Tarot de Paris

Rating:
Summary: A Deck Celebrating The City Of Lights
Review: "The Tarot de Paris is the progeny of a twenty-one-year gestation period, compiled from more than 3,500 photographs taken during hundreds of miles of trekking back and forth across the city."-- J.Philip Thomas, creator of Tarot de Paris

The vision for Tarot de Paris came unexpectedly. On a windy, March morning in 1981, J. Philip Thomas was walking on the Champs-Elysées on his first-ever trip to France. Wanting to avoid the onrush of tourists, he made his way to the Louvre via the métro. As he exited, he felt the warmth of the sun on the back of his neck. Turning towards the heat, he became momentarily stunned by an intense light that was streaming out through a wreath held high by a female statue, riding in a horse-drawn chariot that seemed to be leaping right off the façade of the building.

Thomas then has a supernatural vision of all the Major Arcana cards as a sequence of statues, located somewhere in Paris. (This was his first trip to France, mind you.) Somehow, he knew that should immediately stop whatever else he was doing and set to work on finding and photographing these statues. The resulting images would then be assembled, by photomontage, as the cards of a tarot deck. The Tarot de Paris is the result of that amazing vision.

This gorgeous deck features 78 cards presenting a dazzling array of classic and contemporary art and architecture found in Paris. There are 22 Major Arcana cards, with many of them re-named as follows:

Fool - The Source

Magician - Initiation
The Veil - The High Priestess
Nature - Empress
Order - Emperor
The Awakening - Hierophant
Harmony - The Lovers
Equilibrium - Justice
The Recluse - Hermit
The Sphinx - Wheel of Fortune
Presence - Strength
The Question - Hanged Man
The Crossing - Death
Alchemy - Temperance
Energy - The Devil
The Angel - Judgment
The Universe - The World

Thomas has added a new card called to the Majors called The Spinner, but it's not available as part of the deck.

The Minor Arcana is divided into the suits of Water, Air, Fire, and Matter. For the Court Cards, Queen and King are retained but two additional Courts have been created: Stallions and Spirit. The back of the cards feature the Rose window of Notre Dame Cathedral transposed on a black background. Because the image isn't centered, however, you will be able to tell reversed cards. Card dimensions are approximately 5.5 X 3.5 inches. The deck is accompanied by a fully illustrated book of 240 pages which details the meanings of the cards, as well as a number of new readings devised just for this set. Also included is a silk cloth for laying out the cards.

I highly recommend this deck, especially if you're an enthusiast of architecture, sculpture, art, and the City of Lights.

Review originally posted at http://NewAge.BellaOnline.com

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Set
Review: Having been a tarot collector for nearly 30 years, this is among the jewels in my collection. Its soft, tranquil color scheme and striking imagery offer the beauty, contrast and symbolic depth to lead one into the richness of the inner life. Imagery for the cards is drawn from historic statuary and scenes from the Paris environs, and seamlessly assembled in photocollage fashion. The book describes salient features of the cards and explains what each one means, and is a depth-reflection of the deck (which also reads quite intuitively). Some people have found the card stock to be on the thin side, but a reissue of the deck with thicker stock is expected shortly, and will offer the same rich imagery and lovely color scheme which graces the earlier edition.

Rating:
Summary: Sublime
Review: I began working with the deck as soon as I opened the box. I worked with them for two hours, and I have never worked with a deck that has spoken to me to such a degree. The images evoke so much within me. Each card is unique with a great deal of symbology, which allows for quite a bit of room in interpretation. In addition, the images are simply beautiful and show immense creativity and depth of thought and synthesis of ideas; it's evident a great deal went into designing the images on these cards. The colors are consistent with traditional tarot card colors, and although the cards are unique interpretations of the traditional tarot, they incorporate much of the original symbology but with a unique slant. There is simply so much room for interpretation with these cards, and when combining this opportunity with the exquisitely creative concept of using the artwork and statues of Paris to design tarot cards, these cards prove to be a joy. I feel the artist of the cards has successfully translated the ethereal and the sublime.

The cards are oversized, which allows for a larger image, which I personally like. Unfortunately, the cards appear to lack any type of coating, as a previous reviewer noted. Initially, I considered returning the cards, but upon further study, felt the images were simply too aesthestically valuable to return them. With a bit of additional care, the deck can be used successfully on a regular basis. Fortunately, I understand the deck is in a second printing in order to correct this problem, so I will keep my eyes open for the new decks, and buy one to work with on a regular basis since I always have two decks of my favorite cards, one to work with and the other to keep safe. This deck has become a valuable addition to my select collection of tarot cards.

Rating:
Summary: !like an archeological discovery-spendid!!!
Review: I purchased this set last fall and couldnt wait to open it. Alas, I was disappointed upon finding flimsy production of the cards and stone cold images. I set it aside an proceeded to other sets I was working with. Now several months later I picked up the beckoning blue box and felt a deep and profound connection. I visited Paris in 1987. I began reading the Tarot a year previously. I seen the "old cards" in the Louvre and loved them but my desire for the cards diminished. I wanted a definitive deck.
Now, years down the road I feel I have found that missing link. These images are nothing short of museum pieces. Yet the metaphysical scope runs deep. I did a reading for myself and felt that I found an old companion. Gone were my doubts and I knew I had a powerful tool in my grasp. The card are wonderful for meditation as well as consultation. I am planning to use them for my main public instruction. Bravo-J Philip Thomas for creating this masterwork and hopefully the next perennial favorite for many generations to come.

Rating:
Summary: Well...nice try...
Review: I really wanted to like this deck, and as far as the art is concerned I really, really do. Goregous art collages of one of my favorite places on earth seemed to be a sure hit with me. Alas, then I opened the box...The deck is printed on such cheap and flimsy cardstock, that it's almost impossible to shuffle without seriously bending or, worse yet, tearing it. I was horrified the first time I opened the set and saw the cheap quality of the cards. Bizarrely enough, the book that comes with the set is printed as a very nice hardbound book, and there's a pretty silk scarf included in the box also. I'd rather have a cheaper paperback book, not have the silk scarf, but have the deck printed on usable cardstock. Overall, this deck is going into the "pretty and nice to look at but not usable" part of my tarot card collection. I really feel like I wasted my money on this deck. Do not buy this deck if you are planning on trying to read with it.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful design marred by poor presentation
Review: I've enjoyed using my reissued Tarot de Paris on thicker cardstock, which I received in February 2004.

I like my old deck, but it was slightly hard to use though, without marring the finish. Images are beautiful and classic sculpture adorning the City of Paris.

A lovely deck.

Mari H.

Rating:
Summary: New cardstock, same quality
Review: I've enjoyed using my reissued Tarot de Paris on thicker cardstock, which I received in February 2004.

I like my old deck, but it was slightly hard to use though, without marring the finish. Images are beautiful and classic sculpture adorning the City of Paris.

A lovely deck.

Mari H.

Rating:
Summary: Masterful Symbolism
Review: Tarot de Paris is extraodinary in the power of its images and revelatory in the depth of meaning each spread reveals. Beyond the beauty and the message the exqusite art conveys, lies a deeper communication of the power behind the location of the City of Light,Paris. The site of the city itself, as well as the choice of its monuments, speak to us of ancient knowledge. It is the depth of this message that J.Philip Thomas communicates with his beautiful creation, Tarot de Paris.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful design marred by poor presentation
Review: The idea of illustrating the Tarot with statues is not new. I have a limited-edition Majors-only deck (the Gothic Tarot) which employs photographs of statues taken in cemeteries around the world. But Thomas' treatment is far more coherent and well thought-out. His description (I believe, on his website) of the ley line starting at the Pyramids of Giza, continuing through Paris and ending at the Arch in St. Louis, Missouri is priceless. Thomas has obviously given a great deal of consideration to this deck, and on top of that, is a truly gifted artist. The problems probably lie with the publisher. The deck is printed on cheap, flimsy, uncoated card stock, the card edges are rough, and worst of all, the images are grainy and blurry, with dull, washed-out colors. The publisher oddly skimped on the cards, instead choosing to include a silk scarf and hardcover book, when a "little white book" would have been adequate. If this deck were reissued by US Games Systems, or better still, Lo Scarabeo, I would recommend it without reservation. As is, the abysmal quality of the cards is distracting and precludes this deck's use as anything other than a curiosity.

Rating:
Summary: What A Gorgeous Set!
Review: The Tarot de Paris is a tarot reader's dream come true! It is a magnificent, polished deck with such beautiful, well-blended imagery. No wonder it took the artist 20 years to bring about. The book is very well-written and should appeal to everyone from novice to expert. J. Philip Thomas has been reading for more than 30 years so he really does know tarot. I could go on and on praising this wonderful set but that would be redundant so I will sum it all up in one word:
PERFECT.