Customer Reviews

Fenestra Tarot

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a deck that, in structure, follows full force the Waite set up. Card for card, it is perfectly identical and requires very little rethinking of already learned habits to read. Not particularly innovative but still a good, solid deck with lovely art. As a divinatory deck, it fulfills all expectations of a Waite deck.

The stock is a bit thinner than I generally care for in my cards, but the gloss used on them also serves to strengthen the card. Long term wear and tear may be an issue but if properly cared for they will be perfectly fine for years to come.

Now on to the deck's highlight: its art. The artist has combined three different styles to a very enjoyable effect: Egyptian, Asian and a touch of western European. The Egyptian is plainly seen in the symbology and the coloration of the cards- she uses sandwashed colors to give the feel of them having been painted upon stone. The facial style, though possessing the eyes known to anyone who has even passingly encountered Egyptian art, is very much that of the ancient style of many Asian countries: long and narrow, which takes very well to the kohl layering done around them. The western European is blended in to lend a definition of form oft lost to both Egyptian and Asian style arts- resulting in an odd hybrid of features that fit the feel of the deck perfectly.

My only objection are points at which she plainly wasn't sure of what to draw for a card's meaning...the most outstanding example of which is the VIII of Wands. All that appears upon the card is a pip count- a rather disappointing card after the lush beauty of the other cards.

The backs of the cards are absolutely beautiful as well- and would be fully reversable if not for US Games having stamped their logo in one corner. That's no fault of the artist however, so I do not count it as a negative in her or the deck's case.

If you are looking for a solid Waite deck with lovely art, traditional symbolism and a welcoming feel: this deck is for you. It may not be quite as deep as other decks in the symbolism- it's simply cut and dried but beautifully rendered adaptions of the standard Waite deck with an Egyptian theme- but it's lovely naetheless.

The Fenestra Tarot has replaced the Universal Waite as my main deck. Actually, since I received the Fenestra, I haven't used anything else. The artist, Chatriya Hemharnvibul, has imbued the cards with a depth and beauty who's equal I have never seen. The images and coloring are so evocative, the meanings seem to come to life. This deck is truly a pleasure and an inspiration to work with.

This deck is absolutely beautiful, any scans at the review sites simply do not do it justice. Each person has a bit of an anime/manga feel without being "cartoony" or feeling limited and the windows help you to focus on what is going on in the card. This is definetly the best border I have ever seen and the colors are very easy on the eyes and the mind. It is also easy to read with being based on the Rider Waite. However, there are a few cards in particular that are a little different and they make the deck really shine. The devil has a smirk that just invites you in, who else could look that smug? There are no ships in the 3 of wands, like the person is looking just over the horizon. I find that this helped finally seal the card's meaning in my memory as I often get it mixed up with the 2 of wands in other decks because they have similar pictures. The 9 of pentacles shows a modern woman in jewelry and pants, a strong independent woman and this is my favorite 9 of pentacles out of the dozen decks that I have owned over the years. The 4 of pentacles is doing more than just holding his money, he seems to be hiding behind it. Don't even get me started on the Death card! All of her images, while traditional, bring something new to the meanings of the cards. One question though, one reviewer said that her Priestess card was smudged. Mine is fine but The Fool is out of focus. I am not sure whether or not that is intentional as it would make sense as the fool is just starting out on his journey, his life is a little unfocused. Still, I give it 5 stars! It is a beautiful deck and perfect if you want to be able to read with the Rider Waite meanings but look at much more interesting visuals.

These cards grabbed my attention from the moment I saw the samples on a eclectic tarot and pre-ordered it from Amazon. I received it last night and could not wait to have a good look at all of the cards. To my disappointment, the High Priestess Card had a smudge on her face and neck. I checked the cover to see if that kind of shading was on purpose and it wasn't.

The set comes with the deck, the small booklet with the basic meanings of the cards and some spreads and a wall chart with the Celtic Cross spread on it. Thankfully the box is not huge like some other sets, which in my opinion is a waste of paper.

I love the artwork in this deck, I can not really explain why it just holds my attention and I am sure I am going to love reading with them. The predominate colours in this deck are the purple/grey on the box, deep yellow, burgundy, and dark blue/grey. All of the colors have a water coloured feel to them. In saying this, it is still a very vibrant deck. The back of the cards have a beautiful rose. The size of the cards is a little larger than a playing deck (same as the Rider Waite) There is little nudity, for those who are conscious of that.

All in all a great deck

BB Ethony*

"For centuries, Tarot cards have offered insights into universal human experiences, and guidance for personal spiritual journeys. Fenestra Tarot, named after the Latin word for `window', was created to provide new perspectives, or windows, for Tarot interpretation." - From the LWB

When I first saw a few images from the Fenestra Tarot deck online, I found the soft images arresting and attractive. I was looking forward to buying this deck, and finally got it a few weeks ago.

Well, I'm loathe to say that I'm quite disappointed with this deck. The displayed images from The Fenestra Tarot deck that I viewed online were NOT representative of the whole, in my opinion. Instead, I feel the deck is much heavier on the yellow and rust colorings--with the richer blue and green hues gracing only a few of the cards.

The Majors are framed by not only a filigreed pattern, but also a stylized infinity symbol with roses placed at the bottom. This means that the image itself measures only about 3 ¼ x 2 ¼ inches! The Minors are a bit more expansive because of a simpler frame, with the actual image measuring about 3 ¾ x 2 ¼ -- but the frame still takes up a good portion of the card.

The muted tones in the Fenestra Tarot are lovely--acrylic on paper with soothing watercolor tones--so if you enjoy decks that hearken back to simpler days, you may find the deck perfect for your needs.

It's disappointing that U.S. Games has imprinted their copyright on the card backings, rendering the pretty reversible spiraled rose motif virtually useless.

The LWB (Little White Book) provides admirable upright and reversed card meanings, but that's about *all* it provides. Although the Fenestra Tarot comes in a larger box, it's wasted packaging: there's *another* smaller box encasing the actual deck, the LWB, and large illustrated pull-out on Reading Tarot Cards with the 10-card Celtic Cross spread that U.S. Games includes in its box sets.

Thai artist Chatriya Hemharnivibul has done an admirable job of melding Japanese influence (such as Manga) with Art-Decoesque arches and classical lines. It's just a little too bland for my tastes--and I would have liked to be able to see more of the actual images rather than the decorative borders hogging the spotlight.

Because the Fenestra Tarot is patterned after the Rider-Waite-Smith (including the Page, Knight, Queen, and King rendering), it's a very readable deck. I just wasn't able to get much from it beyond the card associations in my head, as opposed to being able to cull intuitive insights and inventive stories derived from rich symbolism or animated portrayals as can be done with some decks.

(To see 10 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)

This deck is beautifully crafted and painstakingly illustrated, and I absolutely love using it-- for the most part. My favourite cards include the 9 of Pentacles (a skinny redhead with drastic makeup in leather pants with a falcon? Rock on.), the 10 of Swords and Strength. I love the unabashed sexiness of the Moon card, the mild paranoia of the 4 of Pentacles and the chauvinistic pride in the Chariot. I like that the deck doesn't shy away from heaviness or depression, and the details are incredible.

However, there are a few cards I have some problems with.

I'm sorry, but the gentleman in the 5 of Cups looks like he's giving a urine specimen, not mourning an emotional loss. In the 8 of Wands, the wands are all falling, not flying-- they're angled downwards, earthbound and failing. (In fact, I usually read this card from this deck as success and high hopes only when it appears reversed in my spreads, rather than upright.) Temperance looks more like a stoned hooker than a recovering addict, and honestly the Knight of Cups has the goofiest hat I've ever seen.

The BIGGEST problem I have with my copy of this deck, though, is that you CAN in fact tell when a card is reversed or upright, just looking at the back. The "2006 USGAMES" logo is on the bottom right when the card falls upright, and the top left when it is reversed. I try not to look at it, but it does influence how I shuffle or throw spreads sometimes, and I find that annoying and distracting-- especially since the card backs were a major factor in my purchasing this deck to begin with! The rusty, thorned rose pattern is absolutely gorgeous... but that stupid little logo drives me nuts.

The high priestess card is absolutely amazing! The cards for death, the tower, 9 of swords, etc. are very well done. The only real complaint I have is with the quality of the cards. I think a 4.5 out of 5 stars is a better review, but I couldn't click on that option. After shuffling for a while, the corners of some of these cards tear or rip. The art work is too good for this level of quality of the actual cards. I just wanted to let people know they may need to be careful when shuffling or handling these cards. I still highly recommend this deck. It is very good for readings.

I have about 6 different Tarot decks already, and like them all, but recently a friend showed me hers- the Fenestra deck, and I had to have them. Firstly, the artwork is just gorgeous, and very elaborate. Each picture conveys the meaning of the card so well, you already instinctively know what it means. Then the guidebook is perfect. While other tarot books ramble on with a multitude of meanings for each card, this one gets straight to the point, making it much easier to understand the meanings of each card. I highly recommend this deck!

Don't get me wrong, the deck is lovely. I enjoy the artwork. It is (as some have already said) based heavily on the RWS paintings by Pamela Coleman Smith, so for anyone familiar with that deck, this one should be readable fresh out of the box.

My problem comes when I see the blank expressions in the characters' faces. I feel no emotion from this deck at all. To me, it comes across as pretty for pretty's sake. Nothing new, nothing innovative. The High Priestess seems petulant to me, instead of knowledgeable. I keep thinking that she looks like a bored 15 year old instead of a wise, mysterious woman.

If you are a beginner and want to have a pretty deck to work with, this will probably be great for you.

If you are an advanced reader and are looking for something with a bit more substance... keep looking.

If you just love the style of the artwork, try getting the Wiccan Cards first, they have much more personality.

It seems from reading the reviews that this is a deck that grabs you or you're just so-so about. I think it's the colours. We humans respond so passionately to colours!

Now me, this deck grabs me, in a big way. The colours are just captivating. Muted, soft, autumnal. Indigo blues, deep reds, rust yellows, beige and an unusual greyish brown. Very comforting, flowing and otherworldy.

The art itself is wonderful, quite flowing and expressive. It's a basic clone of the RWS with a few twists, but if you know your RWS than you're set to go. It's a very exceptional alternative to the bright, louder...kind of shout at you clones out there. This would be an excellent deck for beginners, it reads very intuitively and is very spontaneous.

If you're looking at scans of the cards, and the colours are speaking to you and the images jumping out, get it! Each card is splendid in it's own way.