| |
The Tarot of Prague, 1st Edition
by Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov
review by Nellie Levine
A good number have asked me what my favorite tarot deck
is. To this, I have never had an answer, because there
are probably at least a half dozen decks that I could think
of, none of them really more preferred than the rest. Each
one seems to appeal emotionally, or intuitively, or in
more literal ways. With the Tarot of Prague, I have
an answer. This is my favorite tarot deck, and it isn’t
simply for reason of emotion, or intuition, or the more
literal ... but for all.
Emotionally, I responded to this deck immediately. A
long box contains the set of cards and book. The cards
are held securely in a very sweet and very pretty handcrafted
cover, that is tied with thick gold ribbons, and which
also contains a small, attached booklet. Untying the ribbons,
as co-creator Karen Mahony described in an email, is a
bit of a ritual in itself. Untying the ribbons, as in my
experience, slows down the process of using the cards;
with the gentle tug of ribbon, there is a gentle undoing
of the logical, a putting aside of the everyday, and an
entrance into something mystical. The cards are automatically
treated with more care, as well with patience in beholding
them, removing them from the box, and handling them. The
finish on the cards was of immediate note to my husband,
who does graphic design for a living (and so has professional
experience with papers and printing processes). He commented
on how the finish is much nicer than other tarot decks
he has seen - which tend to be slick and glossy, and that
with their matte finish, the cards would gracefully “age” -
and truly become their owner’s over time. Such details
make this deck stand out among all others.
The artwork on the cards is stunning photo-collage, created
from thousands of photos taken throughout the city of Prague.
The collage is seamless and beautiful. Images include statues,
library bookshelves, city stairways, lions and two-tailed
mermaids, mosaics, paintings, house signs, towers, bridges,
birds, and saints and angels. Traditional tarot imagery
is preserved through the skilled blending done by Mahony
and Ukolov. Added to traditional designs are the magic
of Prague and the artistic and intuitive insight of the
deck’s creators. The Fool offers us flight
over the city ... he does not stand on cliff or precipice.
Rather, he steps delicately off a carving of a young man
taken from the Old Town Bridge Tower, who - in this card
- has become a ‘flying pillar’. The Fool is
joined by a little dog, tail upraised, whose picture was
originally part of a deck of Bohemian playing cards from
WWII. The artwork of The Empress is altogether
different. There are no stone carvings, and no cityscapes.
Her beauty is expressed in colorful mosaic, embellished
with stars and complete with an abundance of flowers, fruit,
and hearts.
The Hierophant is one of my favorite cards in
the deck, simply for its striking pose and unusual source.
The Hierophant is often a misunderstood and undervalued
card of the tarot, generally because of its stern appearance
and interpretation. The Tarot of Prague’s Hierophant is
an image of Rabbi Loew, a real figure of Prague (and Jewish)
history, and legendary creator of the Golem. In collage,
he stands among the books of the Strahov monastery library.
Within this library, fittingly, are many theological texts
as well as books on Cabbala. I find this version of the
Hierophant exciting, and it’s a beautiful, commanding
card as well. Justice is another card I am drawn
to in this deck. The ‘figure of Justice herself is
taken from a remarkable marquetry door in the Wallenstein
Palace’. This image has a sense of stillness and
delicate balance, and as well, the lady is balanced atop
a small elephant, which signifies ‘the need to remember
the actions and decisions leading up to the present’.
In the gaze of this lady of Justice are strength
and perhaps severity, but she smiles. Above and behind
her rises a phoenix, in black and white, tying in elements
of karma - the concept of justice carried out from lifetime
to lifetime. There are two Death cards in the
deck, both of them striking. I keep forgetting to remove
one - which one would I decide to use? - but I have so
far not drawn either in readings. They are both beautiful
and compelling, and the background of both is a sundial
from 1658.
The decision to include two Death cards was based
on the discomfort many people have with this card. There
is a ‘Memento Mori’ version, in which Death
as the grim reaper appears nine times! He slips in and
out of a crowd of ordinary people - men, women, and children
- sometimes seen by those he walks among, other times he
goes unnoticed. The second version of the card is meant
to be a little less dark, and to present a picture of what
the artists call ‘tongue-in-cheek gothic’.
It shows Death and his horse in the form of wooden
puppets, modern figures from a shop in Prague. The Death card
is generally my favorite in the tarot, and I think I’m
going to be alternating which I use in this deck.
The intricate designs and symbolism extend into the Minor
Arcana, and can be seen and enjoyed in the number cards
as well as the Court cards. In the Two of Swords,
while the blind-folded woman raises two swords in defense
above her head, a lion crouches at her feet, an expression
of pure bewilderment on his face. In the Five of Cups we
meet Rabbi Loew’s Golem, a faceless, armored figure
- one of two statues that guard the old Jewish section
of the city. He stands beneath a lightening sky, goblets
at his feet. Snow falls, beautifully, in the Five of
Pentacles, as a sorrowful and perhaps desperate woman
passes by a church with her infant. The photo of the church
was taken during an actual snowstorm, and the original
statue of the woman is titled “the widow.” In
the Queen of Wands we see another woman and her
child, with a fairly opposite meaning, which is even made
clear beneath the two on a gold background: ‘Good
cheer, and let us be joyful’. In this card there
is a content lion, a blue sky with soft clouds, many bright
colors, and smiles. The Queen looks about ready to leap
off her throne into play or dance, the child along with
her.
Throughout the deck, both in the Major and Minor Arcana,
we see a beautiful combining of statue and chiaroscuro,
mosaic and sgraffito, Baroque and Art Deco ... medieval
and modern. Color and light radiate from the cards, playing
together during readings and giving them a unique energy
that adds to the ‘storytelling’ capacity of
the deck. And though often very different, the people in
the cards fit their meanings perfectly, and are sometimes
quite interesting - the Three of Pentacles features
Mozart!
I couldn’t wait to read with the cards, but I was
at first (a little) hesitant to do so, because of the fineness
of the set. I made a habit of washing my hands before every
reading, and only laying the cards out on a soft cloth
- an antique throw from Italy, brought over to America
by my great-grandmother. I started with mundane readings,
to see how the cards worked in answering direct questions.
I then moved on to doing a few little readings for my husband
and daughter, and then on to bigger questions for myself.
For my first readings, it is enough to say the cards worked
very well. They are gorgeous laid out in a spread, and
each image gives an immediately understandable and accessible
meaning - beginners could read with this deck, and additionally
would learn very much from it and the book. My “querents” were
intrigued by the images and spent a good deal of time looking
at them and finding additional insight. But, the real power
of the deck shone in my private readings, the ones I did
before bed, when the sky was dark, the night quiet and
still. Then, with only the presence of wind and a sliver
of moon, I drew cards that pointed to deep truths and offered
inspiration for reflection even days later. Together, the
cards speak to one another, in scenery - a tower from one
card may appear in one that falls below it; in animals
- in one card there is a bird who sits still in a hand,
in another a bird passes gently on the water; and in people
- here a young child dances, and there a boy reclines.
Details like these can be found in any tarot deck that
has full scenes, but in the Tarot of Prague they
are found in layers, and as these layers are noticed, so
too are deeper meanings, more insight, and ultimately,
greater wisdom. The Tarot of Prague speaks in an
intuitive language envisioned through the beauty and mysticism
of Prague, expressed with precision by the artists, and
understood by the individual reader or querent. Also, the Tarot
of Prague exhibits artistic form and feeling generally
not expected, or indeed seen, in tarot - but rather in
fine art. I have the impression that the artists do not
at this point realize how significant their tarot will
become.
Pleasing in so many ways emotional and intuitive, how
does the Tarot of Prague compare to earlier decks,
how does the book read, how closely do the artists follow
tarot history? In the guidebook, Mahony explains, ‘The
majority of decks these days are based more or less on
Waite and Smith’s cards. The Tarot of Prague also
follows this system and this means that it can be used
with most popular books about tarot interpretation and
reading’. Rider-Waite-Smith designs are obvious behind
the images, but the Tarot of Prague cards are in
no way just simple variations on those earlier cards. They
can however, be used by anyone as a first tarot set, alongside
a good tarot guidebook or in a course. The Tarot of
Prague would in fact make an incredibly special gift
as a first tarot deck.
The book is a great read. It begins with a concise and
interesting introduction that explains many of the choices
the artists made regarding the Tarot. The book is organized
very nicely, and explains each card with a brief introduction,
Short Interpretation, Fuller Interpretation (which includes
keywords), and Sources. The Short Interpretations can be
used to remember meanings quickly, or for reference in
divination work. The Fuller Interpretations teach more
complete meanings of each card; explain symbolism, history
or background of the cards; offer comparisons to earlier
designs; and provide crucial and unique insights drawn
from Mahony’s own experience. Sources list statues,
towers, bridges, libraries, and other buildings or locations
throughout Prague, which the artists photographed for their
collage. Mahony has kept this section small for each card,
but again, it is very enjoyable reading. Each card description
is accompanied by a black and white illustration of the
card, and oftentimes by source images. A section on tarot
readings, including instructions for spreads, is found
at the end of the book, followed by a full Bibliography
and a list of Terms Used.
Mahony’s writing is engaging, as she tells stories
about Prague, discusses local history and legend, delves
into card meanings, and shares reasons for specific symbols.
There is much to be learned through Mahony’s wise,
warm voice. Her card interpretations provide mundane meanings
as well as spiritual, psychological, or mystical. In addition,
the book itself is of very high quality - the paper still
has the smell of wood in it (as opposed to smelling like
chemicals, as many new books do). A gold ribbon accompanies
the book. It can help in removing the book from the long
box that holds the book and deck, but I have tied off the
ends and use it as a bookmark.
As I said right off, the Tarot of Prague has quickly
become my favorite ... It holds closely to Rider-Waite-Smith
designs, while freely expressing its own unique spirit.
It is beautiful and mystical, and draws upon real history
as well as legend. It is also very usable, in readings
for self and others. And, what comes through perhaps more
than anything else, is that the artists put everything
into this tarot. It has their soul and their wit, their
beauty, joy, compassion, wisdom, even their understanding
of sadness and struggle. There is excellence in all aspects
of this set, and it is a true joy to use. Is it for everyone?
No, certainly, the Tarot of Prague won’t appeal
to everyone ... but there isn’t a thing on the planet
that does.
Many thanks to Nellie for this review...
This review was first published on www.illuminationtarot.com,
reproduced in abridged form with permission.
Visit the Tarot
of Prague website.
|
|
