Today’s pull from Georgie’s Magic Card Collection is a Halloween treat … The Halloween Tarot by Karin Lee with artwork by Kipling West. My copy was published way back in 1996 by US Games, but there’s plenty of copies around today.
5 Points About This Deck
- Theme: You may have guessed … Halloween is the theme of The Halloween Tarot. It’s a delightful celebration of monsters and goblins and vampires and ghosts and all kinds of tricks and treats,
- Suits: Following with the Halloween theme, instead of Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles, The Halloween Tarot brings us Imps, Bats, Ghosts, and Pumpkins.
- Artwork: Adorable. Bright. Cheerful. Spooky. But not at all scary.
- Readability: The Halloween Tarot follows the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot structure, so if you’re comfortable with that, you’ll have no trouble with this deck. Not to mention, the pictures tell a great story on their own. It’s a pretty easy deck to read.
- Black Cat: There’s a wonderful big eye’d black cat in every single card. Having a black cat angel ghost in my own life … this only makes me love this deck more.
The Halloween Tarot is fantastic – fun and sweet and full of spirits … I recommend it to all.
My very favourite Halloween deck is the The Halloween Tarot by Kipling West and Karin Lee.
It’s been around since 1996, but I like it as much today as I did when I first got it.
It’s smart, fun, and the little black cat featured in every card looks just like my cat Carl JK.
Since it’s the Halloween weekend, I thought I’d ask The Halloween Tarot how best to enjoy this season of ghouls, goblins, and miniature chocolate bars.
The card I got was the King of Ghosts. Like the King of Cups in the Rider Waite Smith deck, this king sits on a slab of concrete in the middle of a big water.
Unlike the RWS King of Cups though, the King of Ghosts is not alone. He’s got a ghost friend with him, and of course the black cat who seems to be eyeing his fishbone necklace.
This king is about mature emotion, conciliation, and intelligent love. He recognizes what’s important to carry with him from the past, while looking forward with upraised glass to the future.
He’s a mediator, and someone who can be gentle, yet firm, grounded, yet emotionally fluid.
He’s concerned with enjoying life, loving those around him, and in this particular situation, putting on his bat crown, grabbing a mask and hanging out with his friends.
I believe the advice from the The Halloween Tarot is that we all do the same.
Have a happy haunted weekend!
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The Halloween Tarot © U.S. Games Systems
Card images used with permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
