The Sacred Circle Tarot: A Celtic Pagan Journey (Paperback)

~ (Author), Paul Mason (Illustrator) "There are many paths we can follow in mundane life, just as there are many religious paths we can follow in our spiritual lives..." (more)
Key Phrases: tarot deck thoroughly, surrounding cards, divinatory meanings, Green Man, High Priestess, Ace of Cups (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Sacred Circle Tarot is a new concept in tarot design, combining photographs, computer imaging and traditional drawing techniques to create stunning images. It draws on the Pagan heritage of Britain and Ireland, its sacred sites and landscapes. Key symbols unlock the deepest levels of Pagan teaching. The imagery of the cards is designed to work on a number of levels, serving as a tool not only for divination but to facilitate meditation, personal growth and spiritual development.

About the Author

Anna Franklin [England] has been a witch for 30 years, and a Pagan in her heart for all her life. She has conducted many rituals, handfastings and sabbat rites. She is the High Priestess of the Hearth of Arianrhod, a coven of the Coranieid Clan, a group of traditional witches with their roots in the New Forest, and branches in several parts of the UK. The Hearth publishes the long running Silver Wheel Magazine, runs teaching circles and postal courses as well as a working coven. Anna Franklin is the author of eighteen books on the Craft including the popular Sacred Circle Tarot, Midsummer, Lammas [with Paul Mason], and The Fairy Ring.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156718457X
• ISBN-13: 978-1567184570
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 2.2 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,439 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #14 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Mythology > Celtic & British Isles
  #22 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Celtic
  #24 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Goddesses

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful deck...but not for beginners., May 25, 2001

By	Amy R. Nix "Aspen74 - just another bibliophile" (California, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a Tarot beginner. I purchased this as my first deck and, to be completely honest, the reason for my choice was that I saw images from the deck on aeclectic.net and thought that the cards were "pretty."

I love the deck for a lot of reasons. The artwork is beautiful (though the photography doesn't blend well with the computer-gen art on several of the cards). The cards are large, so the details and symbolism are not lost. The choice of landscapes and plantlife depicted on the cards is always appropriate and, well, just lovely in general.

What I do NOT like about this deck is the book. This is not a deck geared to beginners and, though it has its merits, the book is confusing at times. The deck is not a traditional tarot deck, and several broad liberties have been taken in renaming and redefining parts of the Major Arcana. Only the barest descriptions and explanations of spreads are given (though quite a few are shown). More time is spent on the meditative qualities of the cards than on their use and/or meaning in divination. The divination paragraphs regarding each card are often wordy and full of "fluff" that goes with the lore and symbolism that the author put into the imagery. There is no discussion of the placement of different cards in the spread or the relationships between cards. In short, it is a book written with the idea that its reader will already know quite a bit about Tarot.

This deck is nicely done. I've truly enjoyed it. I feel connected to the deck, and I'm glad it was my first choice. My advice, however, to any other beginners, is that you start elsewhere (like the Rider deck which has SO many books and tutorials written about it) before diving into a "different" deck like this one.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A mixed bag, not for beginners, December 2, 2001

By	wysewomon "wysewomon" (Paonia, CO United States) - See all my reviews

The Sacred Circle tarot is a lovely deck with beautiful, rich colours and a decidedly British Neo-Pagan slant. I would not recommend it for beginners, either beginning Tarot readers or those just starting on a Pagan path.

Five stars for the Major Arcana! There has been some re-ordering with which I do not necessarily agree, and some of the image substitution is difficult to integrate, but generally these cards are easy to understand and welcoming as well as beautiful. Easy to understand, that is, if you've been a practicing pagan for a while and have a good grounding in the underlying mythology. Oherwise you might have trouble.

The minor arcana is not so well done. Although they purport to show full images, many of the numbered suit cards are little better than pip cards and very hard to read. There are little one-word definitions on each card, but I find this annoying rather than helpful. There are inconsistencies in the imagery -- e.g., wands might appear as spears or arrows or wands depending on the card. Sometmes this is explained in the book, but I'm a firm believer in internal card logic, so I found the necessity of explanation irritating.

Throughout the deck the imagery and symbology is extremely personal to the makers. In most cases their actualy interpretations haven't changed so, once again, an experienced reader will be able to get it fairly easily but a beginner may not get the connections. There are also places where the main symbol of the card is either practically invisible or pretty much unintelligible without recourse to the book. This is something I really don't like. You can read these cards intuitively, but it takes some doing.

The book is a thick one and it gives detailed descriptions of every card, as well as an overview of the fool's journey and several new spreads you might want to try.

I probably would not have bought these cards if I had been able to examine a full deck in advance, but they are turning out to be quite popular with clients. Readings with them so far have stressed personal responsibility and introspection rather than outward action, and they tend to have a gentler feel than readings with some other decks. This is a good addition to a Pagan reader's toolkit -- not a starting point, but a deck with which to explore a particular focus more deeply.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great imagery, concise readings..., April 11, 2000

By	HJW "o8Heather8o" - See all my reviews

It's funny how every tarot deck works a little different, with a somewhat different character & personality about it... My Sacred Circle tarot readings seem to have a certain economy, brevity, & succinct quality about them. I seem to get complete answers in much fewer cards, sometimes only one, which manages to speak volumes... It's hard to explain why this is (maybe it's because it's generally a "swordsy" deck containing crisp yet surreal imagery?), but this doesn't often happen with the other decks I own (eg. The Mythic Tarot) though I like using them for different reasons. Also, though I have small hands, I *like*, prefer, & seek big tarot cards like these, and the non-symmetrical beautiful imagery on the backs of the cards doesn't distract or influence my readings in any way whatsoever. Expect to get the truth & a reality check from your readings with this deck, and not to be filled full of a lot of new age/pop-psych. fluffy stuff. If you're looking for a powerful oracle that will cut to the chase & "get real" with you & your querents, unafraid to bring seekers up short on occasion, this is it. I could feel a potent metaphysical energy about this deck while it was still wrapped in the box. Anna Franklin & Paul Mason, you've made this seeker a very happy customer... : )