Customer Reviews

The Sacred Rose Tarot

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Back in the 1970s, when I first became involved with the tarot, I remember being very disappointed with the cards available at that time. The Waite deck, in its time a ground-breaking and innovative project, had, in my opinion, all the zest and brilliance of Arthur Edward Waite's writing style -- as Regardie put it, "turgid, pompous and pretentious." To me, utterly useless. Then along came the Sacred Rose. For the first time, here was imagery that was bright, clear in meaning, reflective and yet also very much alive. I never really took the tarot seriously until I encountered this deck, and even now, with many other fine and innovative decks having appeared on the scene, this is still the deck I consider the best. The images are reminiscent of stained glass, but really evoke an entirely different feeling than other decks.. Rather than telling you what the cards mean, it seems as though the images draw their meaning out from the inside. In addition, there is none of the formal stodginess of traditional decks; you can almost smell the woods and flowers that illuminate the borders, and feel the forces the cards represent, something like looking toward the stars on a cold, clear night. If this all sounds a bit romantic, it is because the images are themselves romantic, and that kind of interaction is what succesful use of the tarot is all about. this is a good deck for beginners as well as experienced readers, and is capable of producing readings from the mundane to the deepest of spiritual encounters. Highly recommended; don't leave your astral home without it.

This is my favorite Tarot deck so far. Although it relies on Kabbalah and Rider-Waite, High Magick imagery, the art work is intuitively powerful and compelling. Many of the images still take me by surprise with their power and their complexity. A very pagan friendly deck, easy to work with. Close enough to Rider-Waite not to require adjustments for most readers, but far ahead in symbology, especially the re-working of the Minor Arcana, which is unique in most cards. Excellent for meditation and spell work as well.

These cards were my fathers, and now they are mine. They've sparked quite a love of the tarot in me. Wonderful set for beginners and exsperienced readers alike.

I had been searching for a tarot deck that "speaks to me" for years... I use Rider Waite consistently for readings and have purchased [and been disappointed in] many, many others. I orderd the Sacred Rose Tarot, telling myself not to get my hopes up and was stunned when I opened the box. The artwork is simply gorgeous, amazing colors and symbology that grabs you on a cellular level. As I went through the deck, card by card, I found one more beautiful than the next. I couldn't stop looking at it the first day. This deck has enhanced my readings immeasurably! A truly stunning work, a piece of art.

I really apreciate the beautiful art work in the imaging. Great for meditating. So for my faforite deck. Sharon H.

I have had it 2 months and am quite blown away by it. Sacred Rose is not strictly RWS or Thoth based .....it's in its own category completely imo. The images are so forceful and full of cosmic vibration. Very intense and darkly mysterious. I have been doing daily draws with SRT and I keep getting these very profound "revelations". This deck seems to have an ancient personality, whispering secrets from the primal deep Night. The book the author wrote is one of the best companion books for deck I have read. Very unusual, in-depth and with a poetic turn to her words and interpertations. This deck is a classic, around since 1982, and you can clearly see the artist's deep and lifelong involvement with the Tarot shine through in her original and inspired images, colours and symbols.

The intense and captivating colours in this deck deserve special mention. Each suit has it's own set of colour swirls and they are completely stunning. Swords are all kinds of blues, purples, dark mauve, violet.....very menacholy. The Wands are a exquisite palette of oranges and reds. Pentacles are so evocative of the Earth, Autumn and harvest....citrines, golds, russets, yelllows and on and on. The majors are extremely powerful, you get a sense of partaking of wisdom from the Cosmos. Lots of nature infuses and makes this pack feel alive with much personality.

As far as these controversial "blank eyes" that get so much mention. I love them! They are evocative of the Otherworld/Underworld energy that this deck is so strongly infused with. I am starting to feel this deck really does transport you into the Otherworld deeper and deeper the longer you focus and work on it. You can travel to all levels with this deck.

It is a very Autumnal Tarot....the ambience and strong pull is so entwined with my love for Fall. It's a Tarot that doesn't hide the darker aspects of life, it embraces them, and turns them into something hauntingly beautiful. The backs are like a mandala and stand out as an image that can import some deep insights if meditated upon.

I have around 300 decks.....this is always the deck I return too, I feel it is my signature deck, the one that feels like home, I connect with it on a very profound soul level. I recommend it for someone looking for immense power in their readings and for exceptional self-growth and development of their intuitivr/psychic powers.

The tarot card is one of the oldest, most popular, and pervasively influential sources of metaphysical inquiry known to the human race. With respect to The Sacred Rose Tarot, Johanna Gargiulo-Sherman draws upon ancient kabbalah traditions and symbols (including the Tree of Life), and combines them with the symbolic rose of western culture. The result is a uniquely thoughtful and thought-provoking collection of major and minor arcana -- and a tarot deck that is as cosmic as it is personal. Also from U.S. Games (a premier source of tarot decks for the metaphysical community) and very highly recommended for both novice and experienced tarot readers are Norbert Losche's Cosmic Tarot Deck ...Gayan Sylvie Winter and Jo Dose's Vision Tarot Deck ); Carol Bridges' Medicine Woman Tarot Deck and Magda Weck Gonzalez and J.A. Gonzalez's Native American Tarot Deck

The Sacred Rose Tarot Deck by Johanna Gargiulo-Sherman is one of my favorite decks. Her use of imagery to convey the symbolic meanings of each of the cards is not only thoughtfully rendered, but is easy to understand and learn even for beginning tarot card readers. I love her use of color and shape to energize and give fluidity to the compositional elements of each card. Even though this deck was published in the 80's the cards are as relevant and powerful today as they were in its first introduction. A great deck for both collectors and mystics.

I saw the Sun card from this deck online and fell in love with it. Without researching further (like I usually do) I raced to amazon to purchase the deck and book. ( I had a gift card just waiting to be spent!)

Before I finish this review, I will admit to my love of colors and happy things. And I will say that the creator of this deck did work hard. I love the concept of the Rose Mandalas. And some cards are really stunning. The aces, in particular. And Death. I love the royal purple of his robe and the crescent moon as the blade of his scythe. And, of course, the Sun card.

Unfortunately, even though there are cards I really vibe with, there are many I just don't. I can't seem to get past the fact that none of the cards with people on them have eyes. Just an empty white void. It creeps me a bit, and gives the entire deck a darker feeling then I like my decks to have. I was disappointed because had the rest of the deck been in keeping with the hippy, colorful sun card, I would have loved this deck.

But I understand that choosing a deck to read from is a very personal thing. Someone else just may love it. The artist is talented, and i can see from careful study of each card that there is much going on. The companion book is an enjoyable read. It just is not my style.

I was instantly attracted to this beautifully drawn deck. I had only seen one other deck and really thought it was quite dull, but when i saw the Sacred Rose Tarot deck I immediately became interested in learning the Tarot. I have not been disappointed after all these years. I have seen other decks but I always come back to this one because it speaks to me. The pictures and art work are striking in a way that makes it much easier to interpret their meaning. A fine work or art.