The Mythic Tarot

Product Information

In the Mythic deck, the card depicts Psyche descending in to the underworld at night under the instruction of Aphrodite, to complete a task that will reunite her with her love, Eros. The expertly written 256-page illustrated book guides the reader through the myths, the imagery and symbolism of each tarot card, and the meaning of the card at both the inner level and the divinatory level. Yet the creators of this deck are adamant that the myths of the Ancient Greeks have everything to do with modern life and that tarot is the perfect way to prove it.

However, due to this deck’s popularity, the deck creators came together and for its 25th anniversary, this lovely deck was reworked – redrawn, recolored, and reprinted. I bought the original deck back in 1990 and I let the dust settle on it in recent years as I moved on to other things. As well as full descriptions of every card (roughly 3 pages per Major; 2 pages per court card; and a page to each numbered Minor), the book includes the origins of the Tarot, a short background to the Mythic Tarot and tips on how to read and interpret spreads at the back.Each suit depicts archetypal characters -- such as the heroic Odysseus, the Earth Mother Demeter, and Athena, the goddess of justice -- and every card tells a well-known mythical story. They’re really handy for that, and the association I’ve built up with the deck transfers over at least a little to the deity with Whom I’m engaging. The Major Arcana card illustrations depict the gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines of classical Greek mythology. Her na-ve, detailed and decorative style is the perfect medium to convey the symbolism of the tarot with great impact and clarity.

Whenever any theme is applied to a tarot deck there is a risk that the basic structure of tarot will be overwhelmed, leaving a collection of images with no underlying meaning holding them together. Sure the labels are in German, but the art is so distinct and vivid you’ll rarely use the labels anyway, so who cares? Back of New Mythic Tarot deck packet says: The New Mythic Tarot Deck depicts the gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines of the Greek myths - familiar archetypal characters whose experiences perfectly mirror the shifts and patterns of our lives today. The Tarot Association ranks it at number THREE on its list of Top 50 Essential Decks, right behind the original RWS and the Thoth! For each card, the accompanying book describes the myth that is illustrated on a card, an interpretation on an inner level, and a short divinatory interpretation.This fully revised and updated edition of one of the few true classic book and card tarot kits breathes fresh life into this standard work and will be welcomed by long-time devotees and new fans alike. Tricia Newell's original artwork has been recreated for the New Mythic by Giovanni Caselli (who also did the Sharman-Caselli illustrations).

Interested in seeing some more shots of that German version, and watching how I turned it into a darling little tin-sized deck? Turning off the personalised advertising setting won’t stop you from seeing Etsy ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

In Wands we meet Jason and the Argonauts and their quest to retrieve the golden fleece from the claws of a terrible dragon. The focus in the Mythic Tarot is therefore predominantly psychological: it’s all about understanding what makes us tick. I have used this deck almost daily since I bought it a couple of weeks ago, and have done a few spreads on the same issue. The designers have done an impressive job keeping the meanings and portrayal of each card close to tradition, whilst giving each card an extra layer of meaning, so anyone with a basic knowledge of RWS should have no problem transferring their knowledge to this deck. Used intelligently and sensitively, The Mythic Tarot will stimulate an innate curiosity about yourself as well as provide the first step toward developing intuition -- the hallmark of the regular Tarot reader.