Influence Of The Angels Tarot

This new deck had completely slipped beneath my radar until last week, but as soon as I saw Influence of the Angels by (Games designer) Jody Boginski Barbessi and her sister Karen Boginski, I knew it was EXACTLY what I'd been looking for. This is a 'true' Tarot with an angel theme - it has all 78 cards I would expect to find in a Tarot deck, with their common/traditional names, nothing watered down, and plenty of detail in the artwork. And what beautiful artwork it is!On first impression, this is quite unlike any of my other US Games decks, which commonly come in thin cardboard flip-boxes with a small stapled-paper pamphlet. This arrived in a thick (good quality) cardboard box and was accompanied by a beautifully produced 184-page book.The cards are a standard Tarot size, with a shiny gloss finish and a gilt edge. They feel much more expensive than most of my other US Games decks, although at the time of purchase (from Amazon UK) they were around the same price.The images are classic-inspired fine art which is largely in the Smith-Waite tradition, at least for the Pips and the Major Arcana, although the latter features named angels posing as the different archetypes. The guidebook includes information about these angels and it's clear that each one has been very carefully selected to illustrate the archetype. As an example, the Empress (see photos) is Omael - the "guardian angel of fertility and reproduction. She is known for her love and protection of animals and the natural world."Although the Pip images are similar in theme to Pamela Colman-Smith's art in the Rider-Waite deck, there are some differences. The Five of Wands is a good example. It shows the typically ambiguous boys with sticks but in this case, they are being watched over by a concerned angel. The angelic message that accompanies this card is "When faced with a conflict, sometimes it's better to just walk away. Choose your battles."This is not the only card with an angelic message - every card has one. Which brings me onto the guidebook, the most comprehensive and genuinely useful in-box book I've seen for a mass-produced deck.For each card in the Major Arcana and the pips, it includes information about the angel, the symbols, a direct meaning, and shadow meaning, plus the angelic message which brings it all together. For the Court Cards, there is an additional section. Each Page, Knight, Queen, and King is based on a real historical figure and there is a page or two devoted to each of them, and their relevance to the card.Not only is this interesting (I learned a lot about historical figures by reading through the book!) it addresses one of the most common problems with learning the Tarot - typically, the Court cards are the most tricky to identify with and learn. Additionally, there are two extra cards in the deck which act as a reminder of the general suit and number meanings. For all of these reasons, I think this would be a wonderful deck for someone who is just starting out with Tarot.I could wax lyrical about this deck for some time, but in an attempt to offer a balanced view, I tried to restrain myself and also to identify the things I like about it the least. I only came up with one thing - the cards are slippery (I typically prefer a matt finish) and I got quite a few 'jumpers' when shuffling and they are tricky to photograph. That's it.If you're into Tarot and angels, or even if you're a beginner looking for a beautiful and well-produced deck, I think you will enjoy this. (The review originally appeared on The Curious Cardslinger).

What a splendid tarot deck!If you know and use Rider Waite inspired decks, you will love this deck.The minor arcana pretty much reflect their simbology with an added 'angelic' flavour which in my opinion makes it very beautiful.The themes of the deck are angels, but also art of the renaissance with many references to pictorial masterpieces.The Court cards have another feat, they depict a famous person: there is Dante Alighieri, Erasmus from Rotterdam, Francis Bacon, John Brown and many others. The particular thing with this deck is also that the personalities in the court cards really reflect the card meaning with a strong historic take on every and each one of the 16 cards. Stunning book well written and makes a refreshing difference with the customary multi language booklets that you usually find with tarot decks.Major arcana are very traditional to the RWS tradition but, as mentioned, with the added angelic themeAnother good feature is the brilliant booklet in English, if we compare with other decks this has very exhaustive descriptions at almost 200 pages, all in English, well printed, bound and good quality. My personal take is that I wanted to give this deck as gift, problem was that the person it was meant for did not speak English, but you can't ask for everything.It also comes in a sturdy box.A definite 5 out of 5.ExcellentSee those pictures I have added. Enjoy

This is a lovely deck, with high production values, and with a very detailed guidebook all fitted into a decent quality lidded box. I find this deck very easy to read, accurate, and it follows the Rider-Waite system. Everything about it is high quality and direct. The use of historical figures is very effective as an aide to reading, as once you know who the person is, which is explained in the book, this helps in readings and brings a deepened human dimension to the tarot which is very welcome. The angelic imagery is attractive, and each major card is linked to its own angel - whether or not you agree with these choices, and so this is a good deck to use when reading in public. The little book includes a description of each angel, a description of the historical character on a card, a key to the symbols used in each card, direct meaning, shadow meaning and angelic message for each card. I do greatly prefer this to DV’s angel tarot, as it feels there is a great deal more depth, serious understanding and thought that has gone into weaving together all these themes, and there is less sugar coating. Although not advertised as such there is, however, a Christian subtext which appears in a few cards, particularly the Lovers card, where the text given is the traditional Biblical version of the Adam and Eve apple story, showing the potential consequences of a bad choice, and the angel is hovering overhead ready to banish them from the garden. Of all the cards, I found the artwork and the message on the Lovers card awkward and I would definitely prefer a different version. Many of the other cards give the impression of beautiful historical paintings. The Christian views appearing in the Judgement, Death and Devil cards are a little less overtly expressed, and anyway are already present in standard tarot iconography. I am also a little surprised that all the angels and historical figures have white skin - which by the way is beautifully rendered- which implies that all angels and significant historic personalities are of Caucasian origin and rather aristocratic and privileged. I would definitely have preferred a wider choice because of the obvious issues I do not need to spell out. Overall, I am prepared to overlook these flaws because the deck is so beautifully put together, including no white border, rounded corners and lovely gilding. It will have a wow effect at a reading for its chosen audience, and I guess the others are already banished from the garden. If like me, you read a bit intuitively and a bit in the Rider+Waite tradition, this is an easy and enjoyable deck to use and has given me clear and accurate answers. Personally, I do not read race, age, sexuality or gender in the cards I use, but many people do. Alas there is no perfect deck, but this is a significant contribution and among the better decks currently available.