About this item
- The Tarot of Shadows is an unconventional Russian-published set of 78 cards, with dark, demonic and fantasy art
- scenes set on white backgrounds.
Specifications
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Name
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Tarot of Shadows
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Creators
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Vera Sklyarova
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Publisher
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Published in Russia
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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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Card Language
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Russian
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Reviews
the Russian Tarot reader, writer, teacher and magician
Vera Sklyarova (author of many other decks). The cards
endured several editions and they will surely be published
again as each new edition is selling like hotcakes. The
cards themselves have white background and the red back
with the goat’s head inside the pentagram. Images are
not very colorful, in fact they look like pencil
drawings and are located in the center of the card.
The
important thing for this deck which makes it special is lack
of suits. There are no wands, cups, swords or
pentacles. There is just a keyword and the image. The numbers
above the image range from 1 to 78, Major Arcana given
in Latin numerals and the Minors in Arabic numbers.
Major Arcana also list Hebrew letters and planetary
attributions, though most Tarot scholars in Russia work with the
image and keyword only and treat this deck rather as an
oracle than the Tarot deck.
The author’s main idea was
that the complete deck is the embodiment and
development of Major Arcana XV the Devil. Therefore, the
Keywords and pictures are connected to “black arts” – names
of gods, dark angels, persons from the history or art
(Satan, Lucifer, Lilith, Hecate, etc), human vices
(avarice, gluttony, sloth, etc), magic rituals (Black Mass),
herbs, instruments used in black magic, notions connected
with planets. Why should such things be displayed and
studied? The author thought that people should know their
own (and other people’s) dark sides, be able to detect
the evil influence and protect themselves.
This deck
is quite special as up to now (2014) it has not been
translated into English (keywords or books) and is devoted to
the “dark side” exclusively. It is mostly used by
people who study magic as well as Tarot, or are not
afraid of the darkness within. It is a tool to be handled
with extra caution. But apart from magic, the deck
proves to be helpful with the money or health issues.
This deck is not for everyone, but those who work with
it do that on a regular basis!
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