Last year, I added 16 tarot and oracle decks to my collection. I thought I was more restrained this year, but I acquired 22 new decks. Here are my tarot and oracle decks of 2022. These are not all new; they are just new to my collection.
Cary-Yale Visconti Tarocchi Deck by U.S. Games
Let’s begin with the historical tarot decks.
The Visconti and Visconti-Sforza decks are about 15 everyday playing cards popular with the Milanese nobility of 15th-century Italy. They represent the oldest surviving tarot cards, but they are all incomplete. The Cary-Yale is the second most complete deck, with 67 cards out of, presumably, 89. It is unique in that it contains seven virtues and female and male pages and knights (six court cards instead of four).
The original cards are in the Cary Collection of Playing Cards at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. You can see the Visconti di Modrone Tarocchi in Yale’s Digital Collection. There are four facsimiles of it:
- 1984 version by US Games
- 2017 version by US Games
- 2017 version by Il Meneghello
- 2019 version by Lo Scarabeo
I have the 2019 Kickstarter version by Lo Scarabeo and wasn’t looking to add another to my collection. Still, the 1984 version popped up at a reasonable price in a Facebook group, and I nabbed it.
The cards are very large, and I don’t read with this deck; my interest in it is historical, but I wonder if I will keep it. Lo Scarabeo’s version has gold and silver foil stamping imitating the original cards. It’s a more stunning deck and truer to size. Comparing the two versions is interesting because the missing cards are recreated differently. On his YouTube channel, Justin Michael shows side-by-side comparisons of the 2017 Cary-Yale and Lo Scarabeo’s 2019 Visconti Di Modrone.
Artisan Tarot
I’ve got five tarot decks from Artisan Tarot. The Nicolas Conver and Jean Noblet were 2021 Kickstarters that I received early this year. The Jean Dodal was a Kickstarter from February. By the time Artisan Tarot released their fourth deck, the Jacques Vieville, they didn’t need Kickstarter anymore. I also have Jean Noblet Trumps Deck, which was free for a limited time earlier this year. These and other items are now available on artisantarot.com.
The Noblet (c. 1650), Dodal (c. 1701), and Conver (c. 1760) are Tarot de Marseille tarot decks. The Jacques Vieville (c. 1650) is a variation by a Parisian cardmaker. Artisan Tarot produces gorgeous, high-quality, affordable restorations of historical decks. They’re printed on premium 310 gsm cardstock with a linen finish. The cards are lovely to hold and shuffle smoothly. I love all the decks I’ve purchased from Artisan Tarot and look forward to more. I’m excited about the Tarot de Paris (c. 1650).
Esther of Mindful Tarot on YouTube compares the Artisan Tarot’s Noblet, Dodal, and Conver decks.
Tarot of Jacques Viéville by Joseph Peterson
I aspire to have a facsimile and a restoration of my favourite historical decks. I purchased Joseph Peterson’s beautiful facsimile to go with Artisan Tarot’s restoration of the Jacques Viéville.
The Jacques Viéville is a 17th-century tarot that survived in its entirety. It is preserved in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Although it’s also a French deck like the Noblet and Dodal, it has a Belgian design and is notably different from Marseille decks.
You can see the Tarot of Jacques Viéville on Peterson’s YouTube channel and purchase it on his Etsy shop, Twilit Grotto.
Grimaud, Piatnik, and Gassman
Seeing all my 2022 decks together, I realise that I bought more Tarot de Marseille decks than any other kind. Here are my last three.
Ancien Tarot de Marseille by Grimaud
When Paul Marteau published the Ancient tarot de Marseille in 1930 through his family publishing company, Grimaud, it was the only Marseille deck on the market. The Tarot de Marseille had lost its popularity by then, and Marteau is responsible for reviving it.
Grimaud’s Ancien Tarot de Marseille is a Conver deck (c. 1760) published many times. I wanted to add it to my collection because it’s an essential deck in tarot history, and I bought the 1980 version from a seller in France. I appreciate this deck, but I don’t love it because of its lines and colours. However, I would love to get my hands on a pre-1963 French version, which looks softer.
Justin Michael shows us five versions of Grimaud’s Ancien Tarot De Marseille on his YouTube channel.
Tarot de Marseille by Piatnik
I stumbled on this quirky Marseille deck on Amazon and bought it before I knew anything about it. Austrian publisher Piatnik doesn’t offer any information about its origins. A little research reveals it’s known as the Tarot Rhenan and is a facsimile of the original by Ignaz Krebs of Fribourg in Breisgau, Germany, c. 1780. George Gottlob recreated it, and Piatnik published it in 1986; mine is a 2018 reprint. I love it. It has soft colours, a gentle feeling, and I can’t get enough of the Hermit card.
Gassman Tarot de Marseille by Vieux Monde
Gassman Tarot de Marseille by Vieux Monde is a facsimile of a Swiss deck from about 1840. I acquired it second-hand via a Facebook group. I was very disappointed with this deck. It is much darker than it appeared in the seller’s photos, on Vieux Monde’s website, and even here. Vieux Monde also make a borderless version which appears lighter. I may trim this and see if I like it more.
Let’s move on to the more contemporary tarot decks.
Three Rider-Waite-Smith decks
I bought three RWS decks and several RWS-based decks.
Tarot of A.E. Waite Premium Edition by AGM Urania
I bought this RWS deck because it has the “crackleback” design, like the early decks. It is a lovely deck. There’s something soft about the images, there is no copyright on the cards, and I love the back. The one thing that would have made this deck perfect is if they had retained the original calligraphy.
Radiant Wise Spirit Tarot by Lo Scarabeo
After 27 years with the traditional RWS, I got a little tired of its loud colours. I love the Radiant Wise Spirit Tarot by Lo Scarabeo. The figures in it still look like the original RWS. The cards are borderless and glossy and have a rose and lilies back. I have been reading a lot with this deck lately.
YouTuber Free Spirit compares Lo Scarabeo’s Radiant Wise Spirit Tarot, the Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot, and the Universal Waite, both by US Games.
The Golden Art Nouveau Tarot by Lo Scarabeo
Lo Scarabeo’s Golden Art Nouveau Tarot is gorgeous. It is an RWS tarot in an elegant Art Nouveau style with gold-foil details that makes the cards shimmer and feel luxurious. I like that the cards are narrow, have thin borders, no labels, and that each suite is colour-coded. These cards are so pretty that I’m afraid of handling them too much.
Terra Volatile and Terra Volatile Expansion by Credo quia Absurdum
I bought the Terra Volatile and Expansion by Credo quia Absurdum in 2021 and received it early this year. It was an impulse buy, but I have no regrets. This is a different and fascinating tarot deck.
Superficially, the Terra Volatile Tarot appears to rely heavily on mystic Christian imagery, but it’s a beautiful alchemical deck that draws on many sources. It has 22 Major Arcana cards and five Minor Arcana suits: Wands, Swords, Coins, Cups, and Vessels (Aether). It also contains 15 alternative cards, such as Fertility, Prudence, and Rebirth. Altogether, the Terra Volatile has 107 cards. The Expansion adds 47 cards, primarily alternative versions–for example, the Alchemist instead of the Magician.
The idea behind all the cards is that you can build your deck. My first impulse was to put all the cards together, which makes a giant deck I can barely hold, much less shuffle. I wanted to read with it immediately, and I could remove all the extra cards and read it like an RWS, but that would do it a disservice. Terra Volatile has a lot to offer. Benebell Wen has an in-depth review of Terra Volatile on her blog.
The Terra Volatile Tarot doesn’t come with a booklet, but there’s a lot of information on the website and a 120-page, free, downloadable PDF. The cards are printed on flexible 330 gsm linen air cardstock, which feels great, and are easy to shuffle. A “Heavier” option printed on thicker, 350 gsm premium card stock intended for collectors was also available. Terra Volatile Tarot is sold out at the time of writing, but you can join a waiting list. Visit terravolatile.com.
Journey of the Sacred Bee by Kelly Burton
The Journey of the Sacred Bee by Kelly Burton was a 2020 Kickstarter I purchased earlier this year. Inspired by, you guessed it, bees, and their ecological importance, Burton created a beautiful 78-card collage deck with bees, flowers, and humans to remind us of our interconnectedness.
The Journey of the Sacred Bee relies on the RWS system and has keywords, but it does its own thing. Burton draws on Sacred Geometry and adds astrological and Qabalah symbols. This deck is very intuitive and easy to read with.
The cards are borderless, which I love, printed on 350 gsm card stock with a matte finish and teal gilded edging. The deck comes with an 80-page booklet.
You can see this and Burton’s other products on her website, sacredsoultarot.com.
The Guardian of the Night Tarot by MJ Cullinane
In the 163-page companion booklet, Cullinane says, “The Guardian of the Night Tarot calls animals who thrive in the dark to be your companions, animals who use the night sky to their advantage, to be your trusted guides as you navigate your way through even the darkest of times.”
The Guardian of the Night Tarot by MJ Cullinane is a beautiful, dark tarot deck based on the RWS featuring flora and fauna. When I say “dark”, I don’t mean that metaphorically. The animals and plants are all vibrant against a black or dark blue nighttime background, and the borders are black. The cards are bigger than the standard RWS and have a matte finish.
I like this deck, but I still need to find a good application. I don’t find it deep enough for shadow work nor comforting or dreamy enough for more profound work. It could be because I don’t connect as well with animal decks. But the Guardian of the Night Tarot is a beautiful deck, and I will hang on to it for now.
For more information about this tarot deck, please visit guardianofthenight.com.
The Tarot of the Greek Magical Papyri by Jason Augustus Newcomb
I reviewed Jason Augustus Newcomb’s Tarot of the Greek Magical Papyri in August, so I won’t get into it too much here. I’ll say that I love it. The Tarot of the Greek Magical Papyri brings together elements that I love: Greek mythology, magic, and the RWS tarot system.
You can find the Tarot of the Greek Magical Papyri and other items in Newcomb’s Etsy shop, Ape Of Trismegistos.
The Minoan Tarot by Laura Perry
Laura Perry’s Minoan Tarot is a beautiful, colourful, unique deck inspired by the Minoan civilisation. It’s based on the RWS system but has significant departures because this deck is immersed in Minoan culture, art, and symbolism.
Compared to the detailed illustrations of the RWS, the Minoan Tarot is minimalist. Some cards have different titles. For instance, the Hermit is the Labyrinth, and the Devil is the Minotaur. Daggers replace Wands, Rhytons replace Cups, Labryses replace Swords, and Horns replace Pentacles. The suits have six Court cards: Youth, Maid, Lord, Lady, Priest, and Priestess. The Minoan Tarot has 86 glossy cards and includes a full-size 176-page companion book in which Perry explains her process.
I love the Minoan Tarot; it’s the deck I dedicate to the Minoan Snake Goddess. I find it surprisingly intuitive, but I’ve had a love affair with the Minoan civilisation for many years.
For more information about the Minoan Tarot, visit minoantarot.com.
The Relative Tarot by Carrie Paris
The Relative Tarot by Carrie Paris was a 2019 Kickstarter but is now available from Weiser Books. It is a beautiful sepia-toned deck with gilded edges featuring vintage 19th-century photographs. Paris made the Relative Tarot with her fans’ portraits of their relatives. The result is a diverse and inclusive tarot deck. As I flip through the cards, I can’t help but wonder who the people are and what their stories are.
The Relative Tarot uses familiar RWS tarot illustrations, or you can apply the Marseille reading system. It comes with a 94-page booklet. The Relative Tarot is one of my favourite tarot decks for Samhain and ancestor communication. It also shines as a deck for self-development.
Benebell Wen has an in-depth review of the Relative Tarot on her blog. For more information about this deck, visit carrieparis.com.
The Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert
In the companion book, Joanna Powell Colbert says, “The Gaian Tarot grew out of my relationship with the natural world where I live and the people in my neighborhood and spiritual community.”
What I love most about the Gaian Tarot is that it reminds me of in-person Pagan community. It reminds me of people I know, festivals I’ve attended, circles I’ve been in, and what I love about Pagan community. The Gaian Tarot captures the experience of earth-based Paganism.
The beautiful, bright, gilded cards mix photography and illustration. It’s a diverse deck showing different ethnicities, ages, body shapes, and sizes. The Gaian Tarot also comes with an informative full-size 184-page paperback.
My only complaint is the size of the cards. In the Schiffer version of the Gaian Tarot, shown here, the cards are very large and have a blue border. The older Llewellyn versions don’t. Some people trim the Schiffer version, but I’m not brave enough. Perhaps I’ll get a second copy of it to trim.
Benebell Wen has an in-depth review of the Gaian Tarot on her blog. For more information about this deck, visit gaiantarot.com.
Guidance of the Goddess Oracle by Anette Pirso
I was familiar with Anette Pirso’s art through her Etsy shop, Anetteprs, when she launched the Guidance of the Goddess Oracle Kickstarter at the start of the year. Now available on Amazon, it contains 60 cards featuring goddesses against a black background in Pirso’s distinct style.
I love this oracle. I like Pirso’s art, which is well-researched, mature, playful, and cute. Like other goddess decks, I use them for inspiration and to decorate my altar, but I don’t read with them. Pirso continues to create beautiful goddess illustrations, so I hope there will be an expansion to this deck one day.
Dreamtime Reading Cards and Saltwater Reading Cards by Laura Bowen
Laura Bowen is an Aboriginal artist, writer, and creator of the Dreamtime Reading Cards and Saltwater Reading Cards.
The Dreamtime Reading Cards are 36 large cards featuring Australia’s flora, fauna, and sacred spaces using indigenous dot painting techniques. It comes with an excellent full-colour 96-page guidebook. The Saltwater Reading Cards are similar but all about the sea.
Both sets are lovely. I use the Saltwater Reading Cards regularly; they remind me of Miami, where I grew up and have spent most of my life.
For more information, visit laurajbowen.com.
There are a few weeks left in the year, but I think that’s it for my tarot and oracle decks in 2022.
