In honour of another visit from my friend and colleague, Kitty Tangelo (a powerful reader in his own right) … today’s pull from Georgie’s Magic Card Collection is The Baroque Bohemian Cats’ Tarot by Alex Ukolow and Karen Mahoney. It was published by Magic Realist Press/Baba Studios in 2011.
5 Points About This Deck
- Cat-centric: I’ll start with the obvious … as one should expect, The Baroque Bohemian Cats’ Tarot is full of cats. All the central characters are Baroque Bohemian Cats, and each and every one of them is fantastic.
- 79 Cards: Instead of the traditional 78 cards, the Baroque Bohemian Cats’ Tarot has one extra – The Fortune Teller. The Fortune Teller is a majestic and mystical black feline, clearly in touch with the psychic realm. You can use this card as a significator, or a simple representation of perfect virtue (ha ha … Tangelo told me to say that last part about virtue, I don’t really believe it)
- Artwork: Warm, rich, luxurious … and of course very baroque. And did I mention the cats? Photographic manipulation, not actual cats in costumes, was used to create the images in this deck. It was all digital magic, and as such, the creators of this deck warn ‘Please don’t try really dressing any cat, they don’t like it!” (For the most part, I’d agree with that, but I have a copy of Fashion Cats that suggests a different perspective …)
- Readability: The Baroque Bohemian Cats’ Tarot follows the classic RWS Tarot structure, so if you’re familiar with that, you’re already prepped for this deck. Not to mention, the images are strong and tell their own story, with or without knowing any system. If in doubt though, the Little White Book (LWB) provides helpful direction.
- Major Arcana: Though all 22 of the traditional Major Arcana cards are represented (plus one, the above-mentioned Fortune Teller) … none of the Majors have numbers on the cards. They’re numbered in the LWB, just not on the cards themselves. This doesn’t change much, just thought I’d mention it.
All in all, I love this deck! And it comes in a good box, strong, sturdy, and opens from the side.
And one more thing … while looking at the Bohemian Cats’ website, I noticed that a new Bohemian Cats’ Tarot is in the works … The Bohemian Cats’ Theatre Tarot. You know I’m going to want that.