The Cathar Tarot: The Secret Wisdom of the Perfecti

I have to agree with some of the other reviewers--it is a very melancholy deck. I'm not sure why Matthews decided to portray the Cathars in this way. Of course they underwent constant persecution and many many were burnt at the stake. But there was something revelatory, inspirational and transcendent in their experience of God for them to be willing to go through so much for their faith. In addition, the book that comes with the deck is substandard in content and production. Very poor explanations of the cards and their meanings. One expects better from John Matthews. Perhaps he has authored so many decks that he is unable to find original ways to present the material.

I like 'different' decks if different isn't what you are looking for buy a RWS :)That said this doesn't look anything like Wil Kinghan's art. I expect it is based on the type of art in the Cathars time, but still...Matthews always puts his all into research and the reader can't help but learn something new, but..one more but...the print is tiny and gray. I can guarantee I won't be reading this companion book.I just came here to post this review because I'd like to request the book be offered as an e-book or if they would consider using Fool's Dog apps to put deck and book as an app option.

I've always been fascinated by the Cathars. This is a beautiful deck, but probably not one I will use for readings. I use it more for meditating and communing with a past life--Some reviewers say it's too melancholy, but how could it not be? It's based on one of the most tragic, if unknown, stories in Western history, (although there are so many...)John Matthews is an excellent scholar. However he attributes the Albigensian crusade to Pope Alexander III, while most historians reserve that dubious honor for Innocent III.Maybe Matthews knows something the rest of us don't? This deck isn't for everyone. But if you resonate with the Troubadour culture of medieval Languedoc, as I do, you may find it inspiring and poignant.

Personal pet peeve for me, I recall a past life as a Cathar so this deck ignited my interest. If you are interested in the Cathars or their story, this deck is on point. It is different from most decks and some cards will surprise you. Not a deck for everyday use, but a must for serious collectors.

Beautiful cards packed with profound meaning. Lots of symbolism and wisdom to explore here.

Must buy for serious tarot collectors

I was very pleased to receive this tarot . The colors are rich, like stained glass. The drawings could be from a medieval manuscript. The card stock is excellent. The only thing that I wish was different was the text in the book is somewhat small. It's a beautiful tarot and it's nice to be able to purchase one at such a reasonable price.

Great deck

It definitely is one of the best decks that I can add to my collection. Not only does it have the beautiful images, very artistic it has a romanticism vibe and also a Orthodox Church iconography vibe. It tells a story filed with knowledge of the cathar who were the father of gnostic ism . I also love the little book that comes with it and that it's colored. The major arcana have pictures on the whole page I really like that as I like to analize the pictures in more detail ( the bigger the better). It's just filed with images and symbols and knowledge and story. Not only do you get art but also learn something new. For me it has just everything a good deck should have. Definitely worth buying.

This is a gorgeous tarot and one of the most beautiful I've ever seen ( and I've collected many in my time! ). It is a wonderful concept and - if you are at all inspired by the Cathars - you owe it to yourself to get hold of this.Sadly, the book lets the package down and appears hastily put together. It is riddled with errors regarding the Cathar teaching and betrays confusion caused by cursory reading and research. It gets very mixed up over even the most basic Cathar practices. Somewhat bizarrely, the book gives no information at all on the inspiration behind the minor arcana illustrations - and instead contains the most elementary meanings of the cards in the misconception that this might be the purchaser's very first tarot ( which would be most unlikely ).I put the book back in the box and hid them both away at the back of the cupboard. WONDERFUL tarot, almost useless book ( for which the star is deducted ) and if the tarot pack is ever published separately from the book, get that instead.

Lovely and old worldly. Very thick card stock. Love the pictures. Illustrated minors.

Perfect gift

Ogni carta è un piccolo capolavoro. Inoltre, da cataro, apprezzo molto il lavoro che l'autore ha fatto con queste carte. Ci sono soltanto alcune imprecisioni sulle raffigurazioni tra alcuni personaggi del catarismo del 1200 e gli arcani maggiori, ma nulla di così grave. Bella l'idea di mettere il diavolo al posto del papa, è in perfetta sintonia con l'atteggiamento che i Catari avevano. Oltre alle carte è presente un piccolo manualetto, dove oltre a dare alcuni cenni storici delle vicende catare, viene brevemente illustrato il significato delle carte.Non sono carte adatte a chi vuole scoprire i tarocchi, ma per chi ha già una certa esperienza. Prendetele, non ne sarete delusi. Il prezzo è inoltre vantaggioso.