The Housewives tarot: A Domestic Divination Kit with Deck and Instruction Book (Cards)

~ Jude Buffum (Author), Paul Kepple (Author) "The Major Arcana represents the various figures of inspiration and influence encountered by our hero, the housewife, on her long and perplexing journey..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

You've never seen tarot cards like these before. Imagine the celebrated 'Ryder Deck' infused with the spirit of Leave It to Beaver, and the result is The Housewives Tarot -- a dazzling retro interpretation of a classic divination system.
With illustrations of martini glasses (cups), mops and brooms (wands), Duncan Hines chocolate cake (the Devil), wood-paneled station wagons (the Chariot), bathroom scales (Judgment), and other 1950s iconography, these tarot cards can answer all of life's most challenging questions. The enclosed instruction book shows you how to interpret all 78 cards -- and describes how to assemble them using five different layouts: the Virgin Spread, the Neapolitan Spread, the Clothesline Spread, the Dinette Spread, and the Martini Spread.
The secrets of The Housewives Tarot await you!

About the Author

Paul Kepple and Jude Buffum are better known as Headcase Design, one of Philadelphia's most innovative graphic design studios. With The Housewives Tarot , they make their debut as writer-illustrators.

Paul Kepple and Jude Buffum are better known as Headcase Design, one of Philadelphia's most innovative graphic design studios. With The Housewives Tarot , they make their debut as writer-illustrators.

Product Details

• Cards: 96 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books (September 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931686998
• ISBN-13: 978-1931686990
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 3.6 x 3.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #305,113 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Domestic Divination!, February 17, 2005

By	Jasmine (Grand Prairie, TX) - See all my reviews

These cards are some of the most well packaged ones I've seen in awhile. The recipe type box that they come in features dividers (with actual recipes on the back!) to keep everything in place.

The cards themselves are on a good card stock, and have cute gingham backs and wonderful retro images on the fronts. It's been said that the cards are "out of order" but this is not so. Seeing as the "order" has been changed a lot throughout history, there is only the order that we know, not the order that is right. That aside, this was done purposefully - the creators felt that one should meet their Earthly parents before their Spiritual ones. With that in mind, the change is not only unbothersome, it's welcome. It's the first sign that a lot of thought went into this deck.

The images are inspiring, and even people who know nothing of tarot were telling me what the cards meant, because they could relate to the pictures. I've had many a breakthrough with these, and I've only had the deck since January! Each card has given me new insight into the meanings, and most people who aquire the deck say the same.

The "LWB" fits the theme as well, so it doesn't look like the paper booklet inserts usually given with a deck. It comes with some spreads (all of a domestic nature, naturally) and amusing interpretations for the cards.

However, even with the theme, and the humour, this -is- a serious deck. So for all the laughing, when it's time to take it seriously, that comes easily - the deck doesn't pull any punches. But, don't be TOO serious, or "breath odors can start"...

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious--And Suprisingly Accurate!, October 4, 2005

By	Janet Boyer "JanetBoyer.com" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"According to gossip, The Housewives Tarot was introduced by housewife extraordinaire Marlene Louise in the early 1950's. She was a happy homemaker who seemed to have it all-a devoted husband and obedient children, a sparkling home that was the talk of the town, a fashion sense to die for, and far more than her fair share of women's intuition." - From the instruction book

The Housewives Tarot is a hilarious domestic divination kit that comes in an attractive "recipe" box. The recipe dividers separate the Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, and the instruction book. If that's not amusing enough, there are actual recipes on the back of these dividers, including Divinated Eggs and Ice Box Fortune Cake.

I'm not a fan of 50's décor and I assumed this deck was a mere novelty.

Boy was I wrong!

While some of the montages are laugh-out-loud hilarious in presentation, there is a kernel of truth in each depiction. For example, The Magician sports slicked-back hair (I can practically *smell* the Bryl-cream!), toothy grin, and smarmy wide-eyes-while his hand gesture proclaims "tada!"...referring to a sparkling new (or is it?) washing machine.

A huckster salesman. Now if that isn't a darn good rendering of The Magician...! And how many of you considered that The Magician could embody the sycophant archetype? It never occurred to me until I got my hands on this deck!

The Housewives Tarot provided several other "epiphanies", which surprised and delighted me-in large part to the brief, clever interpretations for domestic metaphors. In addition, the 96-paged instruction booklet provides 3 keywords for each card, a brief interpretation (upright only), and five spreads (including "The Dinette").

Some of my favorite cards in this deck are:

Death - Depicted by rancid mayonnaise crawling with flies, an "expired" timer, and rotten half of tomato. The label? "Real Salmonella. Everything Expires" (complete with skull, cross bones, and roses!).

Justice - A perfectly coiffed mother-looking like a young Elizabeth Taylor-has her son turned over her knee, ready to spank him with a wooden spoon. She wears a mischievous grin, the boy looks like his mouthing the words "help!", and his lollipop goes flying out if his hand. An interesting take on "what goes around comes around"!

The Hermit - A woman soaks luxuriously in a large tub, several bars of soap surrounding her. Need I say more?

The Devil - A long-legged chocolate cake holds a cigarette in one hand and martini in the other. She's surrounded by a can of "Spork", instant coffee, a pack of cigarettes, Redi-Cheez, TV dinner, and a bottle of Valium.

Knight of Pentacles - A smiling, tuxedoed young man holding on to the handle of a shiny red lawnmower.

My husband, who's not a Tarot reader (yet!), thinks The Housewives Tarot is utterly hysterical. His personal favorite is the 2 of Swords: a blindfolded woman about to carve a turkey. Interestingly, we both put this deck through its paces-doing readings for each other. He was able to "read" these cards easily and gave me some accurate, interesting insight. Likewise, I was able to do the same for his particular question.

The cards of the Major Arcana are trimmed in a black/red motif, while the borders of the Minors are depicted thusly:

Pentacles - Pea green
Swords - Red
Wands - Tan
Cups - Aquamarine

The backs are fully reversible, featuring a red and cream tartan design and have a matte finish.

While some of the interpretations in the instruction book-often peppered with name-brand items like Calgon, General Foods International Coffee and TV Guide-may seem cheesy on first glance, the meanings given are surprisingly ingenious.

While I loved this deck as soon as I opened it, I had no idea that I'd actually be able to *read* with it! And to show that you don't have to be Tarot-adept to read with The Housewives Tarot, my husband can read with it, too!

Fans of the June Cleaver era will absolutely love The Housewives Tarot. However, as I said, you don't need to have an interest in this era to enjoy this deck and use it skillfully. Those looking for a fun, non-threatening deck to use with clients will find a jewel here-without sacrificing accuracy or incisiveness.

(Note: I discovered that there were two 10 of Wands card in my deck, and that I was missing the 8 of Wands card. The kind folks at Quirk Books are sending me a replacement 8 of Wands, but be sure to check your cards when you get them!)

(To see 9 card images from this 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)

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars so you want to be June Cleaver? , January 6, 2005

By	Susan A. Frankensteen (Wichita, Kansas, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In spite of the many tarot decks I own, this one is totally unique in its own right. The cards are inspired by the 1950's Ozzie and Harriet era, yet are easy to understand and easy to read. When the deck was given to me as a gift, I thought it would be just another half-hearted attempt to blend a motif into tarot cards - but this one actually works. The writer and illustrator actually know what the cards mean and have devised a deck that meshes insightful cards with hilarious interpretations. It's well worth the money - whether you're a seasoned reader or a novice.