The Illuminated Tarot: 53 Cards for Divination & Gameplay (The Illuminated Art Series)

You might wonder how a "real" Tarot deck could consist of just 53 cards. That's what I wondered too, until I got the deck and began using and studying it. The author "folded" the Majors and Minors together so that some cards do double-duty as either a Minor or Major or both, depending on how the reader wishes to interpret them or where the cards fall in a layout. In other words, you can give the Major/Minor cards as much weight in a reading as you like. But all the Minors (Clubs=Wands, Spades=Swords, Diamonds=Pentacles, Hearts=Cups) and all the 22 Majors are represented and accounted for (see the attached image), along with the very appropriate addition of a Joker card for the Fool. The Pages and Knights were blended into a single Jack, and this works quite nicely with combining the qualities of those two court cards into one. Each card has its suit symbol and either a number or court indication, but no words are used.The author based this Tarot on a traditional 52-card playing deck, and it could work for such purposes if you like. But it can also be used just as you would any other Tarot. It actually makes perfect sense that the author designed the deck this way, since one of the theories about the origins of contemporary Tarot is that it evolved from a standard deck of playing cards. So although this seems like a giant leap away from what many people have come to accept as the quintessential Tarot -- a deck of 78 cards, with 56 Minors (including four court cards and 22 Majors) -- this might be more of an "authentic" deck or perhaps a revisiting of Tarot's past. So don't let the uncommon construction of this deck put you off. It actually is a real Tarot -- just different from what you might expect.The cards themselves are phenomenally designed. The size (3.5 x 5 inches) is perfect, despite their larger-than-normal dimensions. Because there are fewer cards in the deck, the larger size of the cards is extremely easy to handle. I have very petite hands, but I can shuffle (riffle or under/over) with ease. The finish on the cards is magnificent. There's a heavy coating with a linen-like matte finish. This keeps the cards from showing fingerprints or dirt, making them easy to keep clean. The cards stick together a bit initially, perhaps because of the vertical "linen" lines in the finish. But the more you work with and shuffle them, the less this happens and the more they "soften" up and become "loose." This is my ideal size and finish for Tarot cards, so I couldn't be more pleased with them.The backs are gorgeous and reversible. The colors are cream, black, and white. There are no gilded edges with this deck, which I'm very happy about, since that tends to flake off and make a bit of a mess on hands and reading cloths. The edges do initially "shed" a bit from where they were cut at the print shop, but that diminishes with use. There are moderately wide borders on the cards, but some of the artwork intentionally bleeds into them, so I wouldn't suggest trimming the borders. They're perfect just as they are.The lavish illustrations are fresh, simple, and modern, but not precious or cloying, and the images have depth and inspire intuition. The colors are clear and distinct to each suit but create a well-coordinated family. Wands/Clubs: orange, green, and blue; Diamonds/Pentacles, soft yellow, burnt orange, violet/purple, green, and light brown; Hearts/Cups: red/pink, orange, brown, and green; Swords/Spades: blue, deep purple, violet, deep brown. As with any deck, there are some cards I’m greatly drawn to and others less so, but there aren’t any that totally turn me off. The artwork incorporates a combination of animals, plants, symbols, and ethnically ambiguous humans.It can take a little time and study to understand why the author chose certain Minors to mesh with particular Majors, but her choices mainly follow and represent traditional Tarot concepts and make sense to me. In general, they’re paired based on conventional meanings/interpretations, numerical value, or energy/suit. What's especially intriguing is that many of the cards, including the Jacks, are reversible (just like standard playing cards)!The box is incredibly sturdy and beautiful, and it's even embossed! It has an inner "cupped" holder to keep the cards secure and a ribbon to help pull them out. If you like to store your cards in a box or bag when they aren't in use, you definitely won't have to purchase anything additional.The LWB is actually a small, full-color booklet with key words for each card and a few simple layouts. There's not a lot of explanation of much else, which some readers might consider a good thing. I'd like to know more about the author's reasoning behind certain Minor/Major matches and her use of color and symbols, but they are nevertheless clear and consistent among the suits.This is a very easy deck to use and learn, and it's one I'd recommend for both beginners and seasoned Tarotists. Although beginners might not get to know the customary numbers for the Majors by using this deck, it really may not matter, since all the Majors are represented here in a very unique and compelling way. A bonus of this Tarot deck is that it will teach you how to read a regular playing-card deck should you ever need or want to.It's tough to come up with original approaches to Tarot, and most contemporary decks either stick with the traditional 78 cards or even add a few extra ones. This is the first time I've come across a full deck that takes a more "condensed" approach, but I must say that I'm impressed.

Everything about this deck—from the feel of the stock to the structure of the reading system—is different from traditional RWS type decks. Which suits me fine. I'm a big fan of non-traditional decks. But while I'm always fine with non-traditional art and interpretations, I'm rarely enamored with anything that breaks the 78-card mold. This deck does that in some really interesting ways, so it won me over.Keegan found ways to work the majors into the 40 cards of the pips, and she reduced the courts to twelve by combining the pages and knights. An example of working the majors into the minors is the Two of Spades (Swords) doubling as the Hanged Man. It makes perfect sense to me. Both have their perspective skewed, both are taking a pause. I thought it was clever. There were other examples like that in the deck, too, such as the Seven of Spades doubling as The Chariot and The Four of Spades doubling as Death's cycle of renewal.The art is very graphic. Some have an updated hippie rock poster sort of vibe, with lots of little details to peruse. And others are very simple almost like wood cut kind of images. All of them felt "new-age modern retro" to me, which has its own story to tell within each card. And most are fully illustrated, while a small handful come close to being TdM style pips. I'm not into non-illustrated pips, but even in the less illustrated ones, she inserts something clever and evocative. My favorite is that, on the Four Of Diamonds/Coins, a king is peeking through one of the coins, checking to make the sure the others are still there. How clever is that?! It's also interesting to note that, while the suit may be Hearts, she uses Cups in her illustrations. Diamonds used Coins (with diamonds on them). Same for all the suits...playing card suits, but with tarot suit imagery.Now, I will say that the book meanings were hit and miss for me based on the vibe I was getting off one card or another. Overall, the book meanings were skewed to the cheery and positive, which could make the deck more mainstream, along with the 53-card structure—a deck of playing cards plus the Fool as the Joker. Totally approachable for the tarot-curious. And maybe I'm getting things from the images the artist didn't intend. But that's OK, because the deck is sparking all sorts of new tarot neurons for me regardless. And I've been reading tarot for 30 years and have a collection of hundreds of decks, so my neurons are pretty jaded. I don't usually get excited enough about a deck to review it.Finally, the packaging is flawless. A sturdy hinged box and first-class presentation. The card stock is thick and sturdy, along the lines of a Schiffer deck, but superior. The cards have a matte gloss finish and the ink (I think) creates a lightly ridged surface to the cards. This creates the perfect friction for shuffling right out of the box. The feel is very different than you're used to, but in a pleasant way. For the price, everything about it is high quality.If you're RWS all the way and uptight about people who mess with tarot's sacred structure, steer clear of this deck. But if you just love exploring decks and different interpretations and perspectives in cartomancy and tarot, give this one a try. And if you know nothing about tarot and just want to have fun and tell fortunes, this is the perfect toe in the water. It is not the same experience as a true, 78-card deck, but it sure is an attractive, approachable alternative.