
Celtic
Irish mythological cycle tarot with watercolor saga illustrations.
by Justin De Burgh
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The record
The Celtic Tarot (Book by Julian de Burgh, Art by Mary Guinan, published by Rider Books UK) is a deck/book set based on the great cycles of Irish mythology. The drawings are watercolour representations of events from the ancient sagas within a pale yellow frame. Even so, the artist has managed to incorporate much familiar tarot symbolism. The Magician, for example, depicts Mog Ruith who was said to be the most powerful druid in Ireland, but shows him bearing the four suit symbols in traditional style. The book is beautifully and clearly written and describes both the story behind each card as well as the basic divinatory meaning, again very much in traditional style. The approach is unashamedly psychological and not at all "dark" in meaning. A nice touch is a short quote which sums up the meaning of each major arcana card in affirmative style. For example - The Devil: "I can untie the binds and set myself free", The Chariot: "Take the reins and move forward with care". I have only two quibbles with this deck. First, although beautifully printed, the cards give the impression that they would become grubby and dog-eared fairly quickly with regular use. Secondly, it might have been ea
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