Review by Sheri Harshberger
Sirian Starseed Tarot by Patricia Cori, illustrated by Alysa Bartha
Published by North Atlantic Books, www.northatlanticbooks.com
ISBN: 978-1-58394-536-0
A best selling author and expert on perception and ancient belief systems, Patricia Cori brings her 25+ years of study of the spiritual paths of indigenous cultures to bear in the Sirian Starseed Tarot, a new Tarot deck (and the first) published by North Atlantic Books.
As an entrance into Tarot deck publishing, North Atlantic Books dives into the "deep end" and comes up with a stunning and worthy effort! To say this deck is stunning to look at is an understatement. It arrives well packaged in a sturdy glossy black box that contains the deck and companion book. The image of the 0 Starseed card is on the cover. I would also like to mention that when I received this deck, there was a problem with one of the cards. North Atlantic Books immediately sent me a replacement! They are fantastic!
This deck follows the traditional structure of a 78-card Tarot deck with 22 Major and 56 Minor Arcana, although she splits out the Courts into People Keys. All of the cards are titled and the Majors are numbered from 0 to XXI. The cards are bordered by a thin white edge, followed by a slightly thicker dark border that contains stars. The titles of the cards are rather large, but they work with the card images. The backs of the cards feature a triangle image centered on a starry background. The image is not reversible but Cori does anticipate readers using reversed meanings by providing guidelines on reading the cards reversed in the companion book.
While the deck structurally follows a traditional Tarot structure, the application of the structure is Cori's own vision. The suits are: Crystals, Chalices, Orbs and Flames for Pentacles/Coins, Cups, Swords, and Wands respectively. As mentioned before, what would be considered the Courts in traditional decks are called the People Keys in this deck. They are represented by Master, Seeker, Aspect and Sage, corresponding to King, Queen, Knight, and Page respectively. The Majors insightfully correlate to the traditional Majors, but some have different names, such as: 0 Starseed, I Indigo, II Higher Self, III Abundance, IV Reason, V Guidance, IX Reflection, XIII Transition, XIV Alchemy, XV Shadow, XIX Solar Diety, XX Karma, and XXI Ascension.
Some of the Minor cards are scenic (showing people doing stuff) while others have the "pips," or symbolic images displayed within scenic backgrounds. For example, the Two of Chalices shows a couple sipping from chalices surrounded by roses, while the Ten of Chalices shows a pyramid of Chalices with a large waterfall in the background. Speaking of the imagery, did I mention this deck is gobsmackingly stunning? It is. Alysa Bartha really brings Patricia Cori's vision to beautiful life.
The companion book is well done and within it, Cori explains her ideas and what Starseed is. The meanings for the cards include questions a reader might associate with the card. She also includes a section with suggestions on how to read the cards if they are reversed, but she leaves it up to the reader to find the best way for themselves…which I really like. The book also includes the 10-card Sirian Starseed Spread and short bios for both Patricia Cori and Alysa Bartha.
Because the imagery of these cards really nail the intuitive meanings, I believe this deck could be easily used by a beginner, and may accelerate growth because of the disassociation with some the traditional card names. It can be used by a seasoned professional to provide fresh, spiritual insight. The meanings, the imagery, everything about this deck really makes it a perfect addition to a reader's toolbox with one possible exception. This deck is huge. Most people are familiar with the large Thoth and a few other decks that have large cards. This one literally dwarfs the large Thoth with dimensions of 5 inches by 7 inches. Readers that have problems handling large cards, or have a limited area to lay out cards may have to make changes to accommodate these cards. I think they are very much worth the effort! I highly recommend this breathtaking deck!
Cards pictured with Sirian Starseed XXI Ascension is the XXI The Universe from the Aleister Crowley Thoth (Large) and The World from the Universal Waite published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.