Customer Reviews

Revelations Tarot

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Revelations Tarot was conceived in the midst of a journey of self-discovery... The start of a new millennium triggered a need to uncover and understand the self, and I turned to the language of the Tarot to uncover my own mysteries. However, the various decks that were available on the market...failed to connect with my inner being. I grew weary of my journey to try to find that one special deck with which I could conduct my own readings, and decided to venture on a sister journey to create one of my own." -Zach Wong

Sensuous curvilinear strokes, striking art nouveau-style images, and vibrant luminescent stained-glass surroundings enliven every card in the Revelations Tarot. Layers of symbolism, illuminated color, and intricate shading combine with intriguing reversible images that allow for interpretation no matter which way the card is laid.

Although based on the Rider-Waite and its traditional renderings, Zach Wong's sophisticated, reversible artwork and innovative design distinguishes Revelations Tarot from other R-W clones.

Before I get into the nuts and bolts of this deck, I want to convey that it's obvious to me that Wong hasn't created a deck "just for the heck of it" or because he's an able artist who wanted a challenge. Born from intense personal excavation, his use and interpretation of symbol reveals depth of spirit and breadth of mind. In my opinion, this kind of self-reflection is what separates a shallow deck from a great reading deck, especially when the Tarot is used for personal awareness.

THE MAJOR ARCANA

What sets the Trumps apart from the Minors is the fractured mask that each character wears. Wong explains that the masks are "merely a representation of a `human' relation, similar to that of the mythical gods who stand in human form amongst us to ease our comprehension of the messages they deliver." Considering the nature of the Greater Mysteries, this makes complete sense. The gods and goddesses govern the nature of archetypal patterns, so the lessons they teach us are "nothing personal", after all.

THE MINOR ARCANA

Although the Minors lack consistent color schemes, other conspicuous hallmarks announce the four suits and their elemental correspondences: the Cups feature merpeople, indicating emotion and freedom of movement; the Wands feature magicians, warriors, and sages as they create or fight with the element of fire; the Pentacles feature metallic humanoids consistent with the earthly, material realm; and Swords feature serious-minded warriors who employ fierce logic.

The Aces are especially exquisite, and the Court cards follow Page, Knight, Queen, and King depictions.

THE COMPANION BOOK

The companion book is written by the artist, and numbers 199 pages. Wong gives upright and reversed meanings for each card, an explanation of the significant images and symbols, and a general overview of the numerological patterns of the Minor Arcana. I found myself highlighting portions as I read through the book. Rather than the warmed-over interpretations offered by many companion books, the author provides fresh observations. Several of Wong's insights allowed me to see various cards from a new perspective. For example, for the reversed Sun he says: "In families, children can be hard to contain due to hyperactivity and restlessness." I never saw the reversed Sun this way, but it perfectly describes my sunny-dispositioned son when he's exuberant!

For the reversed Queen of Cups, Wong writes: "Within her, she could also harbor angst and self-loathing for her inability to do more with herself and her talents." Part of the symbolism of this card: "Her eyes are not opened, for her powers extend beyond the mind's eye. She can see all from channeling through her cup."

I also enjoyed Wong's take on the elements as represented by the four suits of the Minor Arcana. Four basic spreads are at the back of the book: Past, Present, Future; Four Elements, 7 Days Spread; and the ever-trusty Horoscope Spread.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

The box set comes with a black organdy bag for card storage, as well as a stiff paper box. The cards themselves are slick, and are the same size (and have the same feel) as those from The Quest Tarot. The card backing is reversible, with blue, indigo and black brushstrokes swirling in an abstract lemniscate. In the center sets a faded boxy cross-like symbol.

The reversals provide visual interest, but are not mirror images. For example, the upright Emperor stands upright, arms close to the body. However, the reversed image shows his outstretched arms perpendicular to his body as he hangs by Illuminated "strings" like a puppet.

HOW IT READS

Having recently undertaken a new project that would have taken months to finish, I thought I'd test this deck out regarding this venture. I created a 7 card spread tailored to my situation, "finger-painted" and shuffled the deck numerous times, and began to read. As I saw the cards, my heart sank into my stomach. All of the cards worked in concert to relay a very specific message and it wasn't an easy one to swallow. However, in the depths of my being, I knew heeding this profound message will conserve my energy, preserve my health, and re-direct my efforts where they need to be at this time. I am so confident of the message of these cards that I made an immediate U-turn.

CONCLUSION

Sophisticated yet accessible, this is one of those innovative decks that elicit comments like "Ohhhh....cool!" (At least, that was *my* reaction upon seeing the cards!) For beginners who choose to read reversals, Wong's clear visual and interpretative synthesis of the Tarot will make the process much less daunting. The Revelations Tarot is a must-have for deck collectors, and seasoned readers will be delighted with its multi-layered presentation.

Kudos to Mr. Wong on his magnificent creation!

For fun: when you get your deck, look for the tiny initials ZW hidden among the images.

(To see 6 card images from this deck, visit the Reviews section at JanetBoyer.com)

My Revelations Tarot finally arrived today. It really is beautiful, the details are a bit hard to see but I like that they didn't scrimp on the art work just to make it all look better on smaller cards. The cards are a bit thin, but they shuffle well. And the backs are beautiful, full of purply bluish swirls. I prefer smaller decks, and these cards are smaller than a lot of decks out there, but not what I would call pocket sized like the Hanson Roberts Tarot. The thinness of the cards, however, is a real plus making the shuffling so much easier.

The artwork surprised me by being a little more cartoony than I expected. I hate cartoony, but I like this deck and the cartoony effect isn't overdone on these cards. Something about the style reminded me a bit of the Secret Tarot. But it wasn't cheesy or comic book style at all. It's good art, even if it is slightly cartoony, it's very tastefully done.

Everyone is wearing masks, I understand the point but I'm not crazy about the effect. I love that the deck is double-ended. However, the Aces aren't double-ended. This surprised me.

So far, and I haven't had the deck more than a few hours, my favorite cards are the GORGEOUS Ace of Cups and I love the symbolism of the Six of Swords. It's a remarkable card. You'd have to see it to understand, I don't know how to explain it. It's the traditional Six of Swords with a bit of a twist that I really like.

The packaging is wonderful too. It all comes in a big box, to allow for the book that comes with the deck. Inside the box is a smaller box just to store your deck in if you like. Also included is a black organdy bag that is the perfect size for the deck. I think this deck is a real bargain for the price.

All in all, I'm thrilled! It's a great deck. I can't wait to read with it and I don't see this deck being added to the unused stack of decks that I never read with but just had to have. This is a work deck!

Whether an experienced reader or a fledgeling novice, if you have secretly yearned for a 156 card tarot deck - containing a seperate card for each of the major arcana cards & pips, both upright & reversed - then this is may be the tarot set of your dreams... Compared to the standard 78 card decks with books or booklets which offer about about 1/4 of the same attention to card reversals as they give to their upright meanings - it's almost a guilty pleasure. Because the meanings of the reversals are so clearly defined & delineated - that the intuitive guesswork for how to interpret them (ie. whether a reversed card in question indicates "a non-situation of X" in a given instance, versus "an intensely exaggerated, extreme situation of X") is eliminated. The range of possibilities for the reversed meanings is narrowed down, & certain interpretations you may be used to using will be factored out in the illustrations - but this concrete definition of the reversals will greatly serve to enhance your objectivity. Especially if you like to read for yourself, or on highly sensitive issues.

Since the author did design this tarot primarily for himself - it is true that some of the card definitions are going to differ in ways from what you've been taught & have already been using. Every person's approach to tarot differs somewhat from every other's, but it's worthwhile to shift gears just a bit for the luxury of using this tarot. Everyone also has suits & individual cards that they resonate & connect with more intimately than others, & this author is no exception. As with other decks you've seen, you may find some cards here that you may feel the author lacks deep experience with & didn't completely "get". On the other hand, some cards that may fall into your own blind spots may suddenly spring to life & come into clearer focus for you, all in living technicolor... This author brings with him a pleasant & sutble Eastern flavor to his approach to tarot in Western culture, & if you've already read enough tarot books to make your eyes glass over...his card interpretations may unblock your thinking in a lot of ways. You may find passage out of some of the ruts you've fallen into with certain cards over the years, & you won't ever be bored. The manual held my interest strongly enough to work through it with each of the cards, one by one, & read it all the way through. When I saw the refined artistic nature of the cards, I was expecting an equally right-brained manual - but the author's grasp of verbal expression is just as outstanding as his understanding of artistic expression.

I always enjoy studying any & every tarot deck as art, but none so much as I have this one. The creative thought that went into each & every card is more than insightful, it is mentally stimulating & emotionally inspiring. The upright & reversed images that intertwine at their junctures are like the two fishes of Pisces that swim in opposite directions, & yet meet in the middle. The author is employed as an architect, & you can feel his immense appreciation for & command over form & design. I've taken an introductory stained glass class, & most of the structure of his designs conform fairly well to how it's done. Unlike most "stained glass" theme decks I've seen - with a few modifications of where the glass is cut, you could probably actually make real glass panels for almost any of these cards.

The imagery the author uses is packed with fine detail, & every little item & color you see within these very busy cards, rich with ergonomic flow & movement - was purposely put there with a very specific meaning in mind. These cards are veritably crawling with symbolism, & everything means something, & nothing was placed there arbitrarily or on a whim. A great deal of thought, planning, & well-considered decision making was put into each card. In fact some of the intricate detail is almost too small, if you're inclined to lay out big spreads or ask questions from the deck at great length - but I wouldn't opt to sacrifice their content in order to change this. There's too many goodies, & I'd hate to miss out.

This Llewelyn tarot set comes with everything you need - cards, a well-written manual, some starter spreads, drawstring bag, & a protective cardboard box to hold them all, which was designed with re-use in mind. It's always nice to be able to have the book available right there with you when you go to get your cards. Most cardboard tarot packaging I have to resist the urge to pitch ASAP, but this one I kept, & I think most people won't feel they have to go out & find a new tarot box for this set unless they really want to. My one complaint is the drawstring bag provided is a transparent black nylon mesh that is functional, but a little too flimsy. I count myself fortunate that they included a tarot bag with the set at all, but I'd have paid an extra $1 or two if Lewellyn had provided an opaque bag made of a better quality material. This tarot is so excellently designed - it really deserves one. :)

WHERE I'M COMING FROM
I'm a professional Psychic Tarot & Divinatory Reader. While I don't *need* tools to do a reading, I LOVE tools! :-) Also tools can enhance a reading and since I'm visually (as well as verbally) oriented, I love delving into scrumptious images which enhance the psychic impressions received.

Now I normally avoid sharing my "trade secrets" with people but two things are of issue here: 1. I want the Revelations deck to become a "classic" so I can buy a deck whenever I like as opposed to "stockpiling decks" like I often do (worried about tools going out of print), 2. Zach Wong is a wonderfully *nice* person whom I'm compelled to promote! :-) [I don't know him personally but he always answers my questions in a prompt and pleasant way -- mind you, my questions are about 15 words long -- unlike this review! haha].

DECK IMPRESSIONS
Revelations IS the only deck, that I'm aware of, that has reverse images to reflect the reversed Tarot meanings of each card. Imagine getting a reversed card (if you work in both upright and reverse) and just seeing an upside-down image. If you are visual, like me, this is an annoyance because it's difficult (though not impossible) to glean visual information and rather one might go from stored memory to come to the meaning of the reversed card or forget about the card and rely on intuition or psychic impressions instead. However, with the Revelations deck a "brand new image" appears in the reversed position ( http://www.psychictarot.tarotreader.ca/?p=288 <a href="http://www.psychictarot.tarotreader.ca/?p=288">Example</a>) to offer additional or differing meaning from the upright position.

The Revelations deck has an abstract surreal quality to it with a lot of fine and enlarged details going on. It can be used both as a reading and meditative deck. The colour usage seems symbolic and I find myself gaining immediate "impressions" from the cards as the hues impart great information. As I lean in and take a closer look, more information is received from both the fine and enlarged shapes and drawings. I have no complaint other than I would like to see the astrological symbols on each card with a longer lasting card stock.

THE DECK TO GET -- For beginner and advanced Taroists
The Revelations Tarot Book Set is THE deck to have in addition to any or all of the original or inspired versions of these classic Tarot decks: Rider-Waite, Thoth, and a Marseilles.

But let's say you only want one deck and would rather use intuition instead of reading a whole bunch of books on what Tarot means -- THIS deck is it. However, instead of it being a lighter version -- how most *you don't need to study Tarot for long* oracle-type decks are -- this deck is intense and both beginner and advanced Taroist will find tremendous value in it.
If the deck wasn't enough, this set comes with an organdy black silky bag, box for the deck (which you can colour or place stickers on -- basically personalize the cardboard box) and a companion book about the cards meanings (a key idea, upright and reversed meanings, image and colour symbology).

THE COMPANION BOOK
However, unlike many books the writing is clear, clean, and sparse. Now some might say sparse is not good but the old adage goes here, "less is more". He says what he needs to say, in a very personable manner, and doesn't fill the book with a lot of fluff. And who needs to read fluff in such a fast paced world?

<a href="http://www.tarotreader.ca">Tarot Reader</a>
See one image -- 2 of Cups -- upright and reversed at: http://www.psychictarot.tarotreader.ca/?p=288 <a href="http://www.psychictarot.tarotreader.ca/?p=288">Images</a>

Revelations Tarot is one of the finest decks created in many years. First, the illuminated art nouveau design with its intricacies are superb! All 78 cards have more details in them than one could count! I assume much of the work is hand drawn as well as computer enhanced. This just adds to the mysterious style of the cards themselves.

The unique feature of the deck is the reversed meanings are all fully and cleverly presented in each card. This is an area I have never ventured into before. I always felt reversals were like reading books upside-down. It was not logical or recognizable to me as a therapist/psychic. If the cards fell reversed, I simply, sometimes awkwardly turned them back over. This is no longer the case with this deck. Reading reversals is now, ever so easy.

For myself, this was like learning the tarot over again. Something we may need to do every so often, as professional readers. This set is easy to learn for beginners and advances readers alike. The images can be visually challenging due to the intricacies. A magnifying glass may be required at times!

Mr Wong has easily brought the Tarot into the next century. Gone are the superstions previously associated with this wonderful tool. All the mysteries are still in tact. The theme is almost Science Fiction with a liberal dose of Fantasy. I did a few readings today and the depth has been taken to new levels. There are now 156 meanings easily accessible to readers and client alike! This will in my opinion become the standard for the future of the Tarot.

This is a tarot deck in a presentation box. It contains the deck, a bag to hold your deck made from black organdy and a companion book for using the deck.

The author/artist, Zach Wong, grew up in Malaysia. He has studied Western and Asian mythology. He now lives in Australia as a graphic designer and illustrator.

First the deck. There are 22 Major Arcana cards. There are four suits: cups, pentacles, swords and wands. Each suit contains 10 numbered cards and four court cards. In this deck, wands are fire, swords are air, pentacles are earth and cups are water. All cards are labeled with their number and their name.

The decks style is self described by the artist as "stained glass". As I went through the deck, I got a feeling of stained glass in some cards, but others were slightly suggestive of the manga style of art. Still others were very definitely Western in influence of both design and meaning. There is an overall Asian influence in his style, and it is refreshing rather than unsettling.

In the Major Arcana, the artist makes this note: Each character in the major arcana wears a mask over his or her face, which is depicted by lines that break the face down into sections. The mask is merely a representation of a "human" relations, similar to that of the mythical gods who stand in human form amongst us to ease our comprehension of the messages they deliver. Again, a refreshing new look at the meanings of the Major Arcana.

I also like the "mirror image" effect the artist used to denote reversal of the cards. This deck needs to be used by someone who uses reverse meanings in their readings. If you look at the Fool, in the upright position you can see the traditional representation:, the innocent starting out on his journey in life. However, in the reverse, the image is somewhat mirrored in the opposite, showing the traditional meaning of the reversed Fool: loss of control and barreling into the great unknown head first. The Hermit, on the one side is looking for enlightenment with a lantern, on the other side mirrored again in the opposite, he is being shown sliding against the darkness. Very cleverly done, and a stroke of genius to be sure.

The Major Arcana is the only part of the deck that is entirely done in this manner. With the Minor Arcana, some cards have no reverse design. What the artist did do is associate numbers across the suits with a "theme", such as the fives all denote "conflict, loss and change" while the tens offer "transcendence". Again, a lovely addition to the cards.

All the designs are colorful and attractively done. Even the reverse side of the cards, a purple design that almost resembles the infinity symbol: two spiraling circles with an "X" design in the center connecting or separating the two spirals, is very tasteful and lovely to contemplate.

The book does a wonderful job of explaining how the artist interprets the meanings of the cards as reflected by his study of the traditional meaning and how he personally designed and defined his insights. It is clearly written and the material is covered in depth. The little illustrations make referencing the cards easier, but in no way are they substitutes for the deck itself. They are small and make you go back to the deck to observe the designs in relation to the card interpretations.

Using this deck was also very enjoyable. The cards are 2 ¾" wide by a little over 4 ½" long. The cardboard is standard stock and coated, making them sturdy to stand up to handling and shuffling. You may want to give the book a general reading, to see where the artist may vary with traditional interpretations, but overall the deck does have traditional associations. The learning curve here will be very slight.

This is a lovely deck, nice to handle and work with. The designs offer some keen insights into the mysteries of the Tarot, and the artwork is sure to please both the reader as well as the clients you may use these for. The book will assist with any questions you may have and will answer them clearly. This is a good effort on the part of Mr. Wong and one that will attract readers for both use as well as collecting. boudica

The Revelations Tarot is a daring step for a Rider-Waite tarot deck in this day of increasingly ignored reversals: it offers the possibility of interpretation in either state without heavy reliance on an attendant book for intermediate readers while you set out the lay and encourages the reader to acknowledge that a card's meaning can change depending on its upright or reversed state. This is a nice step to see against the growing trend of ignoring reversed cards and their meanings.

The artwork is beautiful and surreal- honoring the elements inherent to the suites of the minor arcana and bringing to life the meanings both positive and negative.

Unfortunately, this deck can be seen as overwhelming to a new reader- the images are complex and much of the symbolism easily missed. The cards can, in some suites, be mistaken for one another as well due to their stained-glass feel. They can blend and thus require a sharp eye at all times to avoid potential misreads, as the images tend to overpower the text declaring what card it truly is. This is especially true when the card appears in reversed form.

The attending book is a good intermediate book, but again not recommended for beginners. It assumes you already know the relevance of the elements and basic meanings of the overall suites for example- meaning you can easily miss a good half of what the cards are trying to tell you if you start with this.

In short: Lovely and breathtaking addition to anyone's collection, be it artistic or divination...but strongly recommended you have a good grasp of Rider-Waite's ideas on tarot before attempting to use it.

I saw this deck on Amazon and knew I had to have it! I am just a beginner in the art of tarot reading, but these cards are unique and help you to look within and will give you inspiration to interpret for others. I highly recommend this one as an alternate deck to the Rider-Waite.

While waiting for a movie to start I went to a bookstore and bought this deck. First off I admired the artwork. I would have liked to see a little more elemental coloring in some of the minor arcana, but over all the artwork is gorgeous. The cards have a white border and the artwork would have, in my opinion, really popped out at you if it had a black border.

Okay, having said all that, I like the deck and will probably use it in my own readings from time to time. If one is looking for simple readings then this deck will do fine. However, I noted that there did seem to be some lack of depth as far as magical theory or hermetic knowledge is involved. This is not a deck if you are wanting a depth of symbols that tie in to each other at different levels. If you want to equate a card with a meaning, then this will work.

Some of the upright meanings in the book are a little lacking. I would turn from one card's age to another card's and compare sentences and phrases to find what the author meant to be the essential core differences. You can't say two people are authority figures, give out rules, and head an organization, when one is an elected official and the other is the head of a military coup. This entirely misses the differences. The upright meanings, I felt, had to much emphasis on the easily seen characteristics and not the core differences. The World is not a suped-up version of The Wheel of Fortune.

The reversal meanings are, as noted elsewhere, the strongpoint of this deck. A lot of decks seems to be following the trend of not observing reversals. I've always done reversals and it is in the back of my mind when using a deck that doesn't. Each deck has it's own feel and characteristics that I must get to know. The reversals in this deck were much more well written than the rest of the book. Perhaps one can learn these card better by skipping the upright meanings and reading first the reversal meaning of a card and then considering what the upright meaning would be on your own.

Overall, I give it a 3. It is better than some I've used, and not nearly as complex as others. Right in the middle. If you are a collector, then you'll want to get this deck. If you want one for readings but tend to draw on lots of imagery and symbolism... then this deck might be a little lacking. If you just want a straightforward deck,then this one should work just fine.

The whimsical artwork is good, but where this deck really shines is in its concept: there is no way to see a card as being upside down, as artwork goes both ways. People who aren't very familiar with tarot often get anxious about card reversals, as if the card's direction implies bad outcomes if upside down. This deck elininates that hurdle entirely, and encourages readers to show that reversals are merely the other side of the coin. Very nice.