Shadowscapes Tarot

Surrender to the fantastical world of your deepest dreams . . . where butterflies float upon shifting mists set aglow by the rising sun. A place where twisting branches arc across shimmering skies, willowy fairies dance on air, and tree spirits sing from a hallowed oak. Delve into the shadows of your dreams--and awaken to truth.

Weaving together Asian, Celtic, and fantasy styles of artwork, this breathtaking new Rider-Waite-Smith-based tarot deck by renowned artist Stephanie Pui-Mun Law is infused with universal symbols found in fairy tales, myths, and folklore from cultures around the world.

A companion guidebook presents the artist's evocative interpretations of each card's significance. It also features an introduction by award-winning tarot expert Barbara Moore that includes tarot basics, instructions for giving insightful readings, and practical spreads. 

I bought this beautiful deck to draw a card as a meditation concentration object. Each card is a myth within itself that Stephanie Law has masterfully put on canvas and reviews in her accompanying book. I am so impressed with it that I have recently signed up for an on-line Shadowscapes Tarot course offered by Psychic Forum, although I was never interested in learning Tarot before. I can't say enough about the beauty or the thoughts triggered by the story told within each card.

I've been a fan of Ms. Pui-Law's work for years, and eagerly awaited this deck: the art itself is magnificent and all I had hoped for -- and more! However, I agree with a previous reviewer that the non-standard (for Tarot) size of the deck makes use somewhat frustrating, and that materials used in the deck's construction is flimsy and mediocre. I still have my first Tarot deck aquired nearly 40 years ago, and I continue to use it often and efficiently. I do not believe that this deck will stand up to use over time.

Sadly, I will return this deck, and perhaps -- if a better quality edition is issued in the future -- I will gladly purchase it again!

I was a little hesitant to purchase these cards because there were so many negative remarks. Now that I have them I am surprised that anyone would find this set disagreeable. I have heard comments about the artwork being of a poor quality and also that the cards themselves were too slippery to handle properly. When I opened the box, I found just the opposite. I also appreciate a deck that is easy to read, often times I find that some of the other decks I own have artwork that doesn't do the meaning of the card justice. I feel this entire set was well thought out and beautifully done. I couldn't be happier.

Each card in the Shadowscapes Tarot is an exquisite work of art, which I find captivating to the point of being mesmerizing. I love this about it, but the problem is that when I began to use the deck for readings, it was easy to get lost in its beauty, which made it hard to hear my intuitive understanding of the messages of the cards. However, as I become increasingly familiar with the cards I am becoming less likely to be awed by their artistic merit, so this "problem" is dissolving with time and experience.

This deck basically follows the Rider Waite Smith tradition, but it is far from simply being a RWS "clone." Law has deconstructed the traditional card images, pondered the integral tapestry of their meanings, and then constructed her own renderings based on her new vision for them. For many of the cards, she has used a very unique perspective, and all of them distinctly bear her imprint in one way or another. Consequently, less experienced readers (especially those who find the ease of transitioning to a new deck dependent upon its close approximation to the RWS template) will find that this deck is not an easy one to pick up and use. And certainly, it does require more than an average amount of contemplation and time spent gaining familiarity with the cards in order to use it with facility. However, in my experience with this deck, this is time well spent which will take you to new, uncharted terrain for many of the individual cards. In other words, the journey is well worth taking.

Friend Test:

I love to "friend test" decks that I am reviewing. For this one, I had a couple of friends come over and we all did readings with it. Between the three of us, we had a variety of experience with which to approach this deck.

One friend considered this deck to be beautiful, but she was at first rather dubious about its "readability." However, after just one reading with it, she was beginning to warm up to it. The other friend came into the experiment saying that the deck was slowly growing on her as she used it for a daily one-card reading. This was her first time doing a multi-card reading with it, though, and afterward she said that she was pleasantly surprised with how well it worked.

All of this reinforces my initial impression that it takes a bit of time and practice to become familiar enough with this deck to be able to use it with ease and proficiency, but that with such practice, it can become a very good deck for readings.

Details, details:

I have read the complaint that the card stock for this deck is flimsy, but I compared it to several of my other decks and honestly, it's quite average. Yes, I wouldn't compare it favorably to a few self-published decks I have which are printed on extraordinarily good card stock. But for mass market decks these days, the card stock on this one is typical.

Another complaint about this deck that I've heard is that the cards are too small considering the intricate detailing of the images. I can understand that comment in that some of the details in Law's paintings would be better served by larger cards. But this deck is of an average size, and if the cards were significantly larger, they would be cumbersome for many people. This size tradeoff is a tricky one, so my suggestion (in case Llewellyn is listening) would be to issue a special, large-sized edition of the deck too.

I've also heard that the art on the cards paled in comparison to the images of them that you can see on Law's website, and this is true. However, to be fair, the images on the website are larger than the physical cards, and on a computer screen, they have light shining through them, like a stained glass window. What printed image can compete with that?

The Book:

The book that comes with this deck is about 250 pages (with lots of illustrations) and is separated into three basic parts, the first and third being written by Barbara Moore. The first section ("Introduction") is an explanation of how to do a Tarot reading, and it is quite good considering its brevity. I'm not sure how well it will prepare a total novice for reading the cards, but it certainly beats the stuffing out of your typical "Little White Book" for that purpose. The last part of the book presents a collection of spreads, ranging from very basic ones that should be useful for a novice to more detailed ones that more experienced readers may find useful, so there's something for everyone there.

The middle of the book, which is the lion's share of it, is written by the artist and covers the individual cards. Law's lyrical explorations of the cards suggest meanings and interpretations, but they often avoid explicit explanations of many of the details in her images. With many of the details left unexplained, those who like to have things spelled out explicitly may be disappointed at times by the book. But if you prefer to explore things on your own, helped perhaps by hints and suggestive stories, then the book will serve you well. And of course if you're an experienced Tarot reader, you may just ignore the book all together.

Review (c) 2010 James Ricklef (author of "Tarot Tells the Tale," "Tarot: Get the Whole Story," and "Tarot Affirmations")

For an illustrated and lengthier version of this review, see my blog (jamesricklef) on wordpress

I waited over two years for this deck to be published....that was difficult.;) I bought three decks in case something happened to one of them. (I have fallen in love with decks and have them discontinued before.) I do agree with the other reviewers that it would have been better on a larger and thicker card stock....but only because they are SOOOO BEAUTIFUL! I read professionally and EVERYONE has commented on how gorgeous the cards are. I totally agree!!! Stephanie Pui-Mun Law I have fallen in love with your art. Would buy this deck over and over and over again, without hesitation! Trust me, if you buy this deck you will not be sorry! Maybe I should buy a deck and frame them! :D