Whimsical Tarot: 78-Card Deck with Book(s) [Cards]

We were wrong. The deck captivated all of us at the store, including me.. and I *despise* most cute decks. The pictures are drawn from fairy tales, some of which are well known, others less so, so getting the book (or the set) is a good idea, but even without the book it is very readable. The pictures hit you at a subconscious level, very strongly.

The artist is Mary Hanson Roberts, the author of the Hanson Roberts deck, which I knew to be excellent (and I recomend). If you like the art style of the Hanson Roberts deck, you will likely appreciate the art in this deck. The author of this deck is Dorothy Morrison, who has written extensively on Pagan topics. The deck is ,however, quite able to stand on its own without the prior acheivements of the author and artist.

Yes, the cards are somewhat softened. The tower, death, etc have all been re-done in a more approachable style. My professional readers all agree they are less likely to frighten a first time or skittish querant, while being just as readable. The one problem with using this deck is that many people simply wont take it as seriously.

The Magician is "Puss in Boots" and instantly understandable to anyone who has read that fable. When you draw this card you know you are dealing with someone who lives by their wits, and parleys their natural talents into extraordinary and often magical feats, but is a trickster, and bears watching. A valued ally, and a dangerous opponant.

The one card I might argue with is "Temperance", here depicted as "Jack and Jill". The picture shows Jack and Jill tumbled down the hill, with the water buckets spilling and overturned, through lack of wisdom and restraint. It simply doesnt read the same way as I expect Temperance to read from the Rider Waite deck. It is a valid and understandable reading, but not the same.

The best way to get a feel for any Tarot deck is to actually see it, and handle it, of course, but I do strongly recomend this deck for personal readings, and for proffessionals, with the caveat about not being taken seriously by some querants.

Since I became interested in Tarot, I have bought close to two dozen decks.. and this is the only one I currently have not sold. This deck appealed to me for two reasons.. The first being it has NO scary images. While I am quite interested in tarot, I find that many of the cards are downright negative and fearful. While many people argue that this "shadow" side is necessary in cards, I beleive it can be accomplished in more gentle ways. There is so much negativity and violence in the world.. and we are all so tough on ourselves already. When I sit down for advice and counsel from my cards, I don't need to be scared. For this reason, I have migrated more to Angel and Fairy oracle decks. It can be tough reading for yourself when some of those sword cards pop up,etc. This deck makes you feel good, even when delivering life's tougher messages...

Second, this deck is so easy to relate to.. Since the cards all depict fairy tales, fables, or nursery rhymes.. the association makes it VERY easy to learn. Alas, a good deck for beginners as well. I would reccomend getting the book by Dorothy Morriosn. Even though you could easily read the cards if you are familiar with the stories, the book really is helpful in providing more detailed descriptions and revealing more depth. Perhaps this won't be your only deck as it currently is mine, but it is certainly a refreshing one to pull out when you need more gentle advice.. A+