Review(s) for Tarot of the Witches - CARDS

I have numerous sets of tarot at home and I never cease to be excited when I discover a new deck. Some of them I find just too odd and cannot cope with the ridiculous nature of the images. Some are too complex and seek to achieve far too much. This one, however, is justified by its ability to be used effectively. It gains by its simplicity. It is colourful without being too ambitious. The pictures are almost childlike but not as cynical as some decks are. I would describe them as “naive” in the artistic rather than the literal sense. The whole effect is the creation of an almost dreamlike state of being. In some ways, the imagery is traditional, including as it does the usual symbols, but there is an interpretation of the traditional. Apparently it is this deck that features in the James Bond film, “Live and Let Die.” The instruction booklet is easy to read and is just too simple not to be able to use. I would recommend this deck to any tarot user who does not want something too wacky but can move away from the heavily classical.

This pack was commissioned from the painter Fergus Hall by the makers of the 1973 James Bond film Live and let Die, starring Roger Moore as James Bond. In this film Solitaire (played by Jane Seymour) read the cards for the villain Dr Kananga (played by Yaphet Kotto). The curious images used in the cards have a dreamlike quality that is obviously influenced by the surrealist movement. However, the designs also have a strong element of caricature about them. All the cards use rich jewel-like colours and although at a casual glance the designs of the Major Arcana might seem to be fairly basic, closer inspection shows that they contain a considerable amount of symbolism. For example, although The Wheel of Fortune might look like a simple disc suspended in the branches of a dead tree, a second look shows that the disc is decorated around its edge with symbols representing the four suits, plus a sun, a moon and two rainbows. Several of the cards feature a wild-eyed ginger tomcat in various positions and students of Tarot might enjoy finding the link between these cards. Most of the Major Arcana contain references to the sun and the moon and a surprising number of them have little touches of wry humour. The Heirophant is a chubby middle-aged man with a long black beard in which a bird has made a nest and laid three eggs. The smiling Hanged Man is reading a book held in his right hand and a butterfly net in his left hand. If you look very closely you will see that there are four tiny butterflies flying around his bound feet. As the Minor Arcana do not have individual illustrations, this is a deck that would probably not suit most beginners. However, if you are looking for an unusual deck that is not influenced by the Rider-Waite, then The Tarot of the Witches could be just the deck for you.

I love this deck for its simplicity. It gets you to use your intuition and insight more than some of the other decks that you get. I like the fact that the minor cards don't have any symbolism and for me it works. But not many others do. This deck is not for beginners or as I have read to everyone's taste. Possibly because of is connection with 007 - but who cares I say. All adds to the over all charm. But for those who wish to hone their skills of tarot this is a good deck to use. I did have a look at the booklet provided and yes it is rather stereotypical so use it more for a study of attitude to witchcraft and wiccanry in the 70's rather than a learning tool.