Deck by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene; Cards drawn by Tricia Newell

© 1986

The theme of this deck is Greek mythology and these myths are used to illustrte the deck and its psychological themes.  According to Sharman-Burke, one of the authors, "Greek myths have been assigned to each card and the stories are intended to be used as a springboard from which to enrich an understanding of the psychological uses the tarot can be put to."

Although not a clone of the traditional Rider-Waite deck, anyone who is familiar with the Waite deck will find some similarities.  The authors of the Mythic Tarot have tried to maintain a connection to the Waite-tradition without copying it.

The four suits in this deck cover four well-known myths in detail:

Cups -- the love of Eros and Psyche
Wands -- the adventurs of Jason and the Argonauts
Swords -- the tribulations of Orestes and the House of Atreus
Pentacles -- the resourcefulness of Daedalus against the Minotaur

A black cloth also comes with the Deck & Book set.  I use mine to wrap the cards in, but you can use it for a Celtic Cross layout -- I have heard mention that the spots indicated on the cloth for the cards really are not big enough, though.

A separate book, "Mythic Tarot Workbook," is also available and provides exercises and additional information to help you experience the deck and get the most out of it.  I do have this workbook, and the reading is helpful for this specific set of cards, although I did not do any of the exercises or "guided fantasy" exercises as they are referred to in the workbook.  You can make use of as much or as little of the workbook as you need or want.

Additional information about the workbook follows and is taken from the last page of "The Mythic Tarot" book which accompanies the cards:

"Designed to be used with The Mythic Tarot, this workbook has more than 100 beautiful illustrations.  It is the only tarot workbook to offer exercises for every card in the deck, and includes:

Guided imagery exercises and meditations
Revealing correlations between astrology and the Tarot
A variety of spreads to give depth to your interpretations
Diary pages to record your readings"

Number of Cards in Deck: 78 cards (22 Major/56 Minor)

Size of Cards:  3" x 5"
Larger than standard, but thin and flexible.  Shuffling can be difficult if you have small hands, however you can easily shuffle in a side-to-side method which works well for this size of cards.

Included with deck: A complete book, 215 pages, entitled "The Mythic Tarot."  It describes the myths, symbols, and meanings for each card.  A thorough and informative book.

Major Arcana:
Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant,
Lovers, Chariot, Justice, Temperance, Strength, Hermit,
Wheel of Fortune, Hanged Man, Death, Devil, Tower,
Star, Moon, Sun, Judgement, World

Suit Names: Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles

Court Cards:  King, Queen, Knight, Page

Back Design of Cards:

THE MYTHIC TAROT Book & Cards

MYTHIC TAROT WORKBOOK

You can easily locate other types of decks from here:

TAROT DECKS -- CLICK HERE FOR FULL LIST Animals Art-Styled Celtic Decks Christian-Based Decks Cultures/Multi-Cultural Decks Historical Myths & Legends Other Traditional/Beginner Decks Whimsical Decks Wiccan-Based Decks Women

The image above is not associated with the Mythic Tarot.  This beautiful image is by Herbert Draper and is entitled "Lancelot and Guinevere."  Thanks to Stephanie for emailing me to let me know of this pictures origins!