This is a very unusual treatment of the tarot which has recently been published.  I have to say, I was more than a little curious to see exactly how it would be done.  Thinking about the concept and theme of the deck (tarot for sex, for lovers, etc) this could be either extremely tasteless and lascivious, tasteful and decorous, or anywhere in between.  I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that it was quite tastefully done and attractive to boot.
 
Packaged in a really nice case, with a black and white photograph of two naked lovers entwined around each other (no faces are shown, no genitalia or anything dangerous, and very respectfully shot) the case has a magnetic closure on the right hand side and is made of a rigid, laminated material that is very sturdy.  This is not one of those boxed sets where you will take the deck and the book and throw the box out!  The case opens almost like some coffee table books, and is also printed on the inside front cover, this time in red and black, with white lettering that introduces the set as an intimage journey into the world of sexual desire and love, with the tarot as your guide.
 
Once inside, the book and the cards are held inside this plastic tray which is permanently affixed to the back of the case.  The book has a smaller version of the outside box cover as its front cover illustration; the deck is a newly recolored version of the Rider-Waite.  I myself was pleased with this arrangement; some would say that they should have created a whole new deck to deal with the sexual imagery, but that is not following the point of this set; and erotic tarots are already popping up everywhere, which would mean this set would not stand out in that crowd.  Rather than making this just another set of nudie cards to leer over, the creator chooses instead to honor the traditional tarot by giving it a fresh coat of color and a new set of interpretations.
 
Since this is the standard Rider-Waite imagery, the Major Arcana all bear the traditional titles, numbering, and ordering, including Strength as 8 and Justice as 11.  Additionally, the images are offset in a larger white border, and both the numbers for each card (converted to Arabic numerals instead of Roman numerals) and the card title appear in the top border, above the image.  Underneath the image, in the bottom border, are subtitles which follow the sexual meaning of the card as it applies to loveplay with your partner and a small sentence to help illustrate the meaning.  A lovely example is the Moon, which is subtitled "Rapture of the Deep" and the statement that follows is:  "There are no sexual boundaries, only echoes and reflections."
 
As an additional note, the Fool has been numbered 0/22 to reflect his movable position within the Major Arcana.
 
In the Minor Arcana, the traditional suits of Wands, Swords, Cups and Pentacles are used.  Again, the traditional titles are at the top of the card, and the thematic subtitle is underneath the image.  In the Minors, however, there are no qualifying statements with each card.  You have to look them up in the book.  Court cards are still King, Queen, Knight and Page.  Color themes are consistent throughout each suit and give the essence of the elemental correspondence that goes with the suit; Wands are sand colored, Cups are blue, Swords are dark purple like night skies, and Pentacles are greenish.  The colors look like they are airbrushed into the traditional design, with a lot of gradient areas.
 

The cards themselves are standard sized and actually feel quite comfortable to work with.  The cardstock used is a good one and my only complaint here is that there are little perf nubbies along the sides where the cards were punched out of the perforated sheets; I'd have liked to have seen the edges polished or smoothed before sending them out to market.  Corners are rounded.  The deck shuffles and handles well.  The back design matches the cover of the set.
 
The book which comes with this set is a substantial paperback which is printed in color and looks really nice.  The introduction is followed by instructions on how to use this deck and numerological lessons on how to get your birth number and thus your primary (and secondary in some cases) personal card.  Descriptions of each card are accompanied by full color illustrations of the card, and two pages worth of sexual explanation and description, a challenge for you, some sensual suggestions, oil, music, colors and aphrodisiacs that accompany the cards.  This is mostly for the Majors; the Minors are explained on only one page each, and give the description and reference, and a challenge for you.  Overall it's very good and stays nicely within the realm of tastefulness while challenging your senses. 

I do not recommend this set for anyone under the age of consent (check your local laws) and suggest that it is best used within the confines of a loving relationship between consenting adults.  That said, I feel this deck and book set will have appeal to not just one group of people, but several.  Many tarot collectors specifically collect various editions of the Rider-Waite; you will not want to pass this set up.  It has a nice loving atmosphere and is going to have great appeal for partners in relationships; I also feel that readers who get consulted on relationship issues a lot may find this deck to be of great help in counseling the client who is asking about their love life.  A beginner will be able to use it, although an experienced tarotist will probably get more out of it.  Actually, thinking about it, I'd say the real beginner or those who are advanced enough to be openminded.  There is a middle ground in learning the tarot where a deck like this may muddle the picture more than help.  It's a very refreshing take on the old traditional!
 
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Review Copyright 2001 by Gina M. Pace

Tarot Sutra by Patricia Canova, 2000
published by Dorling Kindersley Publishing, New York
ISBN 0-7894-5966-3