Customer Reviews

Feng Shui Tarot Deck

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

 

 

Peter and Eileen Connolly have artfully collaborated to produce a tarot deck that superbly combines the traditional elements of tarot divination with an ancient Chinese spiritual wisdom embodying the principles of Form School Feng Shui (balancing environment, surroundings, materials, and colors). This unique tarot deck is based on the Feng Shui philosophy that a "chi" or flow of energy can be directed in certain ways by the optimal placement of large or small items to balance yin and yang, thereby creating a more favorable environment for people living or working in a particular space. With its beautiful images inspired by Feng Shui symbols and Chinese art enhancing the tarot experience, Feng Shui Tarot is a very highly recommended addition students of metaphysics in general, and to any tarot reader's collection in particular.

(See subject.) Why is it not listed here??!? It is called "Feng Shui Tarot" by Eileen Connolly and Peter Paul connolly.
[I have found it here at Amazon it if you serch for Books / Feng Shui Tarot - but no link to it / them from here, and no picture or review]
US Games System has published it a few months ago. - So it may have just been available to the previous reviewer by June...
Eileen Connolly actually finished it within the year of the deck's publication and US Games sat on it for two years. It is available through their site, why not here? It EXPLAINS much of what is new and different and seemingly inscrutable, written both by Eileen Connolly and Peter Paul Connolly her son, the artist of both her decks.
The book also applies to ALL Tarot decks and gives new insights into all the cards from a non-religious-seeming perspective, a common barrier to Connolly's work for some students.
The deck is as beautiful and original as it is thought out and balanced. The book is a thoughtful eye-opener as well, integrating the concepts of 'Western' Tarot with 'Eastern' five element symbology, a treat for a true student of Tarot and / or Feng Shui. My only complaint it that it is too short! Yet that also makes it easy to carry with the deck.

I own this tarot deck and the companion book. You really need both to understand the deck. The school of feng shui (wind-water) that this deck focuses on is the form school. You can't feng shui your home or garden with the cards. It simply uses symbols common in feng shui---like the 4 celestial animals. If you love Asian styled art, you'll love this deck. If you ever felt slightly uncomfortable owning a tarot deck that had creepy images of the death card and the devil card, you will truly enjoy this deck because it has artistically drawn images of "transition" and "materialism." The cards are well made and fun to shuffle. This would make a nice gift for people who enjoy and/or collect cards.

While I don't doubt the Connolly's enjoyed dabbling in feng shui, their art shows the lack of depth in their practice and knowledge of the culture of China. Many of the images are based on Japanese woodcuts and many of the female figures are wearing traditional Japanese clothing. Feng Shui is Chinese, and to portray figures this way is like tarot decks that mish mash Indian/First Nations/Native American imagery together. Not cool.

Many people consider this sort of practice less than ethical and of a mindset which is profit oriented. No person versed in feng shui is against profit, or doing good business, but this deck is working some seriously shar chi by appropriating other cultures.

Richard Craze's feng shui deck is grounded and representative of a better option. The Mah Jongg Oracle by Derek Walters is also back in print(Fortune Teller's Mah Jong), and both are much better option for those interested in geomancy, cartomancy decks, Chinese divination, and metaphysics.

Caveat Emptor.

This is a very pretty deck. I was using the same deck for almost 7 years, and just decided to buy this one. I had a hard time finding a nice deck that had cards with telling images, that was as pretty and creative as my old deck, and also reasonably priced. After a lot of searching, this one seemed to be the best, and I am very pleased with my purchase.


Make sure you buy the companion book for this deck. Otherwise, there will be a few things that could confuse even an experienced card reader.

This deck uses White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Green Dragon, and Red Phoenix instead of Wands, Swords, Disks, and Cups. It also uses a "Transition" card instead of Death, etc. Although the little white book that comes with the cards tells you that White Tiger is the same as Swords, for example, the meanings of the cards and the use of Feng Shui principles, etc. is not fully explained.

Additionally, what would be wands and fire in this deck is actually black tortoise and water. What would be cups is instead fire. This is one thing I'm finding a little confusion in making the switch to this new deck. Working with this deck is going to take a little time getting used to, considering the differences. However, it is a very lovely deck, so I don't mind the trouble.

The Feng Shui tarot deck is an innovative reinvention of the traditional Tarot. The cards are full of color, life, and personality and are ideal for any card collector or reader who wants another deck, for other dimensional possibilities. The deck's only drawback (for me, at least) was the lack of human subjects. The cover of the deck package shows what seems to be the Yellow Emperor, but there are fewer famous heroes / beings and people in the deck than I would have liked. However, this is just a personal preference. The artwork is top rate, the cards are sturdy and attractive, and the deck will please diviners and fans of feng shui alike.

There's no book, other than the tiny white one that provides no clue on nearly all hundreds of symbols employed on the cards. Since many of them aren't related to the feng shui but were adopted from Chinese mythology, we're left poorer on both counts. Gorgeous to look at, it's clear some publisher decided to go with the deck without paying the designers to do the book--and provide the clues to their very original work. Too bad.