Celtic Tarot

I haven't reviewed a deck for a little while because of other (good) things happening in life, but I received this one today after many months of pre-order and a few things jumped out at me right away that I wanted to mention. I wasn't sure about this deck when I pre-ordered because it looked like it might use a heavy amount of digital art...just an impression I got from viewing the images online. I am not a huge fan of photorealism in my Tarot decks (Tarot Illuminati sticks out as one that I wanted desperately to love and couldn't forgive the jarring Photoshopped images); this is not the case with Celtic Tarot. While it appears the artist may have used photographs as his starting point, the images retain a more hand-drawn effect that softens them. The deck is definitely based on the RWS system, but there are a few deviations that are probably explained in the gorgeous, full-colour book (a treasure in itself). A few cards made me stop and think for a little while: Nine of Cups looks like a party-gone-bad with the severed head on the table (not as gruesome as I make it sound!); King of Shields has a servant-looking woman rubbing his feet (hmm...); King of Cups is full-on naked, and he's the only Court Card to be depicted that way (my husband and I had a discussion about this); and a few cards have had their names changed to reflect their Druidic influences (not a problem...the changes make sense to me). Speaking of nudity, however...I have rarely encountered a deck with as much MALE nudity as this deck has. Please know that I don't consider it obscene or profane or anything...in fact, I think it's refreshing to see men shown in all naked glory because naked women are all over the place. The human body shouldn't be shamed or shunned, and this deck does a good job of presenting some nude people in the context of the card meanings. So if you have problems with nudity or are reading for people who might object to that sort of thing, please bear this in mind. And as an aside, I found it interesting that some cards which were typically depicted with nudes had clothed people, and others that were usually clothed had the nudity. I would also consider this deck very gender-inclusive. Cards like the Four of Wands that typically depict male-female are male-male in this case. The Lovers shows a couple that could be male-female or male-male. Sideways of this, the Two of Wands shows a woman instead of a man, and I found it curious and refreshing that Justice was male in this deck...shown just the same as traditional Justice, but a man. I'm sure there are a few others I'm not recalling at the moment, but you get the idea. (By the way, the deck is not so racially inclusive, but being a Celtic deck, I can see why) In some ways, this deck reminds me of The Modern Spellcaster's Tarot, but it has a distinct Celtic vibe (duh!). Overall, I very much like this deck and enjoy the appearance of the occasional dragon here and there. These days I do more collecting than reading, but when I have a chance to get back to my Tarot studies, I'll be very happy to have this deck in my collection. The standard-sized cards are a little thin, but not worse than your typical Llewellyn fare, and they feel like they'll be easy to shuffle. The box is nice and sturdy with a magnetic closure. And as mentioned before, the full-colour book is beautiful and a wealth of information (just having read the introduction, Kristoffer Hughes writes in a very engaging fashion). Very happy with this purchase, and I would recommend it to beginners and seasoned readers alike with the caveat that the (tasteful) nudity may not be to everyone's tastes.

I have a collection of decks more than 50 and this one is by far top 5 for me! The images tell such a story OMG amazing!!!!! I don't know why it took me so long to discover these and purchase them, but I'm glad I did! The card stock is wonderful light enough for a great shuffle and they fit perfectly in my hands. The guide book OMG so beautiful! Very well made for sure! If you are thinking about getting this deck, don't wonder or think about it, get it it's an awesome addition to your collection!

Have been waiting patiently for this deck to be released. It does NOT disappoint. First thing you notice is the high quality printing and strong use of color. The beauty of the art amazes me and entranced me. The art of the cards is reproduced beautifully in the book. I would have spent 17.95 for the book alone. Unlike most people who will buy this deck, I'm actually just now starting my journey with Tarot and this will be my 'learning deck'. Of all the decks available out there, I just don't think I could have made a better choice. I am already feeling a connection to the images here. I'll will post an updated review in a few months after I have worked with it a bit. But I promise, Tarot readers, from beginners to highly experienced, will want this package.

I bought these for my best friend for a birthday present, and she LOVED them! The artwork is beautiful, the cards feel nice, I love that it comes with a book to explain the cards a little better, which is really great for a beginner! Highly recommend these!

I absolutely love this deck. It has very beautiful imagery that is easy to interpret for both beginners and seasoend readers and collectors. It also comes with a a detailed guidebook that comes in color, this u really appreciate as most guidebooks usually do not come in color. The only thing I did not like was that the stock for card material is a bit thin and flimsy.

Love these cards. They are beautiful. They are larger than some others. I have small hands and had difficulty at first with the size. But once I got comfortable with them I feel in love with them and trust the messages they give me. I would buy a second set for a friend.

I FOUND THIS KING OF WANDS AND I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE ARTWORK. LATELY IVE BEEN INTO LORD OF THE RINGS AND I WANTED SOMETHING THAT REPRESENTED NATURE BUT ALSO HAD DRAGONS AND WHATNOT! WHEN I RECEIVED THE DECK I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS THE SAME FROM THE PHOTO IN MY PHONE. I DONT BELIEVE IN COINCIDENCES. TO ME THIS DECK IS VERY EARTHLY. IF YOU WANT TO REALLY CONNECT TO PEOPLE ,PLACES, AND THINGS THIS IS THE DECK FOR YOU! IF YOU ARE READING FOR FEELINGS AND EMOTIONAL SITUATIONS IT IS SPOT ON! IF YOU WANT TO GO DEEPER BELOW THE SURFACE THIS IS A GOOD ONE! IF YOU WANT TO DO MORE SENSUAL READINGS THIS IS FOR YOU!

I was happy with many of the cards, the deck had a good feeling, and the book was very interesting. But I passed it on - I didn't connect with it, because when they say Celtic, they really mean Celtic in this case. The Druid deck is much more accessible and easy to connect with, even if you're not really familiar with the Celtic/Druidic tradition. This is one of those decks where you really have to study the book, or already be steeped in the lore. Oh, I don't mind all the male body parts - that's actually pretty refreshing (though admittedly, I think the phallic chairs are a little too realistic - veins and everything LOL - you'd have to be careful where you take this one). The card stock is good, pretty standard, and the colors look just as good in person.

Just awesome

These are beautifully illustrated with lots of symbolism, every detail seems well thought out. The presentation is beautiful with a magnetic clasp box and a ribbon to help to remove the cards. The book gives good insight into the cards and is beautifully written. There is some nudity but I don't see this as out of context, I suppose it depends how open minded people are but I would expect that if you are open to tarot you would be a generally open minded person anyway. I have many sets of cards but these are my go to cards.

Adorei o livro explica muito bem a cultura celta e as raízes deste tarot é de boa qualidade

A pessoa amou,o deck é lindo.

Muy acorde a la cultura celta. Buena calidad, bonito, colorido y sin bordes. Las cartas son flexibles y un poco delgadas a comparación de otras editoriales pero de buena calidad, caracteristico de Llewellyn. Algunos nombres de las tarjetas cambian, como la emperatriz y emperador por madre y padre, el sumo sacerdote o el papa por el druida, el hermitaño por merlin, templanza por equilibrio, el diablo por la solbra y el juicio por el renacimiento. Acorde a celtas. El libro esta a todo color y es muy bueno, con palabras clave, frase, simbolismo y significado en la adivinación. Viene pocas tiradas como la cruz celta, triqueta y relaciones. Es muy util y sencillo de leer si te relacionas un poquito con los simbolos ademas de lo basico. Intuitivo y de buena confección. Hay algunos desnudos totales y a mi me parece aún con ello muy acorde y hermoso.