Thursday, April 17, 2014

My First Impressions of The Joie de Vivre Tarot

Yesterday I've received The Joie de Vivre Tarot By Paulina Cassidy in the mail. I've ordered it two weeks ago at Book Depository. And to be honest is was a kind of an emotional purchase. Although I am celebrating my birthday in about three weeks and I am promised some tarot presents, I really needed  to treat myself on a light, friendly and uplifting deck.

A deck which will comfort you. A deck which will tell you the truth but in a gentle and kind way. A deck which will emphasize the positive side of a situation. Even the most dreadful cards are friendly and they speak more to your compassion than to your fears.
For instance the figure in the two of words is being  held by birds and the girl who is falling from the tower is held by butterflies

It had to be also a deck which would distract my mind form worrying. So there had to be enough symbolism in de pictures to keep my mind busy. Look how many symbols there are for instance in The Wheel: the zodiac, the moon cycles, the four trees on his head, the lemniscate on his jacket. In every card there are little treasures to be found.

And that’s when I knew it had to be the Joie de Vivre Tarot:
French for 'joy of living', the Joie de Vivre is designed to access the childlike energy in each one of us to help stimulate, enhance, and inspire joy in our own lives. A truly fantastical people, the living beings in the Joie de Vivre realm are all sentient souls of love who want nothing but the best for those who take a journey through their world. An amplifier of intuition and a connection to the divine source, they hope the Joie de Vivre deck will help awaken a response from deep within your heart, mind, and spirit.
It is the second tarot deck by Paulina Cassidy. I don’t own her first deck: the Paulina Tarot, because the artwork was too detailed for me. In the Joie de Vivre tarot the pictures are less crowded but still they contain a lot of little adorable details and symbols. The pictures were done in watercolors and ink. The colors are soft and transparent. The backgrounds are often just made  with a color wash and some swirls which is a good contrast to the detailed figures. The cardstock is average and the finish is glossy and smooth. The colors are much more vibrant than I had expected and they are absolutely beautiful.
One more thing about the LWB. Paulina has written a tiny little story about each character in her pictures and she has even named them. This makes this little booklet a very surprising addition to the deck
AL together it will be rather obvious I totally adore this deck.  And I haven’t even started reading with it. I do have already begun to knit a bag because the little tuckbox didn't survive the long journey overseas. 

14 comments:

  1. I can see why you like this deck; it's quirky and cute with lots of symbols, but it still gets the message across. I understand what you mean about wanting such a deck during tough times. It helps to see the message is on a continuum - neither all good nor all bad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for understanding me so well. This deck makes me smile. I feel more at ease when I play with it. Just flipping trough the cards is so relaxing :)

      Delete
  2. My deck for times I can't bear to live through is Songs for the Journey Home. Even in the drawer it seems to glow with caring...
    Happy new deck Sharyn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've seen your happy deck online and it is lovely. I love the cards being round.and the colors are so soft
      Thanks for your kind wishes

      Delete
  3. That's one of my favorites on my wishlist. I got the Borderless Deviant Moon recently and I enjoy working with my Shadow when I draw cards from it. By your post I realize that the Joie de Vivre could be an antagonist to the Deviant Moon for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't have The Deviant Moon. It frightens me. Isn't it funny how we all react differently to decks. If you reed Carla comment below you'll see she feels the Joie the Vivre is creepy :)

      Delete
  4. I had this deck but I sold it because I am creeped out by all the bug bodies. There's something that is a shade too Tim Burns for me about this deck...I did try to like it, but for me it turned out not to be uplifting but creepy! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha ha. Luckily for the artists of tarot decks we all have different tastes. :)

      Delete
  5. I love the names given to each character and the little stories about them. So much fun to draw one as your "companion" for the day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes so do I! It was a really nice surprise to find these little stories in the LWB They make these lovely and slightly strange characters even more approachable :)

      Delete
  6. I love this deck. My brother-in-law and his family bought it for me a few Christmas's ago. It is so warming, like a bedtime storybook for adults (if you get my meaning). I can see why you find it comforting. When you are feeling less vulnerable and your mind has calmed, maybe you can put it away and save it for any other times you feel you need that soft and helpful hand.

    I don't have a deck for such times, but I remember my mum buying me the Morgan Greer when I was going through an emotional and mental meltdown. The deck was warm and deep and I sat on my bed for hours, just looking at the images. It was medicinal and I will always remember it as being so.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes they do read like a story when you see them together in a spread.
      It is a lovely idea to have a comfy deck for trouble times. Perhaps this will be the one. I will keep it in mind for when the storm has passed. But for now just like you, I like flipping trough them when I need some peace and quiet. Only the feel of a deck in my hands is calming, like prayer beads I guess :)

      Delete
  7. I've seen this deck a number of times and I have to admit I didn't like it at first. Now I've seen it more often it's a grower!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is much easier to read than her first tarot deck which is a lot more detailed.
      I love the symbolism and the little stories in the LWB about the characters. It is my go to deck when I feel a bit off. Somehow it always makes me feel better.

      Delete