Dreaming Way Tarot [Cards]

Dreaming Way Tarot is a new tarot deck from US Games. Dreaming Way closely follows the Rider Waite Smith traditions to the point that most people who are comfortable with the RWS will have no problem immediately reading with Dreaming Way.

Dreaming Way Tarot is a youthful deck. I think it will be very popular with younger readers especially. The art is very good. The faces of the characters are delicate and detailed. Many of the images are breathtaking and evocative. I particularly like the Aces, and the Judgment card.

The scenic backgrounds seem random. Some are beautiful color-washed tones. Others, for no apparent reason, are textured. Some have a repeating pattern that looks like old-fashioned wallpaper.

The costuming of the characters is curious. Many wear huge, elongated shoes. Some wear oversized top hats. The High Priestess is a young girl in a black top hat and white knee socks. It is images such as this which make me think this is a deck for someone much younger than me. In my tarot world, the High Priestess does not wear knee socks.

There are some striking contrasts in the art. Many of the costumes are colored in black-and-white checks. The Cups are of varying sizes and shapes, and they are decorated in large black-and-white polka dots.

There are some images that just make me shake my head. Most notably, the Page of Cups is a sweet young girl in a dress, holding a black and white cup. Fish are swimming through the air. The image is lovely, except that the poor Page has a teapot tied to her head.

What makes matters worse is that the LWB is skimpy, and does not give the reasons behind the crazy images. If I could explain to a client the symbolism of the teapot hat I would feel better about it.

Another problem I have is the facial expressions of some of the characters. In some cards that are traditionally happy, the characters look sullen and morose. I am not sure how well my clients will react to a Ten of Cups where Mom looks like she is coming home from a funeral.

All griping aside, there is something really special about this deck. After looking through the cards a few times I decided that Dreaming Way was just not a deck for me. I put it to the side of my reading table to sit rejected until I had a chance to review it.

Then I had a couple of telephone readings to do. I began each reading using my current professional deck, my trusty Hanson-Roberts. Early on in both readings, I felt the Dreaming Way call to me. "Use me! Use me!" it seemed to say. And so I did.

Here's what I discovered. The stark black and white graphics against the watery pastel washes evoke a lot of intuition. As a full-time tarot professional I could read with any deck and do a good job. But I must admit Dreaming Way made my job easy.

I know that newborn infants react to black-and-white graphics. Maybe the inner child does too. Maybe the interesting and eye-catching images work to open the third eye. We know that the third eye is linked to psychic ability, eyesight and imagination. For me, this is why every tarot deck is so powerful. As the eyes view the tarot cards the images stimulate the imagination, the intuition and the psychic ability.

It may be that these odd Dreaming Way images have some special ability to stimulate psychic awareness.
I am still more comfortable using these images for phone readings, where the clients can't see the cards. Over time, I may come up with my own explanations for the odd symbolism. Then I will be excited to take Dreaming Way Tarot on the road with me.

This RWS style deck is the work of Rome Choi and Kwon Shina. Directly from the box: "Dreaming Way Tarot dresses up traditional tarot with contemporary artistic flair. In this exquisite deck, stylish characters breathe new life into the scenes and symbols of the Major and Minor Arcana." I would agree - this deck does demonstrate a modern flair. The artwork is strikingly modern and fun; it communicates a great deal with just the right amount of images and symbols.

Suits are traditional: Cups, Pentacles, Wands and Swords, as are the names of the Trumps. Each card has a white border with the card title at the bottom in thin black text.

The card descriptions in the LWB give both a short text about the card and what it represents as well as providing keywords for upright and reversed meanings. Additionally there are two short sections called "Characteristics of the Suits" and "Characteristics of Numbers" and a spread in the back of the LWB called "Dreaming Way Five-Card Spread," which is a spread designed to help the practitioner confront issues that may have blocked his or her contentment.

The cards themselves are not as glossy as many of the cards by U.S. Games typically are, and I find that they handle even better as a result; they tend not to slide about at the slightest touch. Cardbacks allow for reversals, as they are a Klimt-like array of circular orbs over a randomly painted green background.

I find this deck to be pleasantly neutral on most accounts. There is no angst or darkness, nor is there excess of cute or cheery images. Characters in the scenes also have well-depicted, though neutral facial expressions, with the exception of a very few cards, such as the Ten of Cups. This is important for me, because often the facial expression can be a visual distraction, or a bias, when reading a card.

Some of the fascinating card transformations in this deck include the Wheel of Fortune, Death, the Moon, Judgment, and the World.

The Wheel of Fortune is almost certain to expand your card meaning once you see it: a woman employs a spinning wheel, meanwhile a long cord full of tangles and knots twists its way through the wheel. The woman has wings, and her face is serene and expressionless.

On the Death card, all that is presented is a female, profile left, in a black gown and holding a scythe with the blade upright. All the colors on the card are dark.

In the Moon card, a girl holds a lobster by the claws with only a huge moon as the backdrop.

On the Judgment card we see only trumpeting angels - no human figures responding to the trumpets as in the traditional RWS.

The World card bears the least resemblance to the original, and yet this might be my favorite card in the whole deck: an aged man rests peacefully in a chair, clutching a pipe, a book and reading glasses in his lap. Behind him stand a tree covered in ivy.

I would recommend this deck to readers of any level, as the images are easily understood and yet provide fertile ground for expanded meanings and intuitive reading.

John Alan,
Tarot Guild

Based on the traditional Rider-Waite tarot deck, the Dreaming Way Tarot builds on standard images and interpretations, adding emotional insight, whimsy, and creativity. The characters in this deck literally presented themselves to Rome Choi in a dream. He relied on his years of tarot research, numerology, and his study of Transpersonal Psychology to flush out the deck. Kwon Shina captures Choi's original inspiration in her energetic, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, illustrations.

Together Choi and Shina have created a unique deck, which preserves the roots of traditional tarot without simply repeating what's been done in the past. Beginners will be drawn into the cards, finding lots of visual cues to jumpstart their readings. Seasoned readers will be amused, stimulated, and prodded to look deeper into familiar symbolism. This deck is a treat for the eyes which also provides plenty to think about.

(TarotWise.com received a free review copy of this deck.)