The Medieval Feathers Tarot is an exquisite deck composed of 80 cards,with astounding artwork by Alejandro R. Rozan.The cards are constructed of high-quality matte card stock.The edges are gilded,which really brings out the beauty of the deck.
This is a Marseilles-style deck inspired by the earliest known decks such as Tarot de Jean Noblet and The Pierpoint Morgan Bergamo Tarot. The inspiration for the feathers comes from the artist’s dreams.The art itself is museum-quality work composed of muted tones and well-structured lines. The titles are in Old French,which echoes a connection to their ancient roots. There are also keywords printed in English on the outer boundary of the card; each showing an upright and reversal meaning. I personally find those distracting, but for the novice reader, they are essential.
Two extra trumps exist: La Foundre (Lightning) and Le Consultant. Le Consultant is a querant card, which is a brilliant addition to the deck. La Foundre is somewhat more ambiguous, as it basically means freedom from constraints and the interpretation is something like a cross between The Devil and The Wheel of Fortune in Waite decks.
The Minor Arcana contains traditional court cards; the number cards are pips. Although I am more accustomed Waite/Smith/Rider inspired decks, I found the pip cards easy to interpret.
Each card contains a feather. Feathers are messages from heaven and work beautifully with the card they are assigned to. If you prefer, you can do an oracle reading just using the feathers. I found this to be quite useful, especially if I want to do a quick reading. The reader will find the interpretations from this deck different from interpretations from more modern decks. Here, author Jay R. Rivera, uses similar interpretations found in Livre de Thot Tarot of 1789, by the occultist Etteilla (aka Jean Baptiste Alliette) which is the first deck with interpretations specifically used in divination. (P. 12-13) The feather interpretations are on the bottom of each page, and are concise and easy to interpret.
The guidebook is perfect bound softcover, containing 232 pages of interpretations and illustrations. The interpretations are clear and easy to understand. The interpretations for each feather complement the trump that represents it, and used alone as an oracle, the interpretations can pack a punch.
This beautiful, beautiful deck touches me right down to my French DNA. I love the art, the language, and the intense vibes this deck produces. The cards are large and may be difficult to handle if you’re like me and have small hands, but with a little practice, you’ll do fine. The deck is a little pricey, but it is so worth it.
~review by Patricia Snodgrass
Author: Jay. R. Rivera
Artist: Alejandro R. Rozan
Llewellyn Publications, 2024
p. $35.95, pp. 232
