Product Description

The Sacred Circle Tarot is a new concept in tarot design, combining photographs, computer imaging and traditional drawing techniques to create stunning images. It draws on the Pagan heritage of Britain and Ireland, its sacred sites and landscapes. Key symbols unlock the deepest levels of Pagan teaching. The imagery of the cards is designed to work on a number of levels, serving as a tool not only for divination but to facilitate meditation, personal growth and spiritual development.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21318 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 8.98" h x 2.20" w x 5.98" l, 2.15 pounds
• Binding: Cards
• 336 pages

About the Author
Anna Franklin [England] has been a witch for 30 years, and a Pagan in her heart for all her life. She has conducted many rituals, handfastings and sabbat rites. She is the High Priestess of the Hearth of Arianrhod, a coven of the Coranieid Clan, a group of traditional witches with their roots in the New Forest, and branches in several parts of the UK. The Hearth publishes the long running Silver Wheel Magazine, runs teaching circles and postal courses as well as a working coven. Anna Franklin is the author of eighteen books on the Craft including the popular Sacred Circle Tarot, Midsummer, Lammas [with Paul Mason], and The Fairy Ring.

Customer Reviews

Beautiful deck...but not for beginners.
I am a Tarot beginner. I purchased this as my first deck and, to be completely honest, the reason for my choice was that I saw images from the deck on aeclectic.net and thought that the cards were "pretty."

I love the deck for a lot of reasons. The artwork is beautiful (though the photography doesn't blend well with the computer-gen art on several of the cards). The cards are large, so the details and symbolism are not lost. The choice of landscapes and plantlife depicted on the cards is always appropriate and, well, just lovely in general.

What I do NOT like about this deck is the book. This is not a deck geared to beginners and, though it has its merits, the book is confusing at times. The deck is not a traditional tarot deck, and several broad liberties have been taken in renaming and redefining parts of the Major Arcana. Only the barest descriptions and explanations of spreads are given (though quite a few are shown). More time is spent on the meditative qualities of the cards than on their use and/or meaning in divination. The divination paragraphs regarding each card are often wordy and full of "fluff" that goes with the lore and symbolism that the author put into the imagery. There is no discussion of the placement of different cards in the spread or the relationships between cards. In short, it is a book written with the idea that its reader will already know quite a bit about Tarot.

This deck is nicely done. I've truly enjoyed it. I feel connected to the deck, and I'm glad it was my first choice. My advice, however, to any other beginners, is that you start elsewhere (like the Rider deck which has SO many books and tutorials written about it) before diving into a "different" deck like this one.

A mixed bag, not for beginners
The Sacred Circle tarot is a lovely deck with beautiful, rich colours and a decidedly British Neo-Pagan slant. I would not recommend it for beginners, either beginning Tarot readers or those just starting on a Pagan path.

Five stars for the Major Arcana! There has been some re-ordering with which I do not necessarily agree, and some of the image substitution is difficult to integrate, but generally these cards are easy to understand and welcoming as well as beautiful. Easy to understand, that is, if you've been a practicing pagan for a while and have a good grounding in the underlying mythology. Oherwise you might have trouble.

The minor arcana is not so well done. Although they purport to show full images, many of the numbered suit cards are little better than pip cards and very hard to read. There are little one-word definitions on each card, but I find this annoying rather than helpful. There are inconsistencies in the imagery -- e.g., wands might appear as spears or arrows or wands depending on the card. Sometmes this is explained in the book, but I'm a firm believer in internal card logic, so I found the necessity of explanation irritating.

Throughout the deck the imagery and symbology is extremely personal to the makers. In most cases their actualy interpretations haven't changed so, once again, an experienced reader will be able to get it fairly easily but a beginner may not get the connections. There are also places where the main symbol of the card is either practically invisible or pretty much unintelligible without recourse to the book. This is something I really don't like. You can read these cards intuitively, but it takes some doing.

The book is a thick one and it gives detailed descriptions of every card, as well as an overview of the fool's journey and several new spreads you might want to try.

I probably would not have bought these cards if I had been able to examine a full deck in advance, but they are turning out to be quite popular with clients. Readings with them so far have stressed personal responsibility and introspection rather than outward action, and they tend to have a gentler feel than readings with some other decks. This is a good addition to a Pagan reader's toolkit -- not a starting point, but a deck with which to explore a particular focus more deeply.

A Tarot set for the Modern World!
At 11:30pm I am suddenly wakened by a loud crashing outside my window. My first thought was "What, did the balcony collapse?" Going to the balcony I see it's fine, I look below. There, on my neighbor's patio is a large branch off the tree not 10 feet away.

Shaken, now unable to sleep, I turn to the Tarot. The Sacred Circle Tarot has been my constant companion for not quire a month now. I shuffle, cut and draw a card. Page of Cups, keyword given by the author is Reflection. The image; a young man on one knee beside a small creek, trees and nature all around. He holds a silver cup. A fish jumps before him. He is deep in thought and reflection.

To me this is a card of emotional and intuitive perceptions, a cleansing and awakening. The author describes it on a personal level as being a time of reflecting on the experiences you've recently been through and beginning to see the great value within. It is a time of going within to examine the true self.

This is something I have very much been going through. I have recently been through some tough things and am beginning to pull myself back together. I woke tonight for a reason. Now as I sit here, I think that a bit of a shake me up was something I needed. The Page of Cups is telling me it's time to go within, see the truth of who I really am, re-asses things, and begin to truly move forward.

I think that just over the short period since the Sacred Circle Tarot arrived I have learned so much. This is a deck that has truly spoken to me. When the day cam that I expected the deck to be in my box, I drew a card; Four of Pentacles - Insecurity, Fear of not accomplishing goals. Wow, right on target! It was there!

When I first drew a card it was like magic. Key 15 - The Tower - Release, Move On, The way forward is clear. I set the rest of the deck down on the bed in front of me and began a close examination of the card. As I glanced up I saw that I had laid the deck down with the bottom card showing. Six of Cups - Memories, Innocence, Desire for change. The image was a distant view of that same tower.

The cards are truly beautiful! The deck combines photography of Ireland and the British Isles with images of people and computer imagery. The borders have plants and animals that apply to each card and the actual border frame representing the appropriate elemental correspondence. All together they give a vibrance and essence that makes me feel as though I really could walk right into the card. Meditating with this deck is amazing! Never before have I had such a feeling of oneness from Tarot Meditations.

Most books on a specific deck can tend to be rather dry and often either just restating the obvious or so into the background that interest is lost. Anna Franklin has done a great job of finding the happy middle point. Each card is described, symbolism and a brief introduction to the location shown, its myths and legends is discussed and the divinatory meaning is given. The Major Arcana discusses additional items such as what the Totem Animals present represent and the Fools Journey.

There are several changes to the Majors that I feel are quite appropriate and are well suited to this deck. The fool is changed to the Green Man as a symbol of primal energy. The High Priest is the Magician; The Lady, The Empress; The Lord, The Emperor; The Druid, The Heirophant; The Warrior, Strength; The Shaman, The Hermit; The Web, Justice; Sacrifice, The Hanged Man; Initiation, Temperance; The Underworld, The Devil; Rebirth, Judgement; and The World Tree, is The World. I wish I could describe each card, although the names are different the imagery and symbolism speaks clearly and true to the more traditional versions.

The author describes the Sacred Circle as a Celtic Pagan Journey. As a Pagan I do find this deck connects strongly with my very earth based beliefs. I also feel that it is something that anyone who chooses to pick up this deck and begin the dance of the Sacred Circle, Panag, Celtic or not, will find a well spring of spiritual growth and light.

May the Tarot speak to us all, and through the blessings of the God and Goddess may our spirits soar!

Closing Card - The Wheel - Ebb and Flow, Change, Growth, Intuition, Enlightenment.