This intriguing deck-and-book set is really one-of-a-kind.  Not a tarot, it nonetheless can be used for personal illumination, through the development of personal horoscope readings.  There are lots of books and charts and software available for people who are interested in learning astrology, but few (if any) card systems out there.  This set is designed by one of the creators of the Mythic Tarot, and follows many of the same concepts.  And the artist, Anthea Toorchen, has also got another oracle to her credit, the Olympus Cards.

The book which comes with this set is satisfyingly informative, easy to understand for even the newest to astrology.  I fall into that category myself.  For years I have had a rudimentary knowledge of astrology, with an overwhelming sense that there was so much more that I didn't know about, and this was compounded by the fact that astrology books I have read in trying to learn about it have only served to make me feel stupid because I couldn't absorb it.  Perhaps, however, all I needed was something that could access my tarot-card-oriented mind, and an astrology card system seems to be doing the trick.

Something that confused me at first was that there are two identical sets of cards in this set, except that one has red backs and one has green backs.  The cards are smallish and the images are placed on them horizontally instead of vertically.  The artwork on these cards is smashing.  They simply radiate with figures from mythology of various cultures.  Gold borders around the cards add to the rich look of these cards.  The titles are in the border, in black capital letters.  Astrological symbols are in the corners, small and unobtrusive, but not hard to see.

Since this is not a tarot, there are no Major or Minor Arcana, no courts or suit cards.  None of the cards are numbered.  The titles are the traditional names of the planets and zodiacal houses.  On the planetary cards, the titles are in the bottom border; in the zodiac cards, the titles are at the top.  The actual image on each card is that of a mythological figure who best represents that planet or sign.  Titles include:  The Sun (Apollo), The Moon (Artemis), Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, The Ascendant (to represent the rising sign where it falls in the reading); Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn, Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, and finally, a card for the planetary transits.  All the cards are doubled except the card with the transits.

A good-sized paperback book comes with this set, 225 pages full of useable information.  In five parts, it explains how to use this system, and gives you all the correspondences you need to chart your course through the heavens.  Part One covers "The Planetary Gods," and has lengthy explanations, stories and mythology behind the figures on the Planetary cards.  Part Two, titled  "The Four Elements and the Signs of the Zodiac," explains the significance of the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water, and how they relate to the signs of the zodiac.  The actual stories and mythology behind these signs is also related here.

Part Three is a technical section entitled "Working with the Cards."  Actual instructions are provided here for everything from converting your time and place of birth into the Greenwich Mean Time for actual chart reckoning, as well as all the necessary maps and tables, and instructions on how to lay out the cards.  Part Four is a helpful list of "Individual Combinations" and how they affect each other in pairs, something most other astrological systems don't address in detail.  Even though it isn't possible to cover every possible combination in one book, enough are covered that you can learn from example and gain an understanding of how the different signs compound each other.  A fifth section on "Relationship Combinations" and a sixth on "The Meaning of Time" round out the field.

Also included in this set, aside from the two decks of identical cards (so that you can cast two horoscopes at once and see their interaction) and the book are a "silky" cloth for layouts and a notepad with the spreads marked on every fourth page, giving you plenty of room to write notes.  The cloth is a dark teal-colored polyester crepe-type fabric and I found it annoying, as I strongly dislike synthetics.  However, many people will probably like it and it certainly is helpful for beginners to have something to lay the cards on, as a template.

Even if I didn't want to learn astrology in more depth, I would highly recommend this deck as its art alone makes it worth having.  And the myths in the book, told in story form, are also worthwhile reading.  But the fact is that this is also a very helpful way to bridge any gaps in astrological knowledge that you might have.  It's easy enough for beginners, but the information is good for anyone to use as well.

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also by Liz Greene, with Juliet Sharman-Burke:
Mythic Tarot

also by Anthea Toorchen, with Murry Hope:
Olympus Cards

Review Copyright 1999 by Gina M. Pace

Mythic Astrology by Liz Greene, 1994
published by Fireside/Simon and Schuster  ISBN 0-671-50094-5