Transformational

The record

It arrived signed and stamped with the same design of purple lizards and spiderwebs which appears on the card backs. The cards are small, about the size of playing cards, and are easy to handle. They are not quite as sturdy as playing cards, however, and have a "thin" feel to them. The Major Arcana cards have Roman numerals, names, and associated astrological symbols; the four suits are the traditional Wands, Cups, Swords, and Coins. The quality and color of the printing is less than first rate -- a real shame considering the quality of the images them-selves. Both Major and Minor Arcana images combine a swooning turn-of-the-century richness with a modern sense of the absurd which scribbles shades on the magician and graffiti on the walls. The effect is sometimes whimsical and charming, sometimes unsettling, but always worth a second look. When styles clash, as they often do in this deck, meaning jumps out at you -- and it's not always the traditionally assigned meaning you might expect if you are used to Rider-Waite and its clones. Temperance, for example, is now called Alchemy; the Tower has turned into the goddess Kali -- Ando has gone one level deeper and created an image of th

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