The Gorgon’s Tarot
by Dolores Fitchie
Published by Schiffer Publishing. US $45 : UK £39.99
Reviewed by Wendy Stokes
Quality presentation box with magnetic closure and ribbon opens to 78 large round cards in black and white artwork, with one wild card, the Blind Gorgon, which has a splash of scarlet and is said to be obscured by the Sun. The size of the round cards means a different shuffle and dealing style, but it’s ok! The cards are like plates to lay out, but ideal to point out motifs to the Querent within the surrealistic artwork. There are several animals, such as horses, cats, snakes, even leopards, and flowers, trees, stars and delicate patterns. The theme is upbeat and young, the energy positive and quirky. It is, I would say, ‘female-centric’. Joyous and good for a celebration! I really liked this deck!
The guidebook begins with the story of the Gorgon. The Minors are Cups, Pentacles, Wands and Swords; the Court Cards are Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings. The guidebook provides an additional subtitle for Majors, a 200 word meaning alongside the traditional meaning and reversals.
Sample: 16 The Tower: “You will never be the same again. This is the shattering of the structure, the end of an era. Lighting strikes the old fortress which has grown too large and too rigid, and therefore too vulnerable, no longer a refuge but a prison. Leaving no stone unturned, and no dark corner unexposed. The flame is ignited and from the wreckage the spirit rises, free from what sheltered it, but also hid and restricted it. This is not a consciously chosen spring cleaning. This is life itself administering a good and often painful and shocking wake up call – perhaps from our dogmatic slumbers. Scott Adams’ Dogbert might call this “a Paradigm shifting without a clutch”. The structure had been crumbling, degrading under its own accumulated superfluous weight for quite a time, so any sudden upheaval was bound to disintegrate it. Now we can start building a new house. The dark night of the soul is turning into brilliant sunrise. Fresh flowers are ready and growing out of the debris. The snake calmly oversees their progress. Traditional meanings: Shock, collapse. An awakening, often painful, which brings enlightenment. Reversed. Stagnation which, in the long run, will be more damaging than the collapse of the old structures. Refusal to accept what is happening. Sometimes actual physical death.”
It’s seaworthy! You won’t forget a reading with these cards!
Review by Wendy Stokes
