Review

Modern Tarot decks seem to be rare to come by. They are modern in the sense that the images are contemporary to our day and age. Most tarot decks often show images, which are otherworldly, of a difference time and place. There are some decks which reflect a more relatable world, our own.

The Faulkner Tarot is one of those decks. Using black & white photographs, creator Rhiannon Faulkner has put together a unique tarot deck. The goal of Rhiannon with this deck is to change people’s views on tarot. Frightening images have been changed and down to earth pictures of daily life are used instead.

In this review I will critic the images for good and bad.  I have selected cards from the deck, which stand out for their ability to resonate with traditional images or meanings be. I have also selected cards, which I felt could have been done “better” in a different manner.

The deck features picture of the creator, Rhiannon herself and her family/friends. It is important to state that this deck was created in dedication to Rhiannon’s late husband. 10% of profits from the sales of this deck go towards charity. Because the images used are personal images from Rhiannon this decks has realness to it that some may like or dislike. I like it because you are able to connect to the human story, to human emotions, thoughts and experiences.

What I like In The Majors

In the Major Arcana I selected four cards, which I felt were, are good twist on the symbolism and meaning of the traditional.  The Wheel, The Hanged Man, Death and Devil.

The Wheel - The image here appears it is the London Eye, which is I like as representing The Wheel. A symbol of cycle, turning, ups and downs. The perspective of the image is great to. You are looking up instead of straight at it. It gives a sense of largeness, something above you that is bigger than you. Which is the impress The Wheel of Fortune should give you. The feeling of being on top of a large fieriest wheel is different for all, some love it, and some fear it. The power of the Wheel is just the same.

The Hanged Man – Here we see an image of a clock on the wall. The time is almost a quarter to five. The Hanged man symbolizes suspension, pause and waiting. Waiting is a matter of patience and time. When we stare at a clock waiting for time to pass we can feel like we are suspending in time that is still. The time is nearing five o’clock the traditional quitting time for a typical “9 to 5” job. In my experience it is always the last few minutes, which are the longest and more tortuous.  I see this card and feel a sense of something reaching closer but needing to be patient for it. You need to wait. However the notion of “sacrifice”, a traditional meaning associated with The Hanged Man is lost in this image.  Unless you consider that when you are at work, you sacrifice your personal time for something in return, a paycheck.

Death – In this card we have a image were the perspective sets us inside a dark room with a door half way open showing a hallway with light and another door on the other side of the wall. This simple image is deep with meaning. The dark room could be representing life; it is dark because death is dark. We die to this world and leave it. However Death in this deck is being portrayed as a transitioning card.  We have a hallway, which has light in it, which serves as a symbol for the light at the end of the tunnel motif. The hallway is a vehicle of transportation; we are able to move on from this life to the next via the hallway to which we reach another door. The doors are symbols for gateways, portals from one aspect, chapter, stage or life to another. A lot of symbolizing here in such a simplistic photo!

Devil – This card shows a image of a man hidden behind tree branches.  This can be two things; someone else hidden away in the distance or it could be you hiding from something, the truth perhaps? The man is hidden away in the shadows, a symbol of ignorance, denial and fear. This could be another person whom is mysterious and you are drawn to. The Devil is traditional a card of attachment, addictions and blockages. This card is able to express these ideas without having to resort to normal tarot images of The Devil which is the goal of the deck, change people’s perception of tarot and cards like The Devil. My personal response when I see this card is I get a feeling of ill intentions and fixation. Just looking at the eye of the man in the card gives me chills. I feel that he has ill intentions and is fixated on someone or something. He is stalker material for sure.

What I disliked in the Majors.

I am not crazed for The Moon and The Sun in this deck.  It is bare, minimal and lacking much symbolism other than the whole dark vs light aspect.  What I would have liked to have seen in The Moon card as possibility is have Rhiannon walking a dog at night with the full moon above. Or maybe a photo from inside the house of a window with curtains with the moon in the window. For The Sun I would have liked to see a child smelling sun flowers with the sun glowing behind their head.

Minors

For the Minors I have selected one card which I like and one card I dislike.  For the suit of Cups, I like the 6 of Cups, which shows Rhiannon in front of a wall of framed photos touching them. Nostalgia is screaming loud and clear in this card. The typical image used is of children in a garden , but this image Rhiannon used expresses the idea of nostalgia better. Photos equal memories of the past. The like majority of the images used in the Cups, however only selecting one card I picked the 6 of Cups because it breaks traditional imagery but still keeping the meaning.  What I did not like was the 10 of Cups. Here we see a wedding picture of Rhiannon and her husband. Now I love the photo but I feel it is better suited for the 4 of Wands which I and many other reader associate with weddings. Weddings symbolize beginnings and numerologically ten is a number or endings and completion. Though the photo is great, it does not fit what I see the 10 of Cups as.

In the suit of Wands I had to show the 2 of Wands through the 10 of Wands because in this we have the images set in the same room, telling a story. Progressing from one event to another. Showing a possible day in the office. Working, dealing making, relaxing, stress, accomplishments, overtime, good news, pressure and burdens. Now I do like how we see a story develop in these cards, using the same setting and person in each card makes the suit of wands not very much in scenery, people, ideas and possibilities. I will say that each card expresses the card it is mean to represent excellently, it is relatable to anyone who works in a office. It however feels static because we are limited to just this one person in the images.  Out of these cards I like the 4 of Wands, the feet on the desk show us he is relaxing, taking a break from work. There is not one card which stands out as one I dislike overtly which I would want to comment on.

In the suit of Swords, I like the 3 of Swords which shows a woman sadden sitting alone on a chair. She holds herself, holding back her grief, head sorted by her hand. This card depicts the 3 of Swords well. What I disliked was the 7 of Swords. Now I do like the inventiveness and creative of using the superstition of walking under a ladder as bad luck I would have liked to see something more related to the traditional symbol of a thief. There are some many modern ways this could be depictured, like a burglar stealing something from inside a house.

With the suit of Pentacles I love many of the cards with the images that were used. So to pic one for a example which I liked was hard. I did in the end pic the 5 of Pentacles; it shows a man with his pockets turned inside out, clearly showing he is broke. There was only one card in this suit I did not like, that was the 2 of Pentacles. I don’t like this image because for me it feels like a 5 of Pentacles as well. We see a man at an ATM and it appears he can’t get money out. The 2 of Pentacles is often a card of juggling jobs or different life aspects. Rhiannon depicts the 2 of Pentacles as a card of financial troubles, which it is traditionally not. A modern image of the 2 of Pentacles could be showing an adult attending night classes (after work) or having Rhiannon writing inside a day planner which many things written inside, to do lists, meetings, errands and the like.

Overall The Faulkner Tarot is a deck which I have equal likes and dislikes. I like that it is modern, reflecting our modern life, which images we can relate with from our lives. The images even though they are modern are able to provoke insight by connecting to traditional meanings even if the images depart from normal symbols. Rhiannon did break away from tradition which some card like the 7 of Swords and 2 of Pentacles. But that is artist freedom which she is trying to express something possible different from tradition and that is not bad. When we break from tradition we push tarot to new limits. A few quick words on the cardstock, the cards are standard size; they fit perfectly in my hands. They have a very smooth matte feel to them, which I like, unlike the plastic feeling like in other decks. The cardstock is slightly thin, not thick but I would say durable  They shuffle just fine as well. It is a quality made deck.

There is a companion book that comes with the deck, written by Rhiannon herself.  Reading the book will allow you to get inside her mind and under the images used and what their intended meanings are.

Here is the full deck review for the steampunk tarot deck by Barbara Moore.

Step into a world where the past has been rewritten and reimagined. Steampunk is a genre, which came into prominence during the 1980’s and 1990’s. It incorporates science fiction and fantasy together to create a world that is simply described as “what the past would have looked like if the future had happened sooner”.  Steampunk is normally placed in the Victorian era, where steam engines are widely used. What would tarot look with this wonderful spin on history? Barbara Moore along with artist Aly Fell has manifested this in a well-executed deck that is The Steampunk Tarot.

I am a big fan of Barbara Moore’s work within the tarot field. I recently reviewed her new book Tarot Spreads: Layouts & Techniques to Empower Your Readings and was dying to get my hands on the Steampunk Tarot because this is Barbara’s first deck she has commissioned and just loved the teasers should would post on Facebook. So now that I had the deck in my possession for some time I present here my opinions and thoughts, oh lord where do I start?

Firstly let me start with the artwork. Aly Fell did an excellent job at creating this deck. The artwork was done digitally but you would never suspect it because it looks it was drawn by hand. The colors are soft and subdued with some areas of contrasts colors such as The Hermit’s lantern, which emits electric blue shocks. The reds of The Empress and Justice are rich. The stained glass of the 5 of Pentacles creates a huge contrast against the dark snowing scene, which is welcoming. The black borders are always a huge plus on any deck especially with this deck since it blends well with the overall color tone of the deck.  The card stock is standard for what Llewellyn produces, I really would like to see them step their game up and get a thicker cardstock. They are easy to hold in your hands and shuffle. They also fan out nicely on a table, which I like for my cards to be able to do. Some decks can’t fan out. The cards measure approx. 4.5 X 2.5 inches.

Looking at any deck which spins the traditional Waite Smith I look for uniqueness while at the same time being able to recognize the so called traditional meanings or symbols while adding new ones on top of it. Does the Steampunk deliver? Lets see.

Examining the Major Arcana there are cards which standout for their unique spin on the card. Though I cannot talk about all of them here are a few I want to showcase. The High Priestess is portrayed as a fortuneteller; on her table is a crystal ball and tarot cards, a portrayal which seems to be gathering popularity in newer decks. I am mixed with this type of portrayal, on one level it is comical as it feels like a little cameo of the reader themselves inside the cards. On another level it removes the traditional woman on a seat holding a scroll veiled in mystery. In this High Priestess though it retains the air of mystery a High Priestess should have. The grin she gives you makes me unsettled, worried as to what she knows, she knows something and she wishes to tell you. So at the same time the grin invites you to sit down and get a reading.  The Empress also shakes tradition by removing the typical garden and nature theme with an Empress that is rawer.  This Empress looks like she is in her royal chambers, laying on a luxurious lounge tempting you to join her. With her hand on her belly, it still brings me back to the idea that the Empress represents birth and creation.

The Hierophant retains much of what you expect but plenty of change that makes it fresh. For many this is a tough card to connect with normally because of its link to the church and Christian connotations. However here we have an elder sitting and teaching to two children. There are books to his side, which denote knowledge. The golden keys of Saint Peter appear on the floor between the children. This has to be my favorite Hierophant to date. It removes any theological representation and still holds to the idea of teaching, mentoring, of learning and the passing down of traditions. While other decks give the feeling that the Hierophant is closed minded to one way, this Hierophant makes me feel more free and open to all sorts of ideas.

Strength takes a nice twist. Instead of a woman clamping shut the mouth of a lion here we have a woman taking a cog out of the paw of a lion. This brings to my mind compassion and healing. Helping those in trouble and in pain. Barbara explains more of the symbolism of this change in the companion book as relating to the Jungian “shadow” of our subconscious and extracting the problem larking in the shadow.

The last Major Arcana, which I want to draw focus on, is The Devil, which redefines what we typically expect. This devil is not a supernatural creature or beast but rather a mechanical creation that has grown so large that it has dominated the lives of the humans in the card.  Not bounded by chains are these people but rather bounded to serve and care for this monster of metal which demands its. This card brings to my mind how technology as become in some ways a monster which has demanded much of our attention and energy as well as ruling much of our lives.

Exploring now the Minor Arcana I want to reveal cards, which also take a twist to the traditional.  In the Wands, two cards pop out at me. The 3 of Wands for its inclusion of the wands themselves as a prop in the scene is a nice change. Rather then the normal placement in the foreground behind a man looking out in the distance. Here the man uses the wands, which also have lanterns hanging from them, as a tripod for a telescope so he may see off into the distance further and more up-close in detail. The 8 of Wands, is also a welcomed change. Here we have a solider firing the wands from a machine. I mainly like the change of perspective where we see where the wands are coming from, instead of them simply being in the air with no context or reference.

In the Cups I like the interpretation of the 3 of Cups and 5 of Cups. In the 3 of Cups we have as Barbara describes, three women, however the middle figure looks like a man to me. In my eyes it is a man with two women, which really can take this card into another level. We are in a house, people are drinking getting wasted and having a good time. From my view of it being one man and two girls, is that this card becomes more sexually charged then a traditional 3 of Cups. This can have many meanings, among them the normal love triangle. There is a lot to ponder about in this card and no 3 of cups has made me really ponder.

In the Swords, I would like to point out the 3 of Swords and 6 of Swords. In this 3 of Swords we have a broken mechanical heart jammed with 3 swords. I like this take on the 3 of Swords; it is familiar but at the same time brings new meanings. For me looking at this image brings to mind what happens when our minds come into conflict with our emotions. Things get jammed up and breakdown. There is a feeling of being stuck on something and not being able to move passed a certain issue, which lingers on the mind and heart. The 6 of Swords, takes up high into the air on a fast moving balloon airship which I really like stead of the gloom and doom of the boat ride across the water. Here we have an image, which still rings true to traditional meanings but expresses it in a new image.

Lastly the Pentacles, in this suit the 4 and 8 of Pentacles are two cards, which stand out. In the 4 of Pentacles we have a rich woman’s hand coming in from the side with a golden coin that is being handed over to a another hand, which is mechanical that takes the coin and locks it away in the box it is attached it. Right away I think of saving which is something the 4 of Pentacles represents, the presentation is nicely done. The 8 of Pentacles stays very true to tradition but the perspective in which we see the image is changed, we are looking at a downward angle and each of the pentacles is crafted differently as opposed to being the same as in other decks.

A quick word on the court cards, out of all of them my favorite is the Queen of Swords. That is one Queen you don’t want to F**** with. She holds a sword to her side, as if to hide it from the person she is greeting. At any moment she may attack, with her mind of course. It appears she is one smart woman with lots of life experience. The Knights however are lacking horses, which are really disappointing; I would have liked to see horses with the knights. Keeping with the Steampunk theme they could have mechanical horses.

The companion book to the deck, which Barbara wrote, is fantastic. Because this deck is of her creation the book is the key into her mind to understand what she wants to express in each of the cards. The book is almost 300 pages in length so it is not a Little White Book, it is a companion book worthy to be read cover to cover.  It covers the basics at the beginning, discusses the cards in detail and at the end provides you with some spreads.

In closing I want to say a few things about the deck. Barbara commented in her companion book about wither or not the Steampunk tarot is just a novelty deck or something more useful for tarot readers. It is my opinion that this is not a novelty deck at all. I think this deck will fill the needs of readers who feel there is something missing in a deck. For myself, this deck fills the need for something on the modern/contemporary side while at the same time making it removed enough from our modern life that were if it did not we would not find it special in any way. Which is the problem I think contemporary decks have, they are too close to our frame of reference it does not take us out of the world we live in. Tarot should take us out of our world and common mindset. The Steampunk does both, it updates the traditional Rider Waite images, which many people feel is outdated and makes it feel adventurous because it is based in the alternate world of Steampunk.

Order The Steampunk Tarot Here