Tarot acquisitions: a few more

It's been a busy summer, and I've picked up a bunch more Tarots to tell you about...

Voyager Tarot – Such an interesting deck! Large-ish (both tall and wide) so not the easiest for me to work with, but the imagery is so different – photographic collage packed with symbols, reflecting (as they put it) 'a revolutionary new blend of traditional tarot, astrology, numerology, i ching, mythology, nature and technology.' Call it Fred as far as I'm concerned, I think they're beautiful. The back is even a DNA strand multiplied and rotated to create a brilliant mandala. Some of the cards have new names (Temperance is now Art, Judgement is Time/Space, courts are now Sage, Child, Woman and Man, and Crystals and Worlds replace Swords and Coins/Pentacles), but their meanings are still there to be interpreted. The kit came with the Voyager Handbook, not quite a book per se but at 88 pages this is no LWB. From BMV on Bloor.

Tarot Art Nouveau deluxe kit – I've wanted this one for a while, this is the Antonella Castelli set (there are several 'art nouveau' decks out there, this is the most gorgeous one). Gorgeous watercolour images, the cards feel nice, and it comes with an embroidered bag for storage. From BMV Edward, where I also found...

Manara Erotic Tarot deluxe kit – Again, another one I've been looking for. Milo Manara is well known in the comics world for his erotic illustrations and this deck lives up to the expectation of beauty very nicely. Also with an embroidered velvet bag for storage. 

Easy Tarot kit – The cards in this kit (The Gilded Tarot) are a nice size and slide well, and are nice and bright with computer-generated realistic imagery. Also included is a 200+ page detailed book and a layout sheet, which is interesting – printed on folded glossy paper, it illustrates the Celtic Cross spread and indicates the different positions and meanings. Cheap from BMV Queen. 

Pagan Tarot kit – Coloured-pencil illustrations and a nice size and feel, but I'm thinking they're not really speaking to me, it's all a bit too Wiccan for me (I realize I'm using these words to describe a tarot deck, yes). The new court card designations (Elemental, Novice, Initiate, Elder) are interesting though, and I really like a few of the individual cards, beautiful. The accompanying book is a good size with lots of detail and suggested spreads, and a nice satin bag is included. BMV Bloor.

Tarot of the Dead kit – Another set from Llewellyn similar to the World Spirit Tarot, this includes a box to decorate and an organza bag. The LWB is basic but good and the cards are a good size but VERY slippy so be careful dealing! The illustrations are cheeky and bright. The suits are new (Pens, Coffins, Pistols and Reels) with pips for the minors, which is too bad. Found at BMV Bloor with...

Revelations Tarot kit – I don't read reversals, but if I did this deck would make it easier! Upright and reverse meanings are recorded in the stained-glass-like graphics of the cards, which are bright and gorgeous and a great size with a nice feel too. Also from Llewellyn, it comes again with a blank box to decorate and a black organza bag, but also with a large 200 page book. Did I mention they're gorgeous? 

The Art of Tarot kit – These are a nice size and have a good feel in the hand, the colour palette is earthy and natural, but the naive illustrations just don't speak to me – the minors are pips, which for me is a bit of a minus. The accompanying book, while thin, is full colour inside, which you don't often see with a kit like this. BMV Edward.

I think I'm going to back off from purchasing more for a while and see how these all feel. I have a lot of decks now, and now that I've moved I need to think more about the space it all takes up!