Review by Stephanie Lynch
This deck was a mixed bag for me. My first impression was not favorable. I strongly didn’t like the Fool card. Then as I studied it more, I realized that this interpretation did suit the message of the Fool. A man seemingly reacts unwisely to the trauma around him. He rages at the heavens instead of stepping away from a serpent or dealing with the nails in his legs and feet (very reminiscent of the Christ avatar.)
The illustrations are soft rather than sharp with almost a watercolor effect to the overall hue. The Queens are striking to me and stand out as the best of the deck overall. As I went through the cards one by one, I started to see the themes the creators are going for.
Obviously a deck for Bacchus would revolve around wine. Each suit is dedicated to a particular part of wine making such as the agricultural efforts. Each court card is dedicated to one of the top winemaking countries in the world. Once I realized this, the Asian Queen of Rods made perfect sense.
The real treasure for this deck is the not so little and not so white book. It does fit into the oversized box (these cards are large), but it is red in color. Each card comes with a description as well as the mythological tie-ins for the Major Arcana. Some of them are very obscure myths but I think the incisive remarks give enough for anyone to understand.
I recommend this deck with some reservation. Be prepared to get to know these cards. Do not expect “normal” cards although some are so similar to the standard of the Rider Waite deck that they have no life of their own. If you are a fan of a deck that will make you read and study other sources to learn, then this deck will suit you.
Published author and professional Tarot reader,
Stephanie Arwen Lynch loves decks. She is a past editor of
the American Tarot Association and has served as the
ATA's Board president. She reads on the ATA's Free Tarot
Network as well as mentors. Arwen also produces a
Tarotscope podcast for monthly horoscopes that read a card
per sign.
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