I've actually had this for a while and didn't get around to reviewing it because I wanted to do it justice.  I must admit, I loved the deck the instant I opened it!  There is something primitive and powerful about these images, and by primitive I do not mean that the artwork is simplistic or childlike.  O'Leary has created a work which borrows from a great many world cultures and as such, this deck offers something that touches each of us on a very deep level.  Ironically, one does not even need to be familiar with these cultures to feel affected by them.
 
I will also admit that I was biased from the start in favor of this deck, since it comes packaged in one of Llewellyn's new "mini-kit" style.  I personally think the mini-kits are a really excellent design and offer a great deal more information than just a deck alone, but without the huge commitment and price of a full deck and book set.  Plus, they're cute!  A nice, tidy marketing package that works well, and it also solves one of my most famous gripes, the "deck without a box" gripe.  I've been quite vocal in the past about how, when you buy a deck and book set, once you open it, the deck either has no box of its own or else it is a cumbersome package.  With the mini-kit, this problem is solved!
 
O'Leary's deck has been designed using both the Rider-Waite and the Thoth tarot deck as inspiration for the work.  This means that some of the images will look a bit familiar, but sometimes it's more reminiscent of Pamela Colman Smith's work, and sometimes it's more like the Frieda Harris material.  That said, this is truly a unique and original work of art by O'Leary, not just a new artist rendition of the same old themes.  There's a difference between being "inspired by" and mimicking.  All of this work is strikingly new.
 
The artwork is rendered in a linoleum block printing process which takes a lot of time and effort to create; if you're wondering where else you have seen this style used, the Light and Shadow Tarot is another wonderful example of this unusual and difficult art form.  Linoleum blocks are carved into a sort of "stamp" and then they are inked and a print is run from them; in the case of this deck, they are then hand-colored.  It's a very time-consuming, but very rewarding, way of working.  I've taken my share of art classes over my life as well as having had many friends who were artists, but this seems to be well-known as a challenge even among artists.  It's like working in negative, because you're carving out what will be the solid areas and leaving raised the parts which will form the lines.  The closest thing I've seen was my brother working on a piece of scratchboard which was similarly etched in the negative.
 
The images in this deck are successfully offset by black card borders, which really highlights the vibrant colors used to their best advantage.  Additionally, a thin line border of color surrounds each card image.  With the Major Arcana, the thin line border is a lovely teal color.  The titles used in the Majors are all straightforward and traditional based on the Rider-Waite style.  Thus, Strength is 8 and Justice is 11.  Right here in the beginning I can see several cultures that I recognize; Germanic, Cuban, Aztec, Egyptian, African, etc.  There are a lot of *blue* people.  I know I have seen this used before but I cannot remember what significance it means and I've searched through the book and found nothing that explains this.
 
There are some wonderful details about the artwork in the deck, such as the realistically voluptuous bodies; they are neither unnaturally muscular, nor anorexically thin.  They simply represent the amalgam of body shapes that are present in the human race in general.  It is a fairly recent, and definitely Western, development that glorifies the overly thin form; if you look at what has been considered attractive throughout human history, all over the world, the ideal has always been a picture of abundance, not starvation.  O'Leary's figures realistically portray this ideal.  I am also impressed with the Lovers card, which not only shows two figures embracing in such a way as to make it just as easy to identify them as two males, two females, or one of each; but they are mixed races as well, which signifies a yin/yang energy balance as well as the cultural diversity which today is more strongly embraced than ever.
 
Coming to the Minor Arcana, we see the traditional suits are used; Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles.  Here the thin line border is a different color for each suit; Red for Wands (fire), Blue for Cups (water), Purple for Swords (air), and Yellow for Pentacles (earth).  Each of the Aces is surrounded by a stylized lozenge halo-type shape, or almond shape; they show the suit icon in a simple yet attractive design.  The rest of the numbered cards show full scenes, and are not pip cards.  Many of these scenes are strikingly modern, mingling cultural advancements with pastoral views.  I would not have been surprised to see an African tribal elder using a computer here!  =)
 
The court titles have been changed to more accurately reflect the level of the energy that is accomplished within each suit.  Instead of a Page, there is a Seer, representing the student or learning phase of an energy cycle.  The Knight is replaced by the Seeker, who quests and searches for the truth, answers and insights of the energy cycle.  The Queen has become the Sibyl, the mature embodiment of the energy of each suit; and the King is now the Sage, wise and accomplished with age and responsibility.  These apply directly to the energy of each suit.
 
The cards themselves are fairly good sized, printed on typical cardstock which is slightly slippery but will wear in with use.  They flex well and handle and shuffle fairly easily.  The edges and corners are smoothly polished.  The back design of these cards is black with a Sun/Moon and hourglass design on it; it is not completely reversible, but has been created to show a similar look on each end with something symbolically different.  It does not matter if the back is reversible or not, however, since the designers have not created this deck with reversed meanings in mind.  Instead, all shades and nuances of the meanings, including challenges, obstacles, and gifts, are blended into the greater meaning of the card.  It is up to you how to interpret these.  There is no little white booklet, as the book which is included with the mini-kit is a substantial little paperback of some 163 pages.  The information contained within this little gem is excellent, thanks to Godino's well-chosen words and definitely well-researched material.
 
I very highly recommend this mini-kit for any tarot user, beginner or advanced.  Although for obvious reasons those who are at least vaguely familiar with the Waite or Thoth decks will get more out of it right away than someone who has never worked with tarot at all, the information provided with this deck is substantial enough for anyone to use, and the images are amazingly intuitive and real.  This has become one of my favorite decks already!
 
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Review Copyright 2002 by Gina M. Pace

World Spirit Tarot by Lauren O'Leary and Jessica Godino, 2001
published by Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD
ISBN 1-56718-500-2