Tarot & Oracle Deck Reviews
Tarot of the Abyss by Anna Tourian
Generally speaking I am not a massive Tarot fan, I just find it hard to resonate with most decks and prefer the freedom of Oracle cards. I’m a very visual reader and usually like lots of colour and images in my decks, however, I found myself drawn to this black and white Tarot deck and couldn’t seem to take my eyes off it. I bought it thinking perhaps I would sell it on but liked it so much that I did indeed keep it – that is very high praise coming from me, it must be a bit special.
Tarot of the Abyss is such an imaginative and clear deck, I was concerned about reading a solely black and white set, but actually I found that it added something – an atmosphere perhaps – that helped clarify the meaning behind the images.
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Two of the pip cards have a twin – the 3 of Swords and the 10 of Swords – each showing a slightly different take which I found intriguing.
For the 3 of Swords one card shows someone reading a book with the letters rising up from the pages and meeting their mind – they appear to be literally absorbing what they are reading and this is where intuition comes in because that could be a positive, but remember the saying “a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing” and it’s never a good idea to become completely absorbed and influenced by what someone else has written, we must make up our own minds.
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The second version of this cards is stunning – a woman is seemingly setting free her heart in the form of a bird – you can see the hole where the bird used to be and the area around it looks like stone, this has been in place for some time and now is the time to release that pain, it’s been held onto for so long and allowing your heart to turn to stone may have protected you for a little while, but ultimately it stops you from feeling all that is positive in the world. I find this image so, so beautiful.
For the 10 of Swords one card shows what looks like an old man face to face with an Owl who has the image of 10 swords upon his body. For me this speaks of the wisdom gained from all the negative experiences in life, but also that we cannot allow the negative to hold us back – we don’t want to become old and full of regret. Life is a journey full of experiences that are both positive and negative – embrace all the lessons that has to offer. I see 10’s as ending cards and this reflects well with the old man – I know that I want to reach the end of my time here having lived life to the maximum and learned from every experience, especially the negative.
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The second version of this card is a little more traditional to Rider-Waite – it shows a person on what looks like a jetty, with 10 swords impaled in his body, but he is clearly not dead as he lifts his head towards the person that is walking towards him. I love this image – who is the man on the ground with the swords and who is the other man? Are they both really the same person? Us humans seem to have a penchant for self-sabotage, and I feel that this card reflects that in some ways – the duality of our nature. Is the man who is walking going to help the man on the ground or will he simply pass him by? The sea is rough around the jetty which implies an emotional side to the situation – as most negative situations have. Again this is a 10, so perhaps the man walking is going to help the man on the ground, he’s going to pull those swords and make everything ok again? What a story this card could tell! It displays exactly why you need to look to the other cards you have drawn to get a good measure of the message.
The Major Arcana follows the traditional Rider-Waite system by and large, with the small exceptions being The Hanged “One” with an upside-down landscape, The Wise One in place of the Hierophant (a welcome change for me personally) and Awakening in place of Judgement. I do love the Awakening card – it’s like a soul rising from a spent body, being called to rise after death. It does echo the Death card I feel, but in this deck that’s a whole other beautiful image – what I would describe as a Crone with her cloak open and hand outstretched, she is smiling and inviting, the land around her is barren showing that your time in this place isn’t good anymore. Within her open cloak stands a tree without leaves – perhaps the tree of life at the end of life – and then a cosmos of stars rising up from it and into infinity. There is a lot to unpack with this card and that is best done in person, rather than me trying to give my view on it – you, no doubt, will see it differently, and that is the beauty of a good Tarot deck.
Even the Court cards in this deck and easy to interpret and tell a story if you stop and take in what is going on in the picture – what a blessing that is for me, as I struggle with the traditional images of the King, Queen, Knight and Page. An image of a man on a throne just doesn’t gel well with me – I understand there are symbols within the traditional image, but honestly a lot are simply lost on me.
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I love how this deck weaves stories in each of its cards, it would be perfect for anyone interested in using Tarot for story prompts, you could use the Court Cards for character building, perhaps the Major Arcana would be useful for plotting events and the pip cards for building the story around both of those? It’s something I haven’t tried yet but am quite keen to – I will report back when I get a chance to try it out!
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What a deck for readings too – it is layered and speaks volumes, perhaps because of its simplicity, the lack of colour seems to add clarity somehow and definitely depth. You won’t be disappointed with this Tarot deck if you like depth in your cards and enjoy sinking into the story that unfolds in each and the many possibilities – when it comes right down to it that is what life is after all.
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Kaye - Solstice Moon Gifts
