Customer Reviews

World Spirit Tarot

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This deck, illustrated by Lauren O'Leary, with accompanying book by Jessica Sczuka Godino, was published in June last year by Llewellyn. With the number of decks being published these days, it takes something special to rise above the noise and attract my attention. This one did it; it is simply one of the most evocative and useful tarot decks to appear in recent years.

O'Leary's medium is block printing, with the light areas of the prints subsequently colored in rich hues. The result is bold and dramatic, almost overloading the senses. The block printing moves far enough away from realism to give the deck an archetypal quality without compromising earthiness and character.

When I get a new deck, I always run through it quickly to check out how the artist's interpretations of the different cards strike me. Mostly, interpretations seem good but unoriginal. Sometimes there are real duds. Other times there are "zings"-visions that leap out and tell the meaning of the card in a new and exciting way. This deck has no duds and lots of zings, from the incredible Tower card drawn from the perspective of one of the falling figures (How many centuries have we waited for a Tower card that didn't make it look like somebody else's problem?) to the gorgeously sensual Strength card, with a slender, nude African woman cradled in the body of the lion, to the hauntingly wise, comfortable, and self-confident Sybil (queen) of Swords on her mountaintop.

The imagery is also wonderfully multicultural, but unlike many decks that attempt this, there is little sense of clashing worlds-the block printing technique gives the whole deck a totally unified look and feel; we are drawn into some kind of alternate reality where people of all races and cultures live in interconnection, sharing a single vivid spiritual landscape.

The real magic of this deck is that for all its beauty and originality, it is immediately readable. The themes of the cards will be instantly familiar to anyone who has used a deck drawn from Waite-Smith images and images (which most are). Even if you are new to tarot, it's hard not to get clear messages from these images. The book is nicely done, but almost superfluous. I used this deck, straight out of the box, to give free readings at Pagan Pride Day last year, and it rocks.

I got this deck, maybe five hours ago. I was so impressed I instantly wanted to share my feelings about it. I've done two readings with it already, and I know that this is going to become one of my most used decks. The art is, in a word, as close to perfect as I've found in a deck so far. Hand-coloured linoleum carved prints, with a very multiculteral feel. If you're at all familiar with a Smith-Rider-Waite based tarot deck, you probably won't have any problem using this deck. A lot of the pictures are similar . There are also some major departures from what has become standard Waite imagery on the cards. What better way to gain new insite on the cards? Also, it's a very "inclusive" deck. I doubt that there will be many, if any, feeling alienated from this deck, as one may with other "theme" decks, or a deck that has it's base in any one particular religious belief system. You'll find nearly everything in this deck. As an extreme example, the lovers card is ostensibly a man and woman - but could easily be two women or men - and why shouldn't it be? This is one of the reasons that I immediatly found this deck intersting. But the more I look at the cards (and in the next few days as I study them) I see more and more things - the amount of detail in the cards is amazing, which can only help in your readings. This seems to be a great deck if you like "intuitive readings" - where you base what you see on what is pictured in the card. Looking at the Ten of Swords right now, there are many possabilities. Is the figure in the cards *removing* the swords from the victem? Or is it stabbing her? Is the figure in the background celebrating a victory? Mourning a death? Calling for help? Invoking healing powers? Is it sunset or sunrise? Is this the beginning or the end? The booklet (*not* the little white booklet of most decks, but a small 192 page book with b&w pictures and brief bibleography and biography of the creators), which I have not explored much yet, discusses upright and reversals as the "Gift" and the "Shadow." -which seems a very positve and pro-active approach. This is seems like a great method for the "right here - right now" approach to tarot. "What's going on right now, and what light can the shed on what's to come. How can I change it? How can I keep it?" A downside of the deck, for me, is the back. The art is beautiful. However, you'll know if the card is upright or reversed. If you're a beginner who's apprehensive about using reversals, you may be tempted to not pull a card you know is reversed. I know I would have in the beginning - and even today, would probably rather deal with an upright card, holding on to some of the hang ups from my starting with the cards. Depending on what method you use to deal the cards, this may or may not be an issue. Also, the cards are pretty big - not overlarge like the Voyager Tarot - but still pretty big. This makes it a bit difficult to shuffle. This is truly an interesting deck, and these are only my immediate reactions to it. Further study will probably yield more. I'm convinced it'll be more positive, as it's rare that I react with such enthusiasm to any deck I look at. I'm quite sure this will become a major deck in my readings. If you're a collector, the artwork alone is worth the price. If you're looking for a new, interesting, beautiful alternative to a usual deck, or if you're looking for more insite into the cards - I think you may want to consider this one. It's really superb. Already as important as my usual deck.

I ordered this deck on "accident" confusing it with the "Wild Spirit Tarot"... Now i realize it was no "accident".........
I immediately connected with this deck.... It's pictures are detailed, dramatic and literally pull you into another world and time-frame.....

I have been working with Tarot for several years and am a professional reader. Normally when I get a new deck to read with, I will work with it for a couple of weeks or a month if I decide I want to use it with clients.....

However, with this deck, I was using it to give reading's to my clients the very next day. It has proven to be a clear, accurate and percise deck.....

Intuition just flows with this deck. It's beauty is breath-taking and amzing, and all the many cultures and paradigms it incoroprates into the cards really helps one to tune in to situations...

For the beginner or the advanced reader, I highly reccommend this deck...............

I have been working with/playing with/joyfully using "The World Spirit Tarot" cards since May, 2001 (9 months) and have to say that I love them as much as, and more than, the day I first received them. Lauren O'Leary's artwork is phenomenal ~ her linoleum block print images, so beautifully carved and colored, are so universal in their symbology. As one whose heart and soul is truly multi-cultural, I had an immediate affinity with this deck unlike I had ever experienced with the 5 other decks I seem to have accumulated over the last 21 years.
As I am basically a "lay person" in the field of Tarot, I use my intuition as an immediate guide, but also rely heavily on the written text by Jessica Godino. The wisdom and clarity of her words have been incredibly insightful and very helpful when I have come to the cards for guidance and understanding when faced with many different situations. I generally pull one card with a specific question in my mind/heart, and am always happily surprised by how uncannily appropriate the card and text correspond to the given question; even verbatim at times! Most helpful are the times when I receive a response that I may not even have considered as a possibility for what may be behind a given situation; there is that moment of recognition ~ the resounding "aha" ~ when I know that what the card and text are saying is the real truth, and it is I that must shift my perception to allow for the deepest growth, for all involved, in the most loving and compassionate environment possible. And believe me, as the mother of an 18 year old young man, this kind of guidance is invaluable! I am sure he appreciates the wisdom of this very unique and powerful tool for transformation. My stories connected to the "uncanniness" of these cards are many ~ some very light hearted and fun, and others so profound in their value to some very serious situations.
And for those who just want to appreciate some beautiful block prints, there are 78 striking images to ponder. ENJOY!

Of course, the choice of a deck is a very personal thing; every Tarot user needs to find a deck that speaks to and pleases or works for them. I cannot resist saying, take a look at this one. The World Spirit deck, and the excellent mini-book (not pamphlet) which comes with it, are extremely well thought-out. This deck is traditional Tarot but very innovative as well, and its innovations are well chosen; I particularly recommend the High Priestess, Magician, and Death cards, and this deck has given me new insight into cards I just never have liked. The deck has both male and female images, feels balanced without insisting on all traditional gender assignments for cards, and without suggesting gender stereotypes which might make one wince. The court cards (Seeker - Seer - Sage - Sybil) are the most useful system I have seen. The cultural references are VERY diverse, yet the deck has remarkable coherency probably due to remarkable research. I love the art; not too pretty, beautiful, with the symbols-rich but uncluttered feel which keeps these cards fresh even after intense study. There is a fair amount of nudity among the images of very diverse ethnic and body types, and if that disturbs or distracts you, this might not be the deck for you. However, this is NOT an erotic deck, or an art deck; if you just want to look at pictures, you are missing something powerful here. This is the deck I recommend to advanced users; beginners; christians; pagans; men and women.

This deck is one of the most unusual I have worked with. Although the images are rooted in the Rider Waite deck, as are so many, the artwork is based on lino cuts, the resulting prints being later hand coloured, and this makes the bold yet subtle cards powerful and extraordinarily effective in use. The Hermit and The High Priestess are particularly evocative. Furthermore, this is a multi cultural deck with figures from a number of ethnic backgrounds and spiritual persuasions; one might expect this fact to make the cards less focused, but the opposite is the case, and this is in fact a very intuitive and reliable set to use. I'm not a fan of the booklets which accompany tarot decks, as they are often diffuse or else offer dire interpretations: however, the little book provided with this deck is easy to understand, offering wise and insightful meanings along with background information about the creators of the deck and the process employed to produce the images. All in all this is a delightful kit with cards which speak on a deep and intuitive level. I find them extremely easy to work with as well as being beautiful.
Elen Hawke, author of In The Circle, the Sacred Round and Praise to the Moon

The World Spirit is a truly beautiful deck and one that gives the clearest readings. Here's Why:

The Art - really stands out from other decks. The block print style makes for beautiful deep black lines and jewel-like colors. The colors are bright and vibrant but without being hard on the eyes. With some bright decks when you lay out more than three cards everything seems to swim and it's hard to make anything out. This deck has a nice balance and I haven't had trouble in this arena.

The Diversity - This is the mother of all diverse decks. Some diverse decks have an African suit and a Japanese suit etc, or feature the occasional ethnic person. Here you have every flavor of person sprinkled evenly throughout the deck. Also, where some decks make the same outline for every person and just use different crayons to color them in this one really this one makes everyone look like members of their race. Also there are a number of cards that feature folks of different races playing, very rare.

The Courts: Courts are Seer, Seeker, Sibyl, Sage, follows the system where the court levels are different ways of experiencing the suit's element. The whole deck is element heavy and will work well for people who relate to the cards in this way. Will be nigh impossible for those who have a wands/air, swords/fire outlook.

this was the second deck i bought. this is an amazing deck, not only is it eye candy it is an amazing and acurate deck, i recomend this to anyone who collects, is a newbie, or a long time reader!

I am really blown away by the imagery used in this deck. The colors and symbolism is fantastic. This is a must have for any tarot reader, collector or anyone who just likes good art.

The World Spirit Tarot has to be one of the most invocative and beautiful decks I have seen. The artwork is very primitive, and multicultural. You will see hints of Cuban Santeria, Haitian Voudun, Indian Hindu, Native American Shamanism, and it goes on and on.

I use this deck for personal meditation, and can not wait to read it to my friends and family members. As a tarot collector, this has become one of my favorites. There are may decks with aswome art, or computerized images that wow you. This deck uses woodblock art to create the deck, and I hear it is a hard process. The art is excellent. If you like the Light and Shadow Tarot. You will love this one. I am not a big fan of Llewellyn publishing, but lately they have been publishing excellent decks. The World Spirit Tarot is destined to be a classic. I mean look at it; it's in the cards.