Customer Reviews

Haindl Tarot: The Major Arcana

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The Haindl Tarot was designed by Hermann Haindl in the 1980's. Many decks have been created based on the artists vision of the tarot and it's place in the esoteric. This one was unique in its vision. Haindl incorporated various spiritual traditions into this deck along with his unique artistic vision based on his understandings. He incorporated images derived from different cultural mythologies, sacred images and sources of influence in his own life.

What emerged was a deck that Ms. Pollack describes as "a sacred Tarot, one which reaches back to ancient spiritual traditions of many cultures."

Ms. Pollack first published her companion books to this deck back in 1990, at the request of Mr. Haindl's publisher. Ms. Pollack has discussed with Mr. Haindl his vision of what the cards represent and has put together two volumes that cover each card and the symbolisms the artist was looking to achieve. These books are the reprints of the original books, revised and updated.

The deck itself is based on the Rider-Waite outline as they maintain the same number and names of the major arcane and the four numbered suites and court cards. We recognize the Fool as 0 and the Hermit as IX, so we are not totally unfamiliar with the layout of the deck. But the similarities end there. The images are purely unique and beautifully presented, and include Hebrew letters and astrological connection which are traditionally associated with those cards. The suits are still wands, cups and swords, but Mr. Haindl has substituted stones for pentacles.

The books are separated into two volumes. The Major Arcana is explored in the first volume and the numbered cards and court cards are discussed in the second volume. Ms. Pollack explains; "Hermann Haindl designed each of the three sections of the deck - the Major Arcana, the Court cards and the numbered cards - in different ways."

This deck is unique in its perspective to be all inclusive as far as spiritual content is concerned. Ms. Pollack does a tremendous job at explaining what Mr. Haindl wanted when he designed the deck, and the meanings behind the imagery.

If you own the deck or looking to purchase it, these books are essential in understanding and working with it. If you are looking for a deck that crosses the spiritual boundaries imposed by other decks, give this deck a look and see if the imagery speaks to you.

I've used the Haindl Tarot for 6 years and recently performed over 33 readings at the San Francisco Whole Life Expo using the Haindl Tarot. This deck gives the querent a great deal of answers pertaining to influences around the question. The cards are beautiful, watercolor like, dreamy, and yet powerful in their images. The inclusion of American Indian, Hindu, European and Egptian influences give the reader the ability to connect with ancient energies. I love reading with this deck and it is one the highly prized decks that I use professionally.

What first drew me to these cards was the amazing art work. The major arcana are so full of symbolism and detail and they do give off a good vibe. They are based more on the Thoth deck then the more traditional decks, so they call the Judgement card Aeon and the Temperance card Alchemy, which is fine, but might be confusing for others just trying to learn. Also the Strength and Justice card are actually numerically switched in the deck. However, I do love that the court cards are daughter, son, mother and father instead of page, knight, queen and king, and that each suit's court cards are actual gods and goddesses from various religions; the cup cards are norse based (Brigid of Ireland and Parsival, etc.), the wands are Hindi based (Kali and Brahma, etc) the stones (penticles) are native american based (Spider Woman and Old Man, etc.) and the swords are egyptian based (Ra and Isis, etc.) And that brings a new aspect to the court cards that I haven't seen in other decks. I have used this deck for several years, however, I feel I have grown out of it and am looking for a new deck. But I do recommend this deck to people who are looking for something with beautiful art and that is not as traditional as other decks. I do not recommend it if you like the minor arcana to be as full of symbolism and art as the major arcana or if you are looking for a more traditional deck to start with.

I have long been searching for a deck that spoke to me... and this one absolutlly does! This deck is illustrated with soft water colours, but don't be fooled (no pun intended). They have a supernatural aura to them, which gives them a high inpact without trying to dazzal you with the "pretty picture" technique. My spreads almost seem to come alive, with a supernatural verver, when I use them. I recomend this deck to anyone who is searching for that "spirtual deck" that gives them a new awareness, to a very old tool.

The Haindl deck is one of the most multicultural I've ever encountered. Instead of the Anglo prototypes prevalent since the Rider-Waite, Hermann Haindl uses India, Egypt, England, and America as his four suits. He also uses Norse runes, Hebrew letters, and I Ching characters on each card. It's lovely and visually enticing, and it truly speaks to the experienced reader. It's a good intermediate deck, perhaps a bit too full for the neophyte reader

I am a beginner in the world of tarot, and I first started my research by reading a small book that had pictures of all different tarot decks. The artwork of the Haindl deck immediatly caught my attention, and after seeing the few examples in the book, I knew it was the deck for me. I actually bought my deck in a bookstore, and I debated between Haindl and the Universal-Waite deck only because I am a beginner and thought it might be easier with the Universal deck. But the Haindl deck felt best to me, and it is now my first deck. After opening the deck, I couldn't believe the artwork. There is so much color, depth, and meaning behind the paintings that were used for the cards, and they are very open to many interpretations. Another thing I really like about the deck is that it represents many different cultures and religions. Hindu, Egyption, Native American, and Greek mythology are all represented, and it makes it the perfect deck for people of any belief. Some find the Eye that graces the back of the cards to be strange and ill fitting, but I thing it represents what the tarot is; the will to want to see more clearly in our own lives, and the lives of others. The cards are a slightly larger size, but still feel comfortable in my hands, even though I have the smallest hands of everyone I know. The only semi-bad thing about this deck is that for the beginner, some of the things are different, like stones instead of pentacles or coins, and a mother, father, son and daughter for the suit cards instead of king, queen, knight and paige. There are also few books available about the Haindl deck, seeing as Rachel Pollack seems to be the only one that has written about it. But all in all this is a beautiful deck, and I am glad that it is my first.

Unlike the glitzy, computer generated tarot decks that are currently popular, the Haindl tarot is a carefully and lovingly wrought deck of unrivaled artistry. The deck is neither bright nor flashy, but bears a subtle and haunting beauty. The art is full of images and symbols. The intricacy of this deck is truly amazing. I highly recommend this deck to any serious student of the tarot. Easily my favorite deck.

Wonderful Deck with an amazing complexity. However, I would recommend that if you are a first time user find a deck with pictorial representations on every card to learn on. This is my second deck and now it's all I use now!

I LOVE the artwork in this deck. As someone said, it is very dreamlike. The only thing that I don't like is that the artist decided to use the Crowley Thoth deck to derive the card meanings. I don't really agree with the meanings that crowley associates with the cards so this bugs me, and I proably won't use the deck for reading, but the artwork is great. If I liked the derivation of the meanings then I'd give it 5 starts, so if you like the Thoth deck then you won't share my complaint.

I have had this deck for several years. It is my most favorite out of all the decks I have. Beautiful artwork! It comes with its own little book that is easy to learn. Gets a little more indepth with the meannings and is great to meditate with.