Customer Reviews

Necronomicon Tarot (Necronomicon Series)

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

 

 

That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange eons even death may die.
-- Necronomicon

The Necronomicon Tarot by Donald Tyson, illustrated by Anne Stokes, is a brilliant adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's work to the Tarot format. For those not familiar with HPL, he was an early 20th century pulp fiction writer whose work focused on the other-worldly horrors of ancient magic and forgotten civilizations. He created the Necronomicon as a literary device, an imaginary tome of ancient magic upon which much of his hideous mythology was based. Tyson himself has continued that lineage with two novels and this Tarot, the third in his trilogy. The Tarot comes in a boxed book and deck set, together with a mosquito-net style bag. Given the subject matter, I was a little disappointed that it did not include a shrunken head, or at the very least some dusty old bones, but I suppose there are postal regulations to contend with.

The deck itself is of standard size, and the usual Tarot format of 22 Major Arcana cards, and a Minor Arcana in four suits of 10 plus four court cards. The art work is vivid and brightly colored, set against a black background that makes the cards almost glow. The design of the Major Arcana itself is roughly traditional (whatever that really means), with the substitutions one would expect for the theme. Most of them will be immediately recognized by students of the genre: Nyarlathotep is the Magician, Dagon is the Hierophant, the Hounds of Leng haunt the Moon, and of course Great Cthulhu himself appears as the Devil. Each suit of the Minor Arcana is based on a particular theme, and for the most part, the cards are descriptively illustrated, and follow the Golden Dawn pattern. The Wands, which we are told represent Fire, somewhat surprisingly concern themselves with Atlantis, and Deep Ones make frequent appearances. The Cups reflect an Egyptian theme, tracing the progress of an acolyte of Bast. The Swords concern themselves with betrayal, distrust and death, while the Disks chronicle the adventures, and eventual success, of a necromancer.

The theme immediately invites a comparison with the H. P. Lovecraft Tarot, by Friedman and Hutchinson, published by Mythos Books, and now sadly out of print. Its first edition was cast in bluish-green tones, and its second edition appeared in sepia, while the Necronomicon Tarot is in full, bright colors. The HPL Tarot provides a more thorough illustration of Lovecraft's works -- it is very much a Necronomicon in itself, which might, to those not familiar with Lovecraft's work, make it a little difficult to use as a Tarot. The Necronomicon Tarot, on the other hand, is immediately recognizable as a Tarot deck. While a familiarity with Lovecraft's work would certainly add to one's appreciation of the deck, it should be easy to use by those familiar with the Tarot in general, and, thanks to the detailed book that accompanies it, by those with an interest in the theme who are just beginning their study of the Tarot.

The book, "Secrets of the Necronomicon," is very well written, and would be very helpful to those not familiar with the work of Lovecraft, or with the Tarot itself. It includes chapters on the Necronomicon and its history, the Cthulhu Mythos, and Correspondences, which discusses the Tarot, and specifically its relationship to the Golden Dawn. There are detailed black-and-white illustrations, descriptions, and suggested divinatory meanings for each card, and finally a suggested layout for reading. The divinatory meanings roughly follow the GD standard, though there are occasional differences. If you don't happen to like the GD interpretations, you can focus more on using the card's description as a starting point for your own imagination and understanding of the card.

And there is a lot to imagine here. As Tyson points out, the Necronomicon itself is made out of the stuff of dreams, not out of wood pulp and glue. Its roots are deep within the unconscious, and its "reality" is in its ability to bring forth things that are hidden to ordinary waking consciousness. As such, it is a theme well suited to the Tarot, which is itself a product of the collective unconscious.

But what is this all about? Why all the excitement over a book that does not exist, over monsters that were invented by a pulp writer in the early 20th century? No one could take all this stuff seriously! After all, no one believes in metaphysical Evil anymore; it's evil with a small "e." Human frailty and corruption, not monsters and devils. Right? Maybe. But, methinks, thou whistleth a bit too loudly in the graveyard...

Nietzsche used the word "blinken" to describe a kind of narrow-sighted, closed-mindedness that refuses to recognize anything other than what makes your own world comfortable for you. It's easy to say there is no "Evil," if you have never faced it. It's easy to say Tarot cards are rubbish, if you have no talent for reading them. It's easy to walk through the graveyard at night, if you don't look behind yourself. And it's easy to ridicule what others believe, until your own little world falls apart.

Then, like Pandora's box, the collective unconscious opens wide, and every horror that has stalked the human race since before recorded history lunges forth with vengeance. The stars are right, and that which became Tiamat to the ancients, and Cthulhu in the mind of Lovecraft, rises from the sea to shred what remains of your "reality." Madness, yes, but "reality" too. More drugs? Drugs can alter your brain so you don't see what is socially unacceptable, but they do not change the "reality" of what lies beyond the blinken.

Therein lies the fascination of the Necronomicon. Sure, it's a myth, but that is what a myth is -- a map of the world that lies beyond immediate experience, a signpost in the twilight zone that lies beyond the blinken. Someone else's experience of a world as yet unknown; and whether imaginary or historical, it is just as valid. And this is the value of the Necronomicon Tarot, along with other "dark" tarots, like the Bosch and the Gothic -- they are images of what lies in the collective unconscious, imaginary and at the same time very real. They speak to, and listen to, a part of the mind connected with the primal origins of humanity, and perhaps with the forces out of which humanity arose. They are gateways to a "reality" that we don't ordinarily see -- the stuff of which dreams and visions are made -- and they are ways of getting beyond the intellectual, moral, and spiritual "blinken" of modern culture.

I want to start off by saying two things. First, this deck is hauntingly beautiful. And second, this deck is not for everyone. The subject material and design will intrigue and delight some folks or repulse and disgust some others. You will love it or hate it.

Having said that, my own opinion is that I really do like this deck, and did some back research on this before even writing this review. Reading through the book with the deck, I saw in the Introduction that the deck is based on Mr. Tysons own work "Necronomicon - The Wanderings of Alhazred". So after glancing through the included book, I acquired a copy of Tyson's Necronomicon and read through that, wandering back and forth between the book and the deck.

The deck is based on the Ryder Waite deck. It contains 22 Trump cards and 4 full suites with court cards of king, queen, knight and knave. The suits are broken into disks, swords, cups and wands. Each suit has its own theme color to make them easily distinguishable from the other suits. The reverse of the cards is a very clever design of Cthulhu, intriguingly done.

The correspondence "is designed to be in harmony with the set of esoteric correspondences used by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn." And reading through the accompanying book confirms this. The suits are Wands - fire, Cups - water, Swords - air and Disks - earth. This desk also relies heavily on reversal reading of the cards, so that has to be taken into consideration when working with this deck. The deck is meant to work mostly with ritual magics and meditation, and is not considered a "fortune telling" deck.

Looking at the images will tell you this as well. Ms. Stokes has presented us with some images that will really give you pause to consider. While I think they are stunning, other people I have shown this deck could not deal with it. And still others quoted H. P. Lovecraft's work as fiction and didn't take the deck seriously.

The concept of necormancy is not new, and to eventually write a book on Necromancy and call it the Necronomicon would not have been so far fetched if it had not been that the book first appeared in a fantasy novel.

This deck is a natural progression of this process, working into using a deck designed for use in necromancy and the magical arts , calling upon real and imagined images to create a world within the deck that draws you towards the ideas and concepts that Mr. Tyson explains in both of these books.

The images work well with the usual meanings of the decks, but the designs are dark, raw and not for the weak of stomach. While the card for the Two of Cups shows a priestess of Bast pouring wine for a youth and having a statue of Bast in the background and implies what we usually associate with this card as a minor card of love, we contrast this with the Four of Wands, which shows a noble woman sitting staring amorously into the eyes of "The Deep One", very reptilian looking, having a tryst. A very different view of the meaning of enjoyment, harmony and satisfaction.

Ms. Stokes designs are very powerful. The Magician card is one of the most powerful Magician cards I've seen in a while, with the Magician raising a spirit from a grave. Now that's magic!. The Fool card is Azathoth - fat, naked, dirty and alone playing happily on his pipes. Such innocence, such blindness to the world around him.

The deck continues along in this fashion, and should really been seen and felt and contemplated to understand how this deck can work for your own path. I have found it to be compelling to use, but as I said, it is not for everyone.

However, I do recommend that you take a look at this deck and decide for yourself. I do think it is a remarkable deck, and if you have read Tyson's Necronomicon, you will find this deck as fascinating a work as
the book. boudica

I do find this deck remarably dark and juicy in ways that are atypical in most other decks. While the story lines in the minor arcana are well done and the text supports them well, it is very 'exclusive' in nature, meaning that the meanings aren't transferable to another reading but with that deck alone. Not to bad in that way, but I'd prefer something with a tad bit more universal twist. The deck though is basically tailored to the necromanian universe and it presents it well and can offer some intruging readings as the artwork is a little spooky and dark and very meanacing, but sometimes overdone and a tad bit overy dramatic. If you like dark decks then don't pass this one up. It can really give one quiet a pause along that vein.

These cards are awesome. I hate to open with such a mundane line, but there really is no other way of expressing the jublilation fostered by the dark images of this deck. The Author takes great pains to adhere to the Golden Dawn Tarot Model, and with great success. The gods, devils, and people you encounter throughout the tarot journey within this deck create a gloomy, darker miasma in the room, but the meanings ascribed to the cards couple with the images in a perfect blend of harmony and despair. True the Necronomicon is not the most happy-go-lucky text (or texts however you believe) but this deck deals with the dark in such a way that enlightens. This deck is unique in its delivery of symbolism and has a rich mythos behind it. Great for lovers of HP Lovecraft, Tyson, or just those of us who do not see sunny-faced magic bunnies dancing among candy-coated mountaintops in our dreams. (If you do see such things, this tarot is probably not for you.) This Deck is for any of us who dare to look into the chasm of the human psyche without the fear of being swallowed by the darkness within.

I found this Tarot deck fun to look at and play with. While I do not believe I would use it for real Divination, still I will use it for some Pathworking experiences with the Mythos.

The artwork is pretty and the colors are truly stunning. I would like to see better drawn art but I realize that that is probably not going to happen where the Cthulhu Mythos is concerned. Thus this deck will serve as a nice way to Pathwork as well as put me in the mood to read some Lovecraft and Chtulhu Mythos works.

I gave it 4 out of 5 possible stars because I don't agree with some of the card associations regarding characters from the Mythos. I do not feel the need to justify this to anyone as it is only 'my' personal opinion and taste however if you're new to Tarot, Sorcery or Cthulhu Mythos & Lovecraftiana, then this deck will be something you want to explore.

I am a huge Lovecraft fan, and I went with this particular deck for just that reason. The meanings of the cards are a lot easier for me to remember because I'm familiar with the lore, I feel like I have a good connection with the deck, and the few tarot readings I've given so far have been ABSOLUTELY AMAZING and dead on accurate - likely because I feel such a close kinship to the deck. I think it's an excellent starter deck, although the cards aren't very much like traditional cards and to some people are a bit off putting. I don't feel like this deck could replace a traditional tarot deck, but it definitely makes a fantastic "theatrical" deck for when you want a skeptic to doubt their own skepticism. The cards are very lively, and I love how the vibrant images speak to you and help with remembering the various meanings.

I always have this deck with me, and although I don't feel like it could replace a more traditional deck, it's definitely a great addition to any fan of the Lovecraftian lore.

"Necronomicon Tarot" The potential is overwhelming. Take all of Lovecraft's work, all the stuff pushed by Derleth, all the numerous updates from other authors working with the Mythos, add Tyson's own amazing take on the Necronomicon and the biography of Alhazred.

I expected a great deal from the cards and I was disappointed.

The Major Arcana are well done, touching on many themes and creatures from the Mythos. I have no complaints about those.

The Minor Arcana are conceptual in that each suit tells a story. The stories are insufficient to touch on enough aspects of the Mythos to be compelling. They just aren't that exciting.

The artwork is well done, sufficiently dark and detailed.

Buy it to complete the Necronomicon trilogy by Tyson (although the Grimoire is out so is it a quadriligy?), but don't expect to do a traditional Tarot spread and read it like a RWS deck.

Pros very nicely crafted product with nice feel and quality material great color and graphics on both the book and the cards technically they are superb and in spirit they and wunderbar !!!! Great job excelent addition to the mythos and the translucent irradecent black bag is a really nice thoughtfull touch
Cons there is nothing about these cards that precludes them from serious use, however they are at times a bit cartooni and there is a bit of sillyness concerning cats and Atlantis but hey it's best to not be too serious about such things , ifyou want deep pure chulthulhooooo then go with the Giger deck if you dare if you are a Gammer or wiccanish type this deck is ideal , stareersintotheabyss might find it a bit giggly. But that's not nessa a bad thing.

I was a little leery of the darker aspects of this deck, but I've found it quite useful. I have about 15 other decks.

When I bought this deck it was half price so I took the chance and bought it. I've been doing readings for a few years now and every time I find a nice deck I always consider buying it for my extensive collection. I was hesitant to buy it though because I knew nothing of the Necronomicon but since it was on sale I bought it anyways. First off- the cards have beautiful art front and back and I enjoyed looking through them. Unfortunately I have to say this deck isn't as universal as I thought. Although I love the dark ideal for this deck I think it was just too dark and it wouldn't be something I would use for my clients. It definitely is targeted too a Necronomicon audience and those who understand and work with this pathwork. So it wouldn't be anything I would use as a general divination system. But since I bought it I've been studying the Necronomicon and I've fallen in love with the magick and mythos. So I do have to say that I could use this for a divination associated with Necronomicon work. So for anyone who loves the Necronomicon and follows this pathwork, I think this deck will enhance and add to that. If you're looking for a general divination system you may want to look elsewhere. Otherwise it's a nice deck to add to you collection if you enjoy the art and look appeal.