Review
by
Terri Clement
By Christine Zillich
Published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
ISBN-13: 978-1-57281-924-5
Oh, how I love pocket-sized decks in tins!
The Zillich Tarot is an impressionistic Thoth style deck that is beautifully done in watercolor.
The deck arrives sealed with plastic sitting in a tin that is also sealed in plastic. The cards have a bit of sharpness to the edges; that should soften with use. They measure 2 3/8" wide x 3 ¾' tall.
The images are borderless with a title banner on the bottom. This banner contains the card name of the card. The Majors have their number in Roman Numerals. The Minors have a keyword in addition to their name.
The suits are Wands, Cups, Discs, and Swords. The court cards are Princess, Prince, Queen, and Knight.
If you are not familiar with the Thoth style Tarot you will see some Major Arcana named differently such as Magus for Magician and Adjustment for Temperance.
The card back is reversible friendly. The card faces are layered with archetypal symbolism, astrological influences and mythological imagery. This allows the reader to explore many layers in the images.
The deck also comes with a traditional little white book. The LWB gives a brief introduction and then jumps right into the cards. I like that the author included the astrological associations for each card. The LWB does not include reversed meanings. It concludes with a Celtic Cross Spread and a short bio about the artist and writer.
I pulled a couple cards from the deck to showcase here:
Lust
A
woman dressed in white holds onto the mighty lion. The LWB ties this
card to Eve in the Garden of Eden being seduced by the serpent with
an apple from the tree of life. “This cards stands for soul power
and strength.”
Moon
In the foreground we see a scorpion with a full moon shining up above. The LWB says "The moon leads us into the deep water of our soul with its silvery light. There is something crawling along." The Moon can indicate seduction, lies, and secrets.
4 of Wands
Here the Goddess of Femininity meets her horned lover Pan. "This card symbolizes harmony, joy, grace, and favorable circumstances if honesty prevails. Otherwise, it's vanity and laziness.
This deck is beautiful and would work well for a beginning reader or an experienced reader that might like to try working with the Thoth system. Advanced readers may find this a very attractive addition to their Thoth collection.