Lo Scarabeo Tarot Deluxe (English and Spanish Edition) [Cards]

Mark McElroy (Author), Lo Scarabeo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2007

For the first time, three tarot traditions—the Marseille, the Waite-Smith, and the Crowley-Harris—have been combined into one deck! This dynamic blend offers themes and symbols from the most influential decks in the history of tarot.

The deluxe edition includes the Lo Scarabeo Tarot, an embroidered velvet bag, and instructions—all encased in a box sized to fit snugly on a bookshelf.

One of Aeclectic Tarot's Top Ten Decks for 2007!

Publisher Review:

The Tarot has been one of my fondest interests for decades. But just as my interests have evolved over time, so, too, has the Tarot evolved. In fact, the Tarot has gone through several evolutionary changes that can best be represented by three decks. 

The first deck is the Tarot de Marseilles. In actuality, this is not a specific deck at all. Rather, it is a design for Tarot decks that was used by many deck created around the city of Marseille. As you probably know, many decks today are simply revisioned versions of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. Imagine, if you will, a set of decks that are similarly versions of a pattern or style. That pattern is the Tarot de Marseilles, and it became a very popular pattern during the 19th and early 20th centuries, although its origins go back much earlier. 

By the time it was becoming popular, a mystical organization, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn used concepts from it, combined with Kabalistic ideas and their own concepts to create their own pattern. Each member of the Order was expected to draw their own version of the Golden Dawn deck. Two members of the Order were A. E. Waite and "Pixie" Smith. Although the Golden Dawn’s deck never went public until recent years, Waite and Smith published (through Rider) a variation of the Golden Dawn deck. The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot has become one of the most popular decks around.  .  .  read more. 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Since 1987, Art Publisher Lo Scarabeo has published over 100 Tarot decks that have been acclaimed all over the world for originality and quality. Only the best Italian and International artists are selected for our new decks, and the result is that Lo Scarabeo's decks are all recognizable as an exceptional artistic value.

Tradition
One of Lo Scarabeo's goals is the preservation of traditional Tarot decks.

Development
New decks and ideas are continually gathered from all over the world. This allows Lo Scarabeo to produce some of the most innovative decks available today.

Quality
Lo Scarabeo is committed to ever increasing quality and beauty of their products.

Distribution
*Llewellyn is the exclusive distributor of Lo Scarabeo products in North America.

Product Details

• Cards
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (September 8, 2007)
• Language: English, Spanish
• ISBN-10: 0738712337
• ISBN-13: 978-0738712338
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #653,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great concept, fantastic deck., October 31, 2007

By 

K. Griffin (Elk Grove, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lo Scarabeo Tarot Deluxe (English and Spanish Edition) (Cards)

Normally I am not a big fan of Lo scarabeo decks as I have found them to be mostly generic looking and the artwork did not fit my spiritual concept of the Tarot. Now comes the Lo scarabeo tarot and I must say first that the reason this deck is as good as it is is because it was overseen by Mr. Mark McElroy. What they have done is combine the symbolism of the Waite, Thoth and Marseilles decks respectively and the images really act as a perfect conduit with the Psyche when working with this deck. I highly recommend this deck for meditation, readings and furthering ones spiritual understand of the Tarot. This is the only Lo Scarobeo deck you'll ever need (Okay, I do like the Fey Tarot as well). I cannot thank Mark McElroy enough for playing such a crucial part in the brilliant excecution of this deck, and the artist he worked with did such a fantastic job translating his vision into a truly spectacular deck. Bravo Lo Scarabeo and well done.

Renaissance Moon

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Another decent tarot deck, September 3, 2009

By 

Dragonfly Goddess "Dragonfly Goddess" (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lo Scarabeo Tarot Deluxe (English and Spanish Edition) (Cards)

I love the illustrations themselves-I find them fantastic-the visuals and melding of other decks-really great symbolism.

I do not like some of the facial expressions-some are a little too cartoony looking and others are bland... though some do fit the card.

I was disappointed in the vibrancy of the colors. I expected them to be more like the radiant Rider Waite deck, but many of the colors are a bit more washed out than I would expect from a newer deck. There's definitely color, but just not as bright as I had hoped.

All that being said, I am looking forward to working with this deck on my own for awhile and see how it feels...that will tell the whole story. As I mentioned, I think the illustrations are very well done and the symbolism is right on- clear with layers to pick up on as you get in-tune with these specific cards. I think, in time, I will be able to use this as an alternative deck for readings.

Whether you are a collector or looking for a well-illustrated deck with plenty of symbolism I think this deck will be quite useful.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Melding of Rider-Waite, Thoth and TdM Traditions (3.5 Stars), November 13, 2007

By 

Janet Boyer "Author, Blogger, Mystic" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lo Scarabeo Tarot Deluxe (English and Spanish Edition) (Cards)

"To commemorate their twentieth year in business, the team at Lo Scarabeo decided to commission the development of a flagship deck. Rather than produce a hastily conceived and sterile `corporate deck', Lo Scarabeo wanted the Lo Scarabeo Tarot to be both a tribute to the company's achievements and a powerful tool for divination, reflection, and metaphysical study." - From the LWB

Attempting to meld the "big three" decks of the Tarot World--the Tarot de Marseilles (TdM), Thoth and Rider-Waite (RW)--would be no small feat, yet that is precisely the bold step taken by Italian publisher Lo Scarabeo.

In the adept hands of writer/deck creator Mark McElroy and watercolorist Anna Lazzarini, the Lo Scarabeo Tarot pays homage to these three influential traditions by incorporating symbols from each tradition with a fresh unifying vision.

What could become a mish-mash of Frankensteinian proportions in less able hands turns out to be a surprisingly congruent deck in the hands of McElroy (who wrote the script guides) and Lazzarini. Understandably, the Lo Scarabeo is not an "equal parts" deck, where every card reflects every symbol, coloration and human expression of the TdM, Thoth and RW imagery.

Rather, the Lo Scarabeo Tarot draws inspiration from each of the "big three" traditions, attempting to capture the spirit of the diverse systems if not the letter itself in all cases.

For example, the 10 of Pentacles shows a white-haired man holding a suspended arrangement of gold coins. A young girl stands to his left, while a dog sits to his right. The arrangement of gold coins are straight from the Tree of Life arrangement in the 10 of Disks card in the Thoth deck (sans the green symbols), while the elderly robed gentleman, child and dog are a nod to the Rider-Waite.

Another example is the 9 of Swords. An individual sits on the floor, head in hands, while a wall montage shows nine curved swords dripping with blood. The worried appearance of the figure echoes the person in the RW card, while the curved swords are arranged like the pips in TdM decks. The dripping blood no doubt reflects the raining red drops from the corresponding Thoth card.

While many (most?) Lo Scarabeo decks cry for a full-length book to explain their imagery and inspiration, the Lo Scarabeo flagship deck needs no more than the LWB (provided that the reader is familiar with basic Tarot structure, since the LWB provides only keywords for Light and Shadow meanings).

So while this deck can certainly be used "out of the box", those unfamiliar with one or more of the "big three" traditions would benefit from a comprehensive beginners book that can be used with any deck, or a book written specifically for a particular tradition.

(For excellent books that can be used with any deck, I highly recommend McElroy's Absolute Beginner's Guide to Tarot and Mary K. Greer's 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card. For more information on the Rider-Waite tradition, Joan Bunning's Learning the Tarot is quite good. For those wanting to acquaint themselves with the heady, foreboding Thoth deck, I recommend Lon Milo DuQuette's Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot).

One added bonus of the LWB that accompanies the Lo Scarabeo Tarot is the Lo Scarabeo Tarot Spread. Truly, it's been quite some time since I've found such an insightful, contemplative spread for personal use--to the point that I drug out my readings journal (which hadn't been used for a year!) to record the spread and my thoughts.

Admittedly, I didn't like some of the renderings in the Lo Scarabeo Tarot at first blush. In fact, the Tower card alone made me want to hate this deck. However, I decided to get to know it over a few weeks, thoughtfully comparing this deck to my copies of the Thoth, Universal Waite and Jean Noblet Tarot.

For some reason, I kept picking up this deck, even using it for a BIT Snapshot in my upcoming book because of its subtle ability to convey a range of information on multiple levels (many decks don't seem to do this for me).

Although I still find some cards distracting, underwhelming or irritating (the nude buxom woman in the 6 of Cups, the sparse Wheel of Fortune, the angry looking God-eye striking a building in The Tower, the desolate Death card, a lackluster 7 of Cups, the nude girl as the Knave of Swords, an inexplicable 8 of Wands with a kiddish rainbow and so on), several cards are clever, arresting and even beautiful.

I love the Knight of Swords flying through the air brandishing a sword upon a bridled bird sporting a snazzy blue outfit with white clouds. The figure in the 10 of Wands carries latticed sticks upon his back (much like the TdM pips), but this particular burden happens to be smoking at the tips. Talk about "burn out"!

While the Devil card creeped me out at first with its menacing second mouth gaping from the belly, it didn't take me long to associate this unusual depiction with the "desires of the belly"--those animalistic instincts that, at best, can be thrilling when indulged...or, at worst, a bane leading to craving, addiction and destruction.

Strength is Trump 8 in the Lo Scarabeo Tarot, while Justice is Trump 11. The Court Cards are Knave, Knight, Queen and King. Oddly, McElroy discusses at length (well, for a LWB!) the "gender unbalanced" TdM and RW courts, explaining his reason for choosing King, Queen, Prince and Princess. However, those are NOT the court names that end up on the cards!

The fully reversible backings are surprisingly unattractive for a flagship deck, with two large creepy, crawly scarabs painted in gray with a dreary washed out black background. Considering the borders along the frontal images are white with gold, I think a lighter, perhaps golden, motif would have been more appropriate (either that or make the frontal borders black like that of the Universal Fantasy deck for the sake of cohesiveness). The cards measure approximately 4 ¾ x 2 ½ inches.

The deluxe edition of the Lo Scarabeo Tarot comes with a large black velvet bag embroidered with a golden scarab symbol. Black satin drawstrings tipped with golden satin fabric complete this lovely pouch, and this added bonus is the only difference between the regular deck and deluxe box set.

If you're looking for an accessible deck that dares to marry three differing Tarot tradition, you'll want to check out the Lo Scarabeo Tarot. Those who own a version of the TdM and RW decks, as well as the Thoth, will enjoy going through the "big three" symbolism in comparison to the Lo Scarabeo Tarot (I know I did!). Lazzarini has a great eye for composition and a skilled hand for realistic renderings, and McElroy's scripted guidance directs the symbolism through familiar, though diverse, terrains.

(To see 12 images from the Lo Scarabeo Tarot, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)