- Paperback: 160 pages
- Publisher: Element; New edition edition (20 Jan 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007145446
- ISBN-13: 978-0007145447
- Product Dimensions: 16.9 x 12 x 6.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,602,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Product Description
A beautiful set of Tarot cards depicting the wonder and magic of the legendary King Arthur, with an accompanying book explaining the meaning and symbolism of each card.
The Arthurian Tarot represents the ultimate in Tarot design. Steeped in the sheer unequalled magic of the legends, history and traditions of Arthurian Britain, these exceptional cards capture in 78 frames all the wonder and beauty of King Arthur's realm. Conceived and designed by Caitlin and John Matthews and beautifully executed by Miranda Gray, this original pack reveals the ancient traditions of the Arthurian Mysteries as a living mythos for creative visualization and personal transformation.
This exclusive pack comes complete with a fully illustrated guide to the divinatory and archetypal meanings of the cards – the 22 Greater Powers and the 56 Lesser Powers. The suits of Sword, Spear, Grail and Stone, corresponding to the four elements of Western esoteric tradition as well as to the four seasons, empower the reader through the sacred quest for the Hallows. The book also gives original methods for reading and using the Tarot, including the Merlin's Mirror and Excalibur spreads, with sample readings to show their practical significance.
From the Back Cover
The Arthurian Tarot represents the ultimate in Tarot design. Steeped in the sheer unequalled magic of the legends, history and traditions of Arthurian Britain, these exceptional cards capture in 78 frames all the wonder and beauty of King Arthur's realm. Conceived and designed by Caitlin and John Matthews and beautifully executed by Miranda Gray, this original pack reveals the ancient traditions of the Arthurian Mysteries as a living mythos for creative visualization and personal transformation.
This exclusive pack comes complete with a fully illustrated guide to the divinatory and archetypal meanings of the cards – the 22 Greater Powers and the 56 Lesser Powers. The suits of Sword, Spear, Grail and Stone, corresponding to the four elements of Western esoteric tradition as well as to the four seasons, empower the reader through the sacred quest for the Hallows. The book also gives original methods for reading and using the Tarot, including the Merlin's Mirror and Excalibur spreads, with sample readings to show their practical significance.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Unlike one of the other reviewers (and in no way am I insulting their review) but I found these cards to be very good for beginners.
I have quite a few tarot decks and these are extremely well drawn with lots of wonderful imagery in them. The deck has slightly changed from the more traditional Rider Waite based decks. The four suits are Wands, Spears, Stone and Grail, and instead of knight and page for the court cards, it is knight and maiden.
Why I liked this deck and accompanying book which comes with it is that it had the right balance of information. Some booklets have nothing less a description and some can go into the cards in so much detail that it can be baffling.
Caitlin and John Matthews have got it right. For every Minor card there is a description of the cards imagery, a piece of background related to the stories of Arthur and then the divinationary meanings of the card. Because of the small piece of background however, I found these cards extremely easy to memorise and understand their meanings even though I know very very little of the Legend of Arthur.
The reason I say this would be a good first deck is that some of the images in the major arcana have changed slightly which could confuse people who are familiar with the more traditonal greater powers: For example, The Devil is the Green Man in this deck, The Hanged Man is the Wounded King, Death is The Washer at the Ford. The meanings are pretty much the same of course, but it can slightly throw you off at the beginning. If this is your very first deck however I do think you could pick it up and enjoy it very quickly.
And if it isn't your first deck and you can get over the initial hurdle of some of the major cards going under different names then I am sure you will enjoy this deck immensly as I have, whether you know anything about the legend of Arthur is irrelevant as you'll learn as you follow the quest
I have quite a few tarot decks and these are extremely well drawn with lots of wonderful imagery in them. The deck has slightly changed from the more traditional Rider Waite based decks. The four suits are Wands, Spears, Stone and Grail, and instead of knight and page for the court cards, it is knight and maiden.
Why I liked this deck and accompanying book which comes with it is that it had the right balance of information. Some booklets have nothing less a description and some can go into the cards in so much detail that it can be baffling.
Caitlin and John Matthews have got it right. For every Minor card there is a description of the cards imagery, a piece of background related to the stories of Arthur and then the divinationary meanings of the card. Because of the small piece of background however, I found these cards extremely easy to memorise and understand their meanings even though I know very very little of the Legend of Arthur.
The reason I say this would be a good first deck is that some of the images in the major arcana have changed slightly which could confuse people who are familiar with the more traditonal greater powers: For example, The Devil is the Green Man in this deck, The Hanged Man is the Wounded King, Death is The Washer at the Ford. The meanings are pretty much the same of course, but it can slightly throw you off at the beginning. If this is your very first deck however I do think you could pick it up and enjoy it very quickly.
And if it isn't your first deck and you can get over the initial hurdle of some of the major cards going under different names then I am sure you will enjoy this deck immensly as I have, whether you know anything about the legend of Arthur is irrelevant as you'll learn as you follow the quest
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is far and away my favourite deck, and has stood the test of time. For me, the images and connections work even better than the OBOD "Druidcraft Tarot".
I am not a diehard fan of the Matthews by any stretch of the imagination: certainly I have taken issue elsewhere with the dubious scholarship and mistranslations that underlie some of their published work. However, in developing the Arthurian Tarot, I believe they have played to their strengths, and produced a deck of stunning beauty and deep insight.
The images resonate profoundly with anyone familiar with the magical places of Britain and Ireland: on many of the cards I just know that I recognise the background, even if I can't quite place it. There is an uncompromising combination of ethereal beauty and almost matter-of-fact savagery in the deck, reflecting the realities of life and death which have bound both us and our ancestors to the wheel of incarnation.
The acccompanying booklet, as other reviewers have noted, balances the need for brevity with sufficient information to allow even a beginner to dig below the superficial and start to make their own connections as they work with the deck.
I also recommend the companion "Hallowquest" book for further study, particularly the year-long course of meditations based upon the cards. Although I would not agree with some of the conclusions the Matthews draw, the approach they advocate definitely brings an understanding of the relationship between the suits, the Major Arcana, the passing of the seasons and the Land itself: this is highly charged and very effective. For pagans and Druids in particular, the correspondence between the outer world and the Inner / Otherworld will become clearer and deeper as they work with the deck through the year.
Very highly recommended - all in all a first class tool for divination, ritual, and personal growth.
I am not a diehard fan of the Matthews by any stretch of the imagination: certainly I have taken issue elsewhere with the dubious scholarship and mistranslations that underlie some of their published work. However, in developing the Arthurian Tarot, I believe they have played to their strengths, and produced a deck of stunning beauty and deep insight.
The images resonate profoundly with anyone familiar with the magical places of Britain and Ireland: on many of the cards I just know that I recognise the background, even if I can't quite place it. There is an uncompromising combination of ethereal beauty and almost matter-of-fact savagery in the deck, reflecting the realities of life and death which have bound both us and our ancestors to the wheel of incarnation.
The acccompanying booklet, as other reviewers have noted, balances the need for brevity with sufficient information to allow even a beginner to dig below the superficial and start to make their own connections as they work with the deck.
I also recommend the companion "Hallowquest" book for further study, particularly the year-long course of meditations based upon the cards. Although I would not agree with some of the conclusions the Matthews draw, the approach they advocate definitely brings an understanding of the relationship between the suits, the Major Arcana, the passing of the seasons and the Land itself: this is highly charged and very effective. For pagans and Druids in particular, the correspondence between the outer world and the Inner / Otherworld will become clearer and deeper as they work with the deck through the year.
Very highly recommended - all in all a first class tool for divination, ritual, and personal growth.
Format:Paperback
This deck, as it's title shows, is based entirely on the Arthurian myths and legends of the British Isles, and is subtitled, 'A Hallowquest Handbook'. It is not essential to know all about Arthur in order to use this deck, but it would definitely be an advantage to have some knowledge. Alternatively, the deck could easily be used as a way of studying the Arthurian mysteries.
The Major Arcana in this deck is called 'The Greater Powers' and the only cards which have retained the original titles are 'the Star', 'the Moon' and 'the Sun'. Some examples of the rest are - 'The Seeker' (The Fool), 'The Washer at the Ford' (Death), 'The Green Knight' (The Devil), and 'The Flowering of Logres' (The World). The images are very evocative and lend themselves well to meditation and/or pathworkings (guided visualisations), especially as the images are viewed through an archway. The Matthews' approach to each card is to give a description, then some background information, followed by the archetypal meaning and the divinatory meaning, all of which makes fascinating reading.
The 'Lesser Powers' (Minor Arcana) are 'Sword', 'Spear' (Wands), 'Grail' (Cups), and 'Stone' (Pentacles), whilst the four Court cards are 'Maiden', 'Knight', 'Queen' and 'King'. Each suit has a corresponding element and season. The depictions don't always pack the same kind of punch as the 'Greater Powers', but nevertheless are interesting and well-executed. As with the 'Greater Powers', each card is explained in terms of description, background information, archetypal meaning and divinatory meaning.
The Matthews' give further information about numerical attributions, and interestingly, how to read time-scales with the Tarot, this latter in extraordinary detail. Each week of the year is ascribed to a particular 'Lesser Power' card, in accordance with the suit/season. The book covers several spreads, most of which are named after various aspects of Arthurian lore, accompanied by some very useful sample readings.
This is an attractive deck and I am particularly fascinated by the Matthews' take on time-scales as the Tarot doesn't necessarily lend itself well to accuracy with time.
The Major Arcana in this deck is called 'The Greater Powers' and the only cards which have retained the original titles are 'the Star', 'the Moon' and 'the Sun'. Some examples of the rest are - 'The Seeker' (The Fool), 'The Washer at the Ford' (Death), 'The Green Knight' (The Devil), and 'The Flowering of Logres' (The World). The images are very evocative and lend themselves well to meditation and/or pathworkings (guided visualisations), especially as the images are viewed through an archway. The Matthews' approach to each card is to give a description, then some background information, followed by the archetypal meaning and the divinatory meaning, all of which makes fascinating reading.
The 'Lesser Powers' (Minor Arcana) are 'Sword', 'Spear' (Wands), 'Grail' (Cups), and 'Stone' (Pentacles), whilst the four Court cards are 'Maiden', 'Knight', 'Queen' and 'King'. Each suit has a corresponding element and season. The depictions don't always pack the same kind of punch as the 'Greater Powers', but nevertheless are interesting and well-executed. As with the 'Greater Powers', each card is explained in terms of description, background information, archetypal meaning and divinatory meaning.
The Matthews' give further information about numerical attributions, and interestingly, how to read time-scales with the Tarot, this latter in extraordinary detail. Each week of the year is ascribed to a particular 'Lesser Power' card, in accordance with the suit/season. The book covers several spreads, most of which are named after various aspects of Arthurian lore, accompanied by some very useful sample readings.
This is an attractive deck and I am particularly fascinated by the Matthews' take on time-scales as the Tarot doesn't necessarily lend itself well to accuracy with time.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
two very unpleasant and gruesome cards
two awful cards- one with head implailed onwood spikes and another with a head on a plate
if a chld saw these the poor child would have nihgtrmares- i am adult and find them... Read more
if a chld saw these the poor child would have nihgtrmares- i am adult and find them... Read more
Published 1 month ago by ALLY
good
brilliant easy to use for the begginer though i bought these for a profesional reader and its the only pack she has felt comfortable with and don't let her down
Published 3 months ago by steve c
Awesome stunning tarot rendition
A must have for all serious tarot collectors, and for arthurian lore enthusiasts.
There have been a number of editions in the years, probably this one I got from Aquarian... Read more
There have been a number of editions in the years, probably this one I got from Aquarian... Read more
Published 6 months ago by PolluX-TaroT
Arthur lives again!
I am really enjoying these cards. I am a relative beginner - but wanted a deck that was based on firm Arthurian legend (if there is such a thing!) that included early celtic lore. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2010 by Froxfield_Reviewer
Still, it comes in a nice solid box...
An interesting deck, with new appellations for some of the Major arcana and new suit names, which may confuse beginners. Read more
Published on 11 Oct 2009 by Steve Craftman
One of my favorites
This pack is one of my favorites. The imagery is excellent and the quality of the cards is ideal (HINT! Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2009 by GRANNYD
love 'em
This was the first tarot set i bought, they looked so different from all the others, the 'rider-waite'style of cards never appealed to me. Read more
Published on 14 July 2007 by ren-zi
Lovely jubbly cards.
These were my first tarot cards and the best I've come across. They have a more spiritual emphasise than the other decks I've owned, the artwork is more appealing and... Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2006
not for beginners
My friend told me that these cards were perfect for medition so i brought them. The art work on the cards are very beautiful and i enjoyed using them, but the handbook the came... Read more
Published on 16 Jan 2002
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
