Overview of the Tarot of the 78 Doors

This week's deck, as I mentioned before, has been out a while.  Still, the artist is one I like a lot: Antonella Platano.  She also drew two of my personal favourites - the Gay Tarot, and the Wheel of the Year Tarot - as well as the Witches Tarot (Hip Witch) and the Universal Goddess Tarot (also fun decks).

In the Tarot of the 78 Doors (Lo Scarabeo, 2005), the content of the cards is traditionally RWS, though the actual imagery and symbolism are not.  For instance, in the Lovers we have a gypsy telling the fortune of a young man, as his lady love stands by.  Is she predicting a different choice for him, or helping confirm the path he has chosen?

I also really like that the Knight of Cups in this deck seems female (there is also one female Page, though not of Cups).  This Knight of Cups is a confident woman in blue armour, who turns her horse to pass through the cloak of a waterfall, into a dark cave.  A cleansing outpouring of emotion, powerful though sometimes superficial, and a willingness to face the depths of her unconscious.

The Ace of Pentacles is another card I can get behind, though it wouldn't be how I would choose to portray this card's energy.  We have a jolly, plump woman wearing a sumptuous, green dress and gold jewelry.  She sits before a fine house, to which she holds the keys.  Suggestions, then, of material plenty and a degree of luxury.  For me, the Ace should hold a little less actuality and a bit more potential.  I also see Pentacles as being about connecting with the physical, not just overindulging it.  Still, the symbolism is appropriate, especially if we see this as someone just moving into a new house...

Finally, we have the Three of Pentacles to represent the Minors.  Plenty of craftsmanship here, with a joiner making a variety of different yet beautiful doors.  Not so much of teamwork, though, unless you take a broader perspective: what is a door without a house around it? :)