Customer Reviews

Tarot of the Sephiroth

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

 

 

Because the minor arcana are not very rich in symbolism, I am not sure how affective a divinatory tool this would be. However, as someone studying the Qabalah, the major arcana cards are excellent meditative tools for pathworking. Great deck.

This deck is based on themes from the Kabbalah. It is full of symbolism, not only from Kabbalah, but also from astrology, mythology and esoteric theories. The artwork is quite interesting and beautiful in the Majors and Court cards. The pip cards are not fully illustrated, but contain much symbolism. The pip cards are interpreted by using the Kabbalistic principles regarding the 10 spheres of the Tree of Life, in conjunction with the elemental concepts governing human behavior in the various suits. The Court cards also are interpreted using spheres, which govern the various members of the court, in conjunction with the elemental concepts, but the meanings are given in terms of human personality traits. The Majors are interpreted based on the meaning of the paths between the spheres of the Tree of Life. The LWB which comes with the deck, sets forth meanings for each card which are quite helpful. In fact, I found that the meanings given here, are very helpful in interpreting cards in other decks. However, be careful, because the meanings given in this LWB for many of the cards, do not necessarily follow more traditional interpretations. One criticism of the LWB, is that it does not discuss Kabbalah, other than showing the Tree of Life. If you don't have familiarity with Kabbalah and the Tree of Life, you will have difficulty understanding how the card meanings were arrived at. I would recommend the book Guide to Tarot of the Sephiroth, which was published after this deck first appeared. It is by the same authors as the LWB. It is not necessary to read this book in order for you to use the deck, but it will give you an understanding of the Kabbalistic principles used in the creation of this deck and in the designation of the meanings given to the cards.

This is my first tarot deck; I chose it in part for the strikingly beautiful artwork and in part because I am somewhat familiar with Kabalah (or Qabalah, as most new age/Pagan sources seem to spell it). Disks replaces Pentacles, Princess replacing Page, and Prince replacing Knight.

The Major Arcana are richly detailed, retaining much of the original symbolism of the Rider-Waite decks. Also, each Major Arcana card is drawn taking place over the appropriate path between Sephiroth, along with the appropriate Hebrew letter and astrological sign. The included book indicates that all 78 cards can be arranged in a Tree of Life, but I didn't get the feeling that would work or be very attractive to the eye if it were done as I've messed around with the deck.

Details on the Minor Arcana are somewhat sparse; usually a simple figure constructed with the number of the suit symbol, and the appropriate astrological sign somewhere. The circular border color is appropriate to the Sephiroth within Briah (as should be expected). Almost all of the Rider-Waite details are abandoned in the Minor Arcana, which will either suit you or not depending on whether you choose the Qabalistic interpretations or the traditional Tarotic interpretations.

The court cards can be arranged in such a way as to construct the lower four sephiroth, all the Princesses combining for Malkuth, for example. Otherwise, some people may be offended by the propensity of the artist to display breasts hanging out of clothes wherever possible (mainly Princesses and Major Arcana, the Queens given a sort of additional respect in additional clothing). At first I found it somewhat awkward, but it was easy to get used to.

I am finding that although it is a beautiful deck to work with and the cards are well-constructed and rich in their own sort of symbolism, it is rather difficult to learn from them. I'll be purchasing the Light and Contrast deck soon, which seems to deviate less from the accepted standard of interpretation (Rider-Waite symbolism). I think that most people these days have a strong reaction against the Rider-Waite deck as ugly and encouraging a strong negative reaction in people, but the symbolism does seem to be valid and standardized for the most part.

The "Tarot of the Sephiroth" was created with two premises in mind: to update the imagery for a new era, and to highlight the connection between the Tarot and the Qabala. It has served its purpose well!

In highlighting the connection between Tarot and the Qabala, Staroff made use of the Tree of Life imagery ... its spheres, paths, and associated colors. The color coding on the cards has been placed to make it easy to place the cards together in a way that, in the end, cards form a living Tree of Life.

The format of this deck is traditional: the Major Arcana carry traditional titles and numbering, the suits are titles Wands, Cups, Swords, and DIsks (Pentacles), and the Court Cards are entitled King, Queen, Prince, and Princess.

The art style is two-dimensional, with a very "futuristic" look to it. Some of the cards in the deck reflect an Egyptian theme. The cards themselves are 3" by 4 1/2", on good quality, sturdy card stock. The back of the cards shows a dark background color, with small, light colored "stars" covering it ... remniscent of the night sky. It would not be possible to tell if a card had been drawn in the upright or reversed position.

I found this to be an interesting deck, but one that would require at least a minimal background in the Qabala to be worked with to best effect. For those that wish to work with updated imagery, or who want to study/work with the Qabala, this deck is a good choice.

This is a wonderful deck. I've had it only 3 or 4 days, but I can already tell this is a new favorite. The pictures are very detailed and informative. They are also very well done, and the colors are bright and vivid.

If you are looking for a new deck to add to your collection, or if you are new to the Tarot, this is an excellent deck. Great images -- informed correspondences. Again, well done!!!