by
~*~Velvet
Angel ~*~
by
~*~Velvet
Angel ~*~
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 Tarot
of the Elves
Deck by Artist Davide
Corsi and
|
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This deck is most helpful
for gaining a deeper comprehension
of problems and issues
in your everyday life, empowering
you with the tools of
knowledge for solving even some
of the more complex matters
you encounter.
Deck by Artist Davide
Corsi and Writer Mark McElroy
© 2007 Lo Scarabeo
"Tarot of the Elves" is a fascinating, magical, and beautiful masterpiece centered on the theme of elves in fantasy and mythology. Now admittedly, that was not my initial sentiment at all . . . not until I read the accompanying book from cover to cover and really understood the story and the theme behind this Elven world. Like some that have done before me, I looked at a few grisly card scenes and felt compelled to just reject this deck altogether. I felt the disappointment that others have felt because I wasn't able to relate the adventure and the story with the Tarot cards (especially ones that felt violent) until I did journey through the magical book. I became truly enlightened after reading the companion book, and my perspective changed completely! So this review will be a lengthy one, but bear with me . . . because if you've felt drawn to the "Tarot of the Elves," but perhaps saw an unsettling card and felt repulsed yet still curious at the same time, hopefully you can learn something of value in my personal review from my own experience with this fascinating set of Tarot cards. After all . . . the Elves do have something to teach us, and I felt like I really learned a lot through these cards!
I'll share with you my experience with this deck, as my experience can show that when we judge a book by its cover without unveiling other facts of a situation, we aren't working with the whole story or theme, and thus, we become biased when that is not truly warranted in reality. This applies to "Tarot of the Elves," but it could apply to other themed decks that you may encounter as well -- especially when there is a real story behind the cards. It's so important to understand the theme in order to appreciate the cards in cases like this!
As is typical when getting a new Tarot deck, I opened the cards and started visually exploring all the scenes and images on the cards. I didn't look at the companion book first -- which by the way, the companion book also contains a mini novel that journeys through the Major Arcana of the Tarot -- an important story to understand why the images and scenes were chosen for each card. And that's the valuable information I needed to take with me into the cards! As I viewed some cards which were unsettling to me, I decided I needed to look into the book and see if I could figure out why some of the cards were so pleasing to behold, while others unsettled me so much. And so the magical story unfolded. Once I started reading it, I didn't put the book down until I was finished. (You really can read the entire story and information in an evening in this 160-page book.) After becoming enlightened to the story behind the cards, I was able to approach them from a whole new perspective -- one that held much more admiration and appreciation than my initial reactions.
The first card that had me rattled (before I read the book) was the High Priestess. Instead of the typical scene we are familiar with for the High Priestess who quietly and serenely sits as the guardian of secret knowledge and wisdom, the Tarot of the Elves' High Priestess lay in a pool of blood. My surprised reaction was not the first, as others who have ventured into the "Tarot of the Elves" before me encountered the same kind of astonishment. But I think they, like me, did not turn to the book before making a judgment. And what is exciting about this discovery is that the traditional High Priestess that we know does not make judgments too quickly. She first gathers the facts before making an informed decision or taking action. That is exactly what was required of me to do as well, no matter what surface appearances said otherwise. At that point, I had to dig deeper to unveil the truth and the story behind these card scenes. In the story line, the High Priestess is the Queen and mother of Prince Alberich. The prince was a foolish and irresponsible son of the Queen and King Oberon in the royal house. Dokkalfar, a treacherous Dark Elf magician, murders the queen and the king, shattering the sheltered and carefree life that Prince Alberich had enjoyed. The rest of the Major Arcana cards tell the story of Prince Alberich's quest to bring Dokkalfar to justice . . . and to retrieve the four magical implements that hold the power to restore life to his royal parents. So what I can tell you is that there is actually a "happy ending" to the story in these cards that elicit mixed feelings when you initially gaze upon them.
The Major Arcana cards in the book are presented with some brief information in a gray box, and the High Priestess information explains: "Trump II - The High Priestess. Alberich discovers the body of his mother, a victim of Dokkalfar's treachery. Secrecy, mystery, the Unknown, Oracles and glimpse of the divine plan. Young women, virginity, and purity. Insight and intuition over facts and evidence."
Ellyll, the wife of Prince Alberich in the story, explained, "Among our people, the Priestess is empowered to practice divination -- to serve as an oracle, parting the veil of secrecy to see What Truly Is. The murder of our Priestess is more than the murder of our Queen -- it is an attempt to silence the Voice of Truth."
There are really no more than just a handful of cards that can initially seem unappealing or distasteful upon first glance. But even when we work with traditional Tarot decks, we are still going to be dealing with card images that give rise to those unsettled feelings -- such as the Devil or the Ten of Swords. It's no different really when working with this deck in comparison, as far as the negative images are concerned.
The next cards that initially unsettled me even more than the surprising scene of the High Priestess were from the Suit of Swords -- the 2 of Swords, the 3 of Swords, and the 5 of Swords. The 2 of Swords represents a decision, and Calivan had to make a decision as to whether or not to turn over the Sword of Consciousness to the Dark Elf in order to save his son's life. Galibrech, the son, is shown at the hands of the Dark Elf who holds a knife in front of the boy. As the story goes, Calivan made some poor choices -- and in the 2 of Swords, there are usually two or more important choices in front of us (although not necessarily choices related to life and death, as it's very important to remember that just like in a traditional deck of cards, we are not to take everything literally for our own day-to-day lives). The 3 of Swords was quite unsettling to me, as it pictured the dead boy in his father's arms. The Dark Elf had cut his throat and killed the boy when Calivan refused to hand over the Sword of Consciousness. In the 5 of Swords, the boy was "reanimated," or brought back to life, but even before I looked to the book for the story of the cards, I knew something was terribly wrong with the child in the card who wields a bloody sword and appears to be laughing in a crazed sort of way. So upon turning to the book, the story explains how this once gentle child turned into the wild child after his father used the magic from the Sword of Consciousness to bring life back to his son.
The suits of the Minor Arcana cards tell the story of how the Elven people came into possession of the Four Implements -- those being the Wand of Victory, the Cup of Contentment, the Sword of Consciousness, and the Disc of Desire. I really liked how each card of the Minor Arcana is presented. One page is dedicated to each card with a black and white image of the card, along with the story behind the individual card and how it relates to interpreting the message to our own lives and situations. Beneath the image of the card, two or three powerful questions are presented. For example, when I was initially horrified by the Five of Swords "wild child" in that card's image, I turned to the book for explanation. It talks about how selfish needs can become the basis for our decisions, and when our decisions are colored by twisted logic, chaos naturally ensues. It speaks of how we may be dealing with matters of injustice, or alternatively how we are too immersed in our points of view, causing us to be unable to take rational action. It speaks of judgment being severely impaired in a situation, and the need to step back, calm down, and get back in touch with reality. The questions presented for the Five of Swords are: "What biases color my judgment? How can I calm my thoughts? What can I do to regain a sense of focus and peace?" That was very fitting for this card and the story behind it, and the messages offered helped me to make sense of the card and why that particular chaotic image was chosen to feature the Five of Swords.
Another area of particular interest in the book is the section following the major arcana. It talks about the cards' suits and symbolism. The four suits correspond ot the Four Implements that are an important part of the story in the "Tarot of the Elves." Specific themes or perspectives are matched to each of the four suits as follows:
Meanings can be decoded using this combination of suit and number symbolism as above, but others may prefer to define a card based more on their intuitive response. Either method can work, or can work in combination with one another, depending on individual preference.
Overall, you are going to get SO MUCH more out of the cards if you do spend a little time getting acquainted with the story behind them. This is a deck that I would not have even used had I not given it a chance . . . and I would have missed a lot had I judged a book by its cover! The Tarot is a tool that helps us dig deeper to uncover a more profound understanding of the people and situations in our lives. And this is a deck that can do exactly that if you approach it from the right perspective. I know that there have been a few reviews that proclaimed this Tarot deck to be a "nightmare" Tarot. That was my initial reaction, but once I delved into the stories behind the cards, that fascinating information sparked my own intuition and understanding on a level that is deeper than just what surface appearances could ever allow. As the author Mark McElroy has stated, "reading the stories in the companion guide is a delightful way to enhance your connection to the cards -- and experience the Tarot in a vivid and exciting way." I truly agree!
Now it has been said that the images are presented in a somewhat stoic or expressionless manner and that it can be hard to tell the difference between the male and female elves. I do see that being true for some of the cards, but nevertheless, the computerized art is beautifully rendered -- and again, going back to the need to read the story behind the cards, you will know who is male and who is female once you have read the mini novel in the companion book. One who has an open mind can try to just pick up these cards to read intuitively, but I think the story is extremely important to make full use of the "Tarot of The Elves."
While some have said that they cannot just reach into the deck, even after reading the story, and pull out a card and read it . . . I have found from my own personal experience that after having read the story, I am able to pull out a random card and read it with greater understanding. I couldn't do that before I read the mini novel, but the stories in the companion book brought the "Tarot of the Elves" to life for me. And if that wasn't enough to make this deck work for me, after putting together the bulk of this review, I went to bed . . . and dreamed that I was in this Elven world, but my experience was positive even though most of my dream is vague and eludes me now. But I do know I woke up feeling very content, and that was a sign and added confirmation that this is a deck I can use and that will work for me. This is not to say that this will be a deck for everyone, because it will appeal to some, while it won't work for others. My own clients in my Tarot practice will have to personally request this deck for their readings, because I work with both sensitive clients as well as those who are very open minded . . . and I fully understand that some of the images of this deck may be too unsettling for the more sensitive seeker, especially when they don't have the story behind the cards in the way that I do. So as with any deck, you still need to use discretion when reading for others.
If you are intrigued by the "Tarot of The Elves" and would like to further explore this deck, you can visit the official Tarot of the Elves website at: www.TarotOfTheElves.com.
Velvet
Angel
Email
Velvet Angel
Number of Cards in Deck: 78
Size of Cards: 4-5/8" x 2-1/2"
Included with deck: 160-page companion book
Major Arcana: Traditional card names
Suit Names: Cups, Wands, Swords, Discs
Court Cards: Page, Knight, Queen, King
Back Design of Cards: 
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 TAROT
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