Deck by Ciro Marchetti.  Text on CD by Lee Bursten

© 2005 Ciro Marchetti

Ciro Marchetti brings to you more of his "magic" in another exquisite Tarot deck, the Tarot of Dreams.  His previous work was the Gilded Tarot, which is probably still my favorite among these two . . . but Tarot of Dreams is truly another masterpiece, and is a deck among my favorites!  It is ironic that my preference leans toward Marchetti's Gilded Tarot, yet with the Tarot of Dreams he hoped to improve on the Gilded.  Marchetti didn't want to produce "just another deck," and although he was very satisifed about how well his Gilded Tarot was received, he felt he still wanted to create something deeper.

All of the cards are very vivid in color, and the detail is astounding.  Even with such detailed imagery, the cards are not "busy" or "cluttered" in appearance.  The artist has done an excellent job in blending several different concepts on an individual card.  The result of what Marchetti has called his most demanding project is a captivating and beautiful work of art!

The cards all have a thick border around them with the cards number and astrological symbols.  The color theme of the cards are:  Majors - Bronze, Cups - Golden, Wands - Red, Swords - Blue, and Coins - Green.  Just as in Marchetti's Gilded Tarot, he has chosen to use Blue for Swrods and Golden (Orange) for Cups.  Marchetti indicates that he made this choice because he sees water as "colorless" and only being blue when reflecting the sky, and in his association he sees water as "golden" because the sun sets over the water.

There is some nudity in the deck, but very tastefully done and really rather minimal overall.  Certainly there is no more nudity than what one will find in a traditional deck.

This deck is larger than the Gilded Tarot deck, and thus it's harder for me to shuffle.  But I've found that shuffling the cards in a "side to side" fashion is easier than shuffing them "end to end."

Instead of a companion book, Tarot of Dreams comes with an interactive CD with music.  The CD includes the guidebook written by Lee Bursten.  A number of other features are also included on the CD, such as wallpapers and screensavers for your PC, four styles of letterhead that can be used for writing up a reading, and links to a tarot shareware program.  Another interesting feature included on the CD are animated cards of the Major Arcana.

This deck does follow traditional Tarot imagery and structure, but only to an extent.  The images seem to invite one to go deeper and more fully explore the messages available.  I think a beginner could fare well with this deck.  I would recommend this deck to anyone who loves a beatiful set of Tarot cards, whether for actual use in readings, meditation, or for the collectors.

The pricing of this deck is much higher than a standard Tarot deck set, however, a lot went inot this work, and the CD itself adds a lot ofvalue to this gorgeous set of cards!  At the time of this posting, the set in the U.S. is $83.  It is packaged in a 5.25" box.  Inside the box is a black mesh bag for the cards and the CD in a slipcover which is decorated like the outside of the box. This is deck and CD set is only available from the author's site:  http://www.ciromarchetti.com/ciro/tod_new/index.html. When ordering, you get to choose between a satin finish on regular card stock or a glossy finish on a slightly thicker stock.  There is no price difference for either choice.

I would give Tarot of Dreams 5 stars!! 

Following is from the back of the Tarot box -- a message from author and artist, Ciro Marchetti:

Number of Cards in Deck: 78 cards (22 Major/56 Minor) plus a numbered cover card and a card with the Tree of Life image.

Size of Cards:  3-1/2" x 5-1/2"
Larger than standard cards, so shuffling can be awkard.  Shuffling this deck in a "side to side" manner is easier than shuffling them "end to end."

Included with deck: Available as card and CD set from the author's website.  There is no LWB or printed guidebook.  That is on the interactive CD that comes with the cards.

Major Arcana:
Fool, Magician, Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Faith,
Lovers, Chariot, Strength, Hermit, Wheel, Justice,
Hanging Man, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon,
Sun, Judgement, World

Suit Names:  Cups, Wands, Swords, Coins

Court Cards:  King, Queen, Knight, Page

Back Design of Cards:

Would you like to buy this Tarot Deck? This Deck and CD set is Available from the Author's Website: http://www.ciromarchetti.com/tarot.htm

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