Customer Reviews

The Tarot Discovery Kit: A Dynamic Journey to Your Self and Beyond

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

 

 

"Meditating on the Tarot is a process of self-revelation, of opening the heart and mind to what is meaningful in the present moment. These meditations lead to deeper insights and take you closer to the experience of your divine self and that greater, wiser part of your inner being. Consult the cards as an everyday spiritual practice or whenever you need clarity on an issue." - Monte Farber and Amy Zerner

For almost 30 years, fabric artist Amy Zerner and author/psychic Monte Farber have combined their deep love for each other with their fascination for self-discovery, resulting in oracles, books, art, and decks that are as beautiful as they are immediately useful.

In what is, to my knowledge, the *only* DVD Tarot kit on the market, The Tarot Discovery Kit offers a multi-media extravaganza, combining original music, animated art, melodic voice talents, and concise--yet profound--meditative insights on the Tarot. For this box set, The Enchanted Couple have included a DVD jam-packed with goodies, a full-color 60-page guidebook, gold satin drawstring bag AND their 78-card Zerner/Farber Tarot deck.

For those unfamiliar with the Zerner/Farber tarot, each card depicts intricate fabric collages designed by Amy, designed to capture archetypal symbols, dreams and fantasies. (The Enchanted Tarot is a larger version of this deck, having white and purple borders.)

According to the authors, the benefits of meditating on the Tarot one card at a time are multi-fold:

* An increase in patience and compassion for yourself and others
* Greater understanding of your circumstances and motivations
* Strengthening of intuitive and psychic abilities
* Moments of great joy, calm, and insight
* Consciousness of the next step on your path
* Awareness of the symbols around you
* Memories of forgotten events and possibly past or future lives
* Experience of spiritual peace and power

After shuffling the Zerner/Farber Tarot deck and picking a card at random--or, choosing to focus consciously on a particular card--you can then access an animated visual meditation from the main menu of the DVD. The main menu of the Tarot Discovery Kit DVD has five sections:

1. The Major Arcana
2. The Suit of Wands
3. The Suit of Swords
4. The Suit of Hearts
5. The Suit of Pentacles
6. The Tarot Discovery Theater

The Tarot Discovery Theater presents five featurettes:

1. Entering Sacred Space
2. The Grounding Ritual
3. What Is the Tarot? (Tarot documentary)
4. The Major Arcana (an engaging "story" of the Fool's Journey--and how each of the 22 Majors enrich and influence the Fool from an archetypal perspective)
5. The Minor Arcana (an excellent documentary exploring the origins and meaning of Tarot numerology embodied in the Minors, the four suits and what they govern, and the function of the Court Cards)

Each of the individual card meditations last approximately a minute and a half, featuring several (excellent!) male and female narrators and showcasing animated versions of every Zerner/Farber tarot illustration. Since I've never seen a visual meditation with Tarot cards before, I didn't know what to expect (but wondered if they'd be on the "fluffy", dreamy side).

Somewhat surprisingly, the narrations are rich with solid interpretation, incisive guidance, and fresh ways of experiencing each card. Needless to say, I was impressed!

In the companion book, messages and outcomes are provided for all 78 cards--along with color illustrations of each card image. The wisdom of the text is NOT a repeat of what's on the DVD--so you get additional information on the Tarot.

In addition to giving Tarot enthusiasts a feast for both ears and eyes, Amy and Monte show us their playful side with pictures of their wedding, Amy's gorgeous "spiritual couture", and photos of their adorable feline muse, Mr. Zane. (You have to highlight their name on the menu to discover these personal and personable goodies.)

I'm surprised that no one has melded the Tarot with visual, animated meditations until now, but it's NOT surprising that it's Amy and Monte who have brought us The Tarot Discovery Kit. (If you've seen the luxurious animated movies and readings on their site, you know what I mean!)

My only criticism of this set is the DVD, which, for me, doesn't display well on my PC. I tried two different players, and when choosing the full-screen option, card edges seem shaky, as does some of the animated elements. This can be very distracting. Everything looks good in small-screen mode, as does the presentation on a regular TV set. I much prefer experiencing the DVD on my TVs, even though some of the images appear a bit pixel-ly (a slight digital "blockiness"). (Note: Monte assures me he cannot reproduce the jiggling, but even the replacement DVD peformed this way on two of my PS2 players--and the DVD player in my PC.)

The original music accompanying the menus, meditations, and documentaries is absolutely gorgeous, as are the exceptional voice talents. The archetypal visuals resonate on a deep level, and the storytelling nature of the meditations bypass the rational mind--touching ancient, deeper parts of the psyche. The Tarot Discovery Kit is a fantastic tool for beginners (I wish it had been available when *I* began studying Tarot!), yet it also serves as a grounding, meditative, wise journey for those familiar with the cards.

(To see 10 images from the Zerner/Farber deck, 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)

I am an admitted big fan of Amy Zerner and Monte Farber...I feel their passion for what they do just vibrates from each and every offering they create. This is no exception. As always, the packaging is gorgeous, no expense is spared and you feel like you are rediscovering a beautifully wrapped gift each time you open the box. Top notch materials are used and it shows.

The material is presented in a straight forward manner, you can easily read, watch and understand everything as it goes along. The addition of a meditation for each card is a great idea and one they make easier to to "stick with:\" by using the dvd. You will deepen your appreciation for each card if you take the time to study each card as suggested.

On top of all the great information you even get a complete 78 card deck and a lovely little bag for it...I like that extra touch!

Janet Boyer's review goes into a lot of detail, and I am sure you have read her review. But I want to add that this is a great introduction to the tarot AND a great toold for those who have been reading the tarot much longer.

If you enjoy learning new ideas about the tarot or want to start your journey...get this kit, you will find yourself going back to it over and over!

ENJOY! I have :-D

The Tarot cards are artistically tops! This package is the only DVD Tarot card set around.That i'm aware of anyway.The little booklet is quite basic,yet Zerner/Farber have other tarot books out-there.The instructional DVD is wonderful.And the package includes a useful little tan sack for your tarot cards.What an excellent idea to have a Tarot dvd produced!

As others have pointed out, the symbolism on these cards is not traditional and the size and quality of the cards is perhaps not the best. The bag that comes with the kit is not especially remarkable either.

But the cards are pretty. Very pretty. The book doesn't add much to value of the kit and anyone who is hoping this kit will take their tarot experience to a deeper level should look elsewhere.

As for the dvd, it's an interesting albeit disappointing addition. The meditations offered for each card is a clever idea, even if the symbolism is incongruent with tradition. However, with dvd technology, I would have hoped the publishers/designers would have created a better menu, something that would allow the viewer to pick individual cards to be played rather than having to pick one, watch it, then pick another. You can, of course, play watch the individual suits in a play all manner but I think it would be lovely to do a spread, take the dvd and pick and choose the cards from the spread, and then let the dvd lead me through a meditative exploration of the card's meanings. (I hope someone reading this takes note and maybe creates something like this.)

Unfortunately, because this kit is so far removed from traditional Tarot, not even conforming to the four minor arcana, I could not recommend this kit to beginners and becasue it lacks any depth I would not recommend it to those with more tarot experience.

All in all, it's a great idea but poorly executed.

I have both The Tarot Discovery Kit and The Enchanted Tarot by the same people, but I'm much happier with The Enchanted Tarot. I've had The Enchanted Tarot for many many years and the cards have the same pictures as The Tarot Discovery Kit, but The Enchanted Tarot deck is much stronger and they are larger. The cards in The Tarot Discovery Kit are very flimsy. I am not a fan of either book with either deck, but if one is looking for a better book The Enchanted Tarot has a slightly better book. However, the pictures are very beautiful.

Farber and Zerner did a nice job giving more divination info in their cd and book. However, the cards are small and the pictures are not so intuitive as other decks to facilitate readings.
I actually wrote the main keyword for each card on the card and now the readings are easier. You have to be a fan of her artwork to enjoy this deck. Frankly, I own other tarot and oracle decks. I bought this for the elaboration of information that another Amazon reviewer, J. Boyer, claimed they offered. I wasn't disappointed in that sense.

For anyone who wants to quickly learn how to use the Tarot as a self-exploration tool or as a means of tapping into Source energy (giggle) this is the way to go. I have no less than 60 books on the subject and, for whatever reason, the use of the CD helps the information get in more easily and assimilate. This deck is unique and lovely---rivals the top twenty most common decks, but that is just my opinion. For some reason, the new images put a fresh spin on re-learning old material. I highly recommend this for beginners and as a refresher course for people who use the Tarot in their daily lives for guidance and inspiration. Easy to use and affordable.

though i myself do not use the booklet or the information they use for the cards, due to the fact that i use them much as regular playing cards/crystal, sort of a conductor to connect and visualize; i do think they are great for many, both novice & clairvoyant alike.:0) a little girl had them as a beginner's journey, and i needed to use them once, i found these so useful, especially the images, that i got the same deck for myself. this little girl and her mother were both amazed that i would wish to use a beginner's set, but, what ever works, and these certainly work for me.:0) thank you.

Great looking set of cards however; they are small like a regular playing deck. I did not know this but maybe I simply overlooked that on the descritpion. It's still a great deck and the book looks helpful. NIce product.

This kit provides everything you need for using the Tarot. It is concise, exciting and easy to use.