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Beginner's Guide to Tarot - tarot decks

Playing Cards
Playing Cards -> Tarot decks

Price: US $13.35

ProductID: alt678

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About this item
  • Also known as Sharman-Caselli Tarot, Caselli Tarot


Specifications
Name Beginner's Guide to Tarot
Alternate Names Sharman-Caselli Tarot, Caselli Tarot
Creators Juliet Sharman-Burke, Giovanni Caselli
Publisher Connections 2002
Deck Type Tarot Deck
Cards 78
Major Arcana 22
Minor Arcana 56
Deck Tradition Rider-Waite-Smith
Minor Arcana Style RWS-Based Scenes
Suits Cups, Swords, Wands, Pentacles
Court Cards Page, Knight, Queen, King
The Fool is na
Strength is na
Justice is na
Card Size 4.72 x 2.76 in. = 12.00cm x 7.00cm
Card Language English
Card Back Reversible
Back Design Pink with gold border
Companion Material Companion book and workbook are available to go with the deck.


Reviews
The deck can only be bought as part of a fairly lavish package, titled the Beginners Guide to the Tarot. In simple terms, if you want the deck, you have to buy the deck and book set - bad news on the wallet, I hear many people say, particularly experienced readers who really don't need another introductory book to add to their collection. The great news here is that not only would the book still be an asset to anyone's Tarot library, no matter how advanced, the whole glorious package retails for around the price of a standard U.S. Games tarot deck, making it in my book just about the best bargain I've ever added to my collection.

Dealing firstly with practicalities, the high quality paperback book has an elaborate fold out cover which houses the cards. If you want to store the cards separately then this extension can be trimmed off, leaving you with a regular sized paperback book. The cards are printed on attractive, silk finish card stock with very neatly rounded edges. The stock may not be quite up to the quality of Carta Mundi or the high gloss offerings to emerge from U.S. Games of late but I've found it to be quite acceptable and easy to shuffle.

In terms of presentation, the book is teaming with monochrome illustrations taken from the deck itself. A particularly nice touch however, is that dark blue ink, rather than black has been used both for text and illustrations, making the whole presentation much softer on the eye. The cards are presented with plain backs wich are a vivid shade of cerise, The only detail is a thin silver border about 3/4 cm in. This sounds gawdy but it works well in the context of the artwork and does not detract from it in any way.

Moving on to the proper content of this set, it really is difficult to know where to start - mainly because there's just so much that's good and down to earth practical. It's probably best to start with the book. Juliet Sharman Burke is a full time teacher of both Tarot and Astrology. I've already read her 'Understanding' and 'Mastering' the Tarot books as well as this. She is a very good teacher and this, I feel is her best offering to date. She is a total no - nonsense, level headed tarot practitioner and the perfect guide for the novice while being able to offer new insight to the more advanced in the same breath. This package has been available in Britain for some time now. I had always loved the Tarot and been fascinated by it's imagery. When I bought this set and followed the course through I became a good reader as opposed to just a dabbler. For the first time I had a very solid and practical foundation to build on.

Each card is described in individual detail but there are also general overviews of the Majors as a whole and of each suit. She starts with the Minor Arcana which in itself is a brilliant move. You don't even get to the Majors until you've learned all of these card meanings, done sample readings with each suit on its own, then a reading using all four together. You then learn the Majors, do a Majors only reading and finally a reading with the whole deck. Individual card descriptions are detailed but never labourious. Each card gets more or less a full page and is accompanied by a monochrome reproduction of the card itself which is diagrammatically annotated with key points and handy tips.

Sharman - Burke has devised this deck more or less along the lines of the Rider - Waite but she also draws on the other traditional decks such as the Visconti Sforza and the Marseilles. What results is almost an objectified Rider deck - she debunks all of Waite's subjective occult imagery and replaces it with easier to understand symbols. Hence, Waite's rather obscure Alchemical Wheel of fortune with it's sphynxes, serpents and Hermanubises is replaced by the more traditional Fortuna and her Wheel. The occult vision of the Lovers in the Garden of Eden is replaced by the Marseilles image of the Lover choosing between two women. Waite's High Priestess is an odd mixture of a priestess of Isis and Catholic Marian symbolism. Here she is a simple woman, veiled in white wearing the symbol of the moon. Where occult symbols are retained they are explained in full and are there to enhance a card meaning rather than to serve a particular philosophy. Also, numbers are absent from the Major cards. This does away with a ny arguments over card ordering and leaves you to form your own conclusions. When did it ever matter whether Strength was card 8 or 11 to a novice anyway?

A similar pattern follows through the Minor Arcana which if anything are even richer in detail than Coleman Smith's whilst remaining true to her basic imagery. For me, Juliet Sharman-Burke is the only person who has managed to achieve this. Call it a subjective view on my part but buy the deck and judge for yourself!! What also helps is that each suit has its own consistent colour scheme, making the cards instantly recogniseable. Colours are related to elements and the elemental attributions are standard - Pentacles - Earth. Swords - Air. Wands - Fire. Cups - Water.

If you want to change your mind later, with regards to suit names and elemental attributions as I did when designing my own deck then that's fine but everyone needs to know where the majority of traditional opinion lies and for the beginner this is admirably portrayed.

With all the cards, pay attention to detail for every expression and every gesture, even down to the direction a character is facing has significance. The author is shrewd enough to know such precision amplifies meaning and aids learning.

As to purely artistic concerns, the deck, though devised by Juliet Sharman-Burke in every detail was painted by Giovanni Casselli. Its a masterpiece of line and wash style which is elegant, refined and manages to totally avoid the comic strip style trap that many decks can fall into. It really is a gorgeous deck that can hold its own with the best of the rest.

Although aimed at beginners, this package is far more than just an introductory course. It is a timeless deck and book that will continually provide pleasure and insight no matter how far advanced you are. As such it should be a required acquisition to any serious collection as well as the best recommended starting point for anyone interested in learning the art of Tarot.


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