Saturday, February 25, 2012

Deck Review - Twilight Realm: A Tarot of Faery

I can't promise you that I know why I did not finish the review of Twilight Realm: A Tarot of Faery by Beth Wilder, published by Schiffer Books, when I was using it, but it certainly does deserve a review and you can see these great cards in action on the blog by clicking here.

The artist, who also wrote the accompanying book, feels that fae energies are real entities, and has created this deck to access these beings through the structure and magic of tarot.  My feeling is that she was quite successful at this.  These card fairly thrum with energy, and read quite easily.  I feel that people who connect to faery would enjoy this deck, and with very little violence and no nudity, as well as the fantastical theme of the deck, most children and adults could use the deck.  People who like the art style, which very much reminds me of black velvet paintings, should be easily to connect to the meanings of the cards, which while in the tradition of Waite Smith, have their own spin on the meanings.  The Court Cards are possibly the least evocative in the deck, and people who need a lot of visual cues to read these cards may be somewhat disappointed with them.

The deck is divided into 22 Major Arcana, that feature Strength as Trump VIII and Justice as Trump XI, and four suits of the Minor Arcana:  Wands, Cups, Swords, and Rings replacing Pentacles.  The Court Cards are Page, Prince or Princess according to the polarity of the suit, Queen, and King.  The cards measure in at 3.5 inches by 5 inches, quite a handful, and on glossy stock that could prove trying to shuffle.  The backs are fully reversible, and the author includes meanings for the upside down cards, should you choose to read that way.  The deck comes in a rectangular box with a space to snugly hold the deck, and a book featuring the artists' take on the meanings, which is beautifully imagined, and some basic tarot instructions, with a magnetic closure to keep the whole enterprise secure.

This has been a popular deck among tarot card enthusiasts, and you can check out some other reviews:   Koneta Bailey's at New Paths Tarot, Janet Boyer's, Cheryl Lynne Bradley's at Tarot Canada, Bonnie Cehovet's at Aeclectic.











These cards are from Twilight Realm: A Tarot of Faery by Beth Wilder, published by Schiffer Books.

5 comments:

  1. not my thing really but the art style is certainly interesting, kinda reminds me of swietliste drogi with everything on the black background like that...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you like decks that are a little more, I think refined is the way I would describe it. :-) I love the Swietliste Drogi, too. With both decks, I think the potential for the art to come across as overly quirky is high, but I never felt that in my readings.

      Delete
  2. This is one I always pick up in the store in London. The style pulls me in every time. There is something hypnotic about it, even though I haven't yet purchased it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's the faeries tugging on your sleeve :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I Finally Got Helped !! I'm so excited right now, I just have to share my testimony on this Forum.. The feeling of being loved takes away so much burden from our shoulders. I had all this but I made a big mistake when I cheated on my wife with another woman and my wife left me for over 4 months after she found out.. I was lonely, sad and devastated. Luckily I was directed to a very powerful spell caster Dr Emu who helped me cast a spell of reconciliation on our Relationship and he brought back my wife and now she loves me far more than ever.. I'm so happy with life now. Thank you so much Dr Emu, kindly Contact Dr Emu Today and get any kind of help you want.. Via Email emutemple@gmail.com or Call/WhatsApp cell number +2347012841542 Website (https://emutemple.wordpress.com/)

    ReplyDelete