Mystic Meg, while not as well-known in the United States, is something of a celebrity tarotist in the United Kingdom and other areas of the world.  In this deck and book set, she presents her own version of the tarot.  This version is the British one, but an American release is available, known as the Mystic Tarot.  The cards are designed by the creator of the Elemental Tarot, so right off the bat I knew I was going to like this deck.

An excellent and attractive set for the beginner, the deck incorporates a full 78-card design in the Marseille-tradition with a modern look and feel to the images.  The Major Arcana follows traditional ordering, with Justice being 8 and Strength being 11.  Many of the titles are changed to follow the new system being used, removing all the "scary" cards or those with denomenational overtones and replacing them with non-sectarian, non-threatening ones,as follows:

Beginning (The Fool)
Magician
High Priestess
Empress
Emperor
High Priest
Lovers
Chariot
Justice
Hermit
Wheel of Fortune
Strength
Self-Sacrifice (Hanged Man)
Changing (Death)
Temperance
Temptation (The Devil)
Tower
Star
Moon
Sun
Judgement
World

The Minor Arcana also feature some interesting changes.  Similarly to the Elemental Tarot, the suits here are Fire, Water, Earth and Air.  Court titles are King, Prince and Princess.  Each court card has little triangular symbols for the elements in the upper corners of the image area.  The numbered cards are basically pip cards but are very nicely illustrated.

The cards themselves are standard sized, more or less, and have a slick glossy finish that makes them somewhat slippery to handle.  This breaks in with use.  The edges are smooth.  Card stock is a little stiff.  The back design is a monochromatic purple reversible design with doves, vines, the all-seeing eye and Mystic Meg's initials.

The book which comes with the set is a thin (128 pp) but attractive full-color one with pretty borders on all the pages.  A good amount of information is presented, even for beginners.  I was disappointed to see that Mystic Meg claims the tarot has origins in ancient Egypt and even farther back, when there is no proof specifically, but she doesn't go on at length about it so it's not that big a deal.  My only real beef with this set is the packaging itself.  The cards come in a paper band and stuck inside a cheap styrofoam tray with a simple hole cut out through it, and the book rests in the top of the tray.  The hole goes clear through the styrofoam so when you slide the styrofoam out of the box the cards fall out underneath into your lap.  The box itself is a flimsy one, looks pretty but is made cheaply as well.  It is obviously meant to be disposed of and the cards wrapped in a bag or cloth.

Overall I do recommend this deck and book set for someone who is interested in reading tarot cards and wants a fresh looking deck with a lighter weight, modern approach to readings.  Mystic Meg doesn't waste much time in esoteric information and basically cuts to the heart of the fortunetelling stuff.  Fans of Caroline Smith's Elemental Tarot will also want this deck.  Note: it will be easier to locate this deck in the US by the Mystic Tarot title rather than the Mystic Meg Tarot, but they are the same set, only packaged differently for different countries.

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also by Caroline Smith:
Elemental Tarot

Review Copyright 1999 by Gina M. Pace

Mystic Meg Tarot by Mystic Meg and Caroline Smith, 1997
published by Carlton Books LTD
ISBN 1-85868-331-9

Mystic Tarot by Mystic Meg and Caroline Smith, 1999
published by Carlton Books LTD
ISBN 1-85868-719-5