Saturday, January 16, 2010
I was very excited today to learn that Morgan's Tarot (which is an 88 card oracle, and not a tarot at all) is going to be reprinted by US Games and should be in stock in a couple of weeks. I've wanted this deck for months (which is forever, as far as my interest in tarot is concerned!) but never managed to bid quite enough on ebay. I'm feeling rather fortunate in that, now, although I am a bit concerned that the deck is going to come on US Games' heavily laminated stock, which I generally like but which doesn't fit into the vibe of this deck at all.
In general, I am not a fan of oracles. They tend to be too one dimensional for me; more bluntly, I cannot read with them at all. There has so far been one exception to the rule:
The Oracle Of The Grail Code. This oracle was (obviously) inspired by Dan Brown's popular book, "The Da Vinci Code", and so I am terribly embarrassed to be so enamored of it. There is a very snobby part of myself that snickers and whispers, "Why don't you just put those New Kid On The Block posters back on your wall, while you're at it" every time I pull this deck out. In the long run, though, it doesn't matter, because this deck is beautiful, and very, very chatty.
The artist, Amy Sophia Marashinsky, took strong and evocative female images from some of the most famous paintings in the world, and applied keywords to them. The cards are oversized and are far too large for me to riffle shuffle; I tend to dump them out on the floor and mix them around. There are 33 cards; they come in a cigar-style box with a book.
The only problem that I have with the manufacture of this set is that the back of each card shouts out the name of the deck, followed by the words, "The Book and Card Collection." Thank you for that, Barnes and Noble. The book is hardbound, and includes spreads, description of the cards, and meditations for each card, as well as artistic credits.
I have used this deck for single card draws and three card draws; I have also used it for a celtic cross. Every single time I use this deck, it is very clear and concise, telling me in simple terms exactly what I need to know. The keywords are not so specific that they limit the meaning of the card, which is a problem with some oracles.
Love, love this deck- I only hope that, when the Morgan's Tarot finally gets here, it performs as well.