Customer Reviews

The Mythic Tarot

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book has been an incredible tool for myself in learning the Tarot. It's packed with spreads, worksheets, and study pages for EVERY card in the deck. It starts off with a page on each one of the cards in the Major Arcana in the Mythic Tarot and lets you color them in. This exercise in itself was a great visualization tool and has helped me connect with each one of the cards. If you're new to Tarot or if you are wanting to learn more, I strongly reccomend this workbook.

I'd like to address some of the primary complaints I've heard about this deck before I get to why I use this deck all of the time.

Personally, the only issues I've had with anything breaking for falling apart was with the front cover of the book - that was my fault; in a fit of rage I'd cut the cover of the book off. I found that it was a very sturdy material myself.

Possibly, it's because I handle the cards more gently than the other people do. I've had them for years, and they're still in great shape.

As for anyone feeling limited by the spread printed on the cloth, if it's that big of an issue, don't use it. Or, even better, do what I do - flip the cloth over. It's one sided print.

The interpretations are sometimes very vague in this book, which would not make it the ideal deck for a beginner. However, I felt the reason the book was lacking in interpretation detail as opposed to the backstory, symbolism, and descriptions was because these things, along with your inutition, is what should be used to find the meaning of the card, rather then relying on the book as a crutch.

That's possibly one of my favourite things about this deck. It pushes you from being a beginner to something more advanced, by using your own inuition to truly read these cards.

The beautiful images open up a story, revealing what the card means, if you pay attention to the symbolism found in the book. The book itself is not one of those paper booklets inserted into a normal deck, it is a full fledged book in its own right. Definitely not something that one may easily lose, as opposed to other products.

I wouldn't call this deck "dark". Some cards (ie: Three of Swords) just don't mean "happy" things, and that's simply the way it is. Ultimately though, even what one may perceive as dark can begin a period of something better.

If you're serious about tarot, I'd suggest this deck for you. If you're more into parlor games, perhaps you'd be more interested in another product.

The Mythic Tarot was the first deck I gained, and I have been working with it for the past 7 years. The deck is beautifully illustrated in the tradition of Greek Mythology, with each of the suits telling a classic mythical tale (eg Jason and the Argonauts as the suit of wands).

The Mythic Tarot book describes interpretations that differ substantially from those of classic decks such as the Rider-Waite, as the focus is not on good-bad/upright-reveresed cards, but rather on the fact that every event or situation has both positive and negative aspects (a very psychological concept). I have found this to be a very good thing, particularly in situations where you are reading for people that are a little scared of what the future may hold for them ("and you can take that death card of of the deck before you do my reading!" is a common comment!). While Death is still seen as a monumental change and a difficult ending, it is also stressed that there will be a new beginning and rebirth. This is one big reason why I like this interpretation for beginners in particular.

This deck was excellent to learn with, as the mythical stories portrayed by the suits are easy to remember and well explained in the book, therefore making divination something anybody can learn (even me)!

I picked this one up along with the deck randomly at a yard sale, and tried learning the Tarot with it. It was actually a great deck to learn with. I've since read other books explaining the meaning of the Tarot. I think this author has a deep understanding both of human psychology and of Greek mythology, not to mention the Tarot itself. She seems to have been through these various life situations and seems to speak out of them from personal experience -- how true Strength is immunity from the 'Thou shalt', how true love is made manifest only after one has experienced betrayal, etc.. She doesn't simply say, "The ten of Wands means oppression and this and that." She explains HOW the process of pursuing the high adventure results in the final card being oppression. She explains WHAT is common to the 10's in all the suits, etc.. She also does quite a good job of explaining the difference between similar cards that are easy to confuse. The High Priestess and the Moon are both sort of feminine and otherworldy in nature. What's the essential difference? One has the sense she has thought it through and solidified it in her mind. And now when I go out and read other versions, I have a good basis from which to understand what I read.

This book is not really about how to read various spreads, though she does offer a couple examples. I understand she has written a workbook for that purpose.

I've always been better with stories than with numbers, so I've had trouble with the tarot for a long time. I never quite *got* numerology, so I'd sit there reading various tarot guidebooks and wondering, "But WHY does the three mean such-and-such? And how am I supposed to remember that?" The book that accompanies the Mythic Tarot solved that problem for me. The authors' great idea was to choose a Greek story to illustrate each suit, and the cards are major events in the story. Since I can remember how the story goes, it's so much easier to call to mind the meanings of the Minor Arcana. The authors spoke my language, if you will. And if you're more story-oriented than number-oriented, it will help you as well. Even when using another deck, the Mythic book makes a great mnemonic aid.

The cards aren't bad either. Most of the best are to be found in the Major Arcana. The High Priestess, The Empress, and Temperance are a few of my favorites. The Minors sometimes look a little weird because the figures seem to be stiffly posed. This isn't a problem in the Majors since most of them are standing still anyway, but when the people are supposed to be fighting or murdering or even conversing, they look a little stiff. Still, the cards are evocative, and you know at first glance the basic "mood" of the card.

I would have given the deck five stars, but the quality of the materials isn't great. The book is already looking shabby. The cards could have been made on better stock. I have small hands, and I can't shuffle most decks in the normal way; I'm a big proponent of the "mess them around in a big pile" school of thought. But my friend shuffled them once; she has larger hands and shuffled them normally, and one of the cards now has a white worn spot on its back, where the black dye was worn away by just a few shufflings. The publishers could have done better. Five stars for the authors and artist; two or three for the publishers.

I ended up returning this deck for two reasons: the cards, though beautifully designed, are very flimsy and I was afraid of bending them. The other reason is that the badly bound book fell apart within the first 24 hours of owning the deck! In reading the other reviews, there are apparently quite a few other customers who experienced the same problem. Since this deck is quite popular, I can't imagine why the publisher jeopardizes sales and invites customer complaints by not investing in better quality card paper and book binding. Recommended only if you're willing to overlook these problems.

This was the 3rd of my 7 (so far) decks.

I bought this deck in the set with the book and 'silky' reading cloth. The illustrations are colorful and competently done. In each suit one myth unfolds in the cards. Cups 'considers' the myth of Eros and Psyche; Wands, Jason and the Golden Fleece; Swords, Orestes and the Curse of the House of Atreus; and Pentacles, Daedalus. Each myth is matched to the essential meaning of its suit. The major arcana are represented by the gods.

Things I liked about the deck: I am interested in, and have studied Greek and Roman mythology, so I was drawn to this deck. Because the suits correspond to an unfolding story (the myth), the individiual cards may be easier to learn and develop your own interpretation for. The book that comes with it provides good information on interpretation and background of the cards. In addition, it gives unique information--this is one of the only decks I've seen that is NOT published by US Games, so you don't get a sense of deja vou when you read the book. The elegant simplicity of the illustrations does not detract from the complexity of the subject matter.

Things I don't like: Although the illustrations are colorful, I find them somehow drab and dark. While the figures in each illustration are detailed, there is not as much overall detail as in some decks (like Tarot of a Moon Garden, or Cat People Tarot). The cards are not as sturdy or heavy as most decks I've handled, and feel a bit flimsy. The 'silky' cloth is a piece of strech polyester (unhemmed) with the Celtic Cross patern stamped on it.

While this is not among my favorite decks, I do not regret owning it, and it only suffers in comparison to other decks that suit me better. I would recommend it to people who enjoy Classical Mythology, and would like a unique, stunning deck. My best friend likes the deck more than I do, and she has great taste. As with any deck, I would suggest getting it with the companion book.

My favorite deck is the Aquarian.

The Mythic Tarot Workbook, a companion workbook and study guide to the Mythic Tarot Cards and the Mythic Tarot book, is a great way to begin exploration of an unfamiliar deck. This book is a good reference for students of Tarot, especially those that use this deck.

This workbook is keyed to a specific deck of cards, the Mythic Tarot deck. Unfortunately, the Mythic Tarot deck itself seems to be out of print, but students still able to find a copy of that deck will find this workbook a great aid to learning these cards and their meanings. The Mythic Tarot is keyed to the Greek Gods and uses fairly simple imagery, but with all the symbolism that Tarot students have come to expect from a modern deck.

The unusual way presented here to get to know the Major Arcana is a great tool for students that want to try their hand at creating their own decks, but unsure of how to start. The Major Arcana are illustrated in black and white line drawings, and the workbook encourages you to color them in any manner you see fit. This is a great way to give your own interpretations to the cards, and a good way to study the cards for self realization. The workbook also gives you space to write your own observations about the cards. Immediately after the section on Major Arcana is an exercise which gives students a chance to get to know their key cards for themselves. Although only two pages, the chance to review what you have learned and utilize it is a nice touch.

When studying the Minor Arcana, it can be harder to find something to link to which allows for deeper study. The Mythic Tarot presents a link between Astrology and the Court Cards that is an interesting one, and the detailed notes you will take while reading this workbook and interpreting these cards will give you your own insight into what these cards mean to you. This is important later on, when you decide to start giving readings. There is also a chance to review with an exercise to allow you to get to know the Court cards better.

The discovery sections for the other Minor Arcana are just as interesting. Only a small illustration of each card is given (the one reason you may want to try to find a deck of Mythic Tarot cards in order to use this book). The space for the notes which ask you to "recall an experience of your own which fits this card's essence" and to "find your own key word or phrase for this card" give students of Tarot a unique way to experience the cards for yourself. This section concludes with a short exercise designed to allow you to use what you have learned about the Minor Arcana without the accompanying Court cards.

Finally, there's the usual section for using the cards in readings. It starts with a short summary of three layouts - a twenty-one card spread, a fifteen card spread, and a "Gypsy" spread. There's also longer sections on a "Horoscope" spread, a "Horseshoe" spread, and a "Triangle" spread. No Celtic Cross spread to be found anywhere. I found this to be a refreshing change. Each of the larger sections includes a sample reading.

The only thing that kept this workbook form getting a perfect five stars from me was the fact that it was keyed to a specific deck of cards. Without the Mythic Tarot deck in your hands, this workbook is of less value, but still useful.

Though this workbook is designed to go hand in hand with the Mythic tarot deck, I find this book to be wonderful for my students in tarot. Each card is assigned it's own page and assignments on learning it.

Learning the meanings of each card and commiting them to memory is not a simple process and the manner in which Juliet walks readers through, makes it so easy.

There are guided lessons and meditations for each card to help you learn how to picture the meaning of the card. For instance, The Fool card lesson asks the reader to picture themselves inside of a cave, emerging into the sun light and onto a path. There the reader is asked to imagine they have met the Fool and held a conversation with the fool. You are encouraged to write in the book and record your thoughts and conversation which this card. When you break a lesson on each card down into this fashion like Juliet does, it certainly makes it easier to recall the cards' meaning later in a deal.

She also offers a step by step guide through a few of the basic spreads and I really feel makes it simple enough that any layperson could comprehend the methods.

This is really a good book for deeper understanding to Tarot. The book describe the cards not only on the divination level. Each card is accompanied with a Greek story. The Major Arcana assembles the story of human life cycle. The 4 suits of Minor Acrana tell the stories of Wand (fire), Pentacle (earth), Sword (air) and Cup (water), and the characteristic of the 12 zodiac signs. Each card augurs the situation at the moment. The stories help me a lot understanding and remember the deeper meaning behind the cards.

The most interesting is that the author did not read the card in reversal. He said that each card has its positive and negative face, it depends how you interpret your own situation. If you could understand the deeper meaning of the card, you would appreciate the author. For example, most people would think the "Dead" a bad card. But if you do not let go the old thing, you are not opened to accept new things. Also, the "Tower". You may had some painful experience that hurt your heart. Gradually you will build a "Emotional Wall" (tower) around your heart and protect you from pain. But actually the old pain is trapped inside the wall and still torturing you. Break down the tower will release the pain and is much more painful. But if you could face the pain, it will get cured.

The wisdom in Tarot is very useful for personal developement, even you do not use it for divination. And this book help me a lot.