The Illuminated Tarot - Carol Herzer

Sulis

I thought I'd start a new thread on this deck as I know that a few ATers have recently acquired it or are acquiring it and the other thread is quite old and very long.

Well I got 2 sample cards of The Illuminated Tarot a few years ago and I absolutely hated the lamination and the way the iridescent colours had been applied so I decided it wasn't the deck for me but in the last couple of months I've found myself drawn back to Carol's site to look at the images again and again.

At the beginning of this month Carol updated her site to say that she was now laminating the cards on both sides, that she was now using thicker card-stock for the medium version and also offering traditional titles and iridescent colours for the medium again too...

I new I didn't like the iridescent colours so I decided to order the medium sized deck without them..
Today it's arrived and all I can say is WOW, I eat my previous words.
The lamination is indeed on both sides of the cards and whilst still very shiny isn't anything like the plastic home lamination type laminate that she used before, it's gorgeous.
The card-stock is thin but not too thin and it's flexible so that it has a snap to it... They shuffle like a dream.
And the cards... Wow the cards are amazing, the colours and aurors around everything are beautiful and atmospheric.. The skies are so dreamy I can't stop looking at them.
I have a thing about Justice being placed at number 8 where I think it belongs and this deck even does that.

So now I have my dream deck... A deck that uses Pixie Smith's line drawings but has switched Strength and Justice back to where they were before Waite moved them about and a deck that uses colour in wonderful way...

This is going to be a favourite, I can tell and I plan on using it exclusively for readings for the foreseeable future :D.
 

JonMAblaze

Awww! I wish I'd waited. The titles and the card stock are my only complaints. I'm glad you're finding the deck to your liking. Even though it's flimsy, and the Hermit card is called the frikkin "Guide," it's still my primary deck.
 

lark

I have an older version medium with illumination and green marbled backs.
Love mine to bits...I've been wanting to get a second copy, but didn't because I wanted the medium illuminated again and not a large...so now that she is doing medium illumintaed again I better get my butt over there and check it out....I wanted the traditional titles too...but she didn't have them at the time on medium.
I thought the non traditional titles would bother me, but being so familar with the cards I have to admit I never even glance at the titles.
But I'll get traditional this time around though.
I'm glad you're enjoying your new birthday deck Sulis! :)
 

Skimo

I have receive my pocket version a few days ago and I just love it.
It's the most beautiful RWS in the whole world, at least for me :eek:)
The colors are wonderful and the bag coming with it is great too.

I don't mind the card being laminated or the title being changed.

Another one is coming, it's a special one I couldn't resist...
 

Sulis

lark said:
I have an older version medium with illumination and green marbled backs.
Love mine to bits...I've been wanting to get a second copy, but didn't because I wanted the medium illuminated again and not a large...so now that she is doing medium illumintaed again I better get my butt over there and check it out....I wanted the traditional titles too...but she didn't have them at the time on medium.
I thought the non traditional titles would bother me, but being so familar with the cards I have to admit I never even glance at the titles.
But I'll get traditional this time around though.
I'm glad you're enjoying your new birthday deck Sulis! :)

Yes I am thanks Lark :)

Since I have the medium without the iridescent colours I could only get the one with the title changes but like you Lark, I'm so used to the card images that I'm not even going to bother with the titles so they don't bother me at all..
I quite like The Hermit being changed to The Guide and I also ike The Hierophant being The Initiate.. I love the colouring on The Hierophant card, that aqua green is just gorgeous.
 

lark

And look at the Empress...I love the blue star field above her head.
And the multi colored wheat at her feet
 

Sulis

Carol sent me a large version of The Empress with the iridescent colours as I told her it was my soul card.. It's lovely :)

There are so many lovely cards, I could go on and on, I particularly like the cards that have pinks and greens on them, like the Ace of Pentacles :).
My only complaint is that a few of the faces look a little weird, The Page of Swords for example but it's a very small complaint..
I can't believe it's taken me so long to get this deck but I think I obviously wasn't ready for it before.
 

mary ventura

I have the large iridescent deck and I love it! But after hearing anam_chara's decision to get the medium size, I thought it would be really wonderful to have a smaller deck that I could carry around with me, as the large deck is just too big to do that. So, I emailed Carol and ordered the medium. But then everything went black and when I regained my senses I'd also ordered the pocket sized!!!!! just don't know how that happened . . .

I now have all 3 sizes, and love them all. The pocket size is wonderful -- it's like holding 78 tiny jewels in the palm of my hand.

Mary V
 

Penny Dreadfuls

I'm going to order a medium Illuminated with the added highlights! I have 2 copies of the large with highlights and one normal. But I've always wanted a painted medium deck!
 

Skimo

The Pocket is great to spread all the cards in front of you without needing the floor of a whole room, I like that!