Tarot of the Divine Deck Review

Deck: Tarot of the Divine
Companion Book: Beneath the Moon
​Artist/Creator: Yoshi Yoshitani
Publisher: Clarkson Potter (Penguin)
​Date Published: 2020
Where to buy? Amazon

Apologies for the gap between the last review and this one. I realised too late how much time 'My Favourite Cards' would take up but normal service has resumed. I'm starting with a deck I've had for over a year and although I love the art and the concept, I haven't used it that much. Here's why. 

Introduction

This deck is made up of images from fairytales and folklore from around the world. The majority of the cards fit well with the RWS system. The art work is lovely with vibrant colours and quite detailed with some cute people, lots of plants, landscapes, sweet birds and animals. As the tales are global the deck is diverse in terms of skin colour and culture. There is also variety of sizes, shapes and ages. The art work does look like its been created digitally but although you can't see the line work as such, it has a certain look which helps to make it a cohesive deck. As you can see from the photos it has white borders with clear font. 

Product Quality

Let's start with the box. It's fairly sturdy and as it contains the guidebook as well as the deck, it's a little larger than usual. The cards are standard 2.75" by 4.75". The Guidebook is full colour and has a short note about each card with upright and reversed keywords. Some say what tale the card is based on but not all.

The card stock is smooth linen finish not as refined as say, the Pagan Otherworlds for example, but they have a shine and sparkle from a certain angle and are easy to overhand shuffle. It is a chunky deck though so that makes it a bit challenging to riffle if you have little hands.  ​

Companion Book

A hardback book can be purchased separately which includes a fuller description of each of the 78 tales the cards are based on. It's a beautiful book with full colour images and is well worth considering. 

How does it read? 

How a deck reads will always be subjective but from my point of view I found some difficulty reading with the Tarot of the Divine. Although it is in the main RWS inspired, I felt that the fairytales and folklore that are linked to the images were somewhat distracting. I can interpret the cards fine but I felt like I should also know the tales to be able to give a full reading. 
The other thing about the deck that I found challenging is the colour-scheme. Although its vibrant and colourful, there is a certain range of colours, teal blues, brick reds, pale peaches and golden yellows that repeat throughout the deck. Yes, that brings cohesion but for me, it felt too much like it was branded. 

Summary

Overall, this is a lovely, good quality deck, guidebook and if you decide to purchase it separately, companion book. However, personally, I found the fairytale and folklore overshadowed the tarot. Laying one system on top of the other, in this case, became both distracting and restrictive for me. Of course, you can ignore or indeed learn the extra details. Or if you want to enjoy the tales alone, you can just read the companion book. It's up to you to decide what you want from the Tarot of the Divine.