Penthasilia
I figured I would start a thread, as I am using this for my deck of the week- a new deck by LoS (still not available in the US yet) that is called the Dark Fairy Tale tarot.
First off- I have very mixed reactions to this deck- so if the post appears disjointed, it is probably because of the ill-timed reflection from the reflection pool of the fae. Secondly- this deck (to me) is NOT a "fairy tale" tarot. If you are thinking a sinister sister to the Fairy Tale tarot decks by either Lisa Hunt, or MRP, this deck is NOT it. That being said- what this deck IS, IMHO, encapsulates something far more interesting.
The deck is a journey to the dark world of fairy. Pick your flavor- whatever works for you, if you think in terms of fairy courts, you are looking at one certifiable unseelie court deck. For the Norse- it would be Svartalfheim. I am Feri trained- so to me, this deck resonates very strongly with how I see the fae to be in general- completely and utterly consuming, both with "light" and "dark" aspects held in the fullest expression. There is no walking lightly through the land of the fae- you better know the terms, and be prepared to pay the price asked for the gift you receive- doesn't matter if it was taken unwittingly or not!
That alone makes this deck special. The tarot of the sidhe was the closest I had seen before this deck- so to me, this would be the sidhe's darker, and more sinister cousin. I have used both decks at this point- and I honestly have to say that this deck wrings the emotion out of you much more than the sidhe, having a much more prickly feel, with a demeanor that demands full disclosure. Don't even think about asking a half-assed question without baring your soul to the world- you can try, but it will scoff and move on. You will learn only by opening up completely- the good and the bad, the joy and the sorrow. That is the price of entry. It is your choice on if you want to pay it. Sure- it will give you a reading- which has the same amount of worth you put in your question. If you truly want to try it- be prepared to open your soul.
Now- the "bad" points. I hate CGI decks, and this has more than I would typically care for. The fae have angel wings in some pictures, which I personally can't stand- but to each their own. If you don't dig deeper, this deck will feel very teen goth (like the dark angels). So you could easily fluff it off, especially if you do a quick reading without really thinking- it will give you fluff right back. I always look through the decks before using them, and did with this one. I really didn't like the look of it. But when I read with it... a completely different story. The imagery popped, the scenes sucked me in, the message was clear. But the imagery will turn some people off.
Good points- this is a great faery deck. There are so few that are good, and this one really dives deep into the darkness. With LoS- the LWB is hit or miss, and in this deck it is definitely a huge HIT! The story line reads well, the explanations (while short) are built upon the cards themselves, and the layout in the beginning works very well with these cards. The deck will be very reasonable to purchase, typical LoS card stock (which I personally like), black borders without all the multi-lingual nonsense, nice backs which are fully reversible for those that need it.
So- that would be my two cents. It is available for pre-order on Amazon, or you can get it now through LoS website if you so choose. I am sure that other vendors will start popping up with them soon as well. You can google and find some pictures to whet your appetite. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.
First off- I have very mixed reactions to this deck- so if the post appears disjointed, it is probably because of the ill-timed reflection from the reflection pool of the fae. Secondly- this deck (to me) is NOT a "fairy tale" tarot. If you are thinking a sinister sister to the Fairy Tale tarot decks by either Lisa Hunt, or MRP, this deck is NOT it. That being said- what this deck IS, IMHO, encapsulates something far more interesting.
The deck is a journey to the dark world of fairy. Pick your flavor- whatever works for you, if you think in terms of fairy courts, you are looking at one certifiable unseelie court deck. For the Norse- it would be Svartalfheim. I am Feri trained- so to me, this deck resonates very strongly with how I see the fae to be in general- completely and utterly consuming, both with "light" and "dark" aspects held in the fullest expression. There is no walking lightly through the land of the fae- you better know the terms, and be prepared to pay the price asked for the gift you receive- doesn't matter if it was taken unwittingly or not!
That alone makes this deck special. The tarot of the sidhe was the closest I had seen before this deck- so to me, this would be the sidhe's darker, and more sinister cousin. I have used both decks at this point- and I honestly have to say that this deck wrings the emotion out of you much more than the sidhe, having a much more prickly feel, with a demeanor that demands full disclosure. Don't even think about asking a half-assed question without baring your soul to the world- you can try, but it will scoff and move on. You will learn only by opening up completely- the good and the bad, the joy and the sorrow. That is the price of entry. It is your choice on if you want to pay it. Sure- it will give you a reading- which has the same amount of worth you put in your question. If you truly want to try it- be prepared to open your soul.
Now- the "bad" points. I hate CGI decks, and this has more than I would typically care for. The fae have angel wings in some pictures, which I personally can't stand- but to each their own. If you don't dig deeper, this deck will feel very teen goth (like the dark angels). So you could easily fluff it off, especially if you do a quick reading without really thinking- it will give you fluff right back. I always look through the decks before using them, and did with this one. I really didn't like the look of it. But when I read with it... a completely different story. The imagery popped, the scenes sucked me in, the message was clear. But the imagery will turn some people off.
Good points- this is a great faery deck. There are so few that are good, and this one really dives deep into the darkness. With LoS- the LWB is hit or miss, and in this deck it is definitely a huge HIT! The story line reads well, the explanations (while short) are built upon the cards themselves, and the layout in the beginning works very well with these cards. The deck will be very reasonable to purchase, typical LoS card stock (which I personally like), black borders without all the multi-lingual nonsense, nice backs which are fully reversible for those that need it.
So- that would be my two cents. It is available for pre-order on Amazon, or you can get it now through LoS website if you so choose. I am sure that other vendors will start popping up with them soon as well. You can google and find some pictures to whet your appetite. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.
