Review by Raven

The Spiral Tarot was my second tarot deck. I saw a few sample images online, and fell in love with the beauty of it.

One of the problems I came across in learning the Tarot was that many of the decks available have very repetitive minor arcana cards. You might as well use a regular deck of playing cards.

This is not so with the Spiral Tarot. Every single card of this deck, especially the minor arcana, tells a story. These cards will speak to you. I disagree with what the first reviewer of this deck said, that the art was disappointing when it came to the minor arcana. Compare this deck to most and you will see that the artist actually took the time to artistically represent a situation to convey the meaning of the card to you. Are the minor arcana cards as detailed as the major arcana? No. But to me they speak volumes more than the majors.

The colors are beautiful, the art is very well-drawn, meanings easily interpreted through the pictures. The minor arcana changes time periods in the pictures and this only adds to the uniqueness of this deck.

If you get the book that goes along with this deck, you will see a story unfold throughout the entire set of cards, beginning with The Fool. It is amazing to me what Kay Steventon did for understanding tarot. I would highly recommend this deck to any beginner.

Review by Andryh

The Spiral Tarot is a deck with a whopper of an identity crisis. This is a bittersweet deck. Every time I go through these cards I have a terrible mix of emotions. This is the deck that breaks my heart.  This one could have been THE deck. My deck. The one I'd take with me everywhere. The one I love to look at... just because. The one that has so much beauty, intimacy, drama, character and mood, that in my hands it feels like a living thing. 

The major arcana of this deck are that good. But unfortunately, as with so many decks, the creator decided to "coast" through the minor arcana. The art takes a dramatic dive... so dramatic it leaves you wondering, is this part of the same deck? My heart sank to my feet when I first looked through the minors. 

The art goes from serious, delicate, and ethereal to coarse, hurried, and at times cartoonish. The colors go from voluptuous to flat. I understand that creating an entire tarot must be an incredible endeavor. And I do understand that the minor arcana is generally considered less important than the major. Nevertheless, it is inexcusable to show such awe-ispiring talent with the majors and then simply slap some paint on the canvas for the minors.

Not only is there a dramatic shift in the quality of the art, the minors have a altogether different theme. The majors are classical and trancendant and the minors feature depictions of what must be the late Victorian era. The clash is a big ugly one. This deck completely lacks any cohesiveness. The backs are a big disappointment too. They are deep blue with a straw-colored double spiral. Very uninteresting. 

I mourn every time I take this deck out. The High Priestess is so utterly arresting... such a perfect symbolic representation of the subconscious. The Sun is breathtaking. The Death card is darkly mystical. The paintings have such wondrous quality, they almost seem to sparkle (and they should... the paintings are dotted with sequins). But then there are the minors. Those gaudy, sophomoric minors. I always have to slip this deck back into its box with a sigh. A deep, heavy sigh for what could have been.

Complete Deck Details

Creators: Kay Steventon
Publisher: US Games 1998
Deck Type: Tarot Deck
Cards: 78
Major Arcana: 22
Minor Arcana: 56
Suits: Cups, Swords, Wands, Pentacles
Court Cards: King, Queen, Knight, Princess
The Fool is 0
Strength is 8
Justice is 11
Card Size: 2.75 x 4.13 in. = 6.99cm x 10.48cm
Card Language: English

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Category: Small-Size Tarot Decks
Creator: Ancient Feminine Wisdom, Celestial Tarot by Kay Steventon

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