Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28118 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Customer Reviews

Excellent for beginners and those of nervous dispositions
This is the first tarot deck that I bought and boy did I do it with much trepidation! Being a bit scared by the idea of the tarot because of its infamous reputation and links with the occult, but at the same time fascinated by the world behind those images, I decided to go ahead and buy my own deck. I looked through many of the hundreds of decks on the internet looking for one that was the least threatening and came up with -the Sharman-Caselli deck.
I have not regretted my purchase.

This deck is loosely based on the Rider-Waite but the drawings are far better, more attractive than the ugly RW (sorry RW fans!). They have also been doctored to make the symbolism and imagery more accessible for those with zero knowledge of the tarot like me. The pastel colouring is very pleasing on the eye.

Summary of the good points:
*clearly and attractively drawn images
*Scaled down for easy access for beginners
*nice pastel colours that don't offend the eye
*pip cards contain images which is v important for beginners
*cards have a border and are clearly labelled so that you know which one you are looking at
*each suit has been assigned a colour relevant to the mood of the suit for example Cool Swords contain many steely greys, Fiery Wands have a predominance of yellow and orange, Watery Cups are lavenders, pale blues, you get the picture (no pun intended)
*the cards also have indicators of the horoscope signs they are relevant to - for example one card shows a king/queen on a throne carved with rams or the king at whose feet sits a little crab.
*the images have been cleverly chosen to stimulate your intuition and evoke meanings

The only thing that is slightly disappointing is that the backs of the cards are just a plain red whereas some of the other decks have really artistic elaborate reverses. The cards feel nice on the front but have a slightly grainy feel on the reverse, however, the more you handle them, the smoother they seem to get. All in all, they feel pleasant and friendly.

The set also comes with a large book (large as in, 192 or so pages) with two pages dedicated to each card. The book is typed in nice blue print and is probably roughly A5 size so not miniscule so you go blind trying to read it. Each card is depicted and the author points out the images on the card that need to be drawn to your attention. She then goes on to tell you some of the basic meanings of the cards and what they might mean in a reading. At the back of the book there are sample readings and some suggested spreads.

Overall, I would thoroughly recommend this pack to any person that is a true beginner to tarot and wants something non-threatening and not too deep to begin with. The card and book set makes for a really good introduction into teh world of tarot.

loveley deck nice book
this is a very nice vairyant on the Rider Waite deck with afew historical deviations, such as the lovers and the wheel of fortune. This is the deck and booklet which i started with and although i would now interpret some of the cards differently, the book encourages a more intuitive way of interpretation. Some people take issue with the fact that the trumps are not numbered, if you are into numerology then i would recomend you start with the Rider Waite or even the Crowley, but this is ideal for starters to get a grips with and the spreads at the end of each section, will get you reading very quickly.

A Great Beginner's Guide
Gift boxed, with Sharman-Caselli full deck of tarot cards plus 192-page illustrated book.

Juliet Sharman-Burke's teaching method introduces you to the Minor arcana cards first. A practice layout is used for each suit, and then a bigger layout for all 56 Minor arcana cards. Then she moves onto the Major arcana and finally some full tarot spreads.

A fantastic beginner's guide, highly recommended.