I Ching Dell'Amore
(I Ching of Love)
by Nishavdo, Rishu and Videha
 
This is a very attractive I Ching deck, and one of the newer ones in publication.  The images are done in vibrant living colors and feature pictures of scenes which illustrate the meaning behind each of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching.
 
Each of the 64 cards features the number of the hexagram at the top of the card in Arabic numerals.  Immediately beneath this is the title of the hexagram in Italian.  Under the image, at the bottom of the card, the title appears in English and in German.  This deck is only published in three languages, not five as is standard with LoScarabeo decks.  The hexagram itself is featured inside a white circle which is laid right over the image, in a different place on each card.  Generally this appears where it will least interfere with the picture.
 
Since the deck is done by three different artists, you can see several different styles running through the cards as you go through the deck.  I like all the artwork, even though there is a vast amount of technical variation here.  Those familiar with the I Ching will like the deck as well, it is very different from anything else out there.
 
There are no majors or minors, no court or suit cards.  This is not a tarot deck but an I Ching deck, so there are 64 cards not 78.  It can be used in divination much the same way as the tarot, although my understanding of the I Ching is that spreads are not used so much as single cards and pairs of cards.  Unfortunately this deck does not come with any instructions so I would only be able to recommend it for experienced diviners.
 
The cards themselves are the slightly smaller and narrower size that is the traditional LoScarabeo deck size.  I've always really felt that it was a comfortable size for cards.  The card stock is good heavy stock with a semigloss coating on both sides.  The back design is a simple but attractive yin yang on a gradient red background.  The deck has fewer cards which makes it easy to shuffle and handle.
 
I recommend this deck mainly for collectors and for those who are experienced at the I Ching.  Since there are no directions, the user will need to be fairly well-versed in the use of the hexagrams system.  I, for one, am not good enough with it to be totally comfortable with this deck, yet I can see where a lot of the images are intuitive.  Perhaps with time.....
 
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Review Copyright 1999 by Gina M. Pace
 
I Ching Dell'Amore by Nishavdo, Rishu and Videha, 1997
published by LoScarabeo, Torino, Italy