Customer Reviews

The Gendron Tarot

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had originally wanted to get this deck years ago, but some of the reviews i saw discouraged me. Some said that alot of attention and detail had been paid to the major arcana, and not enough to the minor. They also said that the female renditions were lovely, but the male were sort of female heads superimposed on male bodies. I totally disagree. The court cards for for the prince's and king's, are vibrant and alive. faces are full of character and meaning assoicated with their signs. I also truly think the major arcana is full of detail, more so in fact than other decks ive seen. It does differ slightly, very slightly from traditional rider waite decks, yet, this has to be such an easy deck to read as i see the meanings from the minor arcana to be quite clear and definitive.While theres no doubt this is more a female's deck simply because many of the major arcana feature women over the tradional males depicted in certain cards, unlike other "goddess" decks, it does NOT change the meaning, or feel to the card. The colors are vibrant, alive, and the figures, are also lifelike and detailed, on ALL the cards. I know this is a deck i will continuiously use, over and over, and am just so glad i finally ignored some reviews and went ahead and purchased it.

But there are some that seem unfinished compared to the rest. The major arcana are very polished and complete for the most part. They each have their own wonderful character and symbolism. The Tower happens to be my favorite art of the deck. But some are a little disappointing. Such as the Emporer whose face is very obviously pasted onto a feminine-like body, with out very much attempt to intigrate the photo with the drawing. Some of the minor arcana are also very finished. Most of the pentacles are very pleasing and the five of cups is very vivid and clear about its meaining. However cards such as the the prince of wands are very blurred and undefined. Basically, I notice a pattern that the male figures are generally less finished looking than the female figures. Also many of the mens faces are similar. The king of swords and the Emperor cards have the exact same picture pasted on as the man's face. Even the prince of wands, prince of cups, two of cups, and ten of cups have male faces very similar to eachother. For a deck that seems so diversified otherwise, I would expect less repetition of images. Finally, the booklet is quite well put together, but it is not for beginers. The information, especially on the minor arcana is really sparse.

I have looked long and hard to find a deck that really calls to me and this was it. While I absolutely LOVE the images on the major arcana cards, I'm not happy with the photography on the minor arcana. I don't like photo collages and have avoided other equally beautiful decks because of it. However, the only examples of this deck I ever saw were of the major arcana. The other thing that surprised me was the change of the Death card to "Transition" and The Devil to "The Deciever". I wanted a deck that used more traditional terminology. Nevertheless, the images on the cards leave you in no doubt as to which cards they are so this is really something I don't mind. A lot of people freak out when they see the Death card so hopefully "Transition" will be a more gentle way of accepting the card in a reading. That said, I still think the deck is beautiful and as another reviewer said, very feminine which was also something I was looking for. I'm looking forward to using this deck. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a beautiful, colorful deck.

I just got these cards the other day and I was awestruck by their beauty. The are very very well made and quite powerful. I would reccomend these to anyone who is looking for a special feminine deck with powerful energy. These cards will get many years of loving use by me:)

The Deck is absolutely beautiful, and worth the price just for meditating on the images alone. As a readers deck however for me the connection has been absolutely magical. The Deck is in Melanie's own words inspired by the Sacred Feminine. If you like me, have found more traditional and patriarchal style decks flat and more difficult to connect too as a reader, I strongly suggest this desk. By replacing the Knights with the Princesses and the Pages by the Princes Melanie has given her readers a nicely Gender Balanced Deck. Now some reviewers have that backwards. However in every suit the visual images are clear. The Princess is clearly the older and stronger character.

Some reviewers seem to have had a negative response to the deck. The imagery will challenge your preconceptions about what to expect from a Waite Child deck. This can be unsettling at moments, but I find so much to read/learn from the images. The accompanying book has pretty conventional descriptions of the cards, which the cards themselves often transcend. I love the deck, the cards tell their own story if you let them and I believe that is the best approach with this deck, to do a daily 3 card reading and slowly let the beautiful images and their carefully crafted symbolism sink into your awareness.

Some of the Images repeat themselves. The character we meet as the Fool appears in 3 of the Wands cards. The Hermit and the 2 of Wands also share visual echoes. Given the Artists obvious creativity I believe she is trying to draw the readers attention to the connections and undercurrents between various cards.

A little over a year ago, I noticed a couple samples of cards from this deck and decided to purchase it. I eagerly ordered the deck but was disappointed when I received it in the mail. Some of the cards are amazing but most are just odd to me. The artwork is very futuristic, using bright colors and photography. The deck is one of many that have been compiled on a computer. Real heads are placed on bodies and some cards have complete photos of people.

The cards are slightly longer than I am used to and they're not very sturdy. In fact, they're quite flimsy. This definitely isn't a deck that you'd attempt to shuffle traditionally. The deck is accompanied by a booklet which I found to be of no use. Each major arcana card in the booklet is listed with a breif meaning, energy, Hebrew letter, and symbolism. Some of the cards including minor arcana meanings include astrolical meanings, animals, and planets. The booklet helps a little to understand where Gendron is going with her imagery.

Some positive aspects of the deck are the alteration of some of the cards. For Death there's Transition, for the World there's the Universe, The Hanged Man is the Hanged One, and the Devil is simply the Deceiver. The Knight cards are also changed to Prince cards and Page to Princess. The numbered cards of the minor arcana also do not have labelings on them. You must look at the picture to know it says Five of Pentacles, etc. Other good aspects are the depiction of multicultural people on the cards.

I believe this is an excellent deck for people who enjoy collecting tarot cards. It's also a deck more for people who are familiar with the Tarot. It's definitely not a deck for beginners. It might also make a good meditation deck.

I have read the above reviews of this extraordinary deck and find myself disappointed in other people's negative comments. I have had this deck since 1999 and bought it as a fluke, a novelty gift in a small curio shop in Sedona, Arizona. To my surprise, I found that I was rather good at reading the cards and the energy between me and this deck really clicked. They are poignant and serene, and scarily accurate cards. Gendron's use of animal imagery is not hard to interpret, indeed, she does explain in the book all you need to know. But the point is to let go of the book and rely on your inner-self as a guide. You are the mediator, not the book. Anyway, I am astonished every time I see my cards because I see something I didnt before. My favorite card is the Five of Cups. There is something so chilling and fascinating about this particular card, but the entire deck is richly drawn and lovely. I definately recommend this deck, but perhaps not to beginners, but more to those who are seeking a more enlightening reading deck.

I loved the imagery and strength here, but the symbolism is a bit off. Not recommended as a first deck, although useful for meditation/further study.

As a long time practitioner of Tarot and collector of decks, I am used to switching favorites from time to time. This deck has been my favorite longer than any other, and so I must praise the artist for creating a thoroughly pleasing and sensually/spiritually/emotionally evocative deck. The artist uses a combination of powerful, beautiful, flowing artwork and photo-imagery with gorgeous models showing expressions that perfectly convey the feeling of each card. The work is eclectic and never boring or repetitive, and I feel that her thorough understanding of Tarot is shown through an imaginative and flawless artistic interpretation. Melanie has truly been inspired, and I congratulate her on this most amazing and enjoyable Tarot Deck!

I have looked through so many decks to find one that I can identify with, delights the eyes, and encourages my own wisdom and intuition. This deck stood out from the rest in the store but when I got it home and began to work with it, I found myself more and more inspired, moved. It is sensuous, playful yet serious. I have finally found a deck that feels right! Kudos to the artist!