A Deck Review: Legacy of the Divine Tarot
The Legacy Of The Divine Tarot
By: Ciro Marchetti
Published by: Llwellyn Worldwide
Release Date: September 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7387-1565-0
I have to start by saying how excited I was to be getting this special deck. Ciro is a master at his designs and creativity. I also have to be honest and make it known that I am not drawn to what I call “darker” looking decks, and this falls in that category for me. However the purpose of this write up is not about personal taste but the deck itself.
This comes with a book and a bag is also included, It is the third deck by Ciro. The book explains “The Legacy” and gives not just Ciro’s interpretation and explanation of the cards but also includes interpretations from: James Ricklef, Leisa ReFalo and also Wald and Ruth Ann Amberstone (The Tarot School). I found the added interpretations to the cards an added bonus as it shows the different views and approaches to the cards.
Ciro has is very own unique approach with his wonderful and colorful digital artwork. The cards even come to live with video, which can viewed on his website. He depicts a story of an outer space catastrophe involving the planets which is explained in the book. The images are surrounded by a solid black border and I have to wonder it is to symbolize outer space. The black border goes well and is appropriate, however for me it adds to the “darker” look I mentioned earlier.
There are only a few variations to the names of the Major Arcanas from the traditional RWS decks. The Hierophant has been renamed Faith with images of four religious figures pictured (The Pope being one of them). Wheel of Fortune is The Wheel, The Hanged Man is The Hanging Man. The Major that really stood out for me with this deck was The Hermit. The scene depicted for this card is not directly inside a cave. I am still going back and forth if it is a view at a cave entrance looking out, or if it is a view from in between mountains looking out at the scenery. The face of The Hermit is so real looking and you can just see the depth of thought in his face and eyes. The Hermit card has really captured my attention for the first time with this deck and I would have to say is my favorite of this set.
The Minor Arcana cards all use the same suits and names with the suit at the top and the number at the bottom. Each suit name is written in its color: wands is orange, cups yellow, sword blue and coins green. The knights in all four suits is depicted with their helmets rather then a full knight, Ciro explains the reason for this in the book Gateway To The Divine Tarot, which comes with the set. He also explains his views and feelings for the Court Cards in general and does it in away that is simple and easy to understand. These are the cards that seem to be the most troublesome to read for the majority of people.
There was also a minor that jumped out at me with this deck and really grabbed my attention. The Two of Cups I found intriguing for many reasons. Rather then the traditional man and woman together with an angel between them, Ciro’s depiction is two hands coming up out the water. The hands cross each other at the wrist and each is holding a glass in which the faces of the couple are depicted in. I am still finding images in the sky/clouds that are in this, I don’t know if they are there deliberately or not, however I am seeing several animals.
This is a magnificent deck and I am delighted to have it as part of my collection. It will not be hard to use by anyone and the book tells the full story depicted here. This will be a set for my collection however and not one I will personally use for clients. The reason for this is because of the large beliefs where I live of Tarot being evil. This deck will not help in that area and will only appear to validate that misconception. This is definitely a deck to have for the artwork alone, not to mention that Ciro has stated it will be his last.