Review by Solandia
"When you are starting out on your journey of discovery using the Tarot as a guide, it is obviously important to like the deck you are working with. It is true that the ideal might be to actually draw and colour your own deck from scratch, but the reality is that not many of us have the artistic or technical ability required to design, let alone draw and colour, seventy-eight images that we feel might be good enough to turn into the effective deep-mind ‘mirrors’ that the Tarot images are. So the next best thing is to colour or paint your own deck."
My Tarot: Colour your own deck is a black and white version of the Sharman-Caselli Tarot, designed to be coloured in to your own inclinations. Historically, an important step on a spiritual journey was the colouring or creation of your own Tarot cards.
The imagery of the My Tarot cards are exactly the same as in the original self-titled deck from Julia Sharman-Burke and Giovanni Caselli, just printed in outline rather than filled with watercolour. The face of the cards are also non-coated, and have a textured feeling so that any colour ‘sticks’ and doesn’t bleed or slide off too easily. The backs of the cards have the same pattern as the Sharman-Caselli, but have been rendered here in a pale aqua green with a thin white line.
The set comes in a strong, matte cardboard box with a 96-page booklet, a package of 8 small ‘pencil crayons’ (coloured pencils) and the 78 cards. The booklet is also a small workbook, along with info on colour association, colour meditation and practical tips on practicing with your media beforehand. Each card has a description of the tarot image, a colouring exercise to help inspiration, and blank lines for ‘Your Thoughts on This Image’ and ‘Your Keywords’. The back of the booklet also has addresses for a few useful websites and a quick list of titles for further reading.
The Magician
The Image: The Magician stands in a garden full of lilies and roses. Before him stands a table carrying the emblems of the minor arcana, which symbolize the four elements and describe the options available. The figure points one hand to the earth and the other toward the heavens – he is a link between the two. His belt, composed of a snake eating its own tail, is a symbol of eternity.
Colouring Exercises: As you choose colours for this card, consider the various symbols for the Magician. Think of the opportunities that you’ve been presented with that could be connected with this card.
Like the older Builders of the Adytum Tarot (though perhaps without as much occult symbology), these cards are specifically intended to be coloured in by the owner. The My Tarot set is ideal for the Tarot student looking to deepen their relationship with the Tarot cards; taking the time to study and colour the 78 cards will certainly heighten knowledge of the small details and familiarity with the symbolism. And, at the end of the project, there's a unique and personalised deck for readings and further spiritual work.
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