{"id":27559,"date":"2022-12-01T01:10:13","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T05:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/?p=27559"},"modified":"2022-11-29T20:44:37","modified_gmt":"2022-11-30T00:44:37","slug":"deck-review-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2022\/12\/01\/deck-review-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Deck Review \u2013 The Weiser Tarot by Arthur Edward Waite, Pamela Colman Smith, and the Editors of Weiser Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deck <\/span>R<\/span>eview<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

The Weiser Tarot<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

by Arthur Edward Waite, <\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

Pamela Colman Smith, <\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

and the Editors of Weiser Books<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/h1>\n

Publisher: Weiser Books<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

64-p<\/span><\/span>age Guidebook and 78-Card Deck<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/h1>\n

Release Date<\/span>: September 14, 2022<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I can\u2019t remember where I found out about this tarot deck. I thought I read about it on a WordPress blog I follow about Tarot and Oracle cards but when I checked the blog to reference it, there was no mention of this Tarot deck, so I must surmise that I discovered this beautiful set of cards somewhere else. I look at hundreds of emails everyday and every Tuesday is Tarot Tuesday, when I focus on nothing other than tarot cards \u2013 and oracle cards too \u2013 but mostly the tarot \u2013 since it is the tarot in which I have the greatest interest. It is not even so much a divinatory diversion for me \u2013 I am into the artwork of the cards. But I do use them for divination. Like everyone else, I want to know what is going to happen in my life, even though I am elderly and nothing really happens anymore. But \u2013 you never know \u2013 do you?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Weiser Tarot is a remake of the Rider-Waite Tarot. Aeclectic Tarot at https:\/\/www.aeclectic.net\/tarot\/<\/a><\/span> calls these decks \u201cRider-Waite Clone Tarot Decks\u201d and they list thirty-six of them \u2013 the Weiser Tarot is not one of them \u2013 although that might be because the Weiser Tarot is too new for review at Aeclectic Tarot. But it might not be that \u2013 I can think of other decks that Aeclectic Tarot has not reviewed. It could be any number of reasons. It doesn\u2019t matter.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

At any rate \u2013 no matter where I discovered this deck \u2013 I fell in love with it at first sight and had to have it. The whole premise of the deck was bringing it into the twenty-first century, while keeping the original artwork intact \u2013 making the people reflect the diversity of the modern world in which we now live. I remember when I first read The Tarot Revealed<\/span>, by Eden Gray, and her descriptions of the people of the court cards were so cut and dried \u2013 the people of the cups were blonde and blue-eyed, the pentacle people were dark and swarthy, the people of the wands were red-haired or blonde and blue-eyed, and the swords people were dark-haired and had brown eyes but pale skin \u2013 it was so silly \u2013 I knew that there was no way that people fell into those kinds of categories \u2013 the suits were about personalities more than looks. I also knew that, within a single reading, sometimes I might be a Queen of Cups and I might be a Queen of Wands \u2013 but I do not have blonde hair or blue eyes \u2013 I have \u2013 or used to have \u2013 dark hair like the Queen of Pentacles \u2013 and dark eyes. I can identify with any one of the queens \u2013 given the situation I am in at the time.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Anyway, I was so<\/em> excited when The Weiser Tarot was delivered to my mailbox a month ago! I unwrapped it and started shuffling it immediately \u2013 I wanted to use it right away<\/em>. I did unwrap the cards and start shuffling them. They\u2019re made of typical card stock \u2013 not too thick, but not thin and flimsy \u2013 with a smooth finish on them that made shuffling them effortlessly easy. As I shuffled the cards, I read the \u201cLittle White Book\u201d. Years ago, I might have forgone with this, and simply laid out the cards in a Celtic Cross, but now \u2013 I read what the creators of the deck had to say first.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I received my first Tarot deck \u2013 the traditional Rider-Waite tarot deck \u2013 back in 1988, when I was twenty-eight years old. I still have that deck \u2013 or parts of it \u2013 a puppy of mine chewed up the deck and only some of the cards survived. So I had to buy another Rider-Waite and that\u2019s the one I use now. And of course \u2013 like so many of us Tarot enthusiasts \u2013 I have quite a few other decks \u2013 including Kat Black\u2019s Golden Tarot and Tarot Illuminati by Erik Dunne \u2013 as well as numerous oracle and Lenormand decks \u2013 but the tarot remains my first love as well as my first divinatory language and the Rider-Waite deck is my go-to deck to read with. I know it so well that I never have to refer to the \u201cLittle White Book\u201d or any other tarot book \u2013 and I have dozens \u2013 when I am doing a reading. It\u2019s like looking in a mirror. I know what I am seeing, even if I don\u2019t like what I\u2019m seeing.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201cLittle White Book\u201d was quite informative, much more than \u201cLittle White Books\u201d usually are. The publisher\u2019s note mentioned that the project had \u201cessential, early feedback\u201d from tarotists Rachel Pollack, Mary K. Greer, and Theresa Reed (\u201cLittle White Book\u201d, 1). These are heavy hitters \u2013 anyone who has studied the tarot knows these names.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201cLittle White Book\u201d then goes on to tell the history of the Tarot \u2013 how it went from a card game to a mystical divinatory tool during the French Revolution \u2013 around the same time the Lenormand was moving from a card game to a method of divining \u2013 and throughout the nineteenth century, the Tarot and other Occult ideas would grow in popularity. In 1888, The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was founded in England and among its early members was Arthur Edward Waite, who conceived of a new tarot deck. However, he was not an artist, so he hired Pamela Colman Smith, who drew the images that we are now all well acquainted with. The first deck was published in 1909 as the Rider-Waite deck, the \u201cRider\u201d part referring to the British publisher who produced the deck. And history was made.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Weiser Tarot was first conceived in 1971 \u2013 it\u2019s been a long time to bring this project to fruition. Like the original Rider-Waite Tarot, the deck started with the original pen and ink drawings and then were painted with watercolors \u2013 the cards have a lush look to them that are simply gorgeous. The blending of the colors \u2013 especially the backgrounds \u2013 are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen.
\nThey\u2019re not as visually bright as the Rider-Waite cards but they have a magical look to them that are unquestionably compelling. The background of the Wands are peach-colored or orange; the Swords have a purple background or black or grey; the Cups are various shades of blue; the Pentacles are a lovely green. In general, the Major Arcana have a more dramatic coloring than the Rider-Waite cards. But the major difference is that in all the suits, there are people of all skin colors and with all shades of hair. No more blonde and blue eyes for Cups and red hair for Wands or dark hair and eyes for Pentacles. Anyone and everyone can be represented by any suit whatsoever.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I scanned of some of my favorite Weiser Tarot cards, placed next to the same card from the Rider-Waite deck, to show the similarity and difference between the two decks. Here are some of them:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

As you can see by the juxta positioning of the cards, the Weiser Tarot doesn\u2019t change the original artwork of Pamela Colman, just the coloring of the pictures and that change in hue makes for a change in attitude! I wish I could show you every card in the deck but I don\u2019t have the space for that here. All I can tell you is that while I love the coloring of the original Rider-Waite deck, I am absolutely in love<\/em> with this new palate of colors! And I love the diversity of people!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Naturally, the \u201cLittle White Book\u201d has Tarot spreads in the rear of the book. There\u2019s a One Card Draw, two Three Card Spreads, The Celtic Cross \u2013 what Tarot booklet would be complete without The Celtic Cross? \u2013 and a spread that was \u201cdesigned especially\u201d for The Weiser Tarot, The Ankh Spread (\u201cLittle White Book\u201d, 46). I have been using this one lately and I have grown to like it immensely.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This is one of my readings using the Ankh Spread. Lots going here with all those court cards and Majors.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t recommend this beautiful Tarot Deck enough. It\u2019s my new favorite deck and the one I use all the time now. If you want to treat yourself this Yule season, or you know someone who is a lover of the Tarot, go to your favorite merchandising outlet \u2013 either brick and mortar or online \u2013 and buy The Weiser Tarot. I know you will love them as much as I do.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Editors of Weiser Books. The Weiser Tarot.<\/span> (\u201cLittle White \u201cBook\u201d) Newburyport, MA; Weiser Books, 2022.
\nhttps:\/\/www.aeclectic.net\/tarot\/<\/a><\/span> Aeclectic Tarot.
\nGrey, Eden. The Tarot Revealed.<\/span> NY: Signet Books, 1988<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From Weiser Books<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Weiser Books has, for over 65 years, been the premier publisher of books on esoteric thought and practice\u2014from divination and witchcraft to alchemy, astrology, ceremonial magick, folk magic, Kabbalah, Paganism, and the tarot. Weiser\u2019s mission is to produce books of quality and merit\u2014for beginners and advanced students alike\u2014that are of genuine benefit to their spiritual lives. We prize the integrity, originality, and depth of knowledge of our authors and honor their rich diversity of tradition, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. In our commitment to publish \u201cbooks to live by,\u201d we continually seek out new voices representing fresh perspectives while honoring the classic works that are the foundation of Weiser\u2019s backlist catalog.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Weiser Tarot on Amazon<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

**<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Polly MacDavid<\/b>\u00a0lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan but she gets along with a few of the masculine deities. She loves to cook and she is a Bills fan. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She blogs at\u00a0<\/span><\/span>silverapplequeen.wordpress.com<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/u><\/span>. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deck Review The Weiser Tarot by Arthur Edward Waite, Pamela Colman Smith, and the Editors of Weiser Books Publisher: Weiser Books 64-page Guidebook and 78-Card Deck Release Date: September 14, 2022         I can\u2019t remember where I found out about this tarot deck. I thought I read about it on a WordPress blog I follow about Tarot and Oracle cards but when I checked the blog to reference it, there was no mention of this Tarot deck, so I must surmise that I discovered this beautiful set of cards somewhere else. I look at hundreds of emails everyday and every Tuesday is Tarot Tuesday, when I focus on nothing other than tarot cards \u2013 and oracle cards too \u2013 but mostly the tarot \u2013 since it is the tarot in which I have the greatest interest. It is not even so much a divinatory diversion for me \u2013 I am into the artwork of the cards. But I do use them for divination. Like everyone else, I want to know what is going to happen in my life, even though I am elderly and nothing really happens anymore. But \u2013 you never know \u2013 do you? The Weiser Tarot is a remake of the Rider-Waite Tarot. Aeclectic Tarot at https:\/\/www.aeclectic.net\/tarot\/ calls these decks \u201cRider-Waite Clone Tarot Decks\u201d and they list thirty-six of them \u2013 the Weiser Tarot is not one of them \u2013 although that might be because the Weiser Tarot is too new for review at Aeclectic Tarot. But it might not be that \u2013 I can think of other decks that Aeclectic Tarot has not reviewed. It could be any number of reasons. It doesn\u2019t matter. At any rate \u2013 no matter where I discovered this deck \u2013 I fell in love with it at first sight and had to have it. The whole premise of the deck was bringing it into the twenty-first century, while keeping the original artwork intact \u2013 making the people reflect the diversity of the modern world in which we now live. I remember when I first read The Tarot Revealed, by Eden Gray, and her descriptions of the people of the court cards were so cut and dried \u2013 the people of the cups were blonde and blue-eyed, the pentacle people were dark and swarthy, the people of the wands were red-haired or blonde and blue-eyed, and the swords people were dark-haired and had brown eyes but pale skin \u2013 it was so silly \u2013 I knew that there was no way that people fell into those kinds of categories \u2013 the suits were about personalities more than looks. I also knew that, within a single reading, sometimes I might be a Queen of Cups and I might be a Queen of Wands \u2013 but I do not have blonde hair or blue eyes \u2013 I have \u2013 or used to have \u2013 dark hair like the Queen of Pentacles \u2013 and dark eyes. I can identify with any one of the queens \u2013 given the situation I am in at the time. Anyway, I was so excited when The Weiser Tarot was delivered to my mailbox a month ago! I unwrapped it and started shuffling it immediately \u2013 I wanted to use it right away. I did unwrap the cards and start shuffling them. They\u2019re made of typical card stock \u2013 not too thick, but not thin and flimsy \u2013 with a smooth finish on them that made shuffling them effortlessly easy. As I shuffled the cards, I read the \u201cLittle White Book\u201d. Years ago, I might have forgone with this, and simply laid out the cards in a Celtic Cross, but now \u2013 I read what the creators of the deck had to say first. I received my first Tarot deck \u2013 the traditional Rider-Waite tarot deck \u2013 back in 1988, when I was twenty-eight years old. I still have that deck \u2013 or parts of it \u2013 a puppy of mine chewed up the deck and only some of the cards survived. So I had to buy another Rider-Waite and that\u2019s the one I use now. And of course \u2013 like so many of us Tarot enthusiasts \u2013 I have quite a few other decks \u2013 including Kat Black\u2019s Golden Tarot and Tarot Illuminati by Erik Dunne \u2013 as well as numerous oracle and Lenormand decks \u2013 but the tarot remains my first love as well as my first divinatory language and the Rider-Waite deck is my go-to deck to read with. I know it so well that I never have to refer to the \u201cLittle White Book\u201d or any other tarot book \u2013 and I have dozens \u2013 when I am doing a reading. It\u2019s like looking in a mirror. I know what I am seeing, even if I don\u2019t like what I\u2019m seeing. The \u201cLittle White Book\u201d was quite informative, much more than \u201cLittle White Books\u201d usually are. The publisher\u2019s note mentioned that the project had \u201cessential, early feedback\u201d from tarotists Rachel Pollack, Mary K. Greer, and Theresa Reed (\u201cLittle White Book\u201d, 1). These are heavy hitters \u2013 anyone who has studied the tarot knows these names. The \u201cLittle White Book\u201d then goes on to tell the history of the Tarot \u2013 how it went from a card game to a mystical divinatory tool during the French Revolution \u2013 around the same time the Lenormand was moving from a card game to a method of divining \u2013 and throughout the nineteenth century, the Tarot and other Occult ideas would grow in popularity. In 1888, The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was founded in England and among its early members was Arthur Edward Waite, who conceived of a new tarot deck. However, he was not an artist, so he hired Pamela Colman Smith, who drew the images that we are now all well acquainted with. The first deck was published in 1909 as the Rider-Waite deck, the \u201cRider\u201d part referring to the British publisher who produced the deck. And history was made. The Weiser Tarot was first conceived in 1971 \u2013 it\u2019s been a long time to bring this project to fruition. Like the original Rider-Waite Tarot, the deck started with the original pen and ink drawings and then were painted with watercolors \u2013 the cards have a lush look to them that are simply gorgeous. The blending of the colors \u2013 especially the backgrounds \u2013 are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. They\u2019re not as visually bright as the Rider-Waite cards but they have a magical look to them that are unquestionably compelling. The background of the Wands are peach-colored or orange; the Swords have a purple background or black or grey; the Cups are various shades of blue; the Pentacles are a lovely green. In general, the Major Arcana have a more dramatic coloring than the Rider-Waite cards. But the major difference is that in all the suits, there are people of all skin colors and with all shades of hair. No more blonde and blue eyes for Cups and red hair for Wands or dark hair and eyes for Pentacles. Anyone and everyone can be represented by any suit whatsoever. I scanned of some of my favorite Weiser Tarot cards, placed next to the same card from the Rider-Waite deck, to show the similarity and difference between the two decks. Here are some of them: As you can see by the juxta positioning of the cards, the Weiser Tarot doesn\u2019t change the original artwork of Pamela Colman, just the coloring of the pictures and that change in hue makes for a change in attitude! I wish I could show you every card in the deck but I don\u2019t have the space for that here. All I can tell you is that while I love the coloring of the original Rider-Waite deck, I am absolutely in love with this new palate of colors! And I love the diversity of people! Naturally, the \u201cLittle White Book\u201d has Tarot spreads in the rear of the book. There\u2019s a One Card Draw, two Three Card Spreads, The Celtic Cross \u2013 what Tarot booklet would be complete without The Celtic Cross? \u2013 and a spread that was \u201cdesigned especially\u201d for The Weiser Tarot, The Ankh Spread (\u201cLittle White Book\u201d, 46). I have been using this one lately and I have grown to like it immensely. This is one of my readings using the Ankh Spread. Lots going here with all those court cards and Majors. I can\u2019t recommend this beautiful Tarot Deck enough. It\u2019s my new favorite deck and the one I use all the time now. If you want to treat yourself this Yule season, or you know someone who is a lover of the Tarot, go to your favorite merchandising outlet \u2013 either brick and mortar or online \u2013 and buy The Weiser Tarot. I know you will love them as much as I do.   References The Editors of Weiser Books. The Weiser Tarot. (\u201cLittle White \u201cBook\u201d) Newburyport, MA; Weiser Books, 2022. https:\/\/www.aeclectic.net\/tarot\/ Aeclectic Tarot. Grey, Eden. The Tarot Revealed. NY: Signet Books, 1988   From Weiser Books Weiser Books has, for over 65 years, been the premier publisher of books on esoteric thought and practice\u2014from divination and witchcraft to alchemy, astrology, ceremonial magick, folk magic, Kabbalah, Paganism, and the tarot. Weiser\u2019s mission is to produce books of quality and merit\u2014for beginners and advanced students alike\u2014that are of genuine benefit to their spiritual lives. We prize the integrity, originality, and depth of knowledge of our authors and honor their rich diversity of tradition, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. In our commitment to publish \u201cbooks to live by,\u201d we continually seek out new voices representing fresh perspectives while honoring the classic works that are the foundation of Weiser\u2019s backlist catalog.     The Weiser Tarot on Amazon   ** About the Author: Polly MacDavid\u00a0lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic. Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan but she gets along with a few of the masculine deities. She loves to cook and she is a Bills fan. She blogs at\u00a0silverapplequeen.wordpress.com. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":27562,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":50,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10005],"tags":[14213,10361,13435,14214,10075,10204,14212,14215],"class_list":["post-27559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-arthur-edward-waite","tag-deck","tag-deck-review","tag-pamela-colman-smith","tag-review","tag-tarot","tag-the-weiser-tarot","tag-weiser-books"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27559"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27581,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27559\/revisions\/27581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}