Publication Facts and Rating (0 to 5 stars) "At-a-Glance"

Country of Publication: Hungary
Publication Year: 1998
Number of cards: 22
Quality of artwork -- 2 1/2 stars
Usefulness for meditation/pathworking -- 4 stars
Readability (Divination) -- 3 stars
Symbology -- 3 1/2 stars
Value to Collectors -- 4 1/2 stars

General Commentary
A tarot creator would, I imagine, face a dilemma similar to that of a review writer (or a writer of any sort of "text with a message"). In writing a review, the dilemma revolves around content vs. brevity. The prevailing theory today, at least in many Western cultures, seems to be that written information should be presented as briefly and concisely as possible. "Stick to the facts, and get right to the point" -- a reader's time is valuable, and so the writer should attempt to say as much as possible, as quickly as possible.

On the other hand, a simple synopsis of "relevant facts" can also result in a disservice to the reader. Information can be presented too briefly, resulting in miscommuncation or failure to provide additional interesting information that can enrich the reader's understanding of the subject as a whole. An intelligent reader may appreciate being provided with more of the details and more subtleties surrounding the topic under discussion. Subjects of sufficient substance may suffer from being presented as nothing more than an abbreviated "laundry list" of key points.

Of course, an entire spectrum of possibilities exists between these two extremes. And a skilled writer may sometimes be able to impart a great deal of useful information with only a few carefully-chosen words. But, on the whole, the writer's dilemma remains: at what point does one give up providing interesting, enlightening, and/or clarifying detail in order to achieve a concise, to-the-point message that readers supposedly value so much?

For those who aspire to create tarots that carry a "message," the dilemma is translated into a visual, rather than verbal, medium. While a picture may be "worth a thousand words," the spiritual, esoteric, psychological, and metaphysical information that a tarot creator wishes to impart might require thousands upon thousands of words if presented in a written format. How far, then, to reduce the symbolic imagery without risking the sacrifice of a "reader's" understanding? Conversely, how much can one afford to include without overwhelming the reader with so much information that she becomes discouraged to even make the attempt?

At the latter end of the spectrum, we have tarots like U.S. Games' Hermetic Tarot, whose images contain a tremendous wealth of esoteric information for the earnest seeker, but perhaps become highly cluttered -- and overwhelming -- in the process. Closer to the former end of the spectrum is Pallfy Judit's Tarot, whose simple imagery attempts to say "a lot with a little." Whether either deck succeeds in conveying its intended message is probably a highly subjective issue, yet perhaps Judit can be commended, at the least, for not subjecting the reader to more than she is prepared to say.

The Pallfy deck is a majors-only tarot whose images center around faces. In each and every card, we see little more than a face -- and yet, each face is carefully rendered to provide a wealth of information for those who will spare a moment to look for it. For example, in her "Justice" card (card 8 in this deck), Judit shows us a traditional female figure, bedecked in the symbols we have come to expect. She is blindfolded, of course, and her traditional balance scales are displayed as an earring dangling from her left ear (and can we attribute a significance to the ear which Judit has selected here?). On her forhead is emblazoned another famous symbol of balance -- the yin/yang. And although we cannot see past her shoulders, it is apparent that our symbolic lady wears no clothing. Even her head is shaved -- perhaps suggesting that the balancing, "justice" force of the universe exercises its equilibriating influence openly, without fear or pride or shame.

Judit's illustrations are unarguably simple, and yet they avoid being simplistic. To expound at length on the details would, perhaps, defeat the purpose of discovering if such a paucity of symbols can indeed convey a wealth of meaning. But it is interesting to at least consider some of the cards' more subtle aspects. Some of the more curious but fascinating questions one could ask include: why do the figures in the Strength and Tower cards look back at us from over their shoulders? (In the rest of the cards, the figures are all facing forwards.) Why has Judit chosen to use a child's face for the "Wheel of Fortune" card? And what reason is there for Judit to portray the "Death" card as an almost clown-like characture -- with exaggeratedly large ears, nose, lips, and chin -- instead of selecting a more "traditional" and expected skeletal or spectre-like visage?

Because of the very "humanized" feel of Judit's deck, coupled with its interesting symbollic details, the Pallfy Tarot strikes me as an excellent deck for pathworking. It would be easy enough to "step into" these cards, and learn much from inquiries posed to the figures one meets there. For similar reasons, the Pallfy Tarot might make a very interesting reading deck as well.

The deck's primary interest, however, lies in its "collectibility." There have been few enough original tarots produced by Hungarian artists, and fewer still that manage to become available through any means to tarot enthusiasts outside of eastern Europe. Although published in 1998, the Pallfy is already out-of-print and increasingly difficult to come by, even in Hungary. The overall production quality of the cards and box is good (although the cards are cut a bit unevenly, such that there are minute variations in card size). All of this, coupled with the fact that it is not, artistically speaking, simply another "Rider-Waite" clone, makes the Pallfy Tarot a highly-recommended selection for serious and eclectic tarot collectors.

As of this writing (9 June 2001), a limited supply of the Pallfy Tarot is available through The Tarot Garden.

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Guest review copyright 2001 by Jeannette Roth
Used with permission