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The Quest Tarot
I first said, “This is a man deck,” before I even looked down to say, “Pfft, well, yeah, it’s designed by a guy.” A techie-boy’s wet dream, these cards are resplendent with mercurial figures, lasers from the sky and a mass of signs and sigils, integrated into a basic Tarot format. No wild cards. No extras through in (normally, and in this case, a bonus) with the exception of a blank card, appropriately called “The Mysterious Blank Card,” that is to be used to create your own significator. Personally, I’d more likely use it as a “blank rune,” “this area closed for maintenance,” “Not to be revealed yet” Odin kind of thing. I have a basic enjoyment of cards that have one word or more written on them to identify the mindset of the creator of each card in relation to that card. From that one word, I can open a whole door of information and let it link me into the imagery of the pictures. While it would help if I were more drawn to the computer generated illustrations on these cards, I could definitely read from them, which is saying a lot. Usually, if I’m not moved by the pictures, the cards are a wash for me (Hellooooo Witchy Tarot!), but with these, the words win the day as they are very tightly and intuitively tied into the interpretation of the card. The book (as the clouds part, a beam of sunlight emerges and the angel chorus breaks into song) is wonderful big and roomy, easy to navigate and a pleasure to read. Martin’s commentary is a melodic read and his interpretations are concise without being trite or clipped. He gives clear and understandable associations for each card, even making sense of I Ching affiliations for the minors. The first part of the book is a wonderful mini-lesson on the various components used in the cards, from runes to I Ching hexagrams to Hebrew letters. There is an enjoyable and usable amount of information without ever lapsing into rambling. The only time my eyes tried to cross and my brain got too full was on page 29 when he goes into a detailed formula for configuring timing conjunctions. I wish Llewellyn had given The Faery Wicca Tarot the chance to breathe and express itself that The Quest Tarot was given. I don’t think I would have enjoyed Quest as well has the book not been as inviting as it is.
Four pentacles
out of five Review by Katrina Rasbold |
