Moving Forward...

Hey everyone! For a while now, I've been posting my Tarot reviews on Lizzie's Logic and Tarot by Elizabeth...life has been pretty hectic trying to keep up with two blogs, teenage kids, Fibromyalgia and life in general so I'm discontinuing my posts on this blog and writing reviews and such about Tarot on Tarot by Elizabeth only. This blog will still be up because I've posted many pages on all sorts of things besides Tarot that people still access today. This site will be purely reference and anyone searching a topic just may find a post here that I have done on the subject....

I'd like to say thank you to all those that have subscribed to Lizzie's Logic over the years and I hope that you will all follow me over to Tarot by Elizabeth. If that's not your cup of tea, that is quite alright too. Lots of love to you all and thank you for several years of sharing my journey with me!

Deck Review- The Shapeshifter Tarot

Originally published in 1998,  The Shapeshifter Tarot turned out to be a huge hit for the creators DJ Conway, Sirona Knight and featured the amazing artwork of artist Lisa Hunt…whose other decks include The Celtic Dragon, Fairy Tale, Fantastical Creatures and the wildly popular Ghosts and Spirits Tarot.

The deck went out of print for a time but Llewellyn Worldwide decided that they would give a whole new crop of Tarot readers and enthusiasts a new chance at owning and working with this fantastic deck. The deck itself is made up of 81 cards and comes with the standard LWB (little white book) rather than the original deck that came as a kit, but this in no way detracts from Lisa’s wonderfully detailed and evocative imagery.

The cards are bordered in a lovely deep blue color with the elemental association at the top and a number and keyword at the bottom. The first thing that you will notice about this awesome deck is in it’s elemental qualities. The Wands and Swords suit has been switched to highlight the qualities imbued by DJ Conway and at first may seem a bit different but after working with this deck for several weeks, I found that these associations actually lend a deeper, more intuitive approach when applied to readings themselves.

The Major Arcana have a few cards that are renamed to fit the quality of their meanings and I’ve found this to be more descriptive in assessing questions posed by my clients. Here are a few of the re-named cards…

Initiation, Sorcerer, Sorceress, Mother, Father, Knowledge,
Lovers, Rebirth, Balance, Transcendence, Journey, Dreamer and Oneness

I’ve had nothing but favorable comments when I asked if they would mind using The Shapeshifter Tarot and some even have remarked that Lisa’s artwork truly spoke to them on a level that other decks have not. I absolutely love the extra cards, I’m a big fan of gaining a little extra insight!.

This deck is a awesome resource to help bridge the gulf between people, animals, and nature. I would highly recommend this deck for anyone who loves the fabulous art of Lisa  Hunt and  a fresh insight into your tarot readings!

Creator: DJ Conway, Sirona Knight, Lisa Hunt

Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide

ISBN: 1567183840

Happy Birthday Dad

On this day in April of 1919, my father was born. Had he lived, he would be 94 years old today. I miss my dad sometimes, remembering my childhood with our fishing trips and camping excursions...so I closed my eyes and wished him a very Happy Birthday, shuffled my deck and drew a card.... the Ten of Cups. I wanted to let him know that although he's been gone for nearly 38 years, I have never once forgotten his birthday. What a wonderful message I received in return...thank you, death does not mean goodbye!

Ghosts and Spirits Tarot

Lisa Hunt

US Games Systems

My Interview With The Tarot Lady

Recently, the incredibly amazing Theresa Reed interviewed me for her  popular series “Talkin’ Tarot” on  her website The Tarot Lady. It was an awesome experience, I must admit! I hope that you will all drop by her blog and check out the wonderful things she had to say!

Review- The Alphabet for Lovers

Not long ago, +Orna Ben-Shoshan sent me an email asking if I would like to review her latest creation, The Alphabet for Lovers and of course I replied that I would be thrilled to and anxiously awaited their arrival. You may remember her by her other unique and inspiring works such as The King Solomon Oracle cards; The 72 Names cards and the wonderful Tokens of Light, which I also had the pleasure of reviewing .

I must admit, I was deeply intrigued as I quickly noticed their lovely heart shape! 

The Alphabet for Lovers cards offer advice and prophesy about love and relationships by using the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. These are 72 cards written according to the knowledge and wisdom contained within this alphabet which is often considered the basic ingredients in which the Universe was created.

In the Tarot world, the use of the Kabbalah, can be found in many decks and it's wisdom often adds the perfect insight when pondering the great mysteries of ourselves and the world around us. 

Each heart shaped card pictures charming and easily understood imagery along with a number from 1-72 and a short key phrase and Hebrew letter that the illustration and number refers to on the reverse side. I found this information to be a treasure trove of spiritual and practical insight to aid in all sorts of questions related to but not exclusive to love and questions that are not particularly romantic such as boss and employee, parent and child and even friends, relatives and business partners.

As with all of Orna's illustrations the characters whimsical and endearing and makes it a joy to read with. I gathered a few friends and family members and told them that I would give them a free reading using the Alphabet for Lovers and all quickly agreed...everyone just loves free readings!...I was actually quite surprised with the results as well, the information and advice were very positive and extremely accurate and with each reading, everyone simply raved about how they loved the heart shape and imagery of the cards.

This little deck of cards is not only fun to read with, it give practical advice and gives insight into the dynamics of any given relationship. I would heartily recommend The Alphabet for Lovers to everyone novice and seasoned reader alike!

Tarot Deck Review- Tarot of the Tattoo Age

There's an awesome new self published tarot deck out that I just HAD to check out, after hearing about it via a podcast. Self published decks, in my own opinion, are such wonderful treasures that sometimes get overlooked by the general public simply because they just don't get the media attention that larger publishing companies can afford.

But they have something that the well known publishing houses don't have...creative freedom afforded by not having the guidelines and restrictions about size, borders or no borders, and general things we, as consumers don't usually think much about.

Allow me to introduce The Tarot of the Tattoo Age, an amazing 79 card deck that features fabulously unique artwork from the tattoo community. Most would consider this "just another theme deck"  and I'm sure it could be considered as such but I see it as a Tarot deck that was created by artists, doing what they do best...creating beautiful imagery, they just happen to be tattoo artists. 

The first thing I noticed, that I just love, is the large size of the cards. I like the larger sized cards because they tend to feel better in my hands when I shuffle and work with them. Some may have a problem with the larger size but that can quickly be remedied by side shuffling. You seem to get imagery that is a bit more clearer to read as the more narrow, or poker sized deck and it really saves on eye strain when you get to be my age! The artwork seems a little brighter and talkative with the larger cards and therefor, I find large decks much preferable. 

The card stock that this striking deck was printed on is absolutely awesome! It shuffles beautifully and is not too thin as some self published decks are. Tarot of the Tattoo Age has a gorgeous glossy lamination that absolutely makes the images pop. Most of the cards are brightly colored and follow the Rider-Waite tradition, there are a few cards done in grey scale and fit together nicely as a whole. I haven't encountered any imagery that may clash with each other at all, this is a wonderful high energy deck.

The deck comes in a cardboard flip top box featuring the Emperor on the front and the Four of Pentacles on the back. Speaking of backs, the card backs have a prominent green Pentacle surrounded by elemental symbols. The cards have an amazing fade type coloring that starts out a peach color at the top left and slowly fades into a lavender coloring at the bottom right corner. There is also a LWB (little white book) that comes along for the ride that features the artists name that created that particular card along with Rider-Waite keywords.

All in all, I am really impressed with this deck, the imagery is absolutely stunning and it reads very well with a kind of  "in your face"  style attitude, I just love it when decks just start talking right off the bat and you aren't found sitting there trying to coax the answers out. This may not be a deck for beginners, as a good foundation of Tarot is required but Tarot of the Tattoo Age is an awesome deck for more experienced readers and collectors alike!

Here is where you can find this amazing deck:

$35 each payable by check or money order to:
FLACO Productions
348 South State St.
Salt Lake City, UT 84111

OR

PayPal

cost: $38.00 sent to sales@slctattoo.com

Deck Review- Dreaming Way Tarot

There is a wonderful new deck out from U.S. Games called "Dreaming Way Tarot" a lush deck of 78 cards, chock full of cheery images, adorable characters and just the right amount of whimsy to enchant almost any reader. This special tarot deck came about in the most interesting way...The author, Rome Choi had seen that many people were checking out all things Tarot on the internet (which was just hitting it big in the world) and upon impulse joined a small tarot group in order to learn more about this subject called "Tarot" and thus began the start of a beautiful relationship with the cards that we all love.

I absolutely love the card stock, it's sturdy yet flexible enough to use as an every day deck and the shiny finish lends a wonderful glow to the deck's imagery. I've been working with the Dreaming Way Tarot since I received it and all my clients that have looked at it's images remark how they like the coloring and simple presentation which is a big draw to those that prefer a good, easy to read, non "busy" decks.

The LWB (little white book) written by Choi, explains each card's meaning and divinitory aspects in plain, easy to grasp language and gives upright and reversed interpretations. Numerological associations are also covered in the LWB and I like the fresh meanings of the cards as it's always nice to see a creator's associations that sometimes I can add to my collection of my own interpretations.

I was exceptionally struck by the artistry, by Kwon Shina, in how she uses both lush coloring, almost from an earthy palate as well as interesting contrasting shapes and patterns. I love her style so I contacted my wonderful and incredibly amazing friend Lynn at U.S.Games to ask more info on Kwon's style since it was so lovely to look at and this is how she explains her process...

"I start by determinedly sketching on Whatman paper. Then, mark the sketch line with color ink and color the inside with poster paint. I'm using poster paint mixed with water for it has similar effect to water colors yet more vivid. After the coloring process, I scan the source and compensate color by Photoshop program. If the background is too boring, I mix the background with other sources prepared to invigorate the overall mood."

I would definitely recommend this deck for both beginners and professionals alike because it does follow the Rider Waite style  imagery and therefore makes a wonderful deck for those that prefer a Rider Waite style. I, however,  do apologize for the images lacking borders and titles but my scanner didn't seem to like all the white borders and so the image itself came out but not with the lovely white borders and titles.

Publisher: U.S. Games

Author: Rome Choi

Artist: Kwon Shina

ISBN:978-1-57281-712-8

Size 2-3/4" x 4-3/4"

Images used with permission from U.S. Games

Deck Review- The Symbolist Tarot

This deck review is going to be just a bit different, this is a review of a beautiful new deck  called The Symbolist Tarot that is in production with hopes of becoming published through a Kickstarter campaign. I absolutely love self published decks, the artist has so much more freedom to put forth their artistic vision while remaining true to their concept of the deck. The Symbolist Tarot, created by Richard Fox is an exquisite blend of gorgeous artwork and the traditional symbolism of the Tarot in one very special deck.

While symbols have long been used in the visual arts to intensify meaning, transmit messages and bring subjectivity to a work, Symbolism flourished as an art movement between 1885 and 1910. Emerging in France, Symbolist art rejected both Realism and Impressionism and served to extend the private movement of Decadence and Romantic tradition of mysticism and intense emotion.

 Through the effective use of line, colour and contour, the Symbolists were driven by a desire to create evocative images rather than works that were directly descriptive. According to the movement, the connotations and concept of a work was more important than its artistic style and form. Thus, Symbolism can be regarded as an international ideological trend as a well as an art style.

Works such as Franz Von Stuck, Gustav Klimt, John William Waterhouse and Edward Burne-Jones as well as many other fantastic works of art are featured in this Tarot deck that makes this a stand out deck that is truly breathtaking

This is an absolutely stunning deck and I hope that you will go to Kickstarter and become part of this amazing deck!

http://thesymbolisttarot.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TheSymbolistTarot

https://twitter.com/#!/SymbolistTarot

Book Review- Around the Tarot in 78 Days

From Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin and published by Llewellyn Worldwide comes a terrific new book called "Around the Tarot in 78 Days", a comprehensive and scholarly approach to learning the Tarot through a card a day.

Before the adventure begins, we find ourselves packing for the journey by explaining that all you need to start with is a deck of Tarot cards and the workbook itself. Marcus goes into detail about what you may encounter on your way, such as the tarot landscape which includes Landmark Cards (Major Arcana) Signpost Cards (Minor Arcana) Direction Cards (Court Cards) and explains "pitstop points" that are important moments where you can stop and review the fundamental forces that shape our lives so that we can adjust our course and make the most of the flow.

Also found in the pages just before the journey are excellent ways to get to know the language of Tarot, a "Keyword Kaleidoscope" where you can learn a wonderful method of putting together key words and phrases in order to understand the messages that the cards may be telling you; how to connect the cards in order to tell a story and a "Compass spread" to get your bearings in the world of Tarot.

The Start of the Journey then begins with The Page of Pentacles and includes numerological associations, astrological and Kabbalistic associations as well as affirmations and meditations and continues with this information with each and every card. I was really struck by the information on each card that describes the cards in different settings such as relationships, career, travel and lifestyle and spiritual development. It gives a broader range of how each card relates in different settings.

Other subjects like connecting with your card; what each card says,( a description of the message for that card,) keywords and ways that you may find yourself blocking a card.

Along the way, there can be found "Wayside Lessons" which serve to teach you ways of understanding the cards in a more meaningful way, "Gated Spreads" which you need to complete at different stages in order to move on to the next level.

The book is outlined by chapters such as The Outer Courtyard: The Clockwork Museum; The Labyrinth, The Garden of Delights; The Mountain of the Sun; The Ancient Coliseum; The Chasm of Night; The Pyramid Plaza; The Temple of the King and ends with Gate Ten: The Throne Room. The last pages in this book are an excellent resource that includes links to web-pages that further your knowledge, a reading list; a 78 day Tarot tale; explanations of the Major Arcana as may be found in spreads such as The Celtic Cross; and a wonderful segment on code of ethics,conduct and performance suggestions for professional readers.

Around the Tarot in 78 Days is an amazingly fun and in-depth way to learn the Tarot and Marcus and Tali make it a real pleasure to learn and grow in your Tarot skills and there is just SO much information in these pages that I could just go on for days about it! I highly recommend this book to beginner's and experts alike. And I hear that at Tarot Town, there is a class that will be held in October that follows this book, what fun!

Authors: Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin

Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide

ISBN: 9780738730448

Deck Review- Ghosts and Spirits Tarot

From the amazing creatrix Lisa Hunt, (Fantastical Creatures; Animals Divine; Shapeshifter, and Celtic Dragon Tarot), comes her latest tarot creation... Ghosts and Spirits Tarot, a breathtakingly beautiful deck that utilizes tales and legends of ghosts and spirits from around the globe.

This stunning 79 card deck kept me on the very edge of my seat as I sat and watched it emerge card by card, on the Ghosts and Spirits FaceBook page and with each drawing Lisa posted I was absolutely blown away and I easily consider one of her finest works. 

Lisa, who makes her home in Boca Raton, Florida, is the creator/illustrator of numerous tarot decks, all of which are still in print and even been translated in many different languages. She has been a freelance artist for nearly twenty years and her intuitive connection with the spirit world shines quite brightly in her Ghosts and Spirits Tarot.

I was thoroughly thrilled when after receiving my deck, I found that there is a bonus card! I absolutely adore decks with extra cards such as the "Happy Squirrel" card found in Kat Black's Touchstone Tarot and was even more blown away at the sheer depth of imagery found on this extra card which serves as a card for deeper reflections on the question asked.

The cards are beautifully bordered in a lovely parchment color with the title written in a gorgeous flowing script at the bottom of each card. The card stock is absolutely awesome, as usual with US Games decks, and it's just the right size to be shuffled, even if you might have smaller hands. It has a wonderful glossy lamination and the design on the backs, which is pretty darned awesome in itself, features three swirling ghosts encircled by a ring of bones. The colors on the card backs are fantastically done and remind me of the beautiful patterns found on fine Batik fabric.

The LWB (little white book) accompanying the Ghosts and Spirits Tarot gives the story behind each ghost and where it originates as well as the definition of the card, although Lisa doesn't give reversed meanings in the LWB, these cards can be read both upright and reversed. 

The imagery on the cards themselves are intricate and quite detailed and upon closer inspection, you can see faces and spirits reflected in the surrounding colors and patterns, such as the Fool, which details the Leshy (wood spirits that inhabit the dark forests of the Baltic's) and all around this adventurer can be seen small sprites, stone creatures and faces peeking from the rocks and shrubbery. Such an awesome deck!

I usually look for my favorite cards when perusing a prospective deck but with The Ghosts and Spirits Tarot, there are just SO many wonderful cards I might as well admit that there is absolutely not one card that I do not connect with! The Ten of Cups pictures three figures from the festive Day of the Dead celebration that honors dead ancestors with feasts dancing and merriment. They are clothed in customary attire with blues, reds and yellows, surrounded by cups and faces reflected in Lisa's surrounding artwork.

The Moon features the legend of Aeneus' Journey to the Underworld and the imagery shows two figures, one of which Aeneus, who has come to search for his father in the mysterious and frightening underground passage that is symbolic of the unconscious and home to our greatest dreams and biggest fears. This card shows both the rich imagery of the rewarded as well as the torment and suffering of the punished, it too is among my favorite cards in the Ghost and Spirits Tarot.

This deck is simply too amazing and powerful that just descriptions alone do not come close to the wonder of holding this treasure in your hands and letting the Ghosts and Spirits speak to you in there own unique voice. I absolutely recommend this deck for both beginners and seasoned readers alike, it is truly a deck that one must have in their collection!

Publisher: US Games

Artist: Lisa Hunt

ISBN: 978-1-57281-661-9

images used with permission from US Games