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| Here I am displaying both decks side by side. Top deck is my original 2012 deck. Bottom deck and the box on the left is the newest one published by Schiffer. |
Gaian Tarot
HEALING THE EARTH, HEALING OURSELVES
by Joanna Powell Colbert
$34.99
Description of deck by Schiffer Publishing
Gaia (Mother Nature) is the primal Greek goddess said by ancients to have given birth to the sky, sea, mountains, and all of creation. This beautiful 78-card contemporary and mythical Tarot set with accompanying spiritual guide has a focus on the healing of the earth and of the self. The Major Arcana cards represent 22 soul lessons and archetypes that grew out of the religious and mystical worldview of Renaissance Europe. The Minors illustrate elements, numbers, and people. Interpretations include uprights and reverse divinatory meanings, themes, exercises, symbolism, journal questions, affirmations, and ten spreads. Sometimes the cards illustrate part of the world we live in, sometimes they show the realms of spirit, and sometimes they inhabit the borderlines between the two. Gaian spirituality understands that humans, plants, animals, stones, and stars are all inextricably linked—when one strand is pulled, the entire web is affected. Especially intended for those who practice earth-centered spirituality.
Size: box set 6″ x 9″ x 1 3/4″ | 78 art cards | 184 pp
ISBN13: 9780764350627 | Binding: box set
I have two editions of this deck. I am not certain which edition the first is. I bought the first deck in 2012 off of Amazon.com. It has come to be a favorite deck. It doesn’t completely follow the rules of the original Rider Waite which makes it a great deck to use for intuitive tarot readings. Sometimes I feel we get lazy as readers and fall back on all the old traditional meanings. This deck brings the Earth into focus. Real people litter this deck with beauty. It is an awesome deck to just look at. It is based on photographs that have been manipulated and enhanced in a cool way that leaves one awestruck. It is like the real world but better, through the eyes of Joanna Powell Colbert.
The second deck I have is the most recent in my collection. The cards themselves are much bigger than my original deck. I think just by looking at them side by side and you would delete the white outside border, the cards would virtually be the same size. With the larger size of the deck, it does make it a bit of a hassle to shuffle, at least for me. But I do like how sturdy the cards are. I don’t feel like these would wear out too quickly. My other deck is more bendy and shuffable (is that a word?).
I love the deck but struggle with the renaming of the court cards. Yet they aren’t hard to distinguish from the original titles. I think my main problem is learning to use my intuition more when using this deck. It sort of forces you out of your comfort zone to come to a conclusion which more resonates with the person you are reading for.
The book is a thick sucker. Full color on all pages. It must have taken a mint to print. I appreciate when a publisher devotes the extra money to the use of color in the explanation manual. The layout is nice and clean which appeals to me as a graphic artist.
Although I love both decks equally, I do reach for my 2012 deck more often virtually because it is easier for me to handle. But if I want to take photographs, I am definitely using the newer deck. That deck just shines with an etherial quality that is out of this world.
I received the most recent Gaian deck from Schiffer Publishing in return for an honest review. I thank Schiffer and the author of this deck for allowing me to review these cards.
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