· A brand new tarot deck and first set in the heyday of English Magic
· 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 study 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, colorist 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.
CONTENTS
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 're-story' 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 color-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 dreamworld 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.
PART FOUR: THE MEMORY PALACE Building a deeper relationship with the cards
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, amongst others. He has worked as a storyboard artist for numerous films and TV shows.
Stephen Dooley has worked extensively in Britain and Europe painting murals and trompe l oeil frescoes. He recently co-produced the Wind in the Willows app for the iPad.
Andy Letcher is the author of Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom (Faber & Faber, 2006, UK; Harper, 2008, US) and numerous scholarly articles on paganism, shamanism, and folklore. He has been a practicing Druid for 20 years and gave his first tarot reading at age 11.
