Laura De Giorgio:

For the most part I liked this book and the cards, however while the cards are beautiful, I am at odds with some of them:

- 2 of cups which traditionally has an image of a man and a woman, in this set of cards has definitely 2 women;

- 10 of cups which traditionally has a family, in this set has a house with two women (there is a note that the reason for that is because that is how the artist who designed cards, Ciro, likes to envision himself coming home – to two women)

- 10 of pentacles card has an image of a wooden chest with coins upon which is happily perched a rodent and while I think that rodents are really cute in cartoons, I prefer my 10 of pentacles card to be without rodents;

- the Devil card can be interpreted as a warning that the person may be ignoring that silent voice that guides us to do what we know is right. In occult following the voice of your conscience is what is essentially meant by walking straight along your spiritual path and is portrayed with a pentacle having one point upward, while the Devil card which stands for one’s spiritual blindness is portrayed with a pentacle having one point facing downward. In this set, the pentacle is pointing upward, and if you’re not into occult symbolism, it may make no difference to you. Traditionally, the Devil card may elicit the feelings of un-ease, however in this set the Devil looks more like an incarnation of lust, perhaps pointing to the fact that temptations can have an irresistible pull upon the individual, regardless of the flames surrounding him. While you may interpret the card any way you feel appropriate for you, to me it seems that Josephine has missed the point in her attempt to defend the Devil, saying that having lot of sex can be a good thing. The card is not about how much sex you may have or not have, but rather are you following your conscience and are you in control of your base impulses, or are your base impulses (and addictions) controlling you?

- Wheel of fortune – while I don’t mind the design of the card which has a mechanical device under the Wheel, I wish that the material in the book was congruent. At the beginning of the book, Ciro points out that he has included various mechanical devices on some cards because they serve as symbols of mankind’s involvement and interaction with natural and spiritual order of things, however Josephine’s interpretation of the card states otherwise “there is no human element shown here to influence the movement of the wheel, so we are left to consider that faith is at work.”

Every now and then there are other contradictory statements interspersed throughout the book, as if Josephine couldn’t make up her mind – one one side she is offering several rules regarding the readings, among them are never to ask the same question twice in a same day (in my experience that depends on the question and on the situation), and she is saying how you will never get correct answers that way, and some pages further she points out how if you do ask the same question again and again, you will get cards that are telling you the same thing.

When it comes to what you should or shouldn’t do – how you should take care of your cards, how you should shuffle them and how you should pick the cards, I much prefer the attitude of Michelle Morgan and her book A Magical Course in Tarot. You can learn all the “rules” different people may have, and all “do’s and don’t”, but ultimately it is best that you do that which feels right for you. Whether you choose to put your cards under your pillow and sleep with them, or you choose to keep on shuffling them – it’s up to you; whether you choose to toss the cards and pull one or more cards at random from a pile, or you choose to fan the cards and pull those that are calling you, or you choose deal them, and how you choose to shuffle them – it’s up to you. Josephine recommends that beginners do large spreads, but I stand with most other people who believe that it is easier to master the cards if you keep it simple.

If you are new to working with Tarot, you have to start somewhere so this book and set is as good as any other to get you started. If you are serious about learning it, you’ll pick more books and more Tarot decks and by practicing you’ll be in a better position to decide how to go about reading Tarot that fits your situation and the questions you may have.
Rating: 4 / 5

Esther Bebe Kong:

The tarot cards were like what I had in mind. Finally I found one deck that links with my heart from Amazon.com. Thank you.
Rating: 5 / 5