The Halloween Tarot Deck and Book Set

"Successful Tarot readings are based on insight into what you *do* see, and whatever flashes of insight into your own life the pictures may offer you. In fact, think of yourself as the black cat that appears in every card of the Halloween deck. He is your touchstone, and travels through the deck with you as your companion." - From the companion book For quite some time, I've had my eye on The Halloween Tarot deck and book set by Kipling West (illustrator) and Karin Lee (companion book and LWB author). Although I assumed I'd be pleased when I eventually bought them, I had no idea just how thrilling it would be to actually SEE the deck! While the outstanding cartoon-like artwork of The Halloween Tarot is colorful and clever, I wasn't prepared for the intuitive and symbolic richness of the cards. Designing many of the cards based on Rider-Waite iconography--but tweaked and twisted to incorporate themes from Halloween, old monster movies, circus images, and the German-made "Vegetable People" that were popular Halloween toys/decorations in 1920's America--Kipling West has given Tarot an influx of fresh perspective--while still paying homage to ancient esoteric symbolism. As I went through the deck one card at a time, I noticed how certain phrases popped into my head--a silent commentary to the arresting depictions--and a very good sign that this is a deck that would "speak" to me. From the terrified man strapped to the ever-turning Wheel (and the target of knife-throwing!), to the experimenting mad scientist in The Hermit--the jolly Pumpkin Man careening through paved cemetery roads in a hearse (The Chariot) to a chained Frankenstein fixed on his cement throne (The Emperor), associations both practical and divine made themselves known. Reading the delightful illustrated 137-page companion book was more than just a treat: it provided solid, yet innovative, ways to see and interpret the cards (including upright and reversed meanings). While you *can* buy The Halloween Tarot by itself--and it *does* include a LWB by Karin Lee--the companion book found in the box set is a not-to-be-missed traveling companion through this particular deck. The suits of the Minor Arcana are Ghosts (Cups), Imps (Wands), Bats (Swords) and Pumpkins (Coins)--and the Court Cards follow the Page, Knight, Queen, and King rendering. The whimsical orange and black card backings are fully reversible, depicting a black cat, spider, smiling skulls, bats, vines, stars, full moon, and an all-seeing eye in the center. There is no nudity in The Halloween Tarot, nor are the images gruesome or threatening--making it a *wonderful* for deck for children. (My 8-year-old son is enraptured with both the cards and book!) But make no mistake: the light-hearted appearance of the cards belies the abundant symbolism nestled within the images, as well as the rich repository for intuitive insights. I was blown away by a three card reading I performed with this deck, mostly because two of the cards contained specific (to me) references about a book I was reading--a direct answer to my unspoken query about my spiritual path. So if you're tempted to think that The Halloween Tarot is only for holiday readings or as a quirky, light-weight addition to a deck collection, think again: this is a great reading deck than can also speak to weightier matters! If you're a huge fan of Halloween, there's no question you'll love this deck. However, even for those who *aren't* rabid for this particular holiday or its accoutrements, a charming, readable deck awaits you--no matter *what* time of the year! (To see 10 images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at [...]) Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

I started tarot in April and resisted the urge to buy additional decks until October. This was the first one I bought, and it's fantastic. I heard about it in one of my tarot books, maybe Dusty White? Unlike most collector decks, which are purely illustration / graphic design projects, this seemingly innocuous, puerile, fun, innocent deck is actually a coherent esoteric system. They put some thought and feeling into it. I got insights from this deck that I wouldn't have found otherwise. It's worthwhile to do a reading with my main deck and then hit up this deck with the exact same question - which often gives equivalent cards, but it still gives you a different perspective. And obviously extra credit for putting the black cat on every card. 🐈‍⬛ Seriously. The arrival of my very first cat roommate, an all-black cat with bright yellow eyes, coincided with a period of unusual productivity in my inner work. I could fumble through some intellectualization of what this means or how it works, but it's enough to note it. I bought bookshelves full of decks in rapid succession. The most pernicious aspect of tarot collecting is that it's so accessible. I can't think of another collecting hobby with this kind of pleasure-to-cost ratio. And the fact that the boxes are so small makes it easy to miss the fact that you're becoming a hoarder. Anyway, I was cured of the collector habit almost as soon as it formed. Lots of big disappointments, but this deck will forever remain my first, if not also my favorite.

I love this Halloween tarot set. I'm all ready for spooky season, but could totally see myself using this year round. The set includes deck, book and also a lwb (pamphlet) with meanings, spread and instructions. The book is great with about 18 pages more than the lwb (pamphlet) that include info on history of Halloween and history of Halloween symbols. That and card images seem to be only things missing from the lwb pamphlet (in case you're deciding between set vs deck only). Although the suits are named differently from original RWS, the images and descriptions follow RWS so I still think this will work for novices. I love the ease of shuffling with this card stock. It's sturdy, but not so stiff that shuffling is a struggle. Honestly, there's nothing I don't like about this set and I got an awesome deal as it was on sale for $19.40. Fast shipping, well packaged. Highly recommend 👍🎃🎃

The quality is way better than I expected it to be. The book is great. I love this deck!! I highly recommend it

Love at first sight! I love the whimsy of the cards. It is a fun deck, but not silly. It keeps to the traditional meanings. Although I know how to read Tarot I have not been a "fan" of Tarot. I rather like the expanding energies of Oracle cards, yet this deck is easier to understand than other Tarot decks and I can feel the connection between them. I see Tarot as a story. Unfolding from beginning to end. The Halloween Tarot deck shows you the story in beautiful art work and through the companion book. Love it!♥

This is my first real tarot set. I had a couple in my teens, but I didn’t have quite the spiritual or mental maturity to embrace it. Firstly, I love the thickness of the cards. I enjoyed the book with the background of Halloween and thorough card explanations. As a life long Halloween lover, visually these are engaging and fun. As a newb I thought these would be comparable to the standard decks with simple changes, ex bats and pumpkins vs cups and swords. I’ve done three simple past, present, future type readings and amazed at the personal connection. I believe this is the best deck I could have purchased and I looked and pondered for months. Absolutely recommend!!!

If I were only reviewing the deck, I’d give it 5 out of 5 stars! Nice coated cards, very bright and cheerful Halloween colors, love the cat, and very nice lwb….bigger than most. The regular book that came in this set is nice and has good info, but it was smaller than I anticipated. Also, black and white photos of the cards and average paper quality, so could have been done nicer. My main complaint is with the packaging, and the paper mat for reading….the paper mat is just some kind of laminated paper, and not of good quality. It’s also folded into quarters in order to fit inside the box. Basically, it’s useless, and the only thing it does is get in the way of either the cards or the book when you are trying to put the set back inside the box it comes in. The box itself is beyond cheap, and is the kind where you slide in the cards, in their own “cards only” cheap box, slide the book in beside it, and try not to bend or get hung up on the silly folded paper mat. It has a square “spacer” inside as well, so everything looks nice inside the box. So many companies are using these types of boxes now, and I really wish they wouldn’t. A nice sturdy box that fits both the cards and the book (skip the paper reading mat…it’s useless anyway), with a magnetic side lock lid would be so much better. Really, the box it comes in is prob only suitable for shipping. It won’t hold up over time, and it’s a real pain to take the cards and book out, and also to slide everything back in, just so. Otherwise, a delightful deck! The mini tin version is very very nice as well, and although the cards are quite small, it can be easily transported; you can simply throw the tin in your bag, or put it in your (medium sized) pocket. Very nice deck(s)!

I was skeptical at first, about whether this deck could be used for serious readings...but after using them for s good amount of readings, I'm sold! This is not only now my favorite deck, but I would actually call it a "fun" deck. Since I'm a goth and every day is Halloween, this is going to be my year long cards of choice. I have a goodly collection of tarot decks and I can honestly say I havent used a different deck since I found these. I highly recommend.

Déçue de mon achat. Une drôle d'atmosphère se dégage de ce tarot, que je n'apprécie pas. Article renvoyé.

Molto bello come sempre

Por el precio esperaría que los materiales de la caja fueran más resistentes, o tuviera un diseño de packaging más elaborado :( es un poco simple, fuera de eso el librito vale la pena :) y la baraja es tan bonita, la calidad de las cartas es buena, no son muy gruesas, pero tampoco se sienten de mala calidad, son brillantes y la impresión es buena :)

Es maravilloso, me gusta coleccionar mazos de tarot con la temática de Halloween y desde luego este mazo me ha dejado sin palabra es original desde la primera carta hasta la última con una gran variedad en la paleta de colores, tanto si eres esoerimentada o nuevo en el tarot conectarás rápidamente además se identifica con el Raider Waite. 👻👻👻👻🎃

I think this is going to be a 'marmite' deck - you'll either love it or hate it. I love it. The deck and book set comes in beautiful packaging which would make an excellent addition to your collection or a lovely gift for someone else. The images are loosely based on the Rider-Waites which helps guide you to the meaning of the cards behind all the crazy images. The suits are renamed to fit the Halloween tradition: Pumpkins, Ghosts, Bats, Imps but the Major Arcana have retained their original names. The deck itself is made from very good card stock, nice and thick whilst not too stiff or difficult to shuffle and, unusually for decks issued by US Games, they are not laminated so you don't have that overwelming plastic smell that you usually get. The cards have a nice, smooth, pleasant feel and actually feel like card rather than plastic. Each card features a Halloween character for example the Empress is Frankenstein's Bride; the Magician looks like Gomez Adams here but even though the characters are cartoon-like, they retain the symbolism present in the Rider-Waites for example - Gomez is still in the classic magician pose 'as above so below' even though he is pulling a rabbit out of a hat rather than brandishing the customary wand... The deck is very bright - lots of white, orange, reds, greens, yellows with black borders. Although on a first glance it might seem that this is a collector's deck only and not for serious reading, look again and you will find lots to interpret here - the white lillies, red roses, pomegranates they all make their appearance. The position of the characteres and the others around them also link to the esoteric meanings of the cards. So, it's fun, it's kooky but can you read with them? Yes. Get into it, have a really good look at the cards, and you will find that apart from the theme, most of the RW symbolism is still there. There have been many discussions about this deck on Tarot Forums and it is agreed that this deck could be used for 'serious' readings as well as lighthearted ones. I liked the book that came with it, I thought that for the extra few quid, it would be worth having the set and I was not disappointed. The book contains quite a lot of useful information although you do have to know a bit about Tarot symbology in general. Can you use these as a beginner? Why not? Get some books on the Tarot based on the Rider Waite and yes, you could do it easily. Is this a deck you could use all the time for readings? Yes definitely - the little cute black cat that appears on every card reminds you of the journey of self-discovery that you are on and you can use it to track your personal journey. Overall, I think the creators of this deck have acheived two things - creation of a deck that is excellent for collections and for those who use their cards for reading. A really good investment.