About this item
- The Black Cats Tarot is another feline-inspired deck, this one focusing on the magical black cat. The 78 cards mix fantasy and reality in its image of human-like black cats.
Specifications
Name
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Black Cats Tarot
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Creators
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Maria Kurora
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Publisher
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Lo Scarabeo 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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Reviews
Black Cats Tarot (published by Llewellyn). There’s
something profoundly magickal about black cats, anyway, that
creating a deck in their honor just seems so appropriate.
There are a few decks out there already dedicated to
cats (Tarot of Pagan Cats, Medieval Cats Tarot, Tarot
of White Cats, and Cat’s Eye Tarot are some that come
immediately to mind), but a deck of black cats instantly
connects with those of us that live a life of magick.
It
was the Lovers card of this deck that first took my
breath away. It is simply exquisite. It depicts a male
and female cat, dancing on grassy steps that lead to a
doorway above the clouds, their feet in that unmistakable
cross step move of the tango. They look very classy,
very sleek, very slinky. The male has his back to us,
his broad shoulders positioned in a familiar manner of
dance – the left one slightly higher than the right as
he gently pulls on the right paw of the female. His
right arm snakes around the waist of his feline love,
drawing her close to him against his chest... One can
believe that he has dark, brooding eyes boring into the
green, bright eyes of the beautiful female. She looks up
at him, drinking in the sight of him, reluctant to
take her eyes away from his. Shy and flattered, she
lowers her lids allowing her long, thick lashes to fan
across her cheek. Her tail is curled upward, a sign of
utter contentment, as she breathes in his powerful,
masculine scent. The image transports you to a time long
past, of innocent love radiating from giant silver
screens, revisiting scenes of Tracy and Hepburn, Olivier
and Leigh, and most famously, the unforgettable Bogart
and Bergman in Casablanca. With a lazy, swinging
motion of his tail, the male cat sweeps the female off
her feet, glides her up the staircase, in step and in
time with that famous tune, “You must remember this … a
kiss is just a kiss … a sigh is just a sigh …” Where
other decks may depict perfect love in the Two of Cups,
the Lovers card of this deck defines undying
adoration, a slow and sensuous awakening of passion, eternal
fidelity, and true love.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said,
"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do
not see." No truer words can be used to apply to the
equally breathtaking (well, all the cards are – really)
number 18 card, the Moon. With its dark, mysterious and
mystical scene, this image is reminiscent of the lovely
Jessica Lange in a drugged state, wrists tied to bamboo
poles, awaiting to be sacrificed to the mighty King Kong.
But this cat, of course, is not tied to any poles.
She is a High Priestess in a solitary ritual,
performing that ancient rite of drawing down the moon. Soon
she will be going deep into meditation, perhaps
connect with the Great Goddess, and feel Her power flow
and ebb within her, in sync with the flow of water
behind her. The moon itself, drawn in a cat’s image,
peeks behind the mountains, looking rather stern as
though she resents having to borrow her light from the
sun. This is the card of powerful magick, brilliant
madness, and emotional illusions. The seeker that gets
this card should be prepared to develop their intuition
and psychic abilities, to finally accept the gift of
clairvoyance.
Another card that depicts water – and one of my very
favorite cards – is the Six of Swords. Unlike most Six of
Swords in other decks where typically there are three
figures depicted (the ferryman and two passengers), what
we have here is just one cat. He struggles to get
his little boat out on the water, his swords purposely
left behind, his back symbolically turned away from
whatever is behind him. He and his boat are faced toward a
land on the other side of the water, and one gets the
feeling that birds are flying towards him to guide him and
welcome him to his new home. A seeker that gets this card
can probably be told that whatever struggles they are
currently facing will be their last for a long, long time.
They are moving towards a smoother time in their lives
and things in their future will be more exciting and
they will experience new hope and new inspirations.
For me, this deck is very, very hard to criticize.
Maybe it’s my love for black cats, the Tarot, or my
magickal life. Still, the art work is beautiful. The
colors are appropriately dark or bright, whatever it
calls for in each card. One can feel and immerse
oneself in the bristling power of the Emperor of Black
Cats; or the rising passion of the Ace of Wands; or the
sheer uninhibited joy of the black kittens of the Sun
card. Clearly the artist’s intent was to bring us to
the magickal, mundane, sly and mysterious world of the
black cat. This deck is a must have not only for
collectors, but lovers of black cats and who equally love the
Tarot.
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