Joie de Vivre Tarot [Hardcover]

"Joie de Vivre" - French for "joy of living". And yes, this is a joyful, light-hearted deck that brings out the child in each of us - something that we don't do often enough! In her introduction Cassidy notes that the living beings that occupy this realm are all sentient souls of love who want the best for those that choose to journey through their world. They will help you lighten up in order to better tap into your intuition and connect with Divine source. The Seeker will find themselves responding through heart, mind, and spirit.

The presentation in the LWB (Little White Book) is what I have come to recognize as the style of U.S. Games Systems, Inc. - text only, keywords, a short paragraph describing the energy of the card, and the upright and reversed meanings. At the end of the book is a unique six card spread entitled "Spreading the Joy",as well as blank pages for note taking. The author bio is something that you will want to read also - because it is here that you will find that Cassidy has been a student of energy healing for over ten years, and applies her studies in Reiki and pranic healing to her visual art, and that she also composes and records songs. Certainly the energy of the healer comes through in this deck!

The cards are 2 3/4" by 4 3/4", of good quality, glossy card stock. The backs show a 1/4" white border around a beautiful orange center, and are reversible. The card faces show the same 1/4" white border, with the card titles at the bottom: number (in Roman numerals) and title for the Major Arcana, number (in text) and suit for the Pips (numbered cards), and title and suit for the Court Cards.

The art is very gently done fantasy, in pastel colors. The Fool seems to be floating through the air, and there is a bit of the Mad Hatter in the Magician's top ha. The Hanged Man hangs from a vine in mid air, while the Two of Wands is a lovely muse standing with a globe in one hand, and her owl companion appearing to be sitting on her head. The Nine of Cups is a lovely lady with nine cups swirling around her. The King of Swords, a cat-like figure, stands with his dove companion.

This is an excellent deck to use with clients that are a little nervous about the Tarot, or to take yourself, or a client, "out of the box" in your reading. It would also be a wonderful deck to use in a comparative reading, as it would balance a more serious, or esoteric deck. It is not a deck that would be used by a beginner to learn to read the Tarot, but it has its place. The artwork alone is worth the price of the deck!

The term "joie de vivre" is one of the many French expressions that doesn't have an exact translation in English. The expression has, if you will, a certain je nais se quoi. The literal translation is "joy of life," or "joy of living," but inherent in the expression is a child-like whimsy and sense of wonder that the English translation just doesn't capture. It is a fitting title for Paulina Cassidy's new tarot deck, Joie de Vivre Tarot.

It is hard to believe that Cassidy has had time to produce a second deck. It feels like just yesterday I was interviewing her about the (at the time) forthcoming Paulina Tarot. When I had the pleasure of speaking with Cassidy, it was clear to me the creatures that appear on her canvas do so of their own volition. The artist is merely making visible the entities that already exist.

In Paulina Tarot, those creatures had walk-on roles in a fairly traditional deck. In Joie de Vivre Tarot, Cassidy's unique creatures are the stars of the show.

In the LWB (little white book), written by Cassidy, the creature on each card has a name, and a bit of a backstory. They have names such as Jaunt, Prezto and Blossom. I hope she writes some detailed stories about them; they are fascinating.

The images of Joie de Vivre Tarot are unmistakably the work of Paulina Cassidy. They are fanciful, otherworldly, and, at times, macabre. It seems to me that in her first deck, Cassidy was trying to hold back just a little, maybe trying to be a wee bit tarot-proper. In this deck, she has given us a full view of the landscapes inside her head.

In trying to describe these images, I can only say this. Imagine that the characters of Tim Burton, Lewis Carroll, Edward Gorey and Dr. Seuss all met up at a party and dropped acid together. No, that's not quite right. Acid is too strong, electric and chemical to produce the fine detail, old-fashioned whimsy and muted colors of this deck. Maybe they ate some mushrooms instead. On their collective hallucinogenic trip, they decided to create a tarot deck. The result of such an adventure might look very much like Joie de Vivre Tarot. Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing at all.

The cardbacks and card interpretations do honor reversals. The cards are standard sized, and rendered and packaged in classic U.S. Games style. The four suits are Swords, Wands, Cups and Coins. There do not seem to be specific elemental references in the card images. Strength is card Eight, and Justice is Eleven.

Many of the characters have sweet faces with big eyes and pointed chins. There is a very Victorian feel to the deck. There are clever elements to the images, such as the clock in the hair of Lady Temperance. While the images on the cards are certainly non-traditional, they make sense, and are delightfully imaginative.

I have a theory about this deck. I think it will be very effect for intuitive/psychic tarot reading. The reason is this. Joie de Vivre Tarot is arguably the most imaginative deck ever. It communicates emotion, and sparks imaginative thought. Imagination is seated in the third eye, or brow chakra. This chakra governs the eyesight with which we view the cards, as well as our psychic vision. By stimulating the imagination and the eyesight, these cards will stimulate our psychic ability as well.

Joie de Vivre Tarot will be a great deck for anyone who finds it appealing, from beginners to professionals. I probably won't use it myself - I find the legs of many of the creatures absolutely creepy. Some legs are spindly and spiderlike. Some creatures seem human except for the one, tail-like leg emerging from their bulbous bodies. These details, and some others, make me feel as if I were present at the imaginary party with the Lorax, the Mad Hatter, Sally the Ragdoll and the Doubtful Guest. I ate the mushrooms, too, but I had a bad trip.

From the amazing creatrix Paulina Cassidy, of the Paulina Tarot comes her latest addition to the Tarot community, The Joie de Vivre Tarot...what a truly charming and chatty deck that when translated, means Hearty or carefree enjoyment of life. I had been eagerly awaiting this deck, watching it's progress and marveling over her unique artistic style and now that I have it in my hot little hands it is absolutely wonderful and quite child-like in it's energy.

The Joie de Vivre Tarot is a 78 card deck that is just the perfect size to work with and shuffle with ease. It comes with the standard LWB (little white book) of interpretations and each card and character is described in loving detail and absolutely inspires a truly joyful feel. I thought rather than to review this deck as I usually do, I would perhaps do an actual interview of it instead and I was not disappointed by it's lively and straight forward answers. Here are a few of the questions I asked and how the deck responded...

Tell me about yourself, what is your most important characteristic? King of Swords- "The King Sagacity possesses the wisdom and courage to obtain all his desires. His dove companion, Justice, helps him work against dishonesty." What a terrific card to pop up when describing this decks most important characteristic! The King of Swords encourages the use of logic and intellect to navigate the path ahead and will definately get to the heart of the matter so buckle your seat belt, this deck will take you on a journey to see through all the clutter and fog to show you what the issues really are!

What are your strengths? The Moon- "Illuminating hidden truths, the Moon's energy brings clarity to the surface." Here we can see Phantasm and his three owl companions Daze, Haze and Maze sitting on a branch, illuminated by a huge full moon in the background. The Moon calls attention to the shadow in all of us and leads us to becoming consciously aware of any fears and anxieties that may be projected onto your external surroundings. The Joie de Vivre tarot tells me that it will turn these fears around and into more positive and constructive energy, illuminating a path through the unknown.

How can I best learn from and work with you? Knight of Cups- "Intrigue, the passionate and poetic Knight of Cups is the messenger of ideas and opportunities." This Knight is in touch with his intuition and emotions, and The Joie de Vivre will teach me to blend my imagination and logic to make dreams come true. this deck will bring inspiration and encourage me to undertake the journey of imagination and creativity to which the unconscious will guide my path. What a beautiful statement this Knight makes, I'm filled with an expectant anticipation of this journey with The Joie de Vivre Tarot and can hardly wait to get started!

This is truly an amazing and energetic deck full of excitement and wonder, it would make a fantastic deck for beginners and seasoned readers alike. I love Paulina's imagery and the whimsical yet charming characters that flow through this deck and I had a terrific time reading with it. I heartily encourage you to check out the Joie de Vivre Tarot and see where your imagination and intuition take you!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 11 reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars