The Cirque du Tarot is a Llewellyn deck by acclaimed author Leeza Robertson and illustrated by Josh Tufts. I am a really big fan of Tufts’ art. It’s got this Neo-Impressionistic flavor with a little Georges Seurat inspiration. Tufts is a master at character design, which is why this tarot circus cast springs to life.

I love the way Tufts works with contrast and lighting. The colors are just absolutely exquisite. There’s almost a Moulin Rouge aesthetic in low saturation where the colors are pale, giving the art a misty, dream-like atmosphere.

If you can, click onto the photographs so you can view the layout of cards on a large monitor. Zoom in and take a look at the detailing. Don’t know if you’ve read Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, but I’m getting those vibes as well.

For the court cards, the same digital image is used for each rank/title, with different coloring. In the above photo, the last four cards in the bottom row, which all look alike, are the four Pages. The coloring of the smoke around the mirrors is what lets you know which suit the Page is from. Some of the minor detailing in the backdrop also differ.

Above you see the four Knights and the four Queens. “The court of this troupe is not quite as you would expect, for it is not as vast as you are accustomed,” writes Robertson, anticipating how the court cards might be perceived. “Instead of sixteen members, you will find only four sharing the stage of the sixteen court cards.”

The subdivisions of the tarot deck are described as five acts, an intermission, and an encore. Act I introduces you to the main characters– the Major Arcana. A brief intermission takes you into the court cards, which represent the backstage where the actors are preparing for the next four acts of the show. Thus, the Pages are in a quiet dressing room. The Knights are non-binary, without specified gender roles. In all four Knights, the figure is preparing their dress.

Act II is the world of Swords, “where you will travel through space and time to see worlds within worlds.” Above you’ll see the cards Ace through Ten of Swords. I love the interpretation of this airy suit through the Cirque du Tarot– here is a “land of dreams and nightmares.” This Act is one of mentalism, delving into the workings of your mind. “They will explore your dreams, your fears, your nightmares, your points of inspiration, and your decision-making.”

Act III starts with a bang as the ringmaster lights up the stage with the fiery Wands. “It’s all fire and smoke,” is the tagline introducing the chapter on the Wands. This is the stage of the fire dancers. The Wands and the Pentacles suits in this deck stay the most consistent in terms of a limited color set following the elemental. There’s more color variety in the Swords and Cups.

Act IV moves us from fire to water and we flow through the world of Cups. And finally, Act V takes us to the land of Pentacles, where time, work, and gears grind together. These are the four worlds– the wonders of balancing blades, blazing fire dancers, water acrobatics, and clockwork machines. The Pentacles suit has a steampunk vibe to it, doesn’t it?

I love how Robertson stays “in character” throughout the guidebook. It’s written as if the tarot deck is a circus show extravaganza.

Yet it’s practical and will serve a tarot beginner well. For each card you get a full-page spread. You’ll get the Ally aspect of the card and the Challenger aspect.

Whimsical yet mystical, charismatic with its humor and yet with Robertson’s masterfully written card meanings, a very readable deck, Cirque du Tarot is kitsch with substance. Tufts artwork plus Robertson as the ringmaster, with her mischievous-magical written text create a delightful chemistry. If you like the creepy-cute aesthetic or want to add a tarot deck to your collection that’s an homage to entertainers, then you’re going to love Cirque du Tarot.

FTC Disclosure: In accordance with Title 16 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 255, “Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising,” I received this deck and guidebook set from its publisher for prospective review. Everything I’ve said here is sincere and accurately reflects my opinion of the deck.

The Deep Place Oracle by Rae Serafina Barker is a 60-card oracle deck created to help you process the depths of your emotions, to work through grief, to be there as a companion and guide when you navigate the dark night of your soul, and to be the light when you explore your shadows.

It is a hug deck in the best possible way, creating an expansive space for you to work through difficult times and complex feelings. As the deck description notes, this deck is to help you when you’re “journeying through the deep place” and need a guiding light to “illuminate truth, expand your sense of what’s possible, and bless your unfolding.”

There are three subdivisions in this deck’s architecture: The Above, The Below, and The Liminal. The Above is the daylight world–that which is visible and clear; that which you can  already see, that you already know, and experience in full light of consciousness. This is about validating and reinforcing your awareness. Cards like Emergence, North Star, Aliveness, Embrace, Melody, and Beauty are from The Above.

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Nick Bantock is the author of 30 books, with about a dozen of them making bestseller lists, including the New York Times. He’s also an artist. His latest publication is a deck of personal archetype cards, The Archeo.

This deck of 40 cards represents 40 inner facets, or characters of you that make up your identity, though some– or most– of these facets remain latent. Archetypes are flexible, not fixed, stereotypes, and meditations on our inner archetypes help us to grow and shape our individual needs.

The term “archeo” is coined by Bantock to represent the concept of multiple archetypes in one. The word also calls to mind “archiac,” to signify that these archetypes are primordial, and are psyches we’ve inherited from our ancestors. The purpose Bantock set out to achieve with The Archeo cards is to produce a tool that will help you to cultivate a healthy, functional personal mythology.

Continue reading “The Archeo Personal Archetype Cards by Nick Bantock” →