by
~*~Velvet
Angel ~*~
by
~*~Velvet
Angel ~*~
 |
to the Orient |
|
This
deck is suitable for any question you wish to ask of the Tarot.
Art by Severino Baraldi;
Written by Pietro Alligo and Riccardo Minetti
© 2002 Lo Scarabeo
This deck was created by the same author who painted the Ramses Tarot of Eternity.
The Tarot of the Journey to the Orient is based on the stories told by Marco Polo who has shared the wonders of his travels in a book he wrote. The deck is probably not an historically accurate depiction, but it supposedly describes the scenes, customs, dress, and rituals encountered by Marco Polo in his journeys. This man was an Italian explorer who returned home to his native Venice after 24 years of travel through Asia and the Orient. I am, by no means, any expert on the travels of Marco Polo, nor even the customs of the Orient . . . so I really can't give a professional opinion of this deck from that perspective.
Many of the 22 Major Arcana cards have a dual scene on each card -- one scene to represent the East, and one to represent the West. For example, the Fool card (above) is pictured with a close-up view of an Oriental man portraying the Fool, along with an Eastern version of the Fool who is in the background. I find that to be interesting for the deck, but it works nicely.
The
cards have an outer white border, with an inner embossed border of varying
colors, depending on the suit. That coloring however can be confusing,
as the Wands, Swords, and the Majors all have green borders -- just of
slightly different shades of green. The suit of Chalices features
an inner rose-colored border, and the Pentacles suit has a golden-colored
border. The top of the Minor Arcana cards feature the emblem of the
given suit, so this helps in identifying the suit type, rather than relying
on the borders for a quick glance of the types of cards that arise in a
layout.
The cards have a matte type of finish and are made from a thin, flexible cardstock. The backs of the cards are done in a sepia coloration and have an image upright and reversed, which makes the cards easier for use with reversals.
The LWB (little white
booklet) is a 63-page stapled booklet, printed in English, Italian, Spanish,
German, and French. Twelve pages are dedicated to each language to
give brief interpretation of the cards. Many of the interpretations
offered in the LWB are not consistent with traditional Tarot meanings.
While some do have related meanings, this is not consistent through the
booklet. Some of the challenging or more difficult cards have their
interpretations altered to something that is more encouraging. I
personally never get much out of a LWB like this, and for any deck with
a specific theme, I feel it's deserving of more information to explain
why the author and artist chose particular scenes on a card and to give
more explanation overall for a unique presentation. But sadly, this
does not always happen. The LWB seems to be the "standard issue"
for a lot of decks that could really benefit from having a companion book.
A
fun way to get acquainted with a new deck is to ask that deck what it has
to teach you or share with you. So I asked this of the "Tarot of
the Journey to the Orient" cards, and after shuffling, I drew the Hermit
card. The LWB gives the following information for the Hermit:
"INTROSPECTION AND WAITING WILL LEAD AFAR"Thus, the Hermit tells us that this deck has much wisdom and truth that it can share -- and perhaps anyone new to this deck just needs to be patient to let the light of wisdom shine through.
The thoughtful and wise Chinese Hermit is searching for the truth. In the background the monk, illuminated by a small lantern, pursues the same goal.Scholarly person, researcher; distance, solitude, a long wait. Patience, inner search, circumspection, and diplomacy characterize this Arcanum which foretells healthy old age. Place of retreat, sanctuary, cathedral.
I like adding decks to my collection that cover various cultural backgrounds, especially since I work with clients all across the world (anyone who can read and write English, whether that is a language of their country or not).
Overall, I think this is a nice deck, even if it doesn't rank among my favorites. The art is nice, and there isn't really any nudity in the deck to offend anyone. The only scene that conjured a feeling of real violence is the Ten of Swords where one man is going after another with his sword, and another man in the background has his hand in the air as if to say, "No, no!"
I wouldn't recommend this deck to a beginner to the Tarot -- especially a beginner who might try to overanalyze information contained in the LWB that comes with this deck. But for the reader or seeker who has a little more experience and has an interest in this deck's theme, I think it would work fine for those individuals.
Velvet
Angel
Email
Velvet Angel
Number of Cards in Deck: 78
Size of Cards: 2-5/8" x 4-3/4"
Included with deck: A 63-page LWB (little white booklet) in five languages: English, Italian, French, Spanish, German
Major Arcana:
Fool, Magician, High
Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Strength (card
11),
Hermit, Wheel, Justice
(card 8), Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Stars, Moon, Sun,
Judgement, World
Suit Names: Wands, Chalices (Cups), Swords, Pentacles
Court Cards: King, Queen, Knight, Knave (Page)
Back Design of Cards:
See
above in review.
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