The English Magic Tarot

Description

Foreword by Philip Carr-Gomm. * Dynamic, graphic-novel style design * Each card has a secret code * This complete tarot set includes a 160 page book and 78 cards. This captivating new tarot deck draws us into the vibrant but, often, hidden world of English magic, evoking a golden age of mysticism when the likes of John Dee was Queen Elizabeth's Court Astrologer, antiquarian, John Aubrey, began to rediscover ancient sacred sites and even the great physicist Isaac Newton studied alchemy. During this time of upheaval, archetypal forces were very much at play. The monarchs and mountebanks, visionaries and fools, knights and vagabonds that shaped the world are all there in the tarot too, making this a perfect setting for the cards. Brought to you by renowned artist, Rex Van Ryn, colourist, Steve Dooley and writer, Andy Letcher, this deck has a dynamic, graphic style. The cards contain a depth and movement more associated with graphic novels than the tarot and accordingly this new pack offers a captivating way to take charge of the stories we tell about our own lives. Early Modern English magic was built on foundations laid down by the ancient stone-circle builders, the Druids, the Romano-British and the Anglo-Saxons and readers will see traces of these throughout the cards. There are unique twists to some of the traditional images, with riddles, references and lore buried within them that will draw users ever deeper into the mystery and meaning of the cards. The first deck of its kind to draw explicitly on the English magical tradition, THE ENGLISH MAGIC TAROT opens up a rich new pathway into the cards that will delight novice and experienced tarot users alike. Interpret the coded messages on the cards to solve the riddle! Through a series of coded messages embedded in the cards, The English Magic Tarot tells a story. When assembled properly, these messages point you toward a famous, yet little understood text. Solve the code and you'll learn the wisdom behind the cards and the true source of English magic! INTRODUCTION From the Reformation to the Restoration ?A brief overview of this colourful period of English history.?? PART ONE: WHAT IS ENGLISH MAGIC? An introduction ?An introduction to English magic. The foundations laid down by pre-Christian peoples. Hermes Trismegistus and Renaissance magic. Alchemy and Sir Isaac Newton. High and low magic. The Hall of Magicians.?? PART TWO: THE ENDLESS STORY Working with the cards ?In keeping with the graphic style of the deck, users are encouraged to think less that the cards have a set of fixed meanings to be learned by rote and more that they provide a dynamic tool with which to tell stories. By treating each card as the frame of a graphic novel, readers can learn to let the cards 'speak'. They can find their own stories in the cards and so 'reimagine' their lives.?? Exercises and suggested spreads are provided to guide readers through this unique approach - one that aims to let people take their place in the endless story of the tarot.?? PART THREE: SIGNPOSTS ON THE WAY Pointers to the cards? Rather than providing a list of fixed meanings, each card is presented with a commentary and a set of questions that readers can use to deepen their appreciation. The Wands, Swords, Cups and Coins of the Minor Arcana are colour-coded red, tan, blue and green and are represented by Tudors, Cavaliers, Roundheads and people from Restoration England respectively. The court cards are divided into Page, Knight, Queen and King. The Major Arcana cards present a kind of parallel dream-world of English magic . Broadly, the cards follow a similar structure to Pamela Colman Smith's classic 'Rider-Waite' deck, though with some surprising twists to the imagery. ??While for the most part they show archetypal images, readers may spot actual historical characters (though no specialist historical knowledge is required). So, the Emperor depicts an aged Henry VIII; the Magician, John Dee and the Star, Sir Isaac Newton. Magical references, lore and riddles run through all the cards, deliberately buried there to encourage readers to look ever more closely into the images and discover increasingly rich layers of meaning. PART FOUR: THE MEMORY PALACE Building a deeper relationship with the card. The memory palace is technique for improving memory that derives from classical times. It was used extensively in English magic and instructions are given here for building a memory palace to help unlock the deeper mysteries of the cards.

Rex Van Ryn is a comic book artist who has worked for Marvel and IPC, producing strips for 2000AD and Scorer. Stephen Dooley has worked extensively in Britain and Europe painting murals and trompe l'oeil frescoes. Andy Letcher is the author of numerous scholarly articles on paganism, shamanism and folklore. He has been a practising Druid for 20 years. Philip Carr-Gomm is Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.

The English Magic Tarot is the result of a brilliant collaboration between three uniquely talented and original individuals - painters, visual and oral storytellers and musicians - who understand that English magic and the English imagination, are essentially the same thing. They have produced a Tarot which connects us with the past and with the buried mycelium of shared stories and ideas which still erupt into and nourish contemporary culture. -Alan Lee, book illustrator and movie conceptual designer-- "Reviews" Here's a unique formula: pacy graphic art plus history and mysticism in the era of Isaac Newton, Henry VIII and Jon Dee (who features as The Magician, naturally). The illustrations are so narrative you can almost hear the characters' thoughts, but there are hidden messages here, too - and you'll have to figure them out for yourself. Translate the Ogham and Runes, mirror-writing and Enochian script and, much like magic itself, you'll find a truth beneath the surface. The guidebook is witty, practical and wise, with some quirky card interpretations (an embittered Queen of Swords, a procrastinating Knight of Coins); and, while this deck is not for the faint-hearted, it's a great adventure if you're up for the ride. -Kindred Spirit, November 10, 2016 -- "Reviews" Do you believe in magic? Set during the 100 years beginning with the reign of Henry VIII (a time during which English magic flourished), this extraordinary new tarot deck pays homage to England's magical tradition. It also references the Order of the Golden Dawn who originally merged magical tradition with the cards. Historic figures are quixoticly featured throughout the deck. Simultaneously, the creators give a special artistic nod to Pamela Coleman-Smith, who is just now beginning to be recognized for her independent contribution to tarot symbolism and wisdom. Every detail was carefully considered as this 78-card deck and its 160-page guidebook took form in order to preserve the wisdom of ancient heritages and the energy that each individual card carries. The cards were designed to be fluid and are based on natural rather than demonic magic. (The Fool is a version of the animal totem Coyote and mushrooms represent the inevitable linking of life and death.) The illustrations draw equally on erudite philosophy, modern horror movies, and graphic novels. The result is a unique esoteric tool that will help to move the rich and mysterious traditions of magical England into the mainstream. --Anna Jedrziewski, TarotWise.com-- "Reviews" Here, with this deck and book, you have the chance to explore the world of English magic directly, engaging with its peculiar charms and eccentricities. And with what excellent guides! --Philip Carr-Gomm, author of The Book of English Magic-- "Reviews" What we have here is the auspicious release of a new deck of tarot cards based in the mysticism, mysteries, rituals, and lore of Elizabethan-era England, perhaps history's most fervent period and place for the magic arts. Think knights and fools, monarchs and highwaymen, in the animate land of Stonehenge and druids. These are tarot cards with the dynamism of a graphic novel. Not the stuff of mere fortune telling, they hint at a world rife with forces and cause-and-effect connections, where change occurs in accordance with will. --Foreword Reviews, Fall 2017-- "Reviews"