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.
Ukiyo Tarot
Ukiyo Tarot
Pietro Turino combines the subtle beauty of 17th century ukiyo culture with modern, anime-style illustrations in this gorgeous tarot deck.
The Japanese term ukiyo (the floating world) came to prominence in the 17th century to describe the pleasure-seeking culture of urban lifestyle in cities like Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka. From it stemmed an art movement that dealt with notions of transience, impermanence, and the ephemeral. This tarot deck recalls these fascinating concepts and combines them with a modern anime-like style to bring the subtle beauty of the floating world into the new millennium.