A few days ago I have received the wonderful Spirit Within Tarot by Steven Bright from Schiffer Publishing in the mail. It comes in a sturdy box in the same size as the deck. The box has the famous Schiffer magnetic closure we all know so well. The deck comes with a little guidebook with pictures of the cards in full color. The cards are borderless and have a glossy lamination, and their size is 7,5 cm x 11,5 cm.
For each card, Steven Bright has written a descriptive paragraph, one with the meaning of the card and some keywords. What stands out the most for me is that for each card he begins with a paragraph in which the card shares its essence in a very personal way. These paragraphs make me want to pick up the guidebook time and again.
"I get a bad rap around here.
I am only doing my job,
but people fear me all the same.
Endings are natural.
If something is no longer effective,
you need to bring it to a close."
The artwork and the symbolism follow closely the RW system which makes this deck very suitable for beginners, but I was quite surprised how subtle the silhouettes in the cards are conveying their messages. The way they are postured in their contemporary background is very evocative and will spark your imagination. A silhouette can be anybody. It is genderless, ageless and it can become whoever you need it to be at one particular moment. The next day it can become somebody entirely different. This quality makes the deck also an excellent tool for the Bardic reading technique (storytelling) and also for writers who want to spice up their work.
The deck includes the 22 Majors which have various color schemes and the 4 suits of the Minors which have a color scheme according to their suit. So with one glance of your eye, you can get a clear overview of a large tarot spread. Personally, I can get a little bit overwhelmed by a spread of more than five cards but this deck will certainly encourage me to try out these larger spreads again.
All in all, I am so pleased to have this deck in my collection. The deck has a neutral feel to it which will allow it to become a whole year round deck and a potential workhorse for anybody who likes to read with a more contemporary deck. It will come as no surprise that I highly recommended this deck!
(I've been given this deck for review purpose. All opinions are entirely my own.)
I thought about purchasing this deck when it was offered but I didn't purchase because of all the shadowing. With you and Bev both posting on it this last week it looks intriguing but I will just enjoy it when it pops on your blogs.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness we don't all like the same decks. The tarot community would be a boring bunch of people if we did 😊
DeleteLove the page of cups card, looks like Cornwall. I also like the Queen of Swords as a writer. A penny drop moment when I saw it.
ReplyDeleteThe Queen of Swords stole my heart in a matter of seconds! She is now so easy to identify with!
DeleteYes! She is the bronte sisters, Jane Austin, daphne du Maurier, Agatha Christie and so many more women of substance....such good company to be in! She makes me proud to be a q of s!
DeleteMe too. I've always said she is so much more than we give her credit for.
DeleteThis is one deck I'd love to get!
ReplyDeleteI hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. Thanks for stopping by 💕
DeleteLovely review, Ellen! :)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to get my copy. And I totally agree, the shadows act a bit like animals do - depersonalising it so that you can see more!
Thanks Chloe, I am sure you will enjoy working with it. :)
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