I Ching Dead Moon
Dark gothic I Ching oracle with East Asian punk and samurai imagery.
by Luis Royo · 2010
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The record
I love the I Ching Dead Moon Oracle deck by Luis Royo... As a collector's item, that is. Royo's artwork in Dead Moon is what I'll describe as East Asian post-punk gothic rock that borrows imagery from Japanese samurai culture and imperial China, altogether with lots of blood, wild black hair, and intricate tattoos. And the consistent depiction of inclement weather in the backdrop. In other words, awesome. Sure, there's some hypersexualization and exotification of Asian women in there, but let's just agree that post-colonial social politics will be beyond the scope of this deck review. Without question Royo's Dead Moon deck is one of the best on the market when it comes to art. It is an oracle deck, however, and not tarot in the traditional sense. As it is based on the I Ching, the oracle deck has 64 rather than 78 cards, each corresponding with one of the hexagrams from the I Ching. However, the Dead Moon I Ching deck is haphazard with the illustrations. They don't necessarily correspond with the hexagram it's supposed to represent. Other I Ching oracle decks, such as the I Ching Tarot by Kwan Lau, depict images that the illustrator believes represents the meaning of the hexagram.
The cards
