I am a psychic reader and normaly use Fortune Telling or Divination Cards to read. One of my friend gave me a deck of these cards as a present as she knows that I am initiated into an Afro-Brazilian Tradition.

The images on these card are beautiful, as are the associations between Orixas and the images of the Mayor Arcana. The Emperor is depicted as Ogum, The Devil as Exu, The Moon shows the Orixa Obba…amazingly beautifull cards!

What I find difficult however is to look at the Orixas depicted on these cards and to interprete the cards according to Tarot Meanings. There is so much more to the orixa Obba then to the card that she is associated with – The Moon. Iemanja has so much more to say then The High Priestess and Orunmila’s message is by far deeper then The World (the card he is associated with)…

As a practitioner and initiate of Afro-Brazilian religion I have to remind myself that this is not an Orixa/Orisha divination tool, but simply a cute tarot deck. Orixa does not speak through these cards!

What anoyes me most however is the ignoranze of the publisher! There is no such thing as “Afro-Brazilian Santeria”! Its either called Candomble, Umbanda or – if you want to use slang – Macumba. But I guess marketing reasons forbid the use of the correct terminology!?

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Mensink “G” (breda, noordbrabant Netherlands) –

  

i bought this deck cause i am interested in the afro carribean religions, like voodoo, santaria, cantomblé. the first thing i noticed was indeed the afro-brazilian-santaria deck. that made me think. then the cards. i somehow like and dislike the pictures. sometimes it reminds me too much of the fantasy comics i have read. the drawings of the knights totally make no sense. the fool is the worst card. you see chango raging to war.

i can do nothing with the minor arcana. i sometimes think it is just the number and color of the card, with some nice illustration, but that the illustration has nothing to do with the card itself. (this is very black white) and the dark choice of backgroundcolors, does it want to indicate the afro-brazilian-santaria is a dark religion. and then dark in the sense of slightly evil?

i own an orisha deck, a new orleans voodoo deck and a lukumi deck. those ones are exciting to work with. especially the lukumi deck is very beautiful and very useful. there the major and minor arcana cards are well chosen. there the choice of the orisha on the minor cards make sense. no fantasy knights in shining armour.

i sometimes try working with the deck. but this one doesnt work for me. for those who are seeking for an deck with orisha’s i can recommand the lukumi deck.

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