This is a very strange but interesting tarot deck.  It's a lot thicker than normal decks because the creators have added an entire new suit in the Minor Arcana.  There is also an additional card in the Major Arcana. The concept behind the deck is the Deva, which is a "form of life other than human" and cannot be perceived by physical eyes.  Personally I think this sounds vague.

The design of this deck is German so that might have a lot to do with it, abstract theories and systems are popular in Germany.  The artwork is fairly good, with central figures rather than full scenes and a lot of swirly things all around the figures.  Titles on the cards are provided in German, English and French.

The Major Arcana have close to traditional titles, with the exception of the Antar replacing the Hierophant, the Searcher replacing the Hermit, and the addition of the new card, the Separator.

The Minor Arcana show for the most part the number of items in the suit for each cup, although the court cards show figures.  The court cards are the Princess, Prince, Knight and Queen.  Suits are Discs, Wands, Swords, Cups and the new additional suit, Triax, which represents the higher element of the spirit and completing the elemental cycle of the pentacle, earth, air, fire, water and spirit.

The cards themselves are short and squat in shape and printed on a sturdy paperboard, which makes shuffling near to impossible, because of the thickness of the deck and its inflexibility as well.  The cards aren't heavily laminated or anything and they crease when bent rather than flex.

This is a good deck for someone looking for an alternate path to the spirit, but it is really out there and probably is best left to the collectors.

Click here for pictures

or here to return

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

Review Copyright 1998 by Gina M. Pace