Shadowscapes Tarot

I searched but couldn't find a thread about this particular deck, perhaps there is one buried deeply somewhere. I understand it's quite an old deck now. This deck has seen my return to tarot as a divination method, after using primarily oracle decks and a tarot app on my phone. I have a particular taste in artwork, I love watercolour, love a very stylished look wanted non-traditional imagery that I could connect to. Especially wanted a Tolkien-esque/Faerie/Fantasy themed deck.

I found this deck in a bookstore yesterday and purchased it. Bought it home and have been loving it ever since. I've already decided which prints I'm going to buy to hang in my home I love it so much.

So my pluses for this deck are...

- Every single card is stunning. There are no dud cards and the cards I used to hate in tarot, Hermit, Heirophant, Death are now my favourites since the images relate more readily to the implied concepts.
- Traditional tarot imagery is a bit too biblical for my taste, glad it's been fantasized beyond religiousity.
- It's a little bit art nouveau, it's a little bit asian, it's a lot fantasy. All my favourite things rolled into one.
- Watercolour conveys mood to me more easily than other art.
- Artwork seems more grown up than a lot of fantasy art which can border on children's book kind of look.
- Love the fox motif for wands, it brings the element of fire to the suit.
- Love the ravens for swords, magickal use of thought.
- Love the sea creatures for cups, very Neptunian.
- And of course dragons for pentacles, what else?
- Small easily handled card format
- Gentle lilac backs and borders are nice and easy on the eye

Cons
- The card stock is a bit flimsy but actually no worse than the Froud Faeries Oracle I've been using. But still I know how easily those cards wear so it's a shame my very pretty deck is going to wear quickly.
- The book is a disappointment. I expected a hardcover for the price and it's storytelling format isn't going to suit a lot of people who are wanting to delve into traditional tarot teachings.

But overall for me, because I'm acquainted with traditional tarot anyway, this is a nice departure and I can just ignore the book and other negatives for the main. It's funny because I had actually picked up and bought the Mystic Faeries Tarot, went to have a coffee and before I opened it decided I no longer liked the artwork and exchanged it for the Shadowscapes Tarot which I had only momentarily picked up and felt a tiny tug at my heart. I don't regret that decision now.

Welcome back to tarot then!

I was really disappointed when I first received the Shadowscapes. But looking back there wasn't much wrong with the deck/art itself, I just didn't connect with it at that time in my life. It called on me one random night and since when I've read with it every now and then and connect well with the artwork. I'm glad it gave me a surprise like that because I've always liked the art style and colors in it.

But one thing I really wish was different was the size... I wish it was borderless and bigger, maybe even big like an oracle deck. The art is so detailed so it's sad to see it so little!

They are beautiful artworks. I'm just so glad they're all available in poster format for a reasonable price. I've decided to buy these ones.

3 of cups - Has to hang in my bathroom.
4 of wands - Living area
Hermit - Library
5 of wands - anywhere I'm doing creative work. That's an awesome picture.

There's a few posts about the shadowscapes tarot, it is my favourite deck now, which when I bought it I didn't expect to happen, you can use the search bar at the top of the page to search for posts about the deck, I find using search titles narrows the posts down abit.

I'm actually wanting to continue finishing off the Shadowscapes Study Group to complete any missing cards from it, I'm working on the 8 of wands right now, so as you enjoy this deck you might like to add you thoughts in the study group post you can find the index thread here

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?p=2312232


This is the general discussion thread about the study group

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=139392&page=6

Thanks Tigerangel, that's awesome.

I have the Shadowscapes deck and like another poster said I was disappointed by how small it is. The art is gorgeous and full of intricate details so it would have been great if it was bigger. I was also hoping the card stock would have been firmer.

I have had this deck for a while and for some reason I just cannot connect to it fully. When I first started using it, it didn't feel right in my hands, so I put it away and took it back out one day because I just felt like I should use it that day. I really took some time to look at each card and after that I felt like I could connect to it a bit better. However, there is a still a feeling of detachment when I try to do readings from it. The readings are accurate, but something just seems to be missing. Maybe I just have to give it more time.

It's very stylised and to be honest in the first couple of readings it wasn't always apparent which cards I had drawn because the imagery is so different to what's expected. To my mind this deck contains a whole other world within it's cards. It's like looking into a dreamscape full of surrealism and I guess if you or the querent are more firmly rooted in the here and now it can feel a bit disconnected.

I'm a lot of an escapist and a dreamer, living a lot of time in my own imaginary worlds so the disconnect from reality is kind of comfortable to me. In a way that other world perfectly depicts my inner one so I feel really connected to it.

I held off on buying it for about a year. And I really regret that I did as the moment I opened it up I fell in love with it. It's one of my favorites and I own a backup copy for that reason. I love the colors, the artwork and the characters within it. The Star (My favorite card in the tarot) in that deck is my favorite version out of any.

I still don't see why so many people think it's too small... I've never had trouble seeing the details. And I appear to be about the only one who actually prefers borders.

That aside, it was my first tarot deck and the one I learned to read on (not that I'm "done" learning...) I am and have always been a fan of the fantastical and the artwork is absolutely perfect for me. I love it to pieces.

I really love the artwork in this deck, it is so gorgeous! However, it's very detailed and it's not immediately clear which cards you have in front of you. I don't want to say they all look alike, you just need to take a closer look to get their meaning and message. Guess I'm too much of a beginner for this one.