Customer Reviews

Fantastical Creatures Tarot

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

 

 

I pre-ordered this deck months ago and after much anticipation, it was very well worth the wait.

I'm slowly going through the deck card by card. The packaging is nice,easy to take out without destroying the box. It also comes with a Spread Sheet. Literally. *snerk* A sheet which illustrates different spreads on the front and back. Very handy for beginners. The deck is roughly 2"x 4" and included are two extra quick reference cards -- one for the majors, the other for the minors. Nice touch. I wish all decks provided this.

My only complaint so far is they provided a 70pg. LWB. Nothing more. No large reference book with extensive background on the cards symobolgy, like they've done in the past with the Celtic Dragon and ShapeShifter decks. Kinda disappointed (hence the 4/5 stars). But if I wish to carry this deck around, a big book would be cumbersome I suppose.

HOWEVER, what is nice about the LWB is they provide a mythical background on the creature, a divinatory meaning, AND magickal use of the card. Nifty! Never have I seen the Magickal Usage option before in a tarot deck.

So, card by card, I'm taking in what I think the symbology means then reading the LWB and finding I'm fairly accurate. Either I'm getting
better at Tarot or the deck really syncs with me like the Celtic Dragon and Fey decks do (ShapeShifter is a more difficult one for me to grasp now, but I have faith in the future it will become quite the tool for me when I'm ready).

Lastly, and one of the reason why I love Lisa Hunt's decks, is the Wands/Air - Swords/Fire connection. Few decks represent that and I've always been more intuitively drawn to that way of thinking, even before my Tradition's teachings reflected the same.

If you are a fan of Lisa Hunt -- get this deck.
If you are a fan of mythology -- get this deck.
If you are a witch or tarot reader who is more connected to the Wands/Air, Swords/Fire -- get this deck.
If you are like me and need a reference card now and again (lol) -- get this deck.

"It is possible to re-learn the ancient art of communication with fantastic creatures. When approached in the proper ways, these powers can help us. By tapping into these astral sources, we can use the ancient images in divination to gain a clearer picture of what is causing life problems and what we can do about it." - From the Little White Book

From the Lady of the Lake to the Kraken, Griffin to Jenny Greenteeth, the Fantastical Creatures Tarot brims with a dizzying array of gods, goddesses, mythological creatures and the stuff of legends.

Featuring the luminous artwork of Lisa Hunt, each card of the Major and Minor Arcana is dedicated to a specific being (or group of creatures). You'll find dragons, a unicorn, faeries, a werewolf, a vampire, selkies, valkyries, gnomes, brownies, firedrakes and lion-dogs. Pegasus makes an appearance, as does a centaur, faun, minotaur, mermaids, harpies, The Djinn, firebird and The Sphinx.

Titania, the "mistress of glamour and matriarch of magick" finds representation in the Fantastical Creatures Tarot, as does Oberon, Gilgamesh, Kali Ma, Tiamat, Yemaya, Lilith, Quetzalcoatl, Circe and the triple-goddess Morrigan.

The cards retain traditional titles rather than the creature depicted, although Trump XV is cleverly re-named "Chains" in this deck. Minor suits are Wands, Cups, Pentacles and Swords and although Wands are associated with Air and Swords with Fire in this deck, the association isn't obvious by illustration alone.

As always, Ms. Hunt's stunning art shimmers with light and color, enlivening the fanciful world of creatures that are sometimes awe-inspiring and other times frightening, yet remain a ready menagerie of aid for those bold and trusting enough to call upon their energies for magick or insight.

The glossy cards measure approximately 4 ¾ x 2 ½ inches and have a simple circular filigreed motif centered on an ecru background, making the backings fully reversible.

Unfortunately, this lovely deck isn't accompanied by a full-length book--only a 71-page Little White Book by D.J. Conway. Several times, the LWB description doesn't seem to jive with card image. For example, the creatures in the 2 of Pentacles are described as Fey who are "human-sized, wingless members of the Fairy Kingdom". However, the Fey in the card clearly have wings.

Although the brief mythology of each card is adequate, some of the interpretations seem a bit repetitive, as well as the descriptive elements of some of the images.

In addition, some of the choices of fantastical creatures seem ill suited to their particular cards and meanings. For example, the 3 of Pentacles represents mischievous hobgoblins that "like nothing better than to spoil luck, create nightmares, hide things and frighten people". Yet, the divinatory meaning given is "opportunities will soon come from you to learn new skills".

Two quick reference cards come with the Fantastical Creatures Tarot, providing keywords for both Arcanas. A large, two-sided illustrated fold-out with five spreads is also included in this kit. However, the keywords for the suits don't seem right on the fold-out. For example, the Air/Mental realm is said to be made up of "thoughts, ideas, communications, emotions, relationships and love." The first three, yes--but the last three? That's the realm of Cups/Water/Emotions.

If you love Lisa Hunt's artwork, particularly the Animals Divine Tarot, you'll want to get your hands on this lovely deck. Those inspired by mythology and otherworldly creatures will also likely enjoy the Fantastical Creatures Tarot. (I also think fans Paul Mason, particularly the Fairy Ring, would also like this deck--especially since Jenny Greenteeth and others found therein).

However, this isn't a good deck for beginners, especially with some of the confusing and contradictory elements found in the LWB and fold-out.

(To see 13 images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

I bought this tarot deck based on the artwork previously seen by Linda Hunt even if I thought DJ Conway's interpretation of the cards in Shapeshifter would be best ignored. If you know the meaning of the cards, these meanings can be overlooked.
However, in these cards, there is absolutely no point of reference to any meaning at all...These cards, to my opinion were just created as a commercial gimmick and I am now trying to get rid of them. I attempted to do a few readings with them but could get nowhere because of Conway's silly and misleading ideas about what a card means. Its almost as if she were doing it just to be different. Lisa Hunt's artwork is quite interesting and sometimes even deep and beautiful, but really, these cards did nothing but irritate me. I would far better recommend something like Deviant Moon, Thoth, Saki-Saki,Maroon Tarot, Deidre of the Sorrows, or even MotherPeace Tarot and perhaps Haindl if you are looking for something with depthm mystery and substance....