Customer Reviews

The Celtic Tarot

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While the deck has the traditional Celtic interwoven knots and designs and mentions figures from Celtic mythology, I didn't get much of a Celtic feel from it. There are almost no animals in it and no trees, not even in the Hanged Man card. Pagan Celtic mythology is strongly overlaid--to the point of being muffled and erased--with Christianity, Greek zodiacs, and the Olympic pantheon. (A Valentine's cupid in the Lovers card, and Janus as the Celtic god of death?) Sexuality is not positively portrayed. The woman in the Lovers card crouches over, hiding her breasts, and Queen Margawse is characterized as "fatally flawed" because she is lustful. The Culdees are described as holding onto the remnants of Druidism and being a "lower cultus of spiritual development." There are no pictures for 1-10 of the minor arcana, only symbols, and I found that difficult to relate to. I gave this deck away a week after I bought it.

You will find associations throughout this deck and book set that comprehensively associates the tarot with ash trees, oaks, mistletoe, blase-blase, and the four elements. It associates traditional tarot meanings with well-known figures of Celtic, mostly Arthurian, lore. You can't do better than this deck for tying the tarot to Celtic lore. It also links many cards to astrological symbols that predate Arthurian legend. These are meanings that come from the more Druidic times, and history is essentially covered in the descriptions by Helena Paterson. The book could benefit from structure, putting each description on a single page with the single card. Other than that, it is a comprehensive linking of Celtic lore and the tarot.

The trumps of this Tarot deck are undeniably pretty - a little cartoonish, but a nice attempt to stay within the Celtic idiom of illumination. The minor arcana aren't as interesting because they aren't as pictorial. Instead of little scenes as with the Rider deck, Courtney merely shows us the symbols (cups,swords, etc). I find that this didn't help with my tarot readings. Nonetheless, the artwork overall is great. The book, on the other hand, is fairly worthless. Too bad it only comes as a set.

Any person who has studied the history of the tarot will learn that originally the minor arcana deck were designed like playing cards, since that is what they originally were. This deck stays with that original idea. This is not a deck for people who depend on the symbols in card illustrations! This is a deck for people who relish memorization and like simplicity. The artwork is stunning, but reading can be difficult unless you have the minor arcana attributes memorized.

I have admired this illustrator for many years and I am interested in Celtic imagery as well. This deck is usable but not for beginners. The minors are not illustrated, therefore leaving novice readers guessing meanings during a reading. If you are skilled enough with the cards and like the artistry. give this deck a try.

Now, for the bad news. The accompaning book is terrible. There are many other books that can deliver historically accurate histories and meanings. There seems to be much misinformation on the authors behalf. The history of the Tarot is laughable by todays standard. The history of the Celts is summed up in a few pages. Very unfulfilling. Too much time is spent on picking a significator. I feel this book could use a second edition, by maybe a new author.

My sugestion is to toss the book entirely and read the cards intuitively. The art is worthy, the colors soft, and most meanings are symbolically accurate. Oddly enough,at the end of the deck is an add for the Norse Tarot. Now out of print, one wonders what was wrong with the publishers taking this deck out of print, and leaving this, overall mediocre deck available?

if you have read "the mists of avalon" then this might be the deck for you. it has the the personalities in the story of king arthur and the holy grail. if your soul is touched by these stories, this deck will speak to you.

the colors are watery and the art work is wonderful.

I have just bought a brand new copy (at a great price!) here through Amazon, and it is to be sent as a gift to a very good friend of mine ~ which is one of the best things about this set: it is so nice that you can be sure it will be well received. Buy two!