Up until the time I opened the Symbolon, I thought this was another tarot deck.  Then I began to look at each card in the deck.  There is a booklet enclosed, and it is the best of its kind that I have seen.  Well over a hundred pages, it fully explains that Symbolon is a game of remembrance.  What this means is that the Symbolon is a personal psychological tool for self-actualization.

The concept here is that each card is an archetype, representing a specific aspect or facet of the personality, which we all have deeply repressed within us.  Everyone has a different combination of these facets which float to the surface, but it is when these are remembered, and integrated into our concscious, that we achieve wholeness of the self.

The 78 cards in the Symbolon are all equal in stature and have no titles or numbers printed on them for identification, which can be gotten by referencing the little booklet.  There are astrological signs on the cards which give hints to their meaning, but the cards themselves are so fully intuitive that I have to admit I understood well over 60% of them before I ever opened the book.  They are meant to communicate their meaning to you on a deeper level, and this is accomplished.

The deck is slightly larger than standard, but handles easily, and shuffles about normal for its size.  There are no suits or any subdivisions within the deck, just the 78 psychological archetypes, some of which should be recognizeable to anyone as being from myths or fables we've all learned as children.

This is a beautifully illustrated and conceptualized deck, which I highly recommend to anyone looking to do some personal pathworking.  There is a kind of spread described in the booklet that allows the user to get the most of the deck for introspection.  Meanings for each card in each position of the spread are provided.

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Review Copyright 1998 by Gina M. Pace