Customer Reviews

Liber T: Tarot of Stars Eternal

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wasn't sure what to expect from this Tarot deck, but as the owner of more than 185 various Tarots, I was prepared to be underwhelmed, despite the Italian publisher Lo Scarabeo's reputation. I was wrong. This is a beautiful, if odd looking deck. The style of the artwork takes some getting used to, but anyone familiar with the Crowley/Thoth decks will have no trouble reading with this deck. They possess a rich symbology, wonderful colours, and a somewhat eerie atmosphere. I'm not sorry I added this beguiling tarot deck to my collection. I highly commend it. In the game of Tarot, with this deck, LS has hit a 'homer!

This deck is based card-for-card, image-for-image on the Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot painted by Freida, Lady Harris. Serio is clearly a more professional artist than Lady Harris. The images here are more simplified and design-oriented than those of the original Thoth deck. But Lady Harris wins in the end for being sharper, more direct, and more evocative.

How the Liber T deck works best is in direct comparison with the Thoth deck. Examine the corresponding cards of each of the decks side-by-side to see what Serio did differently, what he emphasized, and what he downplayed. It is an instructive exercise that reveals much about both decks.

Be sure to check out his Dante deck as well.

Although based upon Thoth, the colors aren't as vibrant and don't jump off the cards like the original deck. Plus contains some bestiality (bull doing a woman from behind) and other unusual sex scenes. I really wanted to like this deck, but I don't use it often. Sorry, stick with Thoth.

Don't pay hundreds for this deck. This deck is still in print! It's available under a different listing with out the dash "-" in the name. Just search Amazon for Liber T Tarot. Or search for the ISBN of either: 0738705659 or 978-0738705651. When you find the other listing, the price is around list price.
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This is a Thoth clone that deserves a special place along side the deck it is inspired on, Aliester Crowley's Thoth Tarot Deck. Roberto Nigrini's impressive creativity and Andre Serio's amazing artwork can only be fully appreciated when both decks are compared side by side.

The Major Arcana, Court Cards, and Aces in this deck are somewhat "abstracted" renditions of their counter part in the Thoth Tarot. The labeling on these cards follows Crowley's convention closely, albeit in true Lo Scarabeo fashion, these have been written in 6 different languages, four placed on the top and two on the bottom of the cards.

Where this deck departs from the traditional Thoth Tarot is in the numbered cards. These incorporate fully illustrated backgrounds rendered in the same abstract style as the Major Arcana. In some cases, the original art has been integrated into the new illustrations. These are rich with symbolisms although some portray scenes of explicit nature, which may offend some. The only thing missing from this deck is the keywords written at the bottom of the cards in the Thoth Tarot.

In my opinion, this is a must-have deck for tarot collectors. It comes in its own fitting box and includes the usual Little White Book.

Other decks by Andrea Serio:
Dante Tarot

This deck is a necessary development of the Thoth. The images of the Major Arcana differ only slightly from Crowley's Thoth. Here, they occupy dreamy spaces of the astral evoking dream sensibilities with a very vibrant color in the background of the dark nights of astral wanderings. The most special aspect about this deck is the Minor Arcana which have the same images from the Thoth made smaller in order to encompass additional images of human movement, experience, and action.
I have read the Thoth professionally for a year now. Pending time and further study these shall be the cards i read with...

Beautiful and Evocative deck, definitely for the reader in no rush to learn. The meanings in the book are sparse and aphoristic, thus perfect for meditation.

The Liber T Tarot of Stars Eternal is more than just a Thoth Tarot clone, it's better than the original. The art is way superior to Harris and the minors are deepened with the added egyptian decans while the Thoth Tarot somewhat ignores them. The saddest news about this deck is that it's going out-of-print. How can such a masterpiece and a gem can go out-of-print? I do not understand myself. Grab it... while you can.

I think that this deck is more than a clone of the Thoth it does take it to another level and agree that if it is true that it is going out of print it is pathetic. But I do have a question: Why is the Ace of swords pictured upside down? It supposedly makes a somewhat dark symbol. Anyone have and answer? The publisher doesn't. I do really love this deck....

As you may known, this tarot is based in the great Crowley-Harris "Thot" deck, but it has an extra dimension, with the fantastic images created by a true artist, with an original style, Andrea Serio.

You can use it by itself, or in combination with the Thot deck.
By itself it generates a "beauty-full-world" of meanings, it is a true pleasure to see it in action.
If you use the Thot deck first, then you can extend the reading interpretations with these cards, as a new symbolic layer. It is an experience to see these two decks together, sometimes dancing, sometimes struggling.