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The kind of friends I have sometimes tip me off to

The kind of friends I have sometimes tip me off to an intriguing tarot deck I’ve not seen before. I usually only buy sight unseen if something sparks immediately & I trust that I’ll likely enjoy most of the cards. This one arrived & I couldn’t put it down. I requested to review it for you because people need to know about this deck & its creator. The Tarot de Carlotydes is a sleeper deck here in the US and I think that should change.

The 78-cards are published by Fournier in Spain & runs petite at 6.2 x 11.7cm. The card stock is laminated 330 gsm with varnish that gives them slip without high gloss. The deck comes with a generic multilingual LWB included by the publisher, but there is far more to this little museum that we can explore.

The creator Carlota Santos’ background goes beyond illustration into architecture. Her modern
renaissance inspiration comes from medieval art, mythology, tarot, astrology, & alchemical works. History and 20th century silent films play into images that only use the RWS system as a scaffold.

This is a tarot that feels flirty & playful. The colors are soft, easy & have an organized palette by suit. I will risk the word “feminine” as these cards feature mostly female humans, & yet there is decided strength in the iconography Carla used for archetypes. There is a near perfect execution in the cream colored borders & dainty script tying the art together. The deck is no basic RWS clone. The creator has used history, design, & her own personal expression of tarot meanings; I fell deep into details that caught my attention like sparkles on water. Little
symbols were revealed & spoke to my intuition.

My reading gave serious messages with explosive flowers, wands & a polka-dot dragon. This deck makes me want to wear a low cut black pant-suit, bow tie heels & perfume. It reminds me that I like lipstick, croissants & Spanish wine. I miss my fast car & remember there is power in eye contact & smile.

I hear music when I read this deck & it makes me feel alive again.

Creator: @carlotydes
Reviewer: @cottage.of.lost.play
#carlotydes #tarotdecarlotydes #indiedeckreview

Astrology is my first love. I can stare at an astr

Astrology is my first love. I can stare at an astrology wheel and get right lost in it.  Working with The Living Wheel Astrology Cards has been fun.  There’s no other word, I’ve had fun.  I’m known to lay out figurines and photos around a kitchen table to look at someone’s astrology wheel.  Now I can lay out the actual planets, houses and signs.  There are multiple moon cards allowing me to lay out the moon that fits each wheel.  I’ve been harassing friends to let me play because this deck has just brought the symbols I love to life.  It’s like a new toy.

The Art (needs its own paragraph).  This is a small pocket sized deck in a sturdy box. The edges are gold stardust.  The style is minimalism. Houses, constellations, moons, planets, Chiron, Earth & 8 season cards.  But the details!  The backgrounds are a mottled grey.  The gold in the moons, planets and houses looks like gold leaf.  I felt like if I touched the cards I could feel the texture.  Well I talked with the artist Patrick (Astro love moment) and those backgrounds were all individually hand painted and that gold leaf look is where gold leaf was applied to the original paintings. Also every planet is just gorgeous! I love minimalism and detail.  This deck nails that difficult combination.  Astro and artistic dreams on 350 matte cards ✅

Ok so it reads like an astrologer's dream but what about tarot?   I have been using this deck this week for tarot (not just playing astrology - promise).  If you read predictive tarot this is a timing must!   I used it as an add on to a personal reading for timing.  I was guided to wait for the moon in Pisces. I used this deck as signifier cards looking at my relationship to certain natal placements and gained new respect for my Venus.  I also used this deck for the underlying energy in a reading.  House and sign came out telling me energy and area of life - that was super insightful. I also used this for straight up tarot style reading.   This definitely took strong Astro knowledge. This deck is a mini powerhouse performing everywhere I use it.

Creator: @thelivingwheel
Website: https://www.thelivingwheel.com/
Reviewer: @auntykstarot

#thelivingwheelastrologycards

In the 80’s, around the time I encountered my 1s

In the 80’s, around the time I encountered my 1st tarot deck, teen me saw the film ‘Metropolis’ so it's befitting that Cult of Weimar Tarot 2nd ed. by Joan Marie @cult_of_tarot is my 1st official tarot review for @indiedeckreview. In the balcony trying to act cool, I nervously smoked cloves, transfixed by the images on screen. Today with this wild deck in my hand (minus the clove) I feel just the same.

Cult of Weimar Tarot shows us Berlin in the Weimar era, 1919-1933. Berlin, post WWI, was a time of intense creativity. German Expressionist Cinema, sexuality, occultism, dance, art, fashion, technology, a pandemic (!) & political chaos, inform the vivid collaged imagery in this 80 card deck. Every aspect of the deck is a reflection of the Weimar era, from the font called ‘Metropolis’, used as an homage to the seminal Fritz Lang film masterpiece of the same name, to the bold images & photographs of artists depicted in this stunning deck. The Cult of Weimar Tarot can be vast like the explorations of the Weimar era & a clear, modern tarot experience.

Although Cult of Weimar Tarot has a uniquely ‘on the dime’ viewpoint, it was very easy to pick up & read from the moment I took it out of the sturdy two piece box, as it adheres to the Rider-Waite Smith tarot system. The Major Arcana along with all four suits are numbered with roman numerals, with each category having different colored borders, making it easily recognizable even if some of the images are atypical to the RWS tarot. There are two bonus cards called Shadow & Epiphany to reflect the twin expressions tarot offers & can be a clarifier in readings. The card stock is a delicious matte which shuffles like a dream. The brilliant gilt green/gold card edging creates a framework that communicates a fleeting golden era between the radical horrors of WWI & WWII. It's as if the Cult of Weimar Tarot shows us light between the cracks of the towers that fell, before & after the Weimar era, when the human spirit of resilience beamed through in the universal language of creativity for all of the world to see, hear & feel.

Creator: @cult_of_tarot
Review: @angelamarymagick
YouTube video review 7/27 at 2:00pm PST

7/26/21. Today I shared: Our Birthday Giveaway is

7/26/21. Today I shared:
Our Birthday Giveaway is 8/8 - 8/14 and it will be the last one this year.

Upcoming Reviews:
Star Wars Tarot by @starwarstarot

Fortuna Emerald Anima Tarot by @studiartemy

A Deck for Wonder Walking by @amytwon

Divine Masculine Tarot by @markovasich

Transient Light Tarot by @ari_wisner @transient_light_deck

Mystical Medleys by @mysticalmedleys

Seed and Sickle Oracle by @rosdottir

78 Tarot Animal Tarot (full size & mini) by @78tarot

The Ghost Light Tarot by @theghostlighttarot

Hydesville Tarot and Mystical Magpie Oracle by @shawcross.yard

Cult of Weimar Tarot 2nd Edition by @cultoftarot

Southern Gothic Oracle by @southern_gothic_oracle

Earth Child Tarot 2nd Edition by @earthchildtarot

Precious Possum Lenormand by @cardsmademirror

Odin’s Playbook Tarot by @astralmermaid.art

The Painted Runes by @paintingthetarot

Daydreaming in Situ by @anniefarrarartist

The Tulku Oracle by @tulkuoracle

The Lubanko Tarot by @emilylubanko

The Altar Oracle by @handmethatpencil

Things to KNOW/link in our bio:

- Consultations with Amanda can be booked through the link in our bio, there are spots in August
- Group sessions will be available in August, only 3 per month.
- Reading sessions with Amanda can be booked through the link in our bio, there is 1 available spot in July
- The Spread Book is available on our ko-fi, it is $12

As always -
- IDR is volunteer owned and operated
- You can support all of us by following our personal pages, by sharing our posts, by saving reviews that you love
- Monetary donations to IDR immediately go to our shipping costs, website costs, software costs. They can be made via our link in bio
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Two-toned minimalist decks have never been a draw

The Modern Way Tarot is perfect for anyone who val

The Modern Way Tarot is perfect for anyone who values the wisdom of the Rider Waite Smith deck but still yearn for something that feels less dated and less attached to a specific culture. Using silhouettes and a simple colour palette that consists of black, white and various shades of blue and orange, it transforms the RWS into something fresh and captivating while retaining much of its original values that made it so well loved in the first place.
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One would think that the use of silhouettes would result in the loss of information derived from facial expressions, which is a key tool for displaying emotions. However, the RWS figures have such descriptive body postures that the imagination can easily fill in the shadows. In my mind, I can still clearly see the exuberance of the excited and innocent Fool as well as the expressions of devotion on the Page and Queen of Pentacles. What is truly fascinating, however, is that I can even see the dedication of the man in the 8 of Pentacles hinted by the tattered shirt he wears.
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This deck is a beautiful reminder of just how universal tarot is. Although each deck possesses a different theme and may be presented with specific cultural references of the creator, the underlying messages apply to all human beings.
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Like many other decks, there are two extra cards. Sometimes, they are additions to the decks itself. Other time, they serve as information about the deck, creator or publisher. In the Modern Way, they are simple words that act as encouraging reminders of where and who we are. It’s a simple little detail, but one that really resonates with me and I’ve chosen to keep them in the deck when I read with it.
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The guidebook that is also included inside the sturdy two piece box is quite informative, making this an excellent standalone deck even for beginners.
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The cardstock is a perfect semi-gloss finish that makes it smooth to shuffle and fan while being not too light-reflective. The one drawback is that some fingerprints are visible.
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Creator: @modernwaytarot
Reviewer: @tarotmechanic
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#indiedeckreview #indietarot #supportindiedecks #supportindiecreators #supportindietarot #taroteveryday #modern #minimalism

Forest fool Forest Fool is a delightful tarot spr

Forest fool

Forest Fool is a delightful tarot spread zine by @tulaofswords inspired by the Pacific Northwest, where Lysa Tula Penrose weaves her magic. This zine is created fully by Lysa - the spreads, art work & design all grown from her sweetly feral experience of living. I absolutely love the mushroom collage used as the front & back cover (can a pal get a print?!). Each spread is designed to use three cards & asks questions around a theme. The spreads are named after plant friends of the Pacific Northwest & use a variety of shapes to convey the meaning. I used my Twin Peaks Major Arcana deck to play with the spreads - as Dale Cooper says, we have to find out what these trees are called! I love the gentle push towards cohesion the spreads give. I feel read to filth but not hurting or embarrassed about it. I think that’s a rare quality to find in tarot sometimes. I look forward to more adorable zines from Lysa.

Creator: @tulaofswords
Review: @felixidocious

Beth Martini's The Golden Circle Tarot is a Rider-

Beth Martini's The Golden Circle Tarot is a Rider-Waite-Smith-reminiscent, 78-card deck oozing with a luxurious nostalgia and vintage yet vibrant imagery. Fans of collage-style artistry, rejoice! Those who dismiss the style for a typical lack of inclusive material, read on, for the Golden Circle will surprise you.

The Golden Circle Tarot's color palette is what enamored me at first glance. It's a sumptuous, expensive-feeling palette: muted, vintage, tarnished even, but far from dull. Every card is accented by subtle metallic ink in a satiny gold finish and much glossier gilded edges. Powerful pops of sensuous red and royal blue are motifs that add a stark, delightful contrast. The card backing features a similarly effortless and understated vibe with a geometric pattern of (shock) golden circles; a very subtle weathered texture to this pattern is the perfect finishing touch to echo this deck's vintage vibe.

Let me call out three bullet points that set this apart from other collage decks:

First, while the look and feel of this deck is admirably cohesive, I adore that Martini combined imagery of all ages; flipping through the cards, you'll spot Dolly Parton, Frida Kahlo, and then a face from OG vintage: the Renaissance. This is most notable on the 5 of Wands; in an otherwise historical-feeling deck, you're suddenly confronted with a contemporary Black Lives Matter protest... Great conflict at a standstill that wants, that needs, change!

Second, I love the art of collage and its often cluttered but beautiful chaos. But Martini is masterful with negative space, utilized on every card in some way and, most notably amidst the major arcana, to great dramatic effect. I'll shout out The Hermit in this deck, which captures shadows via white space in this very stark representation of the card.

Finally, Martini clearly took efforts to source inclusive and representative images of humans in moments of strife, power, joy, triumph, and all our complex facets.

While this deck's Kickstarter is complete, you can find The Golden Circle Tarot and its ancillaries at beth-martini.com

Creator: @bethmartini.studio
Review: @tulaofswords

When I saw an interview with Caroline Clarke about

When I saw an interview with Caroline Clarke about her deck Tarot by Caro, I admit I didn’t even read the article before going to her website to get myself a copy. I’m a shameless deck collector, but I am not usually so impulsive! It just called out to me!

Once I got the deck in my hands it was LOVE.

The images are close enough to the traditional Smith-Waite illustrations to make them easy to read but different enough to imbue new meaning into the cards. I notoriously despise the 8 of wands, but this deck’s version felt immediately meaningful. Just the simple change in imagery changed my whole relationship with that card. A good tarot deck will do that for ya.

The figures in this deck are clearly human but still abstract. This deck isn’t a deck with everyday imagery that you can see yourself in, but the archetypes and the symbolism are very clear and so they feel universal. The illustrations feel modern and timeless at the same time. The art is lovely and weird and magical, each card I flipped over became my new favorite.

Because I use my decks for client readings as well as in my own practice alongside my 8 yr old brujita, I always look to the “harsher” cards in the deck to gauge where a new deck will fit into my life. This deck is not a gentle deck, it will deliver whatever message that needs to come through with no subtlety. But, neither is it a sharp or merciless deck. It is clear and kind.

This deck checks so many of my boxes. The cardstock is my favorite kind, bendy and riffle shuffles like a dream. Every card that I flipped over was a new visual treat. The box it comes in is a beautiful, rigid, shoebox-style box that stands up nicely on my tarot shelf (but benefits from being tied up in a scarf when taking the deck on the road). There is a very brief guide to the cards inside which amounts to a standard LWB, but I appreciate the brevity of the guide and the space it saves in the box and packaging.

This deck is just such a delight to hold and look at and work with.

Creator: @caros_tarot
Review: @lexilabruja
#quierotarot #indiedeckreview #indietarot #indiecreator

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