About this item
- An unusual round Tarot deck published in New Zealand, the Songs for the Journey Home Tarot uses the standard 78
- card Tarot structure, but has renamed the cards. Beautifully drawn and coloured artwork.
Specifications
Name
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Songs for the Journey Home Tarot
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Creators
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C Cook,
D von Sommaruga
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Publisher
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Self Published
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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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Reviews
tarot deck suddenly leaped into my consciousness and off
I dashed searching for it. It didnt take me long
however, because its one of my few round decks and I had
managed to find just the perfect sized, red, round case to
keep it in.
I found the book almost immediately on my
book shelf as well. The synchronicity of having it in
my mind and finding it so quickly wasn’t lost on me.
I was excited and curious to know why. What was the
first card I pulled on its discovery? The Temperance
card which in this deck is called, Renewal. As
different as its new moniker, the Renewal card depicts a
gathering of people playing instruments, dancing and waving
in an explosion of fire and energy. In the book, the
authors describe the imagery,
Renewal is a cathartic
release, a farewell song and a great letting go of
something or someone that was once a vital presence in your
life. Renewal represents the intermingling of pain, joy
and insight, brining about a sense of being deeply
healed. Thus Renewal is the unfolding of the experience of
rebirth, begun in Death. The times of Renewal are some of
the peak experiences on our journey.
I won't go into
how absolutely perfect this describes what I’m going
through right now. It would take much more writing space
than I have nor am I inclined to write about it all
just yet. Just suffice it to say I couldn’t have
received a more appropriate, healing and connectedness
message than this one gave me. Nothing could have
reminded me more keenly how very much I appreciate this
tarot deck. I never did use it much for reading for
others but I would often leave it on my reading table to
reach over and turn over a card on a whim. Hoping for a
comment that would inspire, ignite or explain. It never
failed me.
I remember when I ordered this deck online
(since it was created and self-published in New Zealand),
being so anxious for it to arrive. Having seen its
imagery and read about the authors, I had such a strong
positive feeling it would fit very well into my lexicon. I
wasn’t at all disappointed. In fact I was delighted. I
was so delighted I promptly took it off to a local
printer to have the cards laminated in plastic and spent
the whole following day cutting the excess away. My
finished deck is strong, slippery and very nicely
preserved. Im grateful I did that since as I suspected when
I purchased it, it is now and forever out of print.
The wisdom that went into this deck shouldnt be lost.
In The Myths Behind the Mirrors page, Catherine
Cook describes their process of creating this
deck,
Symbolmaking and storytelling go hand in hand. In creating
Songs for the Journey Home, sometimes the image came
first and the fuller understanding of the picture
evolved as Swariko and I reflected on the nature of the
archetype. This was the case with the image of the Star. At
other times events and stories came first, giving rise
to an image which encompassed the qualities of the
experience. In particular, Beyond Judgment and the Ninth
Earth Song exemplify this process. The following
stories are the myths behind the mirrors.
Odd that
Catherine points to the Star in this description. It was
not my favourite card. In fact, I think this decks
greatest strengths can be found in their pip cards. It is
here that their ability to depict a story shines. The
suits have been renamed by their elements, such as,
Earth Songs, Air Songs, etc. One of my favourites is
the 2 Earth Songs, which depicts a woman sitting on a
fence, back to back with herself as she considers what
looks like two offerings presented to her by strong,
squarish, masculine hands. The authors describe this card
as one which points to difficulties in making a
decision an either/or choice that you would just rather
avoid. The card depicts this dilemma so deliciously.
The
7 Earth Songs is absolutely brilliant depicting
those same two strong hands in the foreground parting
stalks of greenery to look at the seedlings growing in
the background. The strong, work-worn hands show a
sort of anticipation and gentleness a hope for the
future of these seedlings. Its poignant and one of the
best depictions of the Seven of Disks/Pentacles Ive ever
encountered.
If you purchase this deck however, I would highly
recommend you hunt down the accompanying text. The cards
have been liberally renamed and creatively reinvented.
Especially for the new tarotist, youll need a guiding hand
to translate the unique yet symbol-rich images.
Although not too dramatically off track in terms of the
interpretations, there is enough new imagery to signal a need to
understand what was in the mind of the creators when the
project was in formation. Besides you will enjoy the
read! The book is well written, thorough, artistic and
provoking.
The deck itself was unfortunately made on rather
flimsy cardboard which is why I immediately had it
plastic coated. The images were done with pencil crayon
giving the deck a sort of innocent, childlike quality and
you could certainly use this deck with anyone who was
feeling a bit nervous about confronting the ominous
mystery sometimes associated with the tarot. Its
positive, whimsical, colourful. The illustrations are
reminiscent of what you might see in a childrens book. Dont
be misled however, they carry a dynamic and deep
symbolic punch!
I wish you all the best in finding a copy
of this lovely deck. Im sure there are many
tarotists like myself who continue to enjoy pulling this
wonderful body of work out of their cupboards to while away
a nice cup of tea and a contemplative moment.
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