Tarot & Oracle
The Tarot is at its tabletop practical basis a deck of decorated cards. Its order and appearance began to be somewhat uniform in the Renaissance, roughly the 15th Century. More complex meanings and purposes of this tool of gamesmanship seem to have begun early in the 18th Century, eventually growing and roaming into the wide spectrum of entertainment, interrogation, divination, and cartomancy that we know today.
A friend introduced me to the I Ching in college, and I quickly understood it to be an effective and enjoyable method of psychological investigation. After years of being put off by some of the more arcane and ambitious claims of tarot enthusiasts, I finally saw the analogy to the I Ching. After many years of resisting carrying the tarot in the store, I now stock it in the simple and inquiring spirit of my understanding. I am attracted to eye-catching art, of course, and I like the idea of cats being involved, of course, although I suspect cats may be more interested in pushing the cards off the table than in being supportive familiars. I respect the tarot’s history, and I will seek out books that place in the context of its origin and survival.
I am aware that the supply and diversity of decks is enormous, but I begin simply and humbly, alert to what my customers like.
The Antique Anatomy Tarot: Deck and Guidebook for the Modern Reader
The Antique Anatomy Tarot: Deck and Guidebook for the Modern Reader
Natural history meets spirituality in a deluxe boxed set of cards and guidebook by Claire Goodchild, owner of the design studio Black and the Moon.
A tarot kit for the modern mystic, creatively reimagined with antique botanicals and anatomical drawings, here is a foil-stamped keepsake box containing a 78-card tarot deck and an accompanying guidebook.
The cards, which feature illustrations of vintage anatomical drawings collaged with plants and flowers, represent a fresh and creative interpretation of the tarot archetypes. Special features include:
Hinged-lid keepsake box with foil stamping
A 78-card deck
An 80-page full-color guidebook, including the complete Major and Minor Arcana, reinterpreted in unique full-color art
Additional card information for the Major Arcana, such as their ruling planet and element
In the accompanying guidebook, Goodchild provides insightful descriptions of the meaning of every card. With beautifully styled photography and accessible text, she explains how to set up different types of readings—including Celtic Cross and Moon Cycle spreads—and clearly outlines the numerological, elemental, and astrological associations of the cards (powerful information to have at your fingertips when you are doing readings).
This is a beautifully illustrated book and deck. The illustrations are bright and dynamic, and the guidebook has insightful general tarot tips and references: colors, numbers, and relationships between the Major Arcana come into play within the deck itself, and these are outlined in vivid detail and description in order to teach you how to handle all future readings. In the book, the individual cards are two per page, with easy-to-digest descriptions for each.
Thoughtfully and beautifully conceived, The Antique Anatomy Tarot is an inspiring tool for spiritual and personal development.
Claire Goodchild is an award-winning artist specializing in tarot and astrology. Her company, Black and the Moon, has been featured in Flare magazine, the acclaimed morning show BT Toronto, the AMEX 2017 Campaign, and Refinery 29. Goodchild was the 2016 Etsy Award winner in the illustration and paper category and her line of prints was carried exclusively by Urban Outfitters in 2016 and 2017. She lives in Toronto, Canada.