I had preordered this deck, and it was at my door in Japan about a week after it became widely available.
I've been keeping up with this thread since the beginning (in fact, I learned about the Cosmos Tarot here), but I've not felt the need to comment until now. With all the complaints - some valid (the missing/narrow cards) and some plain ridiculous (why is everyone so bothered by Temperance? Like, *no one* usually cares *that much* about Temperance) - I at least wanted to give my input.
Note: I'll edit this later with a picture of Temperance.
Regarding the fact that this is a "collaboration deck" (i.e., that it is the product of several artists), I do not feel that it lessens the quality of the deck or it's cohesiveness. All of the images are printed with saturated colours and foil gold-stamped constellations; these aspects produce a great sense of cohesion across the various images. Whether the illistrations feature light colours or dark ones, there is contrast in each image and it is this contrast that also helps to build a sense of unity while still allowing each artist to express bis/her individual style. Granted, the artistic styles of some images aren't the type I usually enjoy, but I can appreciate the creativity and skill of the artists and his/her interpretation of the story and/or constellation of the card.
This brings me to Temperance.... I mean, really, guys? I know that it's a little strange, but (for those of you who have the deck) did you even read the accompanying explanation book? For those of you who don't have the deck, have been considering it and are vascilating, and/or have just stumbled on this thread and are wondering what the deal is with Temperance, Pictor (the representative constellation for Temperance) had meant either "easel" or "donkey." The book says:
The constellation Pictor is known as the easel of the heavens, but was originally labeled "Equuleus Pictor," a word that means "ass," "small horse," or "easel." An easel is an essential but under a appreciated tool of an artist, and represents potential and process. The pack animal and easel both perform a similar service: they provide assistance in supporting precious cargo...
(p. 46)
So if the weird, white rectangle with a line (or a paintbrush mark) and horses/donkeys were alarming, maybe you can see the value of them. And even if the artwork isn't to your tastes (it certainly isn't to mine... and maybe some of you k ow how persnickety I can be about artwork), it doesn't mean you won't be able to learn important messages from the card.
Indeed, I think one of the strongest draws of the Cosmos Tarot (and Oracle*) is that it aligns the themes of the constellations' myths with the impressions, messages, and stories told in the tarot cards. Granted, these are not always conventional meaning, but I appreciate this kind of loose adherence to traditional RWS meanings, anyways. (It does no good to dwell in dogmatism.)
For example, Death is represented by Caelum, the chisel, and the guidebook notes that, like carving stone or wood, one must break down and take away in order to transform the mundane into a work of art. It's this kind of elegant pairing of constellation and card (and image, which features the bust of a classical deity or hero stabbed by the chisel) that proved to me, anyways, that a lot of thought, effort, and time was put into the Cosmos Tarot.
The one disappointment I felt when I initially went through the deck was that the image for Gemini, my astrological constellation, is horrendous. It's like two giants viewed from a rear three-quarter angle, giving you a great view of one of the twin's hairy back. Siiiigh. Oh well. There are plenty of other images in the deck, and I doubt I'll be drawing the Sun (Gemini) for myself anytime soon, anyways.
* Actually, this is my only oracle deck, but I'm absolutely thrilled with its logic. I never intended to own any oracle decks, but I couldn't help that the Cosmos Oracle came in the set. I read the explanation book (the Oracle cards appear first, and I was just going through it in sequential order) and absolutely adored the marriage of science and intuition. I'm actually pretty sure I want to use this Oracle deck in regular practice.
This might be the dealbreaker...
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