About this item
- ead reviews of the Glastonbury Tarot
Specifications
Name
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Glastonbury Tarot
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Creators
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Lisa Tenzin-Dolma
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Publisher
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US Games 1999
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Publisher
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Papaveria Press 2012
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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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56
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Deck Tradition
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Mixed
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Minor Arcana Style
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Unique Scenes Without Suit Symbols
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Court Cards
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Maid, Knight, Queen, King
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The Fool
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is 0
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Strength
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is 11
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Justice
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is 8
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Card Size
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3.15 x 4.72 in. = 8.00cm x 12.00cm
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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
small English town of Glastonbury with my boyfriend as
a 17th birthday present last year. Glastonbury is a
wonderful town full of legend and surrounded by myth and
history: so much so that it is often difficult to tell
those myths apart from the history! It is certainly an
amazing place which manages to house Pagans and Christians
alike in an awe-inspiring harmony, and the comfortable,
open atmosphere of the town makes Glastonbury seem like
a whole world in itself, set apart from the rest of
England. This is certainly ironic, considering the fact
that in ancient times Glastonbury actually became an
island for most of the year, thus giving rise to the
Arthurian-Pagan legend of Avalon.
What the Glastonbury Tarot aims
to do is encapsulate Glastonbury, its inhabitants,
history, traditions, and legends, as well as do the unusual
and often difficult task of unifying Christian and
Pagan history and myth in one deck. These things I
think it has managed to do beautifully! Never have I
seen a Tarot deck epitomize its theme so deeply and
informatively as this one does, and after spending some time
with this deck I always feel drawn back to Glastonbury.
The deck itself remains mainly traditional,
choosing to keep the traditional titles and ordering of the
Majors whilst also adding the Glastonbury correspondences
for each card. These correspondences vary from being
actual places or things in Glastonbury, to being history
of the town or the myths of King Arthur. For
instance, whilst the Strength card shows the long-standing
oak trees Gog and Magog which reside close to the base
of Glastonbury Tor, the Chariot shows the Barge of
Avalon, and Justice portrays the historical Druid
chieftain, Arviragus, who allowed Joseph of Arimathea to set
up Britain's first Christian community. These
correspondences are wonderfully chosen, and really help the reader
understand the meanings of the Majors deeply, as well as
acting as an 'education' about Glastonbury itself.
The suits of the Minors are slightly changed so that Cups
become Chalices and Pentacles become Vesicas. The idea
of Chalices is taken from the Arthurian-Christian
tradition of the Holy Grail, and Glastonbury claims to hold
the final resting place of this Grail, and the Spring
that sprung from that place can be visited very easily.
The convention of Vesicas comes from this Grail
resting place, where the Chalice Well (the aforementioned
Spring) is protected when not 'in use' by a wooden cover,
on which is wrought in iron a double Vesica. There
is plenty of history to the vesica, linked to the
Holy Grail and Pagan geometry, and as such there is too
much of it to explain fully here!
The Minors have keywords on them, and their meanings are mostly
traditional, with the exception of a few cards. The imagery on
the Minors however ranges from mostly traditional to
totally changed, but these changes are well-interpreted
and very easy to read. The Court cards are very well
done, with the characters within them being very
expressive and easy to understand. The Pages in this deck
have been changed to Maids, but their meanings remain
the same, and this new title gives the deck a very
Arthurian feel to it.
The artwork for this deck is very
bold and colourful, being done in oils. Most of the
characters show actual inhabitants of Glastonbury, which
really gives this deck a warm, homely feel, especially
for those who have visited Glastonbury itself.
Because of the real people shown in the cards, this deck
shows people of all ages, gender, and shape. Not all
are stunningly beautiful, which is refreshing to find
in a Tarot deck based on history, mystery, and
leegnd, and it is a convention which makes the images in
the cards very realistic, despite the bold colouring.
It is not uncommon to find that the places in the
cards are real as well, and the accompanying book tells
you where the cards were painted, if not on private
property.
The book, with a forword by two of my favourite
writers, Caitlin and John Matthews, is just as informative
and interesting as the deck itself. It does well to
explain the stories and myths behind the Majors, and
comments of the symbols and images in the Minors which is
always a great help when reading the cards. The book
also includes some very useful spreads, as well as the
Bird Spread which I think is an absolute treasure of a
spread, and certainly one that should at least be looked
at.
The backs of the cards are not reversible, but
are a piece of artwork within themselves: A gorgeous
scene of a sunrise over Glastonbury Tor adorns the backs
of this deck. Having fallen madly and deeply in love
with the Tor on my visit to Glastonbury, these backs
really clinched my love for this deck. The Tor
spitomizes what Glastonbury is for many people, but it
does not tell all the tales held within this small
town: That is for the other side of the cards to
do!
This deck could very easily be used by anybody, and it
is definitely a deck for those interested in the
Arthurian legends, or in the town itself. It is amazing
that such a small town could contain within it all the
cards of the Tarot deck, but it does, and the results
are, to say the least, aswe-inspiring, evocative, and
stunningly beautiful, aswell as being usable.
With the fear of this becoming a rave-review, I respectfully
conclude that this deck is for everybody, and every
collector should own a copy of it, as it is definitely a
wonderful addition to any collection. It isn't often one
comes across a deck that can be used by anybody (even
children), is beautiful, and can teach you nearly all there
is to know about the myths, history, and traditions
surrounding a subject. Marvellous.
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