Review by Solandia
The Tarot Lover’s Calendar is an annual showcase of Tarot art by up-and-coming and self-published artists, combined with Tarot spreads and a useful and inclusive monthly calendar. Now in its fourth year of publication, editor Major Tom Schick has put together the most attractive and polished edition of the Tarot Lover’s Calendar yet.
All of the Tarot decks featured in the calendar have been created by members of the Aeclectic Tarot Forum, and many have developed their decks with help from discussions in the Tarot Deck Creation board. Two to four cards, chosen by the artist, are pictured along with a short blurb about the deck’s concept, background, and ordering details if it has been published. The front of the calendar shows the Lovers card from all twelve decks, cropped slightly in some cases to fit, arranged in three rows of four.
January – The Minute Tarot by Robyn Tisch-Hollister
February – The Creative Fire Tarot by N. Joy Neish
March – The Mandala Tarot by Simone Roeder
April – Les Adorables Tarot by Lynyrd Narciso
May – The Garden Path Tarot by Melanie J. Cook
June – The Angel Tarot by Michel Angela and Maria Miduki
July – The Tarot of Dreams by Ciro Marchetti
August – The Butler Tarot by Chris Butler
September – The Fairytale Tarot by Irena Triskova, Alex Ukolov and Karen Mahony
October – The Movie Monster Tarot by Samantha Kocsis
November – Sol Invictus: The God Tarot by Kim Huggens and Nic Phillips
December – The Food Inspiration Tarot by Liya Bochkis
Several of these decks have been self-published in quantities from a small release of a few decks to several thousand copies - The Creative Fire Tarot, the Garden Path, the Angel Tarot, the Tarot of Dreams, the Movie Monster Tarot, the Fairytale Tarot, the Butler Tarot. The rest are works-in-progress or completed yet unpublished, and none are from major publishers.
The calendar follows the same format as previous years. It features cards from the above Tarot decks, a unique spread for each month, plus a wide array of religious and secular holidays from all over the world – Hindu, Christian, Pagan, Jewish, Baha’i, Buddhist, Catholic, Mormon and Moslem - and moon phases in the calendar grid. This year, dates for the organised, monthly Tarot meetings in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Ipswich in the UK are also listed.
There are actually thirteen spreads in this year’s calendar – one for each month and one on the back underneath the calendar credits. My favourite is June’s three-card simple Get Moving! Spread by Gwynne, a reading for when you feel ‘stuck’.
This year’s calendar is printed on ivory stock, rather than the black of previous years, on which the art stands out beautifully. The pages are spiral-bound, and both the front and back is protected by a strong plastic sheet. A hole has been punched at the top of all pages so it can be easily hung on the wall.
The Tarot Lover’s Calendar keeps getting better every year. With its visually appealing and diverse Tarot art, unique Tarot spreads, and functional calendar, it’s an ideal addition to the home or office of anyone with an interest in Tarot.
The recommended retail price of the calendar is a reasonable £10.99 - or €16.49, US$19.90 or AUD$25.89 – actually a lower price than last year’s calendar. A percentage of profits goes directly to assist Aeclectic Tarot.
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Buy your Tarot Lover's Calendar 2006 now from
· Major Tom
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