Gilded Tarot Royale: A Deck is Reborn

Just a short time ago, a few South Florida Tarot friends and I were enjoying a meal at Ciro and Maria Marchetti's lovely home. Ciro pulled up an image of the Strength card from Gilded Tarot on his amazing computer. Then, he showed us another image. It was an image of the same Strength card, but it had been altered. The lion's mouth was different. The woman's dress was more detailed.

Ciro explained that he was interested in creating a new special edition of the Gilded Tarot, incorporating advances in both computer technology and his own tarot understanding.

Fast forward some months and the Gilded Tarot Royale has become a reality.

Amongst my students the original Gilded Tarot published by Llewellyn is a favorite. It does not contain the most traditional images, but there is an almost intangible appeal to this deck. Perhaps it is the colors, the cool steampunk feel of Marchetti's "retrotech" images, the masks, jesters and cosmic images that somehow blend together to create a tarot deck that stimulates the imagination and intuition.

The Gilded Tarot Royale is self-published. Its packaging, printing and cardstock are of the highest quality; arguably better than standard decks from most publishers. The deck is oversized with actual gilded edges.  It comes with a CD that includes a comprehensive PDF booklet. In the booklet, Ciro discusses each card, pointing out the changes and symbolism. The booklet also includes three spreads especially designed for this deck by members of the tarot community; Pamela Steele, Lee Bursten and me, Christiana Gaudet.

Ciro Marchetti's art style has made a definite mark on modern tarot. I believe there are new tarot students whose entire visual experience of tarot is based on Marchetti's work, rather than the Waite deck in the yellow box that readers of my generation identify as their first introduction to tarot art.

The miraculous thing about Marchetti's work is that he paints entirely in pixels. Of course advancements in computer technology would afford him more detail and nuance in his pictures. And that is primarily what I see in this new deck; more nuances. The faces of the characters are more detailed, as are the costumes. The quality of the art is better overall. In a way, it is like the difference between an animated movie and a live-action movie. The message may be the same but the live-action film evokes more emotion, and is more fun to watch.

There are some symbolic changes as well. In Major Arcana Six, the Lovers, the man is now transparent. Is he real, or simply a figment of the woman's imagination? This helps us to focus on the deeper meaning of the Lovers, and is a nice correction to the rather simplistic Lover's card in the original deck.

The Gilded Royale Hermit is contemplating a snake. In Strength, the chains with which the woman controls the lion are more apparent. The Chariot is drastically changed. The Charioteer, though still female, is now regal, balanced and determined.

The Gilded Royale in no way diminishes the original Gilded. Gilded Tarot may be flawed, but it is also well-loved. If you are one of the few who didn't love the original Gilded, it is worth giving this new deck a try. The art is better, and the symbolism is better.

If you, like me, love your Gilded Tarot, you also need this new edition, simply for its beauty and maturity. It is like seeing a small child you once knew now grown into an adult.

A Review of Ghosts & Spirits Tarot

Ghosts & Spirits Tarot
Deck by Lisa Hunt
Published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Review by Christiana Gaudet

Few tarot artists have created as many tarot decks as the incomparable Lisa Hunt.  I often credit Hunt, as well as tarot artists Kris Walderr and Julie Cuccia-Watts, with bringing to life a new tarot tradition, one I refer to as “archetypal assignment.”

Hunt has worked on joint projects with famed Pagan writer D.J. Conway.  Hunt’s new deck, Ghosts & Spirits Tarot, from U.S. Games Systems, Inc., is another of her solo projects.  As much as I love her Celtic Dragon Tarot, I have to say I enjoy Hunt’s solo projects better than her collaborations.  The reason is this.  Lisa Hunt seems to be a relentless perfectionist.  Few people have her stamina, dedication and talent.  Hunt is multi-talented.  She is an accomplished musician, hard-working parent and even excels at martial arts.  While those talents don’t specifically translate into the creation of a tarot deck, they are a testament to her dedication to excellence.  I think that excellence shines through best when she is allowed to take a project and run with it on her own.

One talent that does translate to the creation of a tarot deck is Hunt’s skill as a writer.  Ghosts & Spirits Tarot comes with a standard “Little White Book” that is anything but standard.  In the introduction, Hunt writes about her beliefs about the spirit world, her motivation to create this deck and her hopes for its use, in a way that is nothing short of inspiring. 

Her card descriptions are equally evocative, and evidence of another of Hunt’s talents.  Hunt is a phenomenal researcher.  She has illustrated each card of Ghosts & Spirits Tarot with a myth, story or legend about the spirit word.  These stories come from all over the world.  The Little White Book gives us enough detail of each story to understand not only the interpretation of the card, but also why Hunt chose a particular story to illustrate a particular card.

Archetypal assignment tarot decks offer a great opportunity for tarot education.  While the card images of this deck, and decks like it, do not follow traditional tarot images, they help us to understand the archetype of each card, and the archetypal nature of tarot.  In this deck, we see how those archetypes are expressed by the stories told around the world about death, the afterlife, and how spirits might interact with the world of the living.

Some of the stories used in this deck are obviously fiction, such as Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” used skillfully to depict Major Arcana 16, The Tower.  Others come from ancient spiritual beliefs, such as the Egyptian Judgment of the Dead, used to illustrate Major Arcana 20, Judgment.

One of my favorites is Major Arcana 19, The Sun, which is illustrated by the story of the Grateful Dead.  Yes, I love this myth because it lent its name to my favorite band of all time.  But I also love it because of the spiritual truth it tells; a truth appropriate for both the cultural phenomenon of the Grateful Dead band, and the traditional meaning of the Sun card.

Ghosts & Spirits Tarot is standard sized.  The Minor Arcana suit and Court designations are traditional.  The Minor Arcana is as brilliantly detailed as the Major.  The suit icons appear in their correct number in each Minor Arcana card, but you might have to hunt to see them.  The elemental associations of the Minor Arcana are not a focus.

The Devil card has been renamed “Chains,” as it is in some others of Hunt’s decks.  It is ironic that Hunt did not choose to use the Christian myth of Hell to illustrate the Devil card, but overall I am comfortable with the new tradition of the “Chains” card.

There is a 79^th card. This is becoming a new tarot tradition, one of which I don’t entirely approve. The 79^th card of Ghosts & Spirits Tarot has no name, and seemingly no place in the deck.  In her introduction, Hunt tells us this card “is for questions that require deeper reflection.  Let the ghosts and spirits talk to you and help you dissolve the barrier between conscious constraint and objective inner reflection.”  Hmmm…I thought that was what all the tarot cards were supposed to do.

However, in defense of the 79^th card tradition, I will say this.  I have chosen to leave the “Unknown Card” in my Crystal Visions Tarot deck, and it does come up in amazingly appropriate ways.  I am sure the 79^th card in Ghosts and Spirit Tarot will do the same.  Beyond that, if you don’t like the 79^th card, you can always leave it in the box.

Artists such as Lisa Hunt have elevated tarot art to a completely new level.  Let’s face it; quite a number of symbolic and useful tarot decks are not as skillfully illustrated as the decks produced by Lisa Hunt and some of her contemporaries.

How we should use Ghosts & Spirits Tarot is an interesting question.  It is not a great deck for a beginner looking to learn basic tarot tradition.  It will be a fine oracle for a tarot reader of any level of experience willing to read the Little White Book and learn the cards as Hunt has created them.  For a serious student of tarot, an advanced reader or a collector, this deck is a must-have.

Here’s what I am thinking, though.  I often use tarot as a way of communicating with those who have passed on.  For me, tarot is a true tool of mediumship.  I also often use tarot to bring comfort and understanding to the bereaved.  Sometimes I am called to “read a house” whose owner is disturbed by the suspicion of a ghostly presence.  Dealing with death, dying, and the spirit world is certainly a job for traditional tarot.  Is it possible that, because of its subject matter, Ghosts & Spirits Tarot could be an even more potent tool for these pursuits?  Could this deck be a specific fit to aid in ghost-hunting, house-clearing and spirit communication?

As with all my decks, only time will tell how this one wants to be used.  I am stunned by the possibilities.