This 78-card tarot deck and guidebook is a healing tool and guide to explore both the light and shadow sides of our nature.
By reimagining the traditional tarot archetypes and symbols in a contemporary, boho, and intuitive style, The Light Seer's Tarot expresses the light and shadow sides of our natures and explores the lessons that can be learned from both.
The expressive characters who live within the landscapes of the cards tell stories, ask questions, and provide guidance. This deck is an ideal companion as you seek to uncover the places in your life-and in yourself-that are most in need of illumination.
This review is image heavy.
A quick history lesson before we get into the review. Tarot began as a card game, no different from poker or Go Fish, in Europe in the 15th century (ish, dates are hazy.) It didn't start being used for predicting the future until around the 18th century. The most popular version is the Rider Waite Smith; most decks use those ideas, interpreted to suit the theme of the deck. There are plenty of non RWS decks out there, but beginners are usually advised to start with RWS as they can then apply their skills across literally thousands of decks.A tarot deck is divided in 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor Arcana cards divided across four suits. Cards in the Minor Arcana can be pips...so the seven of wands would literally show seven wands...or pictorial...so the seven of wands would show, probably, someone defending themselves against seven wands. Beginners are advised to chose a pictorial deck, as they're easier to learn, but of course they don't have to.
I'm leaving out a
lot of nuance, but this is enough for our purposes today.
The Light Seer's Tarot was designed and created to provide a light, gentle, up to date tarot, one that can embody the spirit of the cards without being forced to use the occasionally scary imagery of the traditional RWS. This deck uses RWS images as a starting point, the cards are close enough to be familiar, but puts an all new spin on them. It's a deck I hear many people talk about and use.
The first print run had some issues with cards being cut slightly off kilter, but I'm glad to say that the current run seems to be fine.
The cards are standard Tarot size and fit exactly into the box provided. The guidebook sits neatly on top, as shown above. The whole package is very compact and could easily travel with you with no risk to the cards.
Here you can see I've taken out the guidebook. The cards sit perfectly in the box. Look at that stunning back. It's fully reversible, meaning there's no hints about whether the card is upright or not. The photo doesn't show it, but there's a very faint shimmer when you tilt the card and it catches the light.
Chris Anne included this lovely verse inside the lid, welcoming readers into the deck. Let me tell you, spreading this deck out and looking at it for the first time is amazing. The cards are borderless and the images just seem to draw you in.
Here's a look at some of the joyful colours and images used in this deck. The Sword Minors tend to be represented by birds or feathers; the Wands are wands, but incorporated into the picture rather than laid above it (You'll see there's eight rods in that fence, and the young lady is leaning on the ninth.) Pentacles are often Pentacles but can be anything round; they're represented by the moon in the 8 card. Cups are bowls, rather than the usual goblet. Look at the colours in that rainbow, and behind the moons in the Pentacles card. Look at the openness in the Ten of Swords and the blues behind the Nine of Wands.
The Court cards match up beautifully with their areas of expertise; the Page is young, the Knight a little older, the Queen mature and the King elderly. There's an ease about these figures; they embody their suits perfectly. Look at that Knight ready to sweep you off your feet!
Here's a couple of my favourite cards visually (let me tell you, I had the whole deck lined up ready to go, and it was so hard winnowing it down to these ones!) The colours, the look of them, they're just amazing. Even Death, there, traditionally one of the most frightening cards in the deck, is just really intriguing to me. (Could be my sci fi nerd side poking through, though.) I love the friendly Hierophant, and the colours in the Ten of Wands; it's a totally different palette but it works so well.
The book has a small image of each card, upright and reversed keywords, and a more indepth meaning. The spine is good and stiff, which is good in one way and bad in another ... sometimes it's hard to keep the book open to read! But it's really well put together, a gorgeous package. I love that like some decks and unlike others, it talks about the Court cards as situations and not just as people.
I also really love that the people in these cards are all colours, all ages, all races. It's beautifully done and adds wonderfully to the art and the feel of the deck.
I encourage you to check out the Light Seer's website where you can look at each card and read the short story piece written for each. I love these as they really help me understand the card. This is a wonderful deck and I can't see myself ever setting it aside.
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