Customer Reviews

Tarot de Paris

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

 

 

The Tarot de Paris is a tarot reader's dream come true! It is a magnificent, polished deck with such beautiful, well-blended imagery. No wonder it took the artist 20 years to bring about. The book is very well-written and should appeal to everyone from novice to expert. J. Philip Thomas has been reading for more than 30 years so he really does know tarot. I could go on and on praising this wonderful set but that would be redundant so I will sum it all up in one word:
PERFECT.

I really wanted to like this deck, and as far as the art is concerned I really, really do. Goregous art collages of one of my favorite places on earth seemed to be a sure hit with me. Alas, then I opened the box...The deck is printed on such cheap and flimsy cardstock, that it's almost impossible to shuffle without seriously bending or, worse yet, tearing it. I was horrified the first time I opened the set and saw the cheap quality of the cards. Bizarrely enough, the book that comes with the set is printed as a very nice hardbound book, and there's a pretty silk scarf included in the box also. I'd rather have a cheaper paperback book, not have the silk scarf, but have the deck printed on usable cardstock. Overall, this deck is going into the "pretty and nice to look at but not usable" part of my tarot card collection. I really feel like I wasted my money on this deck. Do not buy this deck if you are planning on trying to read with it.

I began working with the deck as soon as I opened the box. I worked with them for two hours, and I have never worked with a deck that has spoken to me to such a degree. The images evoke so much within me. Each card is unique with a great deal of symbology, which allows for quite a bit of room in interpretation. In addition, the images are simply beautiful and show immense creativity and depth of thought and synthesis of ideas; it's evident a great deal went into designing the images on these cards. The colors are consistent with traditional tarot card colors, and although the cards are unique interpretations of the traditional tarot, they incorporate much of the original symbology but with a unique slant. There is simply so much room for interpretation with these cards, and when combining this opportunity with the exquisitely creative concept of using the artwork and statues of Paris to design tarot cards, these cards prove to be a joy. I feel the artist of the cards has successfully translated the ethereal and the sublime.

The cards are oversized, which allows for a larger image, which I personally like. Unfortunately, the cards appear to lack any type of coating, as a previous reviewer noted. Initially, I considered returning the cards, but upon further study, felt the images were simply too aesthestically valuable to return them. With a bit of additional care, the deck can be used successfully on a regular basis. Fortunately, I understand the deck is in a second printing in order to correct this problem, so I will keep my eyes open for the new decks, and buy one to work with on a regular basis since I always have two decks of my favorite cards, one to work with and the other to keep safe. This deck has become a valuable addition to my select collection of tarot cards.

Having been a tarot collector for nearly 30 years, this is among the jewels in my collection. Its soft, tranquil color scheme and striking imagery offer the beauty, contrast and symbolic depth to lead one into the richness of the inner life. Imagery for the cards is drawn from historic statuary and scenes from the Paris environs, and seamlessly assembled in photocollage fashion. The book describes salient features of the cards and explains what each one means, and is a depth-reflection of the deck (which also reads quite intuitively). Some people have found the card stock to be on the thin side, but a reissue of the deck with thicker stock is expected shortly, and will offer the same rich imagery and lovely color scheme which graces the earlier edition.

I've enjoyed using my reissued Tarot de Paris on thicker cardstock, which I received in February 2004.

I like my old deck, but it was slightly hard to use though, without marring the finish. Images are beautiful and classic sculpture adorning the City of Paris.

A lovely deck.

Add this spectacular ensemble to your tarot collection and you will be impressed by the artistry and psychological insight that this divinitory tool offers. The creative genius of the author and illustrator is evident in the enhanced photo images of Paris-based sculptures and architecture he uses for the 78 major and minor arcana cards and the decorative stained glass image adorning the card backs and silk cloth. The illustrated book offers sensitive and intelligent text to accompany the awe-inspiring card illustrations. This deck ensemble is impressive for both the seasoned tarot-reader and the person just starting out with divinatory cards.

"The Tarot de Paris is the progeny of a twenty-one-year gestation period, compiled from more than 3,500 photographs taken during hundreds of miles of trekking back and forth across the city. Even as I complete this phase of this work it is difficult to grasp all that has transpired from one brief phantasm on an escalator, beneath a statue, on my first day in Paris. From that experience I now understand that life can teach in a moment what our socio-reality will not admit in a lifetime." -- J.Philip Thomas, creator of Tarot de Paris

The vision for Tarot de Paris came unexpectedly. On a windy, March morning in 1981, J. Philip Thomas was walking on the Champs-Elysées on his first-ever trip to France. Wanting to avoid the onrush of tourists, he made his way to the Louvre via the métro. As he exited, he felt the warmth of the sun on the back of his neck. Turning towards the heat, he became momentarily stunned by an intense light that was streaming out through a wreath held high by a female statue, riding in a horse-drawn chariot that seemed to be leaping right off the façade of the building.

Thomas then has a supernatural vision of all the Major Arcana cards as a sequence of statues, located somewhere in Paris. (This was his first trip to France, mind you.) Somehow, he knew that he should immediately stop whatever else he was doing and set to work on finding and photographing these statues. The resulting images would then be assembled, by photomontage, as the cards of a tarot deck. The Tarot de Paris is the result of that amazing vision.

This gorgeous deck features 78 cards presenting a dazzling array of classic and contemporary art and architecture found in Paris. There are 22 Major Arcana cards, with many of them re-named as follows:

Fool - The Source
Magician - Initiation
High Priestess - The Veil
Empress - Nature
Emperor - Order
Hierophant - The Awakening
The Lovers - Harmony
Justice - Equilibrium
Hermit - The Recluse
Wheel of Fortune - The Sphinx
Strength - Presence
Hanged Man - The Question
Death - The Crossing
Temperance - Alchemy
The Devil - Energy
Judgment - The Angel
The World - The Universe

Thomas has added a new card called to the Majors called The Spinner, but it's not available as part of the deck. Below are 6 images from the Tarot de Paris:

The Minor Arcana is divided into the suits of Water, Air, Fire, and Matter. For the Court Cards, Queen and King are retained but two additional Courts have been created: Stallions and Spirit. The back of the cards feature the Rose window of Notre Dame Cathedral transposed on a black background. Because the image isn't centered, however, you will be able to tell reversed cards. Card dimensions are approximately 5.5 X 3.5 inches. The deck is accompanied by a fully illustrated book of 240 pages which details the meanings of the cards, as well as a number of new readings devised just for this set. Also included is a silk cloth for laying out the cards.

I highly recommend the Tarot de Paris, especially if you're an enthusiast of architecture, sculpture, art, and the City of Lights.

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

I recommend this deck since the images are of photo quality and it comes with an silk cloth. The creator uses thousands of photos of Paris. The deck dimensions are L=3.5 X W=6.75 (L=88.9mm X 171.45mm).

This is a beautiful Tarot deck with a clearly and excellently written book which explains each of the cards and provides a brief history of how this beautiful set of cards came into being.

A 'must have' for any true student of the mysteries.

Some prior knowledge of the Tarot is helpful but not required. The deck is a handbook of human consciousness and incorporates a truly unique and modernized approach to an ancient divination tool.

I purchased this set last fall and couldnt wait to open it. Alas, I was disappointed upon finding flimsy production of the cards and stone cold images. I set it aside and proceeded to other sets I was working with. Now several months later I picked up the beckoning blue box and felt a deep and profound connection. I visited Paris in 1987. I began reading the Tarot a year previously. I seen the "old cards" in the Louvre and loved them but my desire for the cards diminished. I wanted a definitive deck.

Now, years down the road I feel I have found that missing link. These images are nothing short of museum pieces. Yet the metaphysical scope runs deep. I did a reading for myself and felt that I found an old companion. Gone were my doubts and I knew I had a powerful tool in my grasp. The card are wonderful for meditation as well as consultation. I am planning to use them for my main public instruction. Bravo-J Philip Thomas for creating this masterwork and hopefully the next perennial favorite for many generations to come.