Customer Reviews

African American Tarot (English and Spanish Edition)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

first i would like to say that i had some trouble understanding or even pulling together a story from the "universal" rider-waite deck. but when i got the african american deck cleasned it, shuffled it and did a spread i was amazed at how well the deck and i clicked, the reading went very smoothly and i was able to pull a story which before i couldnt do.

i love the fact that the deck took african gods, goddesses and stories and made them a base for the meaning of the cards and that is one of the things that makes it easier for me to get a meaning since i work with the yoruban pantheon. i also love how it also takes from african american history and clicks it together with the meaning without the african or the african american overshadowing one another, i find that both when read together gives an even more stronger way to look at the cards.

to make a long review short i am very impressed and glad that i bought the deck, the only reason why i gave this deck 4 out of 5 is because i wish that the booklet it came with would have given more information on the african stories and gods and goddesses. then again... research does make things more interesting:-)

I just received my deck and I actually like this deck. The author writes that the deck is not intended to reflect just one particular aspect of Africa because it is so broad. He also acknowledges that Africa is the mother of all civilization so he wanted to express a broad range of Africa. The African American images of jazz players, inventors, discovers, etc. are in the background but seem to serve as a link to the meaning of the card as well as a link to traditional African mythologies and archetypes. The thought and depth put into it is outstanding. The pictures are detailed, expressive, and colorful. (I also have the African Tarot deck which has childlike images that I did not like.)

The African American tarot's images span a large variety of images from the continent of Africa. Some of the cultural influences are Zulu, Yoruba, Ibo, Akan, and places like Benin, Togo, Congo, etc. I love that. The only issue that I have with the deck is that it did not come with a more detailed explanation of the people, Archetypes, symbols, and mythologies. It would have been not only more helpful to connect with the images, but also a facinating and informative read. I feel pretty informed about my heritage as an African American and and African decendent. I am pretty familiar with a broad range of African Spiritual Traditions but I will now have to do even more research on some of the images in order to draw out the full meaning of the card. Nevertheless, I am pretty happy with the deck.

For other decks featuring African images also try Afro Brazillian deck, and the Tarot of the Ages. Motherpeace and Daughters of the Moon decks are womens decks that include black people.

i am very new to tarot card reading but i actually liked the images of black people on the cards, not the typical white people that you see. the book that goes along with it is pretty light so that's why i took one star off but if you're looking for cards featuring black people this is a good deck.

perhaps the title is a little misleading but i don't think i'd want to see dr. king and other black leaders on all the tarot cards, i like the idea that it's not someone i truly recognize but rather faces/complexions i can relate to if that makes sense.

(2 1/2 stars) Although the art work is lovely, this is not exactly what I would call an African American deck. Yes, individuals depicted in this deck are black, but they do not represent personas that african Americans would readily identify with on the court cards and the Majors; I was expecting to see Martin Luther King or Harriet Tubman, slavery, and Blues or Jazz singer. What I got was what I considered to be a more african centric deck. The Pip cards (2 - 10) do have African American imagery, but the imagery takes back stage to the african imagery which is center stage. What I wanted was a deck that highligted the African American culture and experiences, what I got felt like an African deck with connections to American culture instead of the other way around.

I CONNECT WITH THESE CARDS THEY ARE OF MY TRADITION, THAT I CAN READ FOR OTHERS,

I read different people's reviews of these cards, and ultimately ignored many of them because something kept drawing me to them. I bought them, and I find that they are very easy to read and accurate. This is my first deck. I love seeing these rich images that look like me, but I admit that I do ignore the images in the corner of each card that depicts us in American history because it's distracting and has nothing to do with the actual meaning of the card. I find that it is easy to read the card from an intuitive level without checking the meaning in the book first. I always "feel" the cards' meanings then check the accompanying book, and it matches exactly what I felt about the images on the cards. Thus far, the readings have been right on the money and very helpful to me.

I will eventually get some other Tarot cards, but for now I really like these and would recommend them for anyone.

Not what I expected at all. You might like a similar product that I was given many years ago: the Black Angel Cards: A Soul Revival Guide for Black Women by Earthlyn Manuel who is now a Buddhist priest. It is a treasure.

This deck is okay - primarily because it is one of the few out there with people of color on it, furthermore Black people. I would not expect to see Black people from history on this or any other deck as that is not how Tarot cards are usually formulated. Most "general" cards, for lack of a better term, do not feature actual historical figures and I think if they had gone the route of putting people like Harriet Tubman etc on this deck that I would be rather insulted - Black people and their experiences are so much more than the few people you learn about in February and consigning our experiences to those people is insulting. Rather, I think this deck tries to open up Tarot to people who may be more comfortable seeing people of their own culture featured on the cards, and I think that's an excellent goal.

I also am considering the Afro-Brazilian cards although as reviewers there are noted, it can be limiting to see the orisha narrowed down to one definition. I think you almost have to come up with your own way to work the cards there...