Product Description

An Enchanting Faerie Tarot Imagine yourself in a long-forgotten garden. The grass shimmers and whispers; colorful wildflowers seesaw lazily in the breeze. A meandering path invites you to venture further into the enchanting world of faeries, sprites, elves, and nymphs to discover the magic and possibility in your own life. Featuring beautiful watercolor artwork by renowned fantasy artist Linda Ravenscroft and a charming guidebook by popular tarot author Barbara Moore, the Mystic Faerie Tarot presents: ~ A magical "faerie tale" for each suit ~ An introduction to tarot and quick reference guide for beginners ~ Original faerie-themed spreads, such as Dew Drop, Acorn to Oak, and A Nighttime Forest Stroll

One of Aeclectic Tarot's Top Ten Decks for 2007!

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45422 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780738709215
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author

The tarot has been a part of Barbara Moore’s personal and professional lives for over a decade. In college, the tarot intrigued her with its marvelous blending of mythology, psychology, art, and history. Later, she served as the tarot specialist for Llewellyn Publications. Over the years, she has been active in the American Tarot Association and has spoken at tarot conferences around the United States. Barbara’s articles on the tarot have appeared in several tarot publications and in Llewellyn Publications New Worlds of Mind and Spirit magazine. She has also sat on the Tarot Journal editorial board. Barbara’s own education in the tarot has been and continues to be broad and enlightening. She has studied under renowned tarot scholars Mary K. Greer and Rachel Pollack, and she has taught the tarot to all manner of would-be tarot readers.

Barbara enjoys the challenge of giving a voice to tarot cards and oracle decks.  She has had the good fortune to write books for several decks, including A Guide to Mystic Faerie Tarot, The Gilded Tarot Companion, The Hip Witch Tarot, Enchanted Oracle and The Mystic Dreamer Tarot.

Linda Ravenscroft is a self-taught British artist. From art prints to cards to ceramics, her art has been published around the world. Her fantasy images have also appeared in magazines, books, and calendars. For over a decade, Barbara Moore (Minnesota) has studied and practiced tarot. She is a Certified Tarot Reader through the American Tarot Association and has spoken at tarot conferences around the country.
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Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Why Tarot?

The tarot has been used for fortunetelling, for people to try to see what the future holds. But this is not the best use of the cards, for the future is not set in stone, and you do have the power to make your own fortune. You can use the tarot to see what happened in the past that is affecting your present. You can see what is happening now that you should be aware of. And you can, it is true, see what the probable future holds — but that future is always being remade with every moment that passes. Within those moments, you can make decisions that will change the future.

Why is the tarot so effective? What makes the tarot different from any other deck of cards? The tarot is not a random collection of pretty pictures and odd names. It is a carefully designed deck that covers all aspects of the human experience—from major events like graduating college to everyday happenings like having an argument with a loved one. It can even show personality traits of yourself or of other people in your life.

How does it do that? A tarot deck has seventy-eight cards divided into three main parts: the Major Arcana, the Minor Arcana, and the court cards. Each of these sections covers a different aspect of life. Arcana means "mystery" or "secret."

The twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana are identified by a name (like the Magician, the Empress, Death, or the Sun) and a Roman numeral. The images on the Major Arcana show the major events in life. They serve as signposts defining where you are on your path. You can also use them for insight about what to expect when facing these major events.

The Minor Arcana is made up of forty cards. They are divided into four suits—Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles—with an ace through ten in each suit. Each card is labeled with its number and suit. The Minor Arcana show events and situations that we face in everyday life. Each of the suits focuses on a different part of everyday life, such as career, emotions, problems, and money. While they lack the star appeal of the Major Arcana, the Minor Arcana do make up the majority of your life. Don't make the mistake, as some do, of thinking they are second-rate cards.

There are sixteen court cards, with a king, a queen, a knight, and a page for each of the suits in the Minor Arcana. Each card, like the Minors, is labeled with its title and suit. These cards show both the various people in our lives and the different aspects of our own personality.

Because of the tarot's unique design, it defines all aspects of the human experience incredibly well. The tarot consists of more than words, more than card names and simple interpretations that cleanly and conveniently label these experiences—for life is anything but clean and convenient. The words do provide a framework and basic understanding, but the pictures on the cards are essential to the tarot's power. It's when you look at the pictures that the magic happens.

Often when you think you don't know what to do, you really do. But fear or logic or what other people think gets in the way. The tarot can help you get past those things and find the answers in your heart. To get to those answers, you need a bridge, a place where your heart can communicate with your mind. Sometimes this place is called the imagination—where you can entertain different possibilities. The pictures on the tarot cards create a connection between your conscious mind and your inner self, a space where you can access the answers that reside in your heart. When you are in this realm, you can see things that normally are hidden. Possibilities and answers that seemed so elusive before are now more accessible.

The names of the cards and the structure of the deck into sections are orderly and rational. They are the language of your conscious mind and help it feel more comfortable. The pictures are the language of your inner self. When you put the words and pictures together, you have the tarot—a perfect bridge between your mind and your heart. When doing your readings and interpreting the cards, remember that the words in this book are here to help you—though they will not have all the answers. To get the complete story, you must look carefully at the pictures and let your mind play with the images. Pay attention to things that stand out. The thoughts and feelings that are triggered by the images may very well mean more to you than the words in this book.

As amazing as the tarot is, there is something different and more powerful when faeries are added, especially when the faeries inhabit a world created by Linda Ravenscroft. While the faeries she paints are without question intensely beautiful, they are more than that, in both style and substance. Stylistically, she presents complex and compelling images that provide not just a bridge but also a veritable playground for your imagination. Her work invites you to explore the depths of the faerie garden and to interact with the beings inhabiting it. It more than invites; it compels. Linda's art creates a luminous portal that more fully draws you into a realm of otherworldliness so that you can let go and be open to all possibilities.

If her only achievement were stylistic, that would be quite enough to set Mystic Faerie apart from other tarot decks. However, she brings deeper substance as well. While creating this deck, Linda said, "I believe that we all have a little bit of faerie magic within our hearts helping us to make the right decisions in our...(Continues)

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Customer Reviews

A Delightful Tarot Kit
"The faeries of Mystic Faerie Tarot will help guide your way through the garden. The garden is really your life, and the tarot can help you find your path. You can use it to explore possibilities so that you can make better decisions. If you make better decisions, you can create the life you long to live." - From the companion book by Barbara Moore

In a garden strewn with red speckled toadstools and iridescent pearls, magical blue roses and ripe juicy berries, resides the enchanted world of the Mystic Faerie Tarot. Playful, resolute, curious and helpful, all manner of personality and appearance find expression among the sparkling, fluttering wings of the faeries.

From the Fool to the Wheel, the Hanged Fae to the World, the sprites, elves, faeries and nymphs of the Major Arcana demonstrate a deep connectedness to nature, imparting visionary insight to humans if we but take the time to listen carefully and closely.

The Minor Arcana cards of the Mystic Faerie Tarot are delightfully unique, for each suit weaves a special tale of exploration, discovery, industry and duty--as well as loss, love, triumph and adversity. With bloodied thorns and magical blue roses, the Sword suit speaks a cautionary tale about attempting to eliminate all pain and disruption from life.

The Pentacles suit shows the story of a self-assured, assiduous fae, while the Cups illustrate the power of understanding and effort in building relationships. The Wands suit tells the lively account of two young friends who make a pact to find their fortune--but whose actions lead them down unexpected paths.

Among the four suits are Knaves, Knights, Queens and Kings, representing the people and energies surrounding issues both significant and mundane. The card backing features a simple design that is fully reversible and there are two extra cards in the deck: a Faerie Greeting and a Faerie Farewell. The Mystic Faerie Tarot box set comes with a lovely gold organdy bag with satin drawstrings, as well as a bronze cardboard storage box that matches the border color.

The exquisite images from self-taught British artist Linda Ravenscroft imbue the Mystic Faerie Tarot with gentle beauty and animated expressiveness--making this an immensely readable deck. In fact, as soon as I began looking through the Minor Arcana, I soon realized--with surprise and delight!--that each suit unfolded to impart a special "faerie tale".

Author Barbara Moore provides brief, lucid Tarot instruction in the 284-page companion book, but also demonstrates some impressive storytelling chops. Reading the vivid parables was an enjoyable experience in itself, but I gained additional insights into various cards because of her uncanny observations.

For example, when describing The Hermit--my favorite card in the Tarot--Barbara observes that this particular fae is on a solitary, life-long quest with no expectation of an end. He examines the wisdom that other faeries have left behind so "he can compare the collective social beliefs to those that reside in his own heart."

Noting his ragged, loosely stitched cap, she comments that "what he thinks and believes is constantly pieced together as time and new knowledge changes what he thinks" advising to "Release what doesn't work, keep what does, and continually re-create your own belief system." This is, indeed, what I've done to survive and thrive in the world, and it was fascinating to read her perceptive observations about the fae, Tarot and life in general.

At first, I felt that the images of the Mystic Faerie Tarot were too cluttered, especially with the large, ornate frames painted by the artist. But as I began to work with this deck, I came to see the filigreed borders as portals into the faerie realm--a place inviting humans to listen closely, look carefully, and access timeless wisdom that honored nature and the interconnectivity of all things.

The Mystic Faerie Tarot surprised me on several levels, most notably the affinity I forged with this compelling deck. Why this is surprising is that, before now, I didn't feel any connection to faeries--feeling that the subject matter was mostly frilly, frothy, and fanciful--lacking substantive relevance or commentary to the "real world" of humans.

However, after working with this deck--and performing several of the excellent spreads found in the companion book--I now count it among my favorites! I feel as if I've found some new friends that are unfailingly honest, non-judgmental and uncannily visionary.

If you love elves, faeries, gnomes and nymphs, you'll no doubt love the Mystic Faerie Tarot. However, even if you don't feel that you resonate with this magical world so intrinsically tied to the Earth, you may want to try this box set anyway because, like me, you could end up discovering an enchanted realm filled with new friends and fresh insights.

(To see 12 images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

Mystic Faerie has beauty, depth, charm with a few negatives.
I've had this set about 2 months now and I am throughly loving it. I didn't think I would love a more "fluffy" deck so much, but I do. I think it is the unqiue use of colours that the illustrator chose to use. More subdued greens, blues, purples, reds etc.

The faeries in the Major arcana are just breathtaking. Explosion of colour and evocative emotion. You can read so much in their faces. My favourites are the Empress, The Hermit, The Tower (a faery tree!) and Death, which looks more like a beautiful faery moth with deathhead's wings. I love how the Magician is juggling playing cards. There is much deeper meaning to that let me tell you (I read with PC's as well).

Now the minors scale down the vibrancy and artwork quite a bit. I really wish she had kept up the style into the minors as she used in the majors. While there are many cards I adore, some fall short and I find static and hard to read. The suit of pentacles is just the most sweetest, warm and gorgeous suit in this deck. The cups I was confused about as they're supposed to be nymphs but are clearly mermaids. Also realistically, how are the mermaids supposed to be walking about on land with a fin? I don't like this suit for the most part. While some of the cards are charming, no matter how hard I try I can't look at a photo of a mermaid just hovering there (what is she floating?), it just takes away from my pleasure of the deck. The swords and wands have some gorgeous cards. Knave of Swords....wow!

I haven't been reading or using the book too often. I thought the writing was not up to standard and the fairytale stories a bit too simplistic and really narrowly focused the meanings of the suits and cards. I was expecting better writing and exploration of the suits with these stories, so I was let down in that aspect. If you read without the book though, I think the pictures can open up and tell you a lot. But if you go by the book meanings, it might be too constricting. The spreads contained in the back are wonderful though and my favourite is the Rose Petal Spread.

All in all, if you love faeries, I am certain you will love this deck. As a reading deck it is giving me gentle, but firm messages and reads quite easy. I think the use of colours and the charming borders really make this deck stand out from others in the genre.

Great Tarot Deck - Worth Every Cent I Paid Plus
This deck is exceptional - I find when I do a reading with this deck it seems to go right to the area needed......
The cards I find I have to look really well at the picture as some of them are close in color to the border of the cards, but it sure doesn't take away from the deck or book in any way
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