By Terri C.
Legacy of the Divine Tarot by Ciro Marchetti
Published in 2009 by Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN: 978-0-7387-1565-0
Out of a fantastical cataclysmic collision that darkened the earth, comes the Legacy of the Divine.
“Imagine a civilization long before our own which also called this planet home. Imagine that foreseeing their own demise, they wished to leave us a message. This is who we were, what we achieved, what we loved, feared and believed in. This is our legacy. Remember us.” ~ Quote from extra card in the Special Edition deck.
Ciro Marchetti comes to us as a Professional Graphic Designer with relatively little Tarot experience in his background. His thoughts and design ideas bring forward a fresh perspective of standard images. For example, he has taken the liberty of changing the title of the Hierophant to Faith to encompass a wider religious theme. He also has changed the bird of prey in the 9 of Coins to a Bird of Paradise.
A common theme added to this Rider-Waite-Smith based deck are Victorian brass survey devices, theodolytes and kaleidoscopes, which he collects and has taken some artistic liberty with. Ciro explains his thoughts of the origin behind the devices in the “story.”
This deck is filled with vibrant, richly colored images. The artwork in this deck is truly captivating. Even though much of the RWS symbolism is not included in the images, it will prove to be a brilliant working deck, that is quite capable of packing a punch!
On course with Ciro’s other decks, the Legacy of the Divine carry’s the same tradition of the use of vivid color and plays in light and shadow. The images fade to a black border. Color variations vary between the Standard deck and the Special Edition deck. There are also color variations between the Special Edition decks themselves.
There are three Special Edition Deck packages available through www.ciromarchetti.com. The SE Deck, the SE Deck and Hardback Book Set, and the SE Deck, Book and Canvas set. It is a custom produced collector’s edition. It is in limited quantity. Each deck is signed. With the variations in the cards, each set is unique in it’s particular combination of cards.
The Special Edition deck is larger and thicker than standard, measuring 5 ½“ tall x 3 ¼“ wide x 1 ½“ thick. It also contains a black velvet bag, stamped with “Legacy of the Divine,” in gold foil. The Special Edition also comes with a signed 12” x 8” print of the Legacy themed montage.
The deck edges were a bit “hairy” when the deck arrived, but disappeared quickly with a little handling.
The gorgeous coffee table book, is fully illustrated and contains the Ciro’s own mythology of Tarot. This book would make a fantastic conversation piece. There is also a vinyl spread cloth available, in one of the packages. It measures 24” x 24”, which also could be framed.
The Standard Edition comes with a black organdy tarot bag and a 295 page, paperback collaborative companion book, which also contains the “story.” This book is titled Gateway to the Divine Tarot.
The second part of the book provides a variety of perspectives on the cards’ meanings from Ciro, himself, as well as highly respected tarot experts such as Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone, James Ricklef and Leisa ReFalo. Together they take you on a journey through this amazing deck.
The third part of the book is a “How To Read Tarot” section by Leisa ReFalo. She covers everything from the question, the spread, drawing the cards and interpretation to many extras. There are five spreads in the book, from a three card to a nine card spread.
This deck measures 4 ½” tall x 2 ¾” wide x 1” thick.
Both decks use the standard Rider-Waite-Smith suits: Swords, Cups, Wands, Pentacles. Strength is number 8 and Justice is number 11. The title of the Major’s and the suit titles are on the top and the cards are numbered on the bottom. Reversible friendly backs, which display another mechanical device. Both decks have a smooth finish, that fan out beautifully.
This deck will make an excellent addition to any collection. It can be picked and used almost immediately by the novice reader or the professional. It will be appreciated by anyone who owns one or both of Ciro’s other decks.
I anticipate that Legacy of the Divine will surely make it to the Top 10 of the new decks for 2009 and quickly take it’s place in the Top 10 of All Time.