The Illuminated Tarot: 53 Cards for Divination & Gameplay (The Illuminated Art Series)

You might wonder how a "real" Tarot deck could consist of just 53 cards. That's what I wondered too, until I got the deck and began using and studying it. The author "folded" the Majors and Minors together so that some cards do double-duty as either a Minor or Major or both, depending on how the reader wishes to interpret them or where the cards fall in a layout. In other words, you can give the Major/Minor cards as much weight in a reading as you like. But all the Minors (Clubs=Wands, Spades=Swords, Diamonds=Pentacles, Hearts=Cups) and all the 22 Majors are represented and accounted for (see the attached image), along with the very appropriate addition of a Joker card for the Fool. The Pages and Knights were blended into a single Jack, and this works quite nicely with combining the qualities of those two court cards into one. Each card has its suit symbol and either a number or court indication, but no words are used.

The author based this Tarot on a traditional 52-card playing deck, and it could work for such purposes if you like. But it can also be used just as you would any other Tarot. It actually makes perfect sense that the author designed the deck this way, since one of the theories about the origins of contemporary Tarot is that it evolved from a standard deck of playing cards. So although this seems like a giant leap away from what many people have come to accept as the quintessential Tarot -- a deck of 78 cards, with 56 Minors (including four court cards and 22 Majors) -- this might be more of an "authentic" deck or perhaps a revisiting of Tarot's past. So don't let the uncommon construction of this deck put you off. It actually is a real Tarot -- just different from what you might expect.

The cards themselves are phenomenally designed. The size (3.5 x 5 inches) is perfect, despite their larger-than-normal dimensions. Because there are fewer cards in the deck, the larger size of the cards is extremely easy to handle. I have very petite hands, but I can shuffle (riffle or under/over) with ease. The finish on the cards is magnificent. There's a heavy coating with a linen-like matte finish. This keeps the cards from showing fingerprints or dirt, making them easy to keep clean. The cards stick together a bit initially, perhaps because of the vertical "linen" lines in the finish. But the more you work with and shuffle them, the less this happens and the more they "soften" up and become "loose." This is my ideal size and finish for Tarot cards, so I couldn't be more pleased with them.

The backs are gorgeous and reversible. The colors are cream, black, and white. There are no gilded edges with this deck, which I'm very happy about, since that tends to flake off and make a bit of a mess on hands and reading cloths. The edges do initially "shed" a bit from where they were cut at the print shop, but that diminishes with use. There are moderately wide borders on the cards, but some of the artwork intentionally bleeds into them, so I wouldn't suggest trimming the borders. They're perfect just as they are.

The lavish illustrations are fresh, simple, and modern, but not precious or cloying, and the images have depth and inspire intuition. The colors are clear and distinct to each suit but create a well-coordinated family. Wands/Clubs: orange, green, and blue; Diamonds/Pentacles, soft yellow, burnt orange, violet/purple, green, and light brown; Hearts/Cups: red/pink, orange, brown, and green; Swords/Spades: blue, deep purple, violet, deep brown. As with any deck, there are some cards I’m greatly drawn to and others less so, but there aren’t any that totally turn me off. The artwork incorporates a combination of animals, plants, symbols, and ethnically ambiguous humans.

It can take a little time and study to understand why the author chose certain Minors to mesh with particular Majors, but her choices mainly follow and represent traditional Tarot concepts and make sense to me. In general, they’re paired based on conventional meanings/interpretations, numerical value, or energy/suit. What's especially intriguing is that many of the cards, including the Jacks, are reversible (just like standard playing cards)!

The box is incredibly sturdy and beautiful, and it's even embossed! It has an inner "cupped" holder to keep the cards secure and a ribbon to help pull them out. If you like to store your cards in a box or bag when they aren't in use, you definitely won't have to purchase anything additional.

The LWB is actually a small, full-color booklet with key words for each card and a few simple layouts. There's not a lot of explanation of much else, which some readers might consider a good thing. I'd like to know more about the author's reasoning behind certain Minor/Major matches and her use of color and symbols, but they are nevertheless clear and consistent among the suits.

This is a very easy deck to use and learn, and it's one I'd recommend for both beginners and seasoned Tarotists. Although beginners might not get to know the customary numbers for the Majors by using this deck, it really may not matter, since all the Majors are represented here in a very unique and compelling way. A bonus of this Tarot deck is that it will teach you how to read a regular playing-card deck should you ever need or want to.

It's tough to come up with original approaches to Tarot, and most contemporary decks either stick with the traditional 78 cards or even add a few extra ones. This is the first time I've come across a full deck that takes a more "condensed" approach, but I must say that I'm impressed.

The Illuminated Tarot, is an oversized deck of 53 fully illustrated and boldly colored cards resembling a standard playing card deck. The four suits have playing card indices (Spades, Hearts, Clubs, and Diamonds) with the illustration influenced by the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot suits (Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles). But what makes this deck truly unique is that some of the cards are associated with a Major Arcana (not Minor Arcana) card. I think of these cards as having been "promoted" -- if you are of a mystical mindset, you may think of them as being "lifted to a higher vibration."

Examples:
* The Ace of Clubs depicts a lion holding a RWS-like Ace of Wands. It has been promoted to the Major Arcana card Strength.

* The Eight of Hearts has a large, reversible red face of a moon, which is suggestive of the RWS card Eight of Cups and its figure that is walking away under the light of the moon. This card has been promoted to The Moon.

* The Two of Spades is a closeup of an upside down and blindfolded face, suggesting the visual element of the "hoodwinked maiden" in a RWS deck. This card has been promoted to The Hanged Man.

* The Nine of Diamonds, with its abstract pond and garden, has been promoted to The Hermit. This is similar to the solitary garden of the woman depicted in a standard RWS Nine of Pentacles.

It is clear that the author-illustrator Caitlin Keegan has a deep understanding of the Major and Minor Arcana. She made excellent choices throughout her deck as to which cards to promote to the Major Arcana. I would not be surprised if her system becomes adopted by folks who read with playing cards. (Yes, it's that good.)

The size and presentation of the deck, with its beautiful gold embossed clamshell box and its full-color companion booklet, suggests that is a art deck. But a deck this well-designed and executed begs to be used! I look forward to working with The Illuminated Tarot and it will definitely be on my Top Ten Decks for 2017.

Preordered this deck in October and it was worth the wait! I love the deck, the artwork, and how it reads! It's been a great deck to use since I got it and plan to use it often! While the cards are much larger than I thought they would be, I'm still happy. I have very long fingers so bigger cards are no issue for me. :)

The Illuminated Tarot is a tarot deck that's been created using just the 52 cards of a standard playing card deck (plus a 53rd card for The Fool), rather than the 78 cards that usually comprise a tarot deck. I'm not a playing-card reader, but I am an avid tarot reader, so I wasn't sure how the deck would work for me. But the imagery on this tarot/playing card deck is so gorgeous--and the price so reasonable--that I was happy to take a chance on it just to see the images up close and personal. And they fulfill their on-line promise beautifully, in hand.

Bright, graphic, and personality-filled, the cards are a joy to look at. I assumed they would be standard playing card size, but in fact they are oversized cards. At 5" high by 3.5" wide, their proportions are closer to playing cards than to the taller, narrower standard tarot deck. Their generous size allows the viewer to see all the details of the artwork (which is a particular pleasure for someone with aging eyes).

So, how does deck creator/artist Caitlin Keegan get a 78-card tarot into 53 cards? Very cleverly! First, she eliminated the four Knights, leaving her court cards as Jack (Page), Queen, and King. But all the other cards are there! Really! By making some very sharp connections between the Majors and the Minors, she gets 21 of the cards to do double duty. For instance, the Ace of Wands is also Strength: That card illustration (did I mention clever?) shows a lion holding a wand in its mouth.

Some of the connections work better--that is to say, more immediately--for me than others, but all of them make me think, most bring a smile of recognition and understanding, and one, Seven of Swords/Chariot, brought tears to my eyes. (Not sure why. I do have thing for horses, though.) I won't list any of the other pairings, as it would spoil the fun of discovering them for yourself.

But you're not left to decipher the "translations" on your own. Keegan provides a beautifully designed, full-color "little white book," which reveals where the doubles appear. Her card meanings do not stick strictly to standard Rider-Waite-Smith meanings, but stray a bit here and there, perhaps toward Crowley, maybe toward playing-card divination. However, although I'm neither a Crowley-style reader nor a playing-card reader, I found the images expressed themselves clearly to me.

I did a quick four-card reading for a friend, to test drive the deck, and WOW! It really delivered! So smart, so spot on, and so easy to interpret. I was surprised and impressed! And, like every deck worth its salt, it gave me new insights about the cards drawn.

Like the playing cards their graphic vibe borrows from, many of the cards are mirror-image reversible. And the suits are Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades, rather than tarot's Wands, Coins, Cups, and Swords.

Deck and cards are housed together in a useful, beautifully designed hard-shell box that hinges on the left side. A ribbon lays across the well the cards lie in, to facilitate removing the cards.

My only disappointment is the card stock. It's too "paper-y" for my taste, feeling a lot like cardboard, rather than playing-card or tarot stock. However, I've riffle-shuffled the cards pretty thoroughly, and they held up just fine, so far. But for sure I'm going to purchase another copy. Just in case. And because this deck rocks.

This is an interesting combination of tradition and novelty. In the interest of full disclosure, let me start by saying that I have about 15 tarot/oracle/lenormand decks ranging from super intuitive/no written interpretations or meanings for the deck to the more traditional Rider-Waite-Smith deck with full on book to my oldest, dearest and most oft used (round) deck, Daughter of the Moon. Because the deck I am most acquainted with and resonate with most deeply is my non-traditional DOTM deck, I am finding this deck not as intuitive for me - BUT I am excited to become more familiar with it.

This deck will take a little getting used to because the artist folded major and minor arcana in to 53 cards, jacks becoming a melding of Page and Knight cards. I'm definitely needing to refer to the enclosed booklet to learn which cards represent what (which do double duty, etc.) and while I like the idea of the simplicity of the booklet, I find myself wanting a lot more info from it and while I love the unadulterated card imagery, the descriptions are so simple they could almost be written right on each card, making interpretation easier for beginners (although this would definitely mar the beauty of them). So, I've found myself referring to my RWS book in conjunction with the enclosed booklet. I find this very helpful and realize that for those already highly familiar with the RW/S system, these cards will be far easier to interpret.

The artwork is earthy, colorful, bold and really beautiful. I am biased against super light, flowery, saccharine or highly airbrushed looking art. While beautiful, It just isn't for me. These really resonate with me and are far less potentially confrontational and unconventional imagery for people than my beloved BOTM deck. This is highly advantageous when reading for a variety of people (one reason I like having multiple decks; the person receiving the reading can choose the one they are most drawn to).

The cards are sturdy and not overly glossy, so fingerprints don't show as much. Edges are still shedding a bit on my reading cloth, but I assume that will dissipate with use. They have a white, rounded edge border and some of the art overlaps it so I wouldn't suggest trimming them, but the border isn't overly visually offensive on these, so its fine. card size is larger than regular playing cards (even though these double as playing cards) and as I have small hands, they won't be very comfortable as playing cards, but they are a good size for readings. I tend to keep my cards out on a silk velvet cloth and just cover the whole array with a silk organza scarf, for super easy selection and use, however, if you like storing your cards in their packaging then these cards are perfect for you! The box they come in is sturdy, decorative and easy to use because they included a "lifting ribbon" for easy removal of the cards. The booklet fits neatly in the box, too.

Overall, I really like these unusual cards. They are a nice addition to my collection and I am already enjoying using them more than some of the others I've had for years. They are worth the extra effort for me and providing great impetus to become more familiar with tradition tarot meanings (as I gravitate towards other systems). I am strongly considering getting another deck to give as a gift not only because of all the reasons I've listed but also because of their multiple use aspect, since my friend dabbles very lightly in tarot, the playing card aspect makes them more desirable.

Everything about this deck—from the feel of the stock to the structure of the reading system—is different from traditional RWS type decks. Which suits me fine. I'm a big fan of non-traditional decks. But while I'm always fine with non-traditional art and interpretations, I'm rarely enamored with anything that breaks the 78-card mold. This deck does that in some really interesting ways, so it won me over.

Keegan found ways to work the majors into the 40 cards of the pips, and she reduced the courts to twelve by combining the pages and knights. An example of working the majors into the minors is the Two of Spades (Swords) doubling as the Hanged Man. It makes perfect sense to me. Both have their perspective skewed, both are taking a pause. I thought it was clever. There were other examples like that in the deck, too, such as the Seven of Spades doubling as The Chariot and The Four of Spades doubling as Death's cycle of renewal.

The art is very graphic. Some have an updated hippie rock poster sort of vibe, with lots of little details to peruse. And others are very simple almost like wood cut kind of images. All of them felt "new-age modern retro" to me, which has its own story to tell within each card. And most are fully illustrated, while a small handful come close to being TdM style pips. I'm not into non-illustrated pips, but even in the less illustrated ones, she inserts something clever and evocative. My favorite is that, on the Four Of Diamonds/Coins, a king is peeking through one of the coins, checking to make the sure the others are still there. How clever is that?! It's also interesting to note that, while the suit may be Hearts, she uses Cups in her illustrations. Diamonds used Coins (with diamonds on them). Same for all the suits...playing card suits, but with tarot suit imagery.

Now, I will say that the book meanings were hit and miss for me based on the vibe I was getting off one card or another. Overall, the book meanings were skewed to the cheery and positive, which could make the deck more mainstream, along with the 53-card structure—a deck of playing cards plus the Fool as the Joker. Totally approachable for the tarot-curious. And maybe I'm getting things from the images the artist didn't intend. But that's OK, because the deck is sparking all sorts of new tarot neurons for me regardless. And I've been reading tarot for 30 years and have a collection of hundreds of decks, so my neurons are pretty jaded. I don't usually get excited enough about a deck to review it.

Finally, the packaging is flawless. A sturdy hinged box and first-class presentation. The card stock is thick and sturdy, along the lines of a Schiffer deck, but superior. The cards have a matte gloss finish and the ink (I think) creates a lightly ridged surface to the cards. This creates the perfect friction for shuffling right out of the box. The feel is very different than you're used to, but in a pleasant way. For the price, everything about it is high quality.

If you're RWS all the way and uptight about people who mess with tarot's sacred structure, steer clear of this deck. But if you just love exploring decks and different interpretations and perspectives in cartomancy and tarot, give this one a try. And if you know nothing about tarot and just want to have fun and tell fortunes, this is the perfect toe in the water. It is not the same experience as a true, 78-card deck, but it sure is an attractive, approachable alternative.

Brilliant Idea, incorporating the Major Arcana into a 53-card deck. The way it is done makes good sense. I didn't expect a lot of info in the book. I see it as a way for experienced Tarot readers to understand the pairing of the Major and Minor cards. I wish it had been published on glossy paper to accentuate the bright colors. The cards themselves are VERY thick with a satin finish, and difficult to shuffle. It comes in a nice navy blue box with gold artwork on it, which contains the book and the cards. Overall, I do recommend this deck. The artwork is delightful and it will teach intermediate readers how to do a more comprehensive reading with any standard deck of playing cards.

These cards are beautiful. The artwork is simply stunning; I especially love the cards with cats on them. The artist is very talented. The card stock is thick and appears to be very durable, which I love. They're bigger cards than many of my other decks, which is both good and bad, since I enjoy how easy it is to see the details in the artwork but feel it will be difficult to find a box the right size for them (I typically hand decorate boxes for each of my decks and a standard deck fits nicely into most craft boxes).

The book is only somewhat useful... I do wish they had dedicated a full page to each card in the deck and given more details about how to read each card. That would have been important to me since this deck is more of an oracle deck than an actual tarot deck, in my opinion. It's still lovely and well worth the money, in my opinion.

I got this deck with my wife and I thought it would be different but I didn’t know just how different it would be. There is little to no explanation of all the cards even though the author went ahead and added 3 extra meanings to every card by combing major and minor suits and she just got rid of the knights, if you read her actual website it clearly states that the jack only covers pages NOT knights, she just forgot the knights I guess. Also when trying to look up what the tree different meanings are to each card since it’s not anywhere online it turns out you have to pay her on Patreon to find out all the true meanings....FREŸR sees your greed

The cards are a ridiculous size and they are just playing cards. No major arcana and the artwork is not nearly as good as I expected. Sorry but I am incredibly disappointed in theses cards.