The Tarot Channel

Upcoming Releases in Tarot (Summer-Winter 2008)

Here's a preview of upcoming Tarot books, decks and bags for the latter part of 2008. Rachel Pollack will be coming out with two new releases (Tarot Wisdom and a re-issue of the Vertigo Tarot), and David Skibbins will be out with the fourth installment of his Tarot Card Mysteries series called The Hanged Man.

The much-anticipated second book in the Song of Montsegur series The Last Quest by Derek Armstrong comes out in October 2008, as does my Back in Time Tarot Book. Several Tarot decks will be coming out, too, including the Tarot for Hip Witches Kit, Frank Fradella's Undersea Tarot, Mystic Dreamer Tarot (with text by The Tarot Channel's own Barbara Moore) and the Initiatic Tarot of the Golden Dawn.

Below is the complete list for upcoming releases for Summer-Winter 2008. If you know of any other upcoming Tarot releases, please let us know!

Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot - Graham Cameron

“Think of yourself as an actor, placed in a theater at the time of your birth. You have been invited to join the millions of other actors around you, to take your place on the stage known as the Phantasmagoric Theater. Every scene has been assembled for your performance. The script has been written and your cures are in order. If nothing goes wrong, you will sail through your performance until the final curtain…” – From the Little White Book

There’s something unsettling about the Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot, which could very well shake up your reading practice as well as any preconceived (memorized?) notions about what a particular card means.

Zombie-like dolls, gas-masked creatures, question marks, punk/goth kids, random puzzle pieces and numbered dice inhabit a landscape both playful and off-kilter. If you enjoy The Nightmare Before Christmas or Corpse Bride (or any of Tim Burton’s unusual notions of fun), you’ll likely feel quite at home with this deck.

Legacy of the Divine Tarot

Ciro Marchetti, the creative mind and digital artist behind the Gilded Tarot and Tarot of Dreams, is working on a new deck titled Legacy of the Divine Tarot.

Check out this mini-movie on YouTube about Ciro's upcoming deck. Does that give you the chills or what? It reminds me of the music and graphics from the Journey to Wild Divine "inner-active" computer adventure.

You can get a sneak peek at some of the completed cards from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot from Ciro's site. (And if you'd like to see Ciro on a local NBC station talking about his gorgeous kimonos lavished with his colorful digital art, check out this link showcasing his work--and his yummy British accent.)

-- Janet Boyer

Le Grand Tarot Universel

During my last trip to Paris, I picked up Le Grand Tarot Universel (from Editions Bruno de Nys). Its rainbow-hued, TdM-inspired images range from cotton-candy happy to mildly hallucinatory. It's almost as though the deck's cast members have all taken hits of ecstasy before showing up for work.

Sunlight Satin Bag from Lo Scarabeo

Just in time for Spring (or anytime!) arrives the bright aquamarine satin bag from Lo Scarabeo. Available with the Lo Scarabeo Circle of Life Deluxe edition or by itself, this cheery bag features a sunny yellow embossment on the front with the same golden color on the inside of the bag. Black satin drawstrings with yellow satin ends complete this attractive pouch that can be used for storing Tarot cards, runes, crystals, stones or oracle decks.

Measuring approximately 8 ¾ x 5 ½ inches, the Sunlight Satin bag easily stores average sized decks like the Universal Fantasy, Gilded, Pictorial Key and Fantastical Creatures. In addition, larger decks like DruidCraft Tarot fit easily into this bag with drawstrings closed, but the Rohrig Tarot is too big for complete closure (however, you could still technically *store* such a deck in the Sunlight Satin bag).

The lively, vibrant colors on this bag would be great for whimsical decks such as the Inner Child Cards, Kitty Kahane, Oracle Tarot or the Sakki-Sakki deck (whose backings match the lemon yellow sun perfectly!).

So if you’re in need of a lovely but sturdy satin bag reminiscent of clear aqua waters on a sunshiny day, I highly recommend the Sunlight Satin Bag from Lo Scarabeo.

-- Janet Boyer

Tarot of the Angels

“In a world that is increasingly alienated by the struggle for power, by a love of money, and by a yearning for fame, the Angel Tarots [sic] can be guides, almost like a spark of light during dark times, and to find your way amidst confusion.” – From the L(ittle) W(hite) B(ook) to the Tarot of the Angels

Heralded as special agents of the Divine, angels appear in sacred texts, literature, art, mythology and movies. These beings deliver messages to humanity, as well as bring solace, guidance and protection. Some individuals believe that the angelic realm consists of “good” and “bad” angels (often called demons), while others feel that these powerful creatures manifest only light and love.

With lively imagery, artist Arturo Picca displays a wide variety of angelic beings in Tarot of the Angels. From warrior angels to playful cherubs, dark entities to humble servants of humanity, a myriad of vocations and persuasions find expression in this ethereal deck.

Circle of Life Tarot

"Round Tarots were used to emphasize the concept of cyclicity that then evokes the concept of life. The cards, which are no longer limited to a geometry that establishes right side up or inverted figures, force the eye to focus on the centre of the figures, and therefore better understand the symbols and meanings to which they allude." - From the Circle of Life Tarot LWB

Egg and sphere, wheel and coin, circles embody the idea of containment and continuity. Through solar disks, halos and mandalas, the circle also symbolizes Divinity--the paradoxical essence of both everything and nothing. According to the L(ittle) W(hite) B(ook) of the Circle of Life Tarot, "the concave side of curves evokes feminine nature and reminds man of the nurturing protection of his mother's womb" while the convex part "evokes the concept of growth and power represented by the nature of the male."

Tarot of the Pirates

“Thanks to literature and cinema, pirates have become a symbol of courage and audacity, the emblem of freedom and adventure. This romantic and legendary idea, rather than their true history, rich in cruelty and notoriety, was the inspiration for the Pirate Tarot cards.” – From the L(ittle) W(hite) B(ook)

Buxom maidens and shirtless buccaneers, overflowing treasure chests and hearty carousing—between the open sea and salty wind sail the rough characters of the Tarot of the Pirates. Envisioned by Bepi Vigna, with Michele Benevento providing the art and Arturro Picca the bright coloring,  the Tarot of the Pirates pays homage to the lawless seafarers of the Caribbean (the real ones, not Johnny Depp and company).

Pictorial Key Tarot - Davide Corsi

“The deck designed by Davide Corsi, under the supervision of Lo Scarabeo editorial team is the most recent and highly evolved representation of the Pictorial Key. Even though it is ostensibly simple and essential, the images, realized with modern painting techniques, are brimming with real and relevant symbolism, ideas, and intuitions that can be applied to various existential levels: ethical, meditative, divinatory and metaphysical.” – From the L(ittle) W(hite) B(ook) to the Pictorial Key Tarot

From the Italian artist who illustrated the Tarot of the Elves emerges a vibrant CGI deck firmly planted in Rider-Waite-Smith imagery—the Pictorial Key Tarot. Gleaming metal and pockmarked stone, smooth marble and rough-hewn wood interplay with luxurious fabrics, star-studded skies, rippling waters and billowy clouds, but at the center remains the familiar RWS cast of characters and symbols.

At first blush, the Pictorial Key Tarot resembles another black-bordered CGI deck: the Gilded Tarot (to a side-by-side comparison between ten card images, click here). However, there are several differences between the two decks.

Tarot of the Masters - James Ricklef

James Ricklef is a beloved name in the Tarot world, especially with his outstanding book Tarot Tells the Tale a favorite among readers.

Turning his attention to deck creation, James has now completed his first Tarot deck, Tarot of the Masters. Inspired by classic paintings by masters such as Vermeer, Rubens and Rembrandt, his illustrations are a fine tribute to Toulouse-Lautrec, Bouguereau, Hieronymus Bosch and company, while still staying faithful to familiar Tarot iconography.

You can learn more about James' new deck and view all 78 cards here.

-- Janet Boyer