Greetings All!

So you are so used to me talking about Lenormand it might come as a shock, pleasant I do hope, that I read Tarot as well.  On that note I was looking for a deck to use to teach a Tarot class with and I found this –

IMG_0112

Golden Tarot – by US Games Inc.

created by Kat Black

This deck is just exquisite.  The cards are collages of artwork from the Late Middle Ages and early Renaissance period and it has been masterfully done to follow a Rider Waite Style of deck as much as the art can allow.  With the time period of the art kept in mind and my poor photography skills as noted above, you can see how rich and vibrant the art is – you almost want to garb your self in your Ren Faire best when you sit with them.  How this deck can transport you to another era by its artwork is an easy observation to make, experiencing it and how it can assist you with your readings – there my friends is where this deck creator proved herself.

The card stock is excellent and though a bit stiff at first should hold up well.  The edges are gold gilt – a favorite of mine I admit, so I would advise that you don’t “riffle” shuffle these as that constant bending of the cards can wreak havoc on the gilt.  You will also, like many new out of the box decks, have to go through and ensure that each card is separate from the others – they like to stick together like good friends do.  This all said once you break them in a little bit they do shuffle quite well and breaking them in gives you more time to look at the artwork.

The box is quite sturdy as well.  It is a lift off top/display type of box.  It works quite nicely as once you shuffle the cards you can lay out the spread of your choice and place the remaining cards back in the box.  Standing nicely as it does, if you need to pull another card from the deck to clarify something you will find them nicely at your finger tips and neatly together.  For those of you who might be a bit organized obsessed like I tend to be – this is a little piece of heaven on your reading table.

And last but not least is the Guidebook which accompanies the deck.  While you will find meanings for each card as is typical, you will also find a treasure trove information on art, specifically the parts of each card and what art pieces they came from.  Now while I am not an art historian by any stretch of the imagination I can already see I will be sitting down with my iPad and using Google to look up at least some of these pieces.  I think part of the fun of this will be seeing where the pieces came from and how Kat “pieced” these together.  I love a good puzzle to figure out , hence why I adore reading cards, so trying to see how this whole process happened is going to be interesting.

So if you are looking for a deck that will prove sturdy to stand up over time while also taking you back in time, look no further, Golden Tarot is for you.

Shuffle well my friends!