I found this review today....
"Review taken from TABI Newsletter dated Summer 2004
Runic Tarot
Created/illustrated by: Caroline Smith & John Astrop
Deck/Book Publisher: Connections Publishing Availability: good book stores RRP £14.99; also
available direct, online at £11.25 + p&p from
www.connections-publishing.com.
Reviewed by Diana McMahon-Collis
I was fascinated by the idea of a tarot deck that links with Runes - I certainly know some tarot readers who love to combine their tarot reading work with Runes.
On first sight I immediately noticed that the deck/book set was quite compact looking, compared with a lot of sets that I had seen before. Similar in design to some extent to the Beginner's Guide to Tarot by Juliet Sharman-Burke, from the same publisher, The Runic Tarot folder opens up to reveal a deck in two sections on the left hand side of the box-cum-book cover and a book on the right. The book has a soft cover, the deck does not have a separate box and but the outer cover is much more sturdy than the Beginner's deck, featuring a thick, hard cover with the imagery for the Rad rune card, on a gentle pink background.
The next thing I noticed was the art; it seemed very familiar and reminded me of the art in the Elemental Tarot set, which has been in my collection since the late Nineties. Sure enough, on taking the old deck off the shelf to have a second look, the author and artist are indeed the same husband-and-wife team. Anyone who enjoys using The Moon Oracle and Oracle of the Radiant Sun will also be familiar with their work.
The Major Arcana in this deck consists of 24 runes in a zodiac wheel with traditional Norse significance. The Minor Arcana consists of four suits, each reflecting one of the seasons. John
Astrop is an astrologer and the rhythm of the natural year is incorporated into the ideas behind these cards, with an awareness of the relationship of the Sun, Moon and Earth. The seasons are marked by Celtic/Pagan festivals, each one associated with a specific element. So for the Spring
quarter we have Imbolc/Fire, Summer corresponds with Beltane/Water, Autumn with Lughnasadh/Earth and Winter with Samhain/Air. The cards in each suit/seasonal quarter are
numbered 1 to 12 with an extra card per suit for the solstices and equinoxes. So this is not a normal tarot deck set up of 22 Major and 56 minor cards; instead there are 24 Majors and 52
minors; it clearly has its own internal logic.
There is a brief but clear explanation of the basic structure of the Runes system in the accompanying book, including how the Runes are divided into three sections or aetts.
Apparently these are recognisable in the numbering of the cards. The book is nicely laid out, including a selection of layouts that can successfully be used with the cards. The authors also point to selected further reading, for those interested in learning more about the Runes and Celtic
mythology and practices.
This will be a fun deck for anyone interested in cross-divination referencing in their work. Not only can you bring Runes and tarot together with these cards, but you will also find plenty of astrological context in the card meaning sections in the book. There are also introductions to the
seasons, with a contextual feel for each new part of the year. This could be an especially userfriendly set, therefore, for anyone who likes to work with natural magic and seasonal rituals.
An interesting coincidence - considering that this deck is being reviewed by someone who has recently had an article published featuring a tarot calendar - is that each card in the minor arcana is linked with a specific week of the year. So here is a deck that you can use for timing events,
as well!
Caroline Smith and her husband like to encourage diviners to engage fully with symbolism and on these cares there is plenty of it - not just in the main imagery but also around the edges of the cards. So, on the /minor cards there is a date section (underneath which is also a key word), to
the left there are the relevant zodiac symbols and to right there is the symbol of the season. This consists of a flower for summer/Beltane; a brown, fallen leaf for Autumn, a snowflake for Winter and a green, growing plant for Spring.
In the book there are useful diagrams and tables laid out for reference so that you can fine your way around the Celtic year and the astrological and other symbols. I also really like the way that interpretations are offered not just for upright cards but for reversals as well. Because the cards
are filled with plenty of symbolism and the book gives specific readings for each card the deck/set is accessible for beginners. However, it does combine a lot and provides plenty of scope for the advanced reader.
In terms of the artistry, Caroline Smith's art has a very distinctive style. In my opinion the use of colour is really lovely in this deck. There are lots of vibrant elements in each scene, Celtic designs skilfully incorporated and the Runic symbols, of course, neatly included on the Major cards. Underneath there are key words and zodiac signs. And each card has the relevant Rune name and number at the top.
Because of the Celtic nature of the deck and Catherine Smith's specific art style, there is quite an abstract quality to some of the images. These are not cards that are desperately keen to portray realism in scenes of everyday life. But there is a lot that can be picked up in the imagery.
For example card number 6 of the Imbolc suit, representing the 2nd week of March, has the keyword "Cleansing" and depicts a woman with the six, appropriately coloured chakras of her body clearly visible. The associated zodiac signs featuring in the card symbols are Pisces and Virgo.
It is easy to instantly gain some ideas about natural processes according to the time of the year, honouring the spiritual self, detoxing the body and so on.
If you have a strong Pagan, Celtic, Norse or Runic background of knowledge then I am sure that this can be helpfully brought to bear in readings with these cards, adding extra meanings or bringing out more in the cards. Card number four in the Major section is Os and the keywords are God, Odin and Language. The image shows a bearded man with a halo or strong aura around his head. The book explanation talks about invocation of assistance from the gods, spiritual and
creative inspiration and the gift of language. If you know a lot about Odin perhaps you will understand more than this or find this interpretation especially easy to grasp.
By the way, the backs of the cards are designed so that you cannot tell if the card images on the other side are upright or not - which is always a blessing for anyone who wants to incorporate random reversals in their readings! There is a silver Celtic knot design on a dark green background, which looks very elegant. I do have the usual slight reservation here about the packaging of books and decks together. It is a personal thing but I prefer to have my deck in a separable format, i.e. in its own box. The Elemental Tarot deck/book set that I mentioned earlier - which is by the same authors - seems to maintain that logic of presentation whilst still
managing to be a boxed set. That aside, I still feel this will be an interesting deck to work with. I do not want to finish without having tested it out in some way, so below is a small reading in that vein.
How can the Runic Tarot deck can be of most use to me as a reading deck?
Main message 11 Lughnasadh
Additional message 12 Samhain
The keyword on the first card is freedom, which seems rather apt! Here is a deck that gives me the freedom to use it in a variety of ways. The image shows a man riding on the back of a bird/fish; the bird gives him "wings". I suspect that I can "travel" to some interesting places with this deck! The zodiac symbols Libra and Aquarius appear on the card. The book speaks of nonconformity and rebellion, campaigning to change something well established. Well I have
always enjoyed combining different divinatory forms.
Maybe this is about my wish that deck/book sets could be designed to allow the deck and book to be more individually portable!
At the same time the Libran sensitivity means I would not want to upset anyone who has put a lot of work into creating and making available such an interesting deck!
The second card has the keyword Temptation and shows a scene of an angelic man and woman who are well dressed and standing by a tree, around which is entwined a snake. This is a bit like the biblical Adam and Eve, though I am not sure why there is a Christian reference - the exception anyway is that they are not naked and the authors do mention that they are "worldly" here and not "innocent". Here, the text says, "all the possibilities of fantasy and experimentation are explored uninhibitedly and with great abandon". Well this seems to reinforce the ideas of the other card quite nicely!
At the base of the deck after shuffling sits Haegl , Rune 9 - "a sudden challenge". Well the opportunity to review this deck did come somewhat out of the blue and I decided to rise to the challenge of reviewing an oracle deck, whereas I am generally more used to working with tarot decks.
In summary, I like this deck and am looking forward to trying some more readings with it. The art is very attractive and I will be curious to see how the imagery works with my intuition.
Whilst my knowledge of Runes and the Celtic, Pagan and Norse traditions is limited, this is a deck that could have an appeal to a wide range of card readers, including those who like to work with astrology in their readings."
