I've seen this tarot deck
in the US Games catalog for years, but always assumed it was the Brotherhood
of Light/Church of Light Egyptian Tarot deck that I already had.
However, I had to order one in the store for a customer, and when I got
a look at it up close, I realized it's not the same deck at all.
There is an unmistakeable resemblance in the cards' images, but how they
are put forward is quite distinctly different. It looks as though
this deck is done by a different artist but by copying the images from
the other deck, or taking art direction from the same source. For
a side-by-side comparison of the same card from both decks, click here.
The cards in the deck
are colored a beige parchment color, presumably to give the look of papyrus.
The deck is inked in brown against this color for contrast. I would
still categorize this as a black and white deck. The image area is
offset within this large oval which is done to resemble a cartouche, and
there is a solid line across the bottom of it, with the number and the
title underneath it. There are astrological symbols in the lower
right corner. Numbering is done in Roman numerals. The titles
vary quite a bit from traditional tarot, so I have listed them below.
I - The Magus
II - The Gate of the
Sanctuary
III - Isis-Urania
IV - The Cubic Stone
V - The Master of the
Arcanes
VI - The Two Ways
VII - The Chariot of
Osiris
VIII - The Balance and
the Sword
IX - The Veiled Lamp
X - The Sphinx
XI - The Tamed Lion
XII - The Sacrifice
XIII - The Reaping Skeleton
XIV - The Two Urns
XV - Typhon
XVI - The Thunder-struck
Tower
XVII - The Star of the
Magi
XVIII - The Twilight
XIX - The Dazzling Light
XX - The Rising of the
Dead
XXI - The Crown of the
Magi
XXII - The Crocodile
Interestingly, the numbers
continue to go up through the Minor Arcana until they reach 78. The
suits contain numbered pip cards showing one to ten arranged icons, and
the titles go something like "The Five Scepters" but it is numbered XXXI
because of the sequencing of the deck. The suits are Scepters, Cups,
Swords and Pentacles. The names of the court cards are Master, Mistress,
Warrior and Slave.
The cards themselves
are slightly smaller than standard size and have a nice semigloss coating
for protection. The cardstock is nice and flexible and the edges
and corners are smooth and rounded. It is easy to shuffle and handle.
The back design is simply two King Tut
masks, one for upright and one for reversed. The little white booklet
is fairly substantial and spends a decent amount of time explaining what
the symbolism in the pictures mean, as well as divinatory meanings.
Ironically the only spread included in this is the Celtic Cross spread,
although here it's called the Ten Card Spread.
I recommend this deck
for anyone who is using Egyptian symbolism in an esoteric, hermetic or
ceremonial magick environment. Anyone who is interested in the historical
roots of Golden Dawn or esoteric tarot will probably enjoy this deck as
a study aid towards that end, since this illustrates the early forms of
that style of tarot. I would also say any collector will like having
it, and the artwork is interesting and authentic looking. A beginner
will probably be able to struggle through with it, but it's more suited
to advanced tarotists.
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Review Copyright 2000 by Gina M. Pace
Egyptian Tarot (US Games
edition) 1980
published by US Games,
Inc.
ISBN 0-913866-94-6