I purchased The Tarot Game right before going to The Readers Studio and since returning home, I haven’t had much time to read the rules or play. Much to my surprise, Jude was offering two person games via Skpye. So I jumped on the chance to play and learn from the creator herself.

The following game notes are one sided only. While Jude graciously gave me permission to write about our session, I felt uncomfortable posting the details of her side of the game. However, my side should give readers an idea of the variety of gameplay offered by The Tarot Game.

The goal of the game is to fill in the reading sheets to receive wisdom and knowledge about your question or theme. Since we were playing a “short” game (we were on Skype for an hour), we used the Beginner sheet which had us go until we both filled in 4 cards. Alternatively, you can use a tarot journal and go until you’re satisfied with the cards and answers you’ve got.

We started out the game by swapping questions or themes we were exploring in the game. I choose the theme of alchemy because I am preparing to work with this element for a whole year next Wednesday. I told Jude that my definition of alchemy was, “transformation and synthesis of my life and tarot knowledge to get me to the next (or higher) stage in my life.”

Then we picked out blessing coins. Usually this is done by each person playing the game but as Jude was the “game keeper” she randomly picked three coins for me. These were: vision, charity, hope. Blessing coins are fun items that players get to keep or swap and give to other players as the game progresses.

We then rolled the dice. I asked her to roll a single dice (the game comes with me) and we got a two. This put me on the Spiral spot. Jude drew a card from the Spiral Deck and told me to tell her a story about a time where I had to compromise–focusing on the benefits of doing so. So I pulled my 4 of Swords out from the deck and told Jude about a time where compromise helped me out in my marriage. I then jotted down notes and she took her turn.

On my next turn, Jude rolled two dice and I got to move forward 7 spaces. This put me on an infinity symbol which gave me “free will.” I was free to stretch or do anything I wanted. So I decided to grab my own set of 6-sided dice from my bookcase and stretch.

Then I rolled three dice for a total of 18. I landed on the “tell the player to my left something nice about them.” And so I gushed a bit about Jude. Based on my response, she gave me her passion blessing token.

Then I rolled two dice and got a total of 8, which put me on a roll again spot. So I rolled one dice and landed on The Hanged Man Spot. This gave me my second (of four) card for this reading. Jude then asked me a question from the Major Arcana sheet, “Tell me about a turning point in your life.” And I told her about the time I had mono and what I learned from it. These were how to take care of myself, focus on one thing, that it’s okay to say no, and how to ask for help.”

Once more, my response solicited Jude to give me a blessing token. This time, it was balance. Little did she know that balance is something I try to strive for throughout my life. Thanks Jude!

I rolled two more dice and moved 7 spaces more. I landed on a star card. This is not The Star card from a tarot deck but another one of the special spots from The Tarot Game. Jude pulled a card from the star deck and asked me to take a full deck and grab a card from it. I was then to create an affirmation from this card, based on what I saw. I grabbed my Pocket Universal Waite and the 4 of Cups jumped right out at me.

Now I’m not good at crafting affirmations so my first attempt was “I push through to succeed.” Jude helped me refine and hone the affirmation, so that we came out with, “When I am feeling myself unfocused, I push through to succeed.” I’m also supposed to find time to integrate this affirmation into my life for a week.

We then had a small discussion on productivity techniques and she gave me some good advice on some new techniques I can use to integrate into my self-employment practice.

By this time, Jude already filled out her reading sheet. Apparently, in the game, it is okay if players finish before one another. The rest can either keep on going or end the game there to go onto the Completion phase. Wanting to get the full benefit of playing, I opted to move on.

I rolled the two more dice and got a total of 9. This put me on the Sun card. She asked me, “How do I express myself?” And I answered by talking, writing, making collage and doodle arts, graphic design and crochet.

That last roll completed my reading so we moved onto the last phase of the game. This is where each player takes time to look at their cards and create an integrated affirmation or action plan that will help them answer their question or address their theme.

I spent time looking at my cards. In order I drew: the 4 of Swords, The Hanged Man, the 4 of Cups, and The Sun. Using what I knew about these cards I came up with the following affirmation:

Rest, perspective, reach out to accept help, do the work, and enjoy the fruits of my labor/success.

When I told Jude this, she said that it was fine but not exactly what she was hoping for. The hardest thing for tarot readers to do in the game is to create affirmations based on the card meanings themselves. Instead, Jude says that the affirmations work best when they integrate aspects of what was said in the game.

Together we created the new and improved affirmation:

I accept the support of my husband while I rest and push through to do the work to express myself and make art.

She then recommends that you work with this spread and affirmation by journalling about it and meditating on what was said for awhile.

I plan on using both affirmations that I created to help bring forth the transformation and success that I want for myself and my tarot business.

It’s my hope that this review/reading of The Tarot Game fuels your desire to give it a try for yourself. I’m already chomping at the bit to try this game out with my husband and all my friends. If you’ve already played it, feel free to leave some comments about your experience in the comment box below!

Konxari (pronounced kon-zar-ee) Cards is a new spirit-focused divination deck, created by the IRM Foundation and featuring the photography of Paul Michael Kane. The idea is that you take the deck with you to a spooky location, shuffle and let the spirits relay messages to you through the cards. An updated version of the ouija board, the cards use photographs, words, and symbols to give you many ways to connect with spirits. The publishers of the deck claim that Konxari has roots in ancient Egypt and that it, along with tarot cards, have come from this era. Erroneous information aside (as far as the tarot goes), my curiosity got the best of me and I had to check this deck out.

The deck of 88 cards comes in a long rectangular box. The whole package of box, book and 44-cards sitting next to one another, gives the impression that this deck is more entertainment designed than to be used as a true spiritual tool. The cards themselves measure two by three inches and are printed on a light-weight card-stock with a semi-glossy coating. Their size, along with the glossy coating, makes the cards hard to shuffle when stacked together. Each card features a image, a title, a symbol (or color spot), and a letter (or number). Some cars are printed in a landscape rotation. The instruction booklet has 32 pages and contains “Quick” and “Expanded” rules for using the cards. It also provides meanings to some of the cards; symbol definitions; and includes two alternative spreads to use with the cards when you are not out searching for ghosts.

My husband and I put the Konxari Cards to the test at Samhain. We followed the rules of the booklet (“never play Konxari cards alone”) and we sat in a darkened room of our home. We hoped that the cards would connect with something and relay a message that we’d understand. We shuffled the cards and laid them out according to the main layout found inside the booklet. We removed four cards and were left with eight remaining cards: hiding, attic, door, prophesy, thermal, suffering, aura and shadow. The images and words caught our eyes and from this we figured that the impressions came from something we call “the house fae”. There is a closet on our first floor that tends to be popular with our cats. They’re always running in and out, as if they’re chasing something into that space. We also tend to use the space as our “attic” in that we store boxes, and decorations in it. Therefore the first few cards seemed to align with our experiences. Since the booklet also recommends playing with the cards and rearranging them to spell out words (remember, each card has letters on it) we shifted the cards around so they spelled words or phrases. We came up with Requim B6 (or 6B), and Be Quirm 6. Neither seemed important or seemed meaningful.

As I do with my tarot decks, I asked the Konxari Cards if they had anything to share about themselves. I drew the moon card for my first question, “What can I learn from you?” This card suggests using Konxari Cards could help expose or draw us closer to the mysteries we commonly associate with the moon: magick, death, and nature itself. I drew the Mirror card for my second question, “What is your speciality?” Here, the card represents the deck’s desire to show us reflections of the spirit world as they mirror or our lives and pasts. It is also said that mirrors are a portal to other realms and that this deck could be seen as a portal for contacting those realms. Finally, I drew the Hallway card for my final question of, “How does your personality differ from other decks?” The Eye of Horus drawn on this card suggests that the deck give “the dead the ability to see again”— a trait that other decks do not address.

Konxari Cards offer a new and portable tool to reach out and connect with the dead. If you’re a ghost hunter looking for a compact spirit communication tool to add to your arsenal then give these cards a shot. I also recommend Konxari Cards to the divination curious and would like to uncover a new type of cartomancy. To learn more about Konxari cards, visit www.konxari.com. The site contains the deck’s history, descriptions of the cards, and some videos of the cards in use and creative direction.

Innowen’s List of Tarot Decks
Last updated: 02.JUL.10

Bold decks are currently used for reading
Italicized have a signed component

Tarot Decks
Shadowscapes Tarot (Regular Edition)—professional & personal reading deck
Voyager Tarot—professional reading deck
Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot—spell/ritual deck
Shadowscapes Tarot (Special Edition)
Deviant Moon Tarot
The Fey Tarot
Vertigo Tarot (2nd edition, smaller cards)
Vertigo Tarot (1st edition)
Universal Waite Tarot
The Vampire Tarot
Wormweird Tarot
Thoth Tarot
Archeon Tarot
Hanson-Roberts Tarot (special Macromedia branded set, for the “web wizard you were destined to be”)
Mage the Ascension Tarot
Mage the Awakening Tarot
Tarot of the Trees
Mythical Goddess Tarot
Paulina Tarot
Tarot of the Cat People
The Bright Idea Deck
Tarot of the Magical Forest (chinese edition)
Necronomicon Tarot
Transparant Tarot
The Fifth Tarot
The Ferret Tarot
Haindl Tarot
Universal Fantasy Tarot
Tarot of the Sweet Twilight
Blank Tarot deck (to make my own deck someday)

Oracle Decks
Morgan’s Tarot (this has 88 cards in it)
Konxari Cards
Mystical Lenormand

Artwork and Book Written by Timothy Lantz
Published by US Games Systems, Inc.
ISBN 1-57281-488-8

The Archeon is a very personal deck. It contains the personal mythology and beliefs of visionary artist Timothy Lantz. The Archeon Tarot defines and explores Lantz’s symbolism and mythology in a very contemporary and graphic fashion. The card’s imagery is absolutely stunning. Lantz uses a digital canvas to create the cards and explore the very depths of his soul. Long before this tarot deck was even published, I had seen images of the cards on his website. And I was impressed with what I saw. The cards are a wonderful blend of dark, gothic, carnivale mixed with elements of the mystical and fantastic. But don’t let the darkness of the deck’s imagery fool you because within each card there is a strong sense of light and beauty. Each card’s image contains dazzling backgrounds and characters expressing realistic emotions; each layer thick with symbolism. Even the cards’ back include snippets of Lantz’s personal mythology and symbolism.

The little white book (LWB) that accompanies the deck helps guide the reader through Lantz’s world. It begins with a personal definition on his art. He defines the title of the deck, Archeon, as having a relationship with archeology, where “those who consult the Archeon Tarot sift through the layers of the cards, thus finding a way to harvest order and meaning from chaotic or seemingly unrelated events of life.” Which is a perfect description of what a tarot reader these days seeks to do. The LWB continues on to describe the cards, helping the reader peel away the mystery of these gorgeous cards. Lantz describes the Major arcana in detail beginning with quote that best fits the card’s mood. He goes on to describe the card’s imagery and offers suggestions for both upright and inverted meanings. All of which help to add and elaborate on the personal mythology and symbolism contained in the deck.

It’s hard to find any faults in this deck. I would have liked to see the minor arcana and court cards covered in detail just as much as the major arcana but this only begs for an expanded book to be written about this unique and creative deck. I strongly recommend this tarot deck for enthusiasts who admire the beauty of decks like the Vertigo Tarot or readers looking for a very modern interpretation of tarot. I know I am very much looking forward to working with the Archeon Tarot and exploring the personal mythology of Timothy Lantz and how it relates to my own life.

The Dante Tarot is a non-traditional 78 card deck. Black backgrounds with the title (and/or number) of the card appear on top of every card. In typical Lo Scarabeo style, the names of the cards are printed in 4 other languages below the central artwork. The design of the card’s backing appears like a chess board, with a castle one one side with a person writing and a landscape with a knight riding a dark horse on the other.

Andrea Serio painted the artwork and it’s her unique style that makes this deck noteworthy. Done in watercolor and pencil, Serio’s images are rather dreamy and does a good job of representing Dante’s ideals. Even the box the cards are kept in contains original artwork. However, I found it hard to associate many of the images on the cards to their meanings (traditional or otherwise) as the arcana switch between ideas and people throughout the entire deck. The Dante Tarot also comes with 2 variations of the King of Fire (Swords). One depicting an beast-like character while the other is more scenic in nature. The pamphlet that comes with the deck does not give any explanations as to why they did this.

The deck deviates from a standard deck with its minor arcana names. It replaces Swords with Fire, Coins (pentacles) with Clouds, Wands with Bricks and the Cups with Lights. The deck comes with a LWB; according to it, the symbolism was changed to conform more to the standards Dante wrote about in his works, mainly The Divine Comedy. The second way the Dante Tarot deviates from standard decks is in it’s interpretations. It does not follow the Rider-Waite and Crowley interpretations of the cards. For example, the Fool, normally represented by most decks as new beginnings and adventures now becomes “Need. Eccentric behavior, recklessness, and material or psychological problems”.

The card stock used to print the cards on is thicker and glossier than other decks. At first I thought this was a good thing making the deck appear as if it would last longer. However, this made shuffling the cards harder to do without damaging the darker edges of the cards. The LWB seems to be designed as a reference guide only and it does not go into great depth on each card’s imagery and meaning. This was a bit disappointing since The Dante Tarot seems different from other decks. However, there are two different layouts inside the booklet.

Because of the dramatic changes in the meanings and the inability to quickly “connect” with the cards, they make the deck almost unapproachable for me as a reader to utilize quickly as a divination deck. It would take a great deal of studying this deck and practicing readings using the methods the LWB describes for one to adequately use the Dante Tarot for divination. I do, however, love the imagery and believe that it would make a great companion to those studying Dante and his Divine Comedy.

The Fey Tarot distills the best of both worlds in tarot and the art of Japanese anime and recombines them into something new and exciting. Written by Riccardo Minetti, featuring the artwork of Mara Aghem, this deck is wonderful for both the young at heart and in age. The tarot presented here is lighthearted and kind, “bringing no shadows.” However, this lightness does not eliminate the darkness of traditional tarot decks; instead, The Fey Tarot subdues and twists the negative card meanings inwards. In doing so, this set becomes easily accessible and understood by children.

“The Fey Tarot is a deck full of life,” writes Riccardo Minetti, the author of the enclosed book. There cannot be anything closer to the truth. The bold colors of the cards contrast with the simplicity of the design, creating a uniquely magical and deftly detailed series of story-cards. Each whole card is alive; from the attention paid to the expression in each creature’s eyes to the way the fey’s world blends into the card. Using a combination of unique and bold color palettes, Mara Aghem brings the center focus of each card straight into the emotions the images evoke. Every creature’s face, every part of their actions, contains realistic emotions. Each card becomes a theater for the mind?s eye; where the fey perform on center stage teaching their lessons and showing their perspectives and views of the world and the meaning of life. The cards beg to be played with and explored.

The book is also a masterpiece. At 156 pages long, it delves deeper into the concepts and ideas that made this deck possible. It begins with the core foundations and beliefs of the artwork, going straight into designer Aghem’s mind showing how she developed the cards’ sketches and emotions. Then it introduces the mysterious history of the tarot, and how the fey are a perfect match for this divination tool. Lastly, the cards themselves are described in detail, Minetti adding layer upon layer of insight and meaning into the simple but intricate artwork. The book ends by showing 4 unique spreads to use the cards with, from simple 3 cards on up to complex 8 card designs.

The Fey Tarot is a great addition to tarot enthusiasts’ collections. This is the product of the first collaboration between Minetti and Aghem (hopefully not the last). This deck marks a new perspective on deck design for the new millennium. It also moves away from traditional meanings of the cards giving them a fresh and playful twist. I would also recommend this deck as a great way to introduce young children to the modern world of the tarot, as it presents a very accessible and non-threatening view of the tarot and its concepts.