About this item
- The Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery is a stunning deck from tarot artist and author, Robert Place. Inspired by pre-
- Raphaelite art and redrawn in his very recognisable style, it combines powerful art with his extensive knowledge of
- alchemy. Previously available in an over-sized majors edition, this is a regular-sized, full 78-card deck.
Specifications
Name
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Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery
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Creators
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Robert M. Place
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Publisher
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Hermes Publication 2013
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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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Strength
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is 8
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Justice
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is 11
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Card Language
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English
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Card Back
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Non-reversible
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Companion Material
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22 page little white boooklet
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Reviews
have yet seen in a deck, which says something if you
consider I have been reading Tarot for decades. The art is
inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites, in particular the art of
Edward Burne-Jones. But it has been redrawn in Place's
unique and glorious style, which is accessible to a
beginner yet no less deep for the adept.
It has definite
advantages over some of Place's previous decks; the card
stock is better than his Vampire Tarot. Perhaps this is
because Place had more control over the printing. This
deck was put out by his own company, Hermes
Publications. The card stock for this deck is a nice, thick
laminate which is easy to shuffle or cut. They are a
comfortable size for your hands, too. My only complaint on
that score is that the cards are rather slick and inclined to
slip out of your hands.
The LWB (Little White book)
is very useful. I appreciate the detail contained
within it. Place does say that he will put out a more
detailed book at some later point, presumably this will be
a trade paperback.
Place again links this deck to
alchemical imagery; which is a special interest of mine. But
you don't have to know alchemy to appreciate the
symbology, or to interpret the images. Though
I was a little
disappointed to see a couple of the cards repeat imagery from
his Alchemical Tarot. For example the Two of
Pentacles with the intertwined serpents and the Four of Cups
with the Elephant standing on the Vessels, but they are
new drawing of these cards and this is a minor
quibble.
This deck also has ties to Platonic philosophy, should
you want to explore that aspect. There are helpful
key writings on some of the cards which tie into that;
such as The Lovers, The Chariot, Justice, and some of
the other Major Arcana cards. But I do want to
emphasize that if you are familiar with the
Waite/Coleman-Smith deck, you should be able to navigate this deck
fairly quickly.
Some of the reworkings of the deck are
simply brilliant; such as the Wheel of Fortune as a
Goddess surrounded by the signs of the Zodiac and Prudence
within the World. Also this deck restores Justice to
eight and Strength to eleven. It is a standard 78 card
deck. Oh; and notice the greyhounds scattered through
the deck, Place is involved with greyhound rescue.
They are a nice touch, and not at all intrusive within
the imagery of the cards.
All in all,
this is a lovely deck which is well worth having. I
find it truly inspiring. I treasure my copy already.
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