This lovely deck and book set is created by two of the world's recognized leaders in Arthurian magic and lore, Caitlin and John Matthews.  Each have worked on a number of different books and systems, some individually, some as a team.  The artist, Miranda Gray, has also collaborated on the Merlin Tarot and has done the Beasts of Albion set as well.

The Hallowquest system, as it is also called, involves a small amount of restructuring from the traditional tarot.  There are still 78 cards, still 22 Major Arcana and four suits of 14 cards each, but the way each one is significant is slightly altered and each suit is seen as a progression within each discipline.  There are multiple books which can be purchased (aside from the one in the set) to accompany the user's search for truth, and while study can be done solely with the book that comes with this deck, I do recommend purchasing, at the least, the Hallowquest course book which is sold separately.  This book allows you to do exercises which you can write the answers down and save for later.  Many people find that their study discipline is greatly improved with the use of a written journal book.  I am one of those people.

The 22 Major Arcana cards are completely retitled, although they do apparently keep to traditional order, more or less.  In black borders with a squared bottom and an arched top, the images appear in vibrant detail.  Muted colors are used and my only complaint about this deck is that Miranda Gray's artwork leaves me a little cold.  There is no arguing her skill, just for some reason it seems rather passionless.  I'll include a list of the titles and how they correlate at the bottom of this paragraph.  I know a lot of people who use this tarot system extensively, and my view of the artwork may be an isolated one.  I've included the usual pictures with the review so you can decide for yourself.

These are the titles, in order, for the Major Arcana, which are called the Greater Powers in the Hallowquest system, with a rough list of correspondences.  For the most part, they are identifiable with their counterparts; however, a lot of them embody traits from more than one traditional arcana, and upon deeper introspection into the meanings, one can see shades and nuances not common to traditional decks at all.

The Seeker -- The Fool
Merlin -- The Magician
The Lady of the Lake -- The High Priestess
Guinevere -- The Empress
Arthur -- The Emperor
Taliesin -- The High Priest
The White Hart -- The Lovers
Prydwen -- The Chariot
Gawain -- Strength
The Grail Hermit -- The Hermit
The Round Table -- The Wheel of Fortune
Sovereignty -- Justice
The Wounded King -- The Hanged Man
The Washer at the Ford -- Death
The Cauldron -- Temperance
The Green Knight -- The Devil
The Spiral Tower -- The Tower
The Star -- The Star
The Moon -- The Moon
The Sun -- The Sun
The Sleeping Lord -- Judgement
The Flowering of Logres -- The World

The Minor Arcana is a whole 'nother ballpark.  Each of the four suits (Spears, Swords, Grails and Stones) represent a path of discipline, as well as a realm of truth and reality which can be perceived by the seeker.  For example, the Stones suit represents the physical reality and conforms to the element of Earth and the season of Winter.  Spears correlate to the element of fire, and represent the challenges and intuitions of mental reality, and the season of Summer.  Grails correlate to the element of Water, the season of Autumn, and the emotions of the spirit.  And the Swords represent the Spring, the Air, and challenge of battle and discord rather than harmony seem to rule here.

Each suit is called a Hallow, hence the title of the system, Hallowquest.  The Aces in each Hallow are directly called thus, Spear Hallow, Sword Hallow, Grail Hollow, Stone Hallow.  The numbered cards begin with two, as in Grail Two, and move up to Ten.  The tenth card is significant, as it sets the location (castle, home, etc) for each of the persons in the court cards of that Hallow.  So numbers 2 through 9 represent the actions and stages the follower of that suit moves through, or as the book states, the "landscape of the Hallowquest through wgich the Seeker journeys."  Then, at 10, we reach the Court itself, and the four court cards (Maiden, Knight, Queen and King) of each Hallow are at the end of each Hallowquest.

The book has some good descriptions of each card in it, with spreads and other information, but unlike other books which accompany decks in sets, this one is not almost all taken up with divinatory meanings.  There is a great deal of useable information here, which is over a third of the book!  Many spreads are included, which are original to this system of divination.  A second set of short divinatory meanings for each card is included towards the back for quick reference.  The meanings in the front half of the book are more about what each card's symbolism describes, rather than how it applies in divination.

There seem to have been different printings of the book used in the set, which are identical save for the materials used.  In some of the books, mine included, the paper and cover used seemed to be really stiff and the book tended to be somewhat inflexible, the binding cracked when opening it enough to read, and there is a danger of pages falling out.  Yet, others I have known who have the set said the book was softer and more flexible, and stayed in excellent shape even through years of use.  There doesn't seem to be any way to determine ahead of time which type book is in the set.  Since I am recommending that the user purchase the workbook anyway, perhaps this doesn't matter as much as it did to me.  But I am irritated by this.

At the end of this review I will include the titles of the accompanying books along with ISBN numbers for ease in ordering.  The cards themselves in this set are slightly wider than standard, but handle and shuffle easily, with smooth edges and a matte-finish coating.

I highly recommend this deck/book set for anyone looking to take their tarot search to a deeper realm.  It is especially useful for those who are seeking a meditative tarot.  It is very good for beginners because so much is thoroughly explained that you don't need prior knowledge; in fact, I found that the more I knew about tarot before I started, the more backtracking I had to do to "forget" what I had already learned and "start over" with this system.  Art collectors and Arthurian fans will also covet this tarot.  Overall, it is one of the best systems I have found.

Click here for pictures
 
or here to purchase this deck
 
or here to return

Please use your browser's back button to return from pictures

also by Caitlin Matthews:
Celtic Wisdom Tarot
Celtic Book of the Dead

also by Miranda Gray:
Merlin Tarot
Beasts of Albion

Review Copyright 1999 by Gina M. Pace

also see the Hallowquest Website

Arthurian Tarot by Caitlin and John Matthews, 1990
published by Aquarian Press, ISBN 0-85030-755-4

Hallowquest : Tarot Magic and the Arthurian Mysteries
by Caitlin Matthews and John Matthews, 1990
published by Aquarian Press, ISBN 0-85030-963-8

Hallowquest : The Arthurian Tarot Course: A Tarot Journey Through the Arthurian World
by Caitlin and John Matthews, 1998
published by Thorsons, ISBN 0-72253-448-5

if you need help ordering this tarot set, or the books above, email Wicce.