About this item
- The Transformational Tarot is a universal mythology for our time, showcasing colourful modern collage artwork with a
- medieval/renaissance feel. Previously self-published, this deck has been now been updated and reprinted by US
- Games.
Specifications
Name
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Transformational Tarot
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Creators
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Arnell Ando
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Publisher
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Ink Well Publishing 1995
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Publisher
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US Games 2005
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Deck Type
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Tarot Deck
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Cards
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78
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Major Arcana
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22
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Minor Arcana
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78
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Deck Tradition
|
Rider-Waite-Smith
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Minor Arcana Style
|
RWS-Based Scenes
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Card Language
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English
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Card Back
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Unknown
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Reviews
raditional Wands, Cups, Swords, and Coins. The quality and
color of the printing is less than first rate -- a real
shame considering the quality of the images them-selves.
Both Major and Minor Arcana images combine a
swooning turn-of-the-century richness with a modern sense of the absurd
which scribbles shades on the magician and graffiti on the
walls. The effect is sometimes whimsical and charming,
sometimes unsettling, but always worth a second look. When
styles clash, as they often do in this deck, meaning
jumps out at you -- and it's not always the
traditionally assigned meaning you might expect if you are used
to Rider-Waite and its clones.
Temperance, for example, is now called Alchemy; the Tower has
turned into the goddess Kali -- Ando has gone one level deeper
and created an image of the spiritual implications of the
card, with sometimes breathtaking results. However, certain
cards that recur for me personally in readings lost
their accumulated meaning for me and were colore
d by
the new Ando image (the Ace of Cups comes to mind).
Maybe that's where the Transformation comes in -- a
fresh image casts a new light on a recurring issue.
In any case, we are not left floundering with no
explanation for the less traditional interpretations, images,
and concepts. The accompanying softcover book gives
Ando's interpretations for both upright and reversed
cards next to a black and white reproduction of the
card. These interpretations are brief yet evocative --
helpful and insightful into the meaning of the card
as well as into Ando's thought process. The only flaw in
the book is the large number of typos, grammar mistakes,
and misused words.
Most important in my opinion is Ando's recognition that personal
associations are the key to a reading. She leaves lots of white
space for notes, so that the book can become a workbook
if the reader so chooses. This honors the reader's
ownexperience and counterbalances the very personal quality
of some of Ando's cards.
<
p>Is TT effective in readings? I only read for myself -- I have found
it to be very effective if I take the time to study the images. Since
I am accustomed to traditional decks, I have to rewire
my responses to some of these cards, but it is worth the
effort. It has inspired me to create decks of my own,
incorporating my own history into the cards, and for that
inspiration alone it was worth the price of $24.95.
Transformational Tarot should probably not be anyone's first Tarot
deck, but it should be prominent in any serious modern
collection.
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