Sun and Moon Tarot - Serious occultism for the younger reader

Wheel of Fantastic

I'm posting this to see if anyone else shares my reaction to this deck.

I have recently renewed my interest in the Thoth and the more approachable Thoth related tarot decks, well actually just the amazing Cosmic Tarot. Then I heard about the Sun and Moon Tarot which has been around since 2010.

This deck doesn't seem to get a lot of mention here but it has absolutely floored me - illustrations that appear very suitable for a children's book but with carefully thought out symbolism and the meanings and some re-intepreted art of the Thoth. Wow.

That is quite the combination and I applaud Vanessa Decor for managing two seemingly widely divergent approaches in one deck. While not as heavily occult as the Thoth, the Sun and Moon is still a serious tarot deck.

Does anyone else feel this way and do you feel that the Sun and Moon can actually help with using the Thoth? I intend to give this a try.

I read somewhere that Vanessa's first Tarot deck was the Thoth - she appears to understand it fairly well and has given Crowley's work a new child friendly twist (no phallic Devil cards here)!
 

willowy

I've never seen this deck before,but just had a google after reading you're post,and I agree,simple but some interestingly deep touches and symbolism.You've just enabled me-and we're not even in that thread lol
 

Zephyros

Is it really a Thoth-type deck, though? I'm asking because the Star and Emperor's Hebrew letters haven't been counterchanged.
 

Wheel of Fantastic

Is it really a Thoth-type deck, though? I'm asking because the Star and Emperor's Hebrew letters haven't been counterchanged.

Well, I can't speak to that myself, I've only recently begun to re-acquaint myself with the Thoth having not used it for many years. I feel it is certainly heavily influenced by the Thoth with similar meanings re-intepreted with pictorial pips and court cards that follow Thoth more than RWS. If I was using this deck purely intuitively, I wouldn't be coming up with readings that follow RWS; Crowley's influence runs through this deck.

I personally feel the SaM is a nice alternative if I want to use a different style of deck with Thoth meanings rather than shoe horning the meanings into a RWS style deck.
 

Eric in NJ

Ha, my absolute favorite deck (at the moment... The Star comes out this May).

I think of it as an intro to Thoth for people unfamiliar. There is a noticeable RWS influence also. I'd say it occupies a space almost exactly between Thoth and RWS.

It does have the single identifying words on all the cards, pips included, just like Thoth. Some majors are double identified e.g. Art/Temperance.

Princes/Princesses not Pages etc.

The art is amazing, really out of this world.

I get good readings on this one, second only to Thoth really.

The backs are reversible, which is very non-Thoth.

Eric.

edited for typos
 

blueowl

Thank you for the thorough review! My daughters are getting older and showing interest and this might be a good one for their list.
 

Aeon418

Is it really a Thoth-type deck, though? I'm asking because the Star and Emperor's Hebrew letters haven't been counterchanged.

The Aeon-Judgement card is ... interesting. The same old symbolism with a new name tacked on. How does the traditional image of the Last Judgement represent the Aeon? :confused:
 

AnemoneRosie

I'm still on the fence about whether or not I want to purchase this deck.
 

Zephyros

The Aeon-Judgement card is ... interesting. The same old symbolism with a new name tacked on. How does the traditional image of the Last Judgement represent the Aeon? :confused:

Yes, it does seem like it's more "Thoth scented" rather than having any actual connection. There have been threads here before about what actually constitutes a Thoth deck.For me it is, at the very least, the Star/Emperor interchange and as you mentioned, Art and the Aeon being... well, I'm not sure Thelemic would be the correct definition, but certainly not traditional.

I read somewhere that Vanessa's first Tarot deck was the Thoth - she appears to understand it fairly well and has given Crowley's work a new child friendly twist (no phallic Devil cards here)!

To be honest, I don't see that there's much evidence of her understanding of the Thoth in this deck. Aside from the odd name or what have you, I don't see many similarities.
 

Achlys

Personally, after reviewing the Sun and Moon images I can find online, I really don't see much of a connection to the Thoth. I think if anything, it might be slightly influenced by the Thoth, but I wouldn't call it a Thoth-based deck per se.

If anything, the Night Sun tarot is more Thoth-based while using non-traditional Thoth imagery.