Designed by: Janis King (with thanks to Ray Mallaney) tarotreadinglondon.com
Card art by: Matt Corvis (shatteringglass.co.uk)
Box and booklet by: Rob Ingle (bertramcreates.com)
Based on the Rider-Waite-Smith style of tarot
Release date: September/October 2022
I have to admit that my first impression of this deck wasn’t a positive one. The box design is colourful but a little underwhelming and if I saw the cards on a shelf I wouldn’t be drawn to look at them further. On the back of the box is a brief explanation of what the deck is about–it seems to focus on your emotions, will, and mind.
On opening the deck I am faced with a black booklet entitled Life Code, with a few small symbols on the front and back. Inside the front cover, the card page numbers are listed; I love this idea as I hate fumbling through booklets trying to find the card listings. The guide is in colour with a small picture of each card and a description of its meaning. Under the title, there are a few keywords relevant to the card’s meaning. I do love that the meanings are concise as I hate to get lost in the text if I’m short on time.
There is a different colour theme for each of the suits; while the majors are mixed, the colour theme does seem relevant to its element. Pentacles for instance have a green background which puts me in mind of grass-covered fields and trees. The booklet doesn’t show the elements and meanings for each of the suits; this isn’t a problem for experienced readers but would be nice for beginners.
I like the size of the cards as they seem to be just the right dimensions for my hands. The backs of them have a similar design to the box; I would have liked to see a different design just for added interest.
I decided to shuffle the deck and pick a few cards to look at in closer detail. The first card to reveal itself is the Four of Wands! I do have to look at the booklet to identify it and in doing so realise that I missed the small wand on the top of the picture indicating the suit. Like many, I love to see more obvious symbols and identifying features on tarot cards. I love the scene on this card which shows some people enjoying a campfire; there is a tent in the background and the colour scheme is yellow, orange and black.
I soon realise that the pictures in this deck are depicted in silhouettes which look very eye-catching with their brightly coloured backdrops. I’m warming to the idea of this set slightly as they have a certain ambience to them and could be suitable for shadow work. As I look more closely at the designs I realise that the card glitters slightly; I think that this is a nice touch.
The second card I pull is the Six of Cups and the colour theme is black pink and lilac. A man is depicted walking away from what I now realise is a rose. At first glance, I wasn’t sure what the object was and had to look in the book as I thought that it was maybe a dragon’s head.
The third card is The Devil; in shades of blue grey and black, I see a man sitting by some studio lighting. He is watching what appears to be a man and woman about to kiss or maybe perform a sexual act. The scene is a powerful one but in my opinion, this image limits the usefulness of the deck as I don’t think I would want to use it to read for clients.
As I take a look at the rest of the cards I soon note some instant favourites, The Moon is a very atmospheric scene with a dark background and I can just see a cat moving towards me. I think it’s a great depiction of The Moon’s meaning as the detail is there but almost hidden. I love the Empress–she is seen as a shadow surrounded by flowers; this card has a warm caring feel to it. The Genie on the Nine of Cups puts you in mind of a fairy tale! You are brought back down to earth quite literally by seeing the King of Pentacles though, as it shows a businessman with his briefcase. The Queen of Swords is depicted as a woman dictating to a man in chains; it does look to be a pornographic scene and again I have to say I would not use the deck for client readings. Although I am not a fan of all the images I have to confess that I do get a sense of being drawn into the deck. Some cards just seem to talk to you and I do feel that this deck could perform well for certain readers.
Overall there are some very unusual and strong images in this deck and the subject matter is very diverse. I guess this diversity in the imagery is a reflection of life and corresponds well with the deck’s title. It’s not a deck I would normally look at, but at the same time I do find it delightfully enigmatic.
Reviewed by: Juli
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