by
~*~Velvet
Angel ~*~
by
~*~Velvet
Angel ~*~
 |
 Shapeshifter
Tarot |
 |
This
deck is suitable for any question you wish to ask of the Tarot.
Deck Illustrated by Lisa
Hunt; Accompanying Book by D.J. Conway and Sirona Knight.
© 1998 Llewellyn
Publications
The amazing illustrations of these cards show the wonderful talents of Lisa Hunt, a very gifted artist. Through her exceptional drawings, she seems to breathe life into this fascinating Tarot deck. The images are done in pastel colorings surrounded by a blue border on each card which portrays figures that are half animal and half human . . . which represents the idea of "shapeshifting." According to D. J. Conway and Sirona Knight, authors of the Shapeshifter Tarot book which comes with the cards, shapeshifting is the "assuming of a certain creature's characteristics, traits, and talents for a limited time." The full-length book included with the cards is a very useful tool, as it talks about the symbolism of each card and relates those symbols to the traditional tarot card.
There are three main themes
presented in this deck:
1)
The public theme -- that of the shamanic practice of shapeshifting
2)
The pantheon of Irish/Celtic Gods and Goddesses
3)
The cycle of life and death, past and future, rebirth, and past and future
knowledge
This is a deck that people usually either love . . . or don't like at all -- not a lot of "inbetween" on this deck. The deck strays from tradition by using 81 cards instead of the standard 78, however, for those who like this deck, that is not a deterrent, but instead adds to the meanings and quality of the deck overall. The titles of the 3 new cards are among the Major Arcana and are: The Double; The Journey; and The Dreamer. These cards are explained in the book.
Excerpt from the back of the book:
"When you look at the world through other eyes and hear through other ears, you are changed. This is the power of the Shapeshifter Tarot: to broaden, deepen, transform you. To uncover traits, characteristics, potentials that have lain hidden until now. To awaken your connection with wind, water, earth, and every living thing.""The Shapeshifter Tarot speaks a language your spirit knows. Listen to the messages it brings . . . and see all your life's pathways, possibilities, and dreams with a clearer vision."
My only quibble with
the deck is that it uses the Swords-Fire association, whereas I prefer
to see the elements associated with Swords-Air and Wands-Fire . . . rather
than the other way around. However, if you are a reader who prefers
the Swords-Fire association, then this trait will likely be appealing to
you. For those who are seeking a reading, it's probably not going
to matter one way or the other on how the elements are presented in a Tarot
Deck. As a Tarot reader myself, I have not found this to be a problem
in reading the cards -- it's something I can overlook, considering how
much I like the deck otherwise.
I have heard of beginning Tarot students picking up this deck as a first deck and learning Tarot with it. I probably wouldn't recommend learning Tarot that way, but if it works for you, then it is the right way, regardless of what works for others! I do think this deck would present quite a challenge as a first deck, but if used as a second deck, the process of interpretations may make more sense to a new student of Tarot.
If the imagery and ideas from the Shapeshifter deck are appealing to you, it's probably one you will "love" as a reader or a seeker.
Velvet
Angel
Size of Cards: 2
3/4" x 4 5/8"
This deck is easy to
handle and shuffle.
Included with deck: Full-size instruction book, 237 pages. A very useful tool for this deck.
Major Arcana:
Initiation, Sorcerer,
Sorceress, Mother, Father, Knowledge, Lovers, Power, Courage,
Seer, Circle, Nature,
Shapeshifter, Rebirth, Balance, Choice, Serpent, Star, Moon, Sun,
Transcendence, Double
(card 21), Journey (card 22), Dreamer (card 23), Oneness
Suit Names: Cups, Wands, Swords, Pentacles
Court Cards: Goddess
(King), God (Queen), Warrior (Knight), Seeker (Page)
In this deck, the Goddess
takes the "kingly" position in the court card family.
The court cards are numbered
as follows:
Seeker
= 11
Warrior
= 12
God
= 13
Goddess
= 14
Back Design of Cards:
 |
 SHAPESHIFTER
TAROT
|
SITE
MAP