decks

Many decks in this grouping are art decks, designed for their artistic merit and may or may not have occult symbols on them. The order of the Trump cards (Major Arcana) may vary. In most cases, they are suitable for divination, meditation and other purposes.

Other Decks

This grouping includes decks which are not truly Tarot decks, but have potential to be used in the same manner.

Divination Decks based on Playing Cards

The decks reviewed here are based on the regular deck of 52 playing cards, but with symbols and drawings added to facilitate their use as a divination deck.

The list provides some of my personal observations about various decks. It is not intended as a recommendation or discouragement for any particular deck.

Although all decks can be used for any purpose that you wish, some are more suited to certain uses. This list indicates the decks more suitable uses.

For a sample of the cards, click on the deck name. Pages are graphics intensive and may take a minute or two to load.

Deck Name	Rating	Creator/Illustrator	Comments
Occultist			Top of Page
Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot (Also known as - "Book of Thoth")	A D M R	Aleister Crowley Lady Frieda Harris (Illus.)	Very colorful and artistic deck. Cards show words to hint at interpretation. Intricacy of drawings and lack of familiar imagery on suit cards can provide a beginner with some difficulty. Trumps have been renamed in many cases, but keep traditional order. Court cards are Knight, Queen, Prince, and Princess. Unique feature is there are three choices for the Magician trump card (also called the Magus).Comes in two sizes, the smaller deck is a more standard size. Large card version would be suitable for ritual work or meditation.
Aquarian Tarot	B D	David Palladini	A beautiful pastel-colored Art Nouveau style deck based on Rider-Waite imagery. Cards are not laminated, so have to be handled with great care. The Aquarian deck uses the suit of Rods instead of Wands.
Brotherhood of Light Tarot	A D R	Church of the Light Based on a book by C.C. Zain	"Egyptian" looking deck. Cards are not well marked for a beginner. Companion text may be used to assist with interpretations. The cards show astrological associations, but no names appear on any cards. The trumps are numbered but not named. Trump names are named in companion text. This text also indicates that the suits are Coins, Scepters, Swords and Cups.
Cagliostro Tarot	A D R	Bruno Sigon	Reproduction of a 1912 deck from Mondiano Publishers in Italy, the artwork of Trumps differ greatly in style from artwork on Suits. Uses the traditional playing card associations for suits (Diamonds, Hearts, Clubs, Spades). Cards show astrological associations as well as hints the card's meaning. The creator of the deck based his drawings on the writings of Papus.
Cicero Golden Dawn Tarot	A D M R	Sandra Tabitha Cicero	Vivid colors, cards give "hints" on each card as to the symbolic meaning. Basically it keeps the trump order of the Waite deck, but little or no imagery on the pip cards. However, the drawings are stronger in content and coloring, which might make interpretation more difficult for a beginner. Squarer than regular Tarot cards, some may find them slightly harder to handle. Page and Knight have been substituted with Princess and Prince.
Elemental Tarot	A D M R	Caroline Smith John Astrop	This deck has been redesigned to demonstrate clearly the occult symbols on the cards. Each card has specific astrological symbols to help indicate a card's meaning. The suits are named for the four Elements. In addition to the astrological symbols, each suit card has magickal symbols, a brief description, and a mythological association, such as a god, spirit, or angelic figure. The Court cards are called Father, Mother, Son, Daughter. Fortunately, the deck only comes with the companion book which will help the reader wade through the wealth of symbolism. This deck is suitable for divination, rituals, and pathworking. It may be suitable to some for meditation for self-awareness. The name differences could be very confusing for the novice. Its large card size makes the divination process a bit more difficult.
Hanson-Roberts Tarot	B D	Mary Hanson-Roberts	Based on Rider-Waite Deck, and an homage to the art of Pamela Colman Smith, the drawings are softer looking, and evoke positive feelings, while still keeping the imagery of the Waite deck. Good first deck, after the Rider-Waite. Smaller (close to regular playing card size) cards make the deck easier to handle. The only difference between the Hanson-Roberts deck and the Waite deck, is the suit of Rods (as opposed to Wands). It is also a perfect deck to use for readings where the questioner is new to the Tarot.
Morgan-Greer Tarot	B D	Lloyd Morgan Bill Greer (Illus.)	Borderless, vivid drawings keep the Waite symbolism. Familiar imagery makes this deck easy to use. A beautiful deck.
New Palladini Tarot	B D	David Palladini	From the creator of the Aquarian Tarot, this deck is stronger in coloring and in the line drawing. There are several cards which resemble their counterparts in the Aquarian deck. Although the artwork is often stunning, it has several different sets of symbols, with some cards looking quite medieval, and others having Egyptian-like designs. Not as good as its predecessor.
Rider-Waite (Variations: Universal Waite, Colman-Smith, Albano-Waite)	B D M R	Arthur Edward Waite Pamela Colman Smith (Illus.)	The most familiar deck of Tarot Cards. Because images are so familiar, it can be used for many purposes. Comes in two sizes regular size and very small deck. Good first deck.
Universal Waite	B D M R	Arthur Edward Waite Pamela Colman Smith (Illus.)	A variation of the Rider-Waite deck. The line drawings of Pamela Colman Smith have been taken and colored by Mary Hanson-Roberts. The result is a Waite deck with softer colors and more suble detailing. Overall, this is more visually appealing than the original. The familiar images makes it a great beginners deck.
Neo-Pagan			Top of Page
Gendron Tarot	A M R	Melanie Gendron	Surrealistic deck with cards reflecting images of the Divine Feminine and Native American spirituality. There is a variety of artistic styles within the deck, including photographs worked into some drawings. The mixture of styles can be disconcerting. Coloring is very soft and feminine.
Goddess Tarot	B D M R	Kris Waldherr	Exquisite deck with all of the Judeo-Christian symbols replaced by symbols of the Divine Feminine. The Trumps have been renamed to reflect more contemporary archetypal images. Notably, the Devil card has been replaced by a card called Temptation. Each Trump is represented by a Goddess. The suits keep much of the occult drawings. They are divided by suit into four "paths" represented by four mythologies: Roman, Egyptian, Norse and Hindu. A perfect alternative deck for those who seek to combine Goddess spirituality with the Tarot. The only drawback of the deck is its size. It is larger than many decks and can make it more difficult to handle for shuffling and divination.
Robin Wood Tarot	D M R	Robin Wood	This deck adds a neo-pagan slant to the Rider-Waite imagery. Suitable for many uses. Drawings show people with more positive expressions than in some decks. Suitable for the intermediate and advanced user.
Sacred Circle Tarot	A D R	Anna Franklin Paul Mason (Illus.)	Pagan-oriented deck, which uses a considerable amount of photography in the cards. The Major Arcana cards have been renamed to reflect neo-pagan symbolism, replacing the Judeo-Christian symbols. It keeps the order and most of the generally accepted meanings of the cards. The Minor Arcana cards are more like pre-occultist decks, with minimal graphical imagery and the decriptive meanings can be somewhat misleading. Better for ritual work and intermediate to advanced divination. There are better neo-pagan decks available.
Sacred Rose Tarot	A D R	Johanna Garguilo-Sherman	Vivid colors and some neo-pagan imagery are prominent in this deck. Some of the suit cards have drawings similar to the Waite deck. Faces of the people on the cards are not particularly pleasant. Lots of color symbolism is used.
Tarot of the Old Path	B D M R	Howard Rodway Sylvia Gainsford (Illus.)	Very subtle and beautiful drawings. Although the cards keep the trump order and suit imagery of the Waite deck, some trump cards have been renamed to accommodate a pagan viewpoint. Suit of Cups has been renamed Cauldrons.
Tarot of Northern Shadows	B D M R	Howard Rodway Sylvia Gainsford (Illus.)	From the creators of Tarot of the Old Path, this deck uses various Norse and Celtic pagan symbols. Bi-lingual in English and German. Each suit is derived from a separate pagan mythos: Cups portray characters from the Welsh mystical tales of the Mabinogion. Swords are characters from British Celtic legend. Rods are characters from Norse mythology, and Discs are from Irish Celtic lore. Artwork is a bit stronger colored than its predecessor, but nevertheless just as beautiful. Trump ordering and suit symbolism is consistent with Waite style decks.
Witches Tarot	A D M R	Ellen Cannon Reed Martin Cannon	A combination of neo-pagan and Cabbalistic symbolism. Beautifully drawn cards are very loosely based on the Waite deck, with some changes in the order of the cards. The imagery on the suit cards do not always follow the imagery of the Waite deck and the Princess and Prince replace the Page and Knight. Suits are color coded to agree with symbolism from the Cabbalah. Not to be confused with Tarot of the Witches.
Psychological			Top of Page
Jungian Tarot	A M R	Robert Wang	Very artistic deck, but, symbols lend themselves to meditation and path working. Complexity of symbols and no names or numbering on the cards make divination difficult for all but the most advanced user.
The Mythic Tarot	A D M R	Juliet Sharman-Burke Liz Greene Tricia Newell (Illus.)	Illustrations follow Waite-style drawings with several exceptions, but ties the Tarot to mythology very well, and most of the changes enhance the understanding of the symbolic nature of the cards. An excellent choice for learning mythology and delving into one's psyche.
Traditional Style			Top of Page
1JJ Swiss Tarot	A D	Reproduced from old woodcuts Artist Unknown	Brightly-colored drawings are of a medieval style and come from old woodcuts of tarot decks. The imagery is Roman on the Trump Cards, with the High Priestess named Junon and the Hierophant named Jupiter. Suit names are in the Waite style, but have no drawings, as in older style decks. Card size is comfortable in the hand.
Renaissance Tarot	A D M	Brian Williams	Derived from Tarot decks of the Renaissance period, this beautifully crafted deck has subtle gold and bronze tones to cards. As with most Traditional Style decks, it is suitable for divination by advanced users. Companion text has a wealth of information on the history of the Tarot. Although the deck is available for sale alone, this is one which I recommend getting the boxed set.
Tarot of Marseilles	A D	Reproduced from deck published by Jean Dodal around 1700 Artist Unknown	Early deck, predating Waite deck by almost 200 years. Trumps have drawings, but suits do not. Justice is VIII and Strength is XI.
The Visconti Tarots	A D	Restored by Atanas Alexandrov Atanassov Possibly illustrated by Bonifacio Bembo	A re-creation of early Mid -15th Century decks, with gold foil accents added. It is clear, from the exquisite quality of the artwork on this deck, that the original decks were designed for those of noble birth (namely the Visconti-Sforza family of Milan). The heraldic devices found on the cards strongly suggest a relationship to the family. The family owned many decks, of which only portions of each survive. But this and the Cary-Yale deck reproductions are from the most complete decks.
Minchiate Decks			Top of Page
Ancient Minchiate Etruria	A D	Creator and Artist Unknown	An interesting and curious deck. The date of origin of this deck is given on the box as 1725. However, it is more likely a copy of a deck a century later. The accompanying booklet is also misleading, having some Trump cards misnamed, and Justice named twice (one is actually Fame, the replacement for Judgement). The kingdom of Etruria was not formed until 1801, and the cards resemble a deck dated circa 1820 (source: Encyclopedia of the Tarot, Vol. II ) Nevertheless, it is a good representation of a Minchiate deck. Drawings do resemble those of the early 19th Century, as opposed to early 18th Century. Very attractive deck in an old-fashioned way.
The Minchiate Tarot	A D	Brian Williams	Based on the Minchiate Decks of the Renaissance, this is a modern rendition. From the creator of the Renaissance Tarot, it is not as beautiful as that deck. Instead of paintings, the cards resemble colored-in pen and ink drawings. He refers to the Judgement card as Fame. Generally, Renaissance decks called this card The Last Judgement, and post-Renaissance decks called the card Fame. Suits are color coded, Swords-yellow, Cups-blue, Staves-green and Coins-red.
Modern Decks			Top of Page
Tarot Art Nouveau	A D	Antonella Castelli (Illus.)	Beautifully drawn and colored deck in the style of Art Nouveau. The drawings do not contain a lot of symbolic information, so unless the Art Nouveau style has a special appeal, this is more of an art deck than being useful for divination or meditation.
Cosmic Tarot	A D M R	Norbert Löche	Suits names are the same as the Rider-Waite deck, but, the minor arcana imagery is very different. Knight and Page have been replaced by Prince and Princess. It has been noticed by myself and others that some people in the drawings resemble movie stars (past and present). See the Tarot Movie Quiz. Suitable divination deck for more experienced users. Follows traditional trump numbering.
Crow's Magick Tarot	A D R	Londa Marks	A disappointing deck by the creator of the Londa Tarot deck. Many of the designs come from easily recognized clipart collections, with various enhancements added. Astrological symbols on the cards are vague, and the symbol for the sign Libra is consistently shown upside down. Animal imagery on the cards are not consistent with the symbolic meanings of the cards.
Dragon Tarot	A D	Terry Donaldson Peter Pracownik (Illus.)	Beautiful fantasy drawings of dragons. However, the occult symbolism is not consistent. On the Major Arcana cards, small symbols appear at the two bottom corners. Generally, they are astrological symbols, but, on the left side of some, other symbols, such as a Star of David, Pentagram, Rune, heart, etc appear. Each suit has an Elemental symbol and is somewhat color-coded, although it is not easily discernable with Cups and Swords, which both appear to be blue. Wands are definitely gold and red-brown, and Coins generally have green tones on the dragon and somewhere in the background. It is not an easy deck for beginners, since most of the Minor Arcana cards do not have any real clues as to the meaning. It is not really suitable for meditation or ritual work, except in very specific circumstances.
Enchanted Tarot	M	Monte Farber Amy Zerner (Illus.)	Artwork on this deck is photographs of tapestries made by Amy Zerner from the imagery of the Rider-Waite deck. Large card size and the complexity of the artwork make this deck more suitable for meditation, than divination. Suit of Hearts substitutes for Cups and Page and Knight are replaced by Princess and Prince. A beautiful deck.
Light and Shadow Tarot	A M R	Michael Goepferd (Illus.) Brian Williams	Black and White deck based on linoleum block prints by Michael Goepferd. Stylistically mixed designs, with most cards following Waite-style drawings. Goepferd, born in Germany and settled in San Francisco, travelled the world and the art and mythology of many cultures are reflected in this deck. There are Mezzo-American, Celtic, Native American and African influences in the cards.Suit cards have astrological symbols embedded in the block. Although this deck is not "pretty" and some of the work is dark, it is a good deck for meditation for psychological self-awareness. Its large size makes it too cumbersome for divination. And, the symbolism is not as self apparent as other decks. Good for intermediate and advanced users.
Prediction Tarot	A D	Bernard Stringer Peter Richardson (Illus.)	An artistic deck based on Traditional Style, pre-occultist decks. The Trumps (Major Arcana) are beautifully drawn and might be suitable for meditation. The Suit cards have no illustrations, so, the deck is really best used for divination or games playing.
Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg	B D	Yury Shakov (Illus.)	Fascinating artistic deck by a well-known Russian miniaturist. The interesting feature of the deck is that the artwork on the cards was done to exact size. Many drawings are reminiscent of Russian icons of the 18th and 19th Centuries. Its symbolism and drawings follows the Waite style, and could be used by anyone familiar with that deck. Drawings are oval to emulate the Fabergé eggs and the miniature paintings found on them. Very pretty.
Shakespearian Tarot	A M	Delores Ashcroft-Nowicki	Pleasantly drawn deck, with quotes from Shakespeare on each card. Trumps are in the order of the Waite deck. Imagery on cards is not always clear. Court cards are King, Queen, Lord and Lady. Suits are Scepters, Crowns, Swords and Orbs. Better for meditation than for divination.
Tarot of the Cat People	A D	Karen Kuykendall	Beautifully drawn, fantasy style deck, with cats of all sizes appearing on the cards. Keeps traditional trump order, but uses modern suit names. Imagery on suit cards does not always follow Waite style, and is often unclear. Divination for advanced readers only. Not necessarily suitable for meditation or ritual work, except for a cat-related issue.
Whimsical Tarot	B D M	Dorothy Morrison Mary Hanson-Roberts	The description on the box says "for children or the young at heart." Illustrations have scenes from fairy tales, legends, children's stories, and nursery rhymes illustrating each card. Most are easily recognized, although it is doubtful that a very young child would recognize all of them. The artwork has the trademark Hanson-Roberts soft pastel colors and beautiful designs. Although I do not recommend that children use the Tarot for divination, or that readings generally be done for anyone under the age of 13, this deck could be used for a child's reading, if it was a necessity. It could also be used for teaching a young person the Tarot, or for a reading where the questioner might find the symbolism of most other decks disturbing. I recommend using the Hanson-Roberts deck, or the Goddess Tarot as more suitable alternatives.
Tarot of the Witches	A D	Fergus Hall	This deck was originally featured in the Jame Bond movie "Live and Let Die," and some sources indicate that it was designed for the film. The original decks apparently had "007" repeated on the backs to promote the film. Although the accompanying booklet claims the deck to be perfect for use in Wiccan circles, I find no indication that the artist had knowledge of Wicca or paganism, other than the usual public misconceptions. The art on the cards is both surreal and primitive, and has been described as "folk art." The artist seems to have a fascination with dark-haired people. Perhaps he thought that all witches have dark hair. Although the artwork is interesting, the deck should not be taken too seriously. Not to be confused with the Witches Tarot, which is a legitimate occultist and neo-pagan deck.
Voyager Tarot	M	James Wanless Ken Knutson (Illus.)	A highly complex deck, with many symbols on each card. Very large card size and unique imagery dictates that this is more suitable for meditation than divination. Suits are Wands, Cups, Crystals and Worlds. Some of the Trumps have been renamed.
Other Decks			Top of Page
Cartomancy Deck No.1904	B D	PIATNIK - Vienna Artist Unknown	Thirty-two card Austrian fortune-telling deck for the beginner. Reminiscent of "Gypsy" fortune-telling cards, Each card has a descriptive drawing and keywords in six languages. Novelty deck is a good introduction to divination.
Druid Animal Oracle	B M R	Philip & Stephanie Carr-Gomm Bill Worthington (Illus.)	Rich colors and beautiful drawings of animals related to the Druid tradition. Could be used in meditation, pathworking, ritual work (for any tradition that works with animal energies). This thirty-three card deck has limited divinatory uses.
Goddess Awareness Cards	B M	Susan Seddon Boulet (Illus.) Michael Babcock (Text)	A non-divination deck from the haunting Goddess paintings of the late Susan Seddon Boulet. This deck of cards would be ideal for meditations on Goddesses. Text on the reverse of each card describes the Goddess in the painting.
Medicine Cards	B M R	Jamie Sams & David Carson Angela C. Werneke (Illus.)	The artwork and the symbols lend themselves nicely to path working and ritual work (esp. rituals based on North American Indian traditions). Could be used for divination in a limited way.
Phoenix Cards	B M R	Susan Sheppard Toni Taylor (Illus.)	Vivid colors and eclectic collection of drawings, evoke memories of other lifetimes. Could be used for anything but divination.
Russian Gypsy Fortune Telling Deck	B D	Svetlana Alexandrovna Touchkoff Kathleen M. Skelly & Svetlana Touchkoff (Illus.)	Although the concept is unique, the drawings are reminiscent of some of the old Gypsy fortune telling decks. Each card has four halves of the picture and when you deal the cards out and get two halves next to one another, you read that interpretation. Very easy to use, but it has both entertainment and actual divination value.
Playing Cards			Top of Page
Fortuneteller's Deck	A D	Jane Lyle Neil Breeden (Illus.)	This deck is a regular deck of cards with some enhancements for divination. The court cards (King, Queen and Jack) are beautifully drawn, as are the Jokers (2) and the Aces. The remaining cards look like a regular deck, with one difference. The is an indication on each card noting whether or not the card is upright. The cards were drawn on wood and reproduced on card stock. The result is a rather pleasant light tan background. The accompanying book is a good guide for using the deck, but is varies from the traditional playing card meanings. (See Fortune Telling With Playing Cards.).
Gypsy Witch Fortune-Telling Cards	A D	Creator/Illustrator Uncredited	This is a regular deck of playing cards, with a small instruction booklet that gives what appears to be a Romany method of fortune telling. Each card has a paragraph written on it, to assist in the interpretation of the cards. As in many Romany methods, separate cards are used to represent a man and woman. In this case it is the Two of Diamonds for the Woman and the Two of Hearts for the Man.

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