Marchetti is a one-man tarot deck and art factory. He has produced three tarot decks that have been well-received by the tarot community: The Gilded Tarot (self-pub and Llewellyn), Tarot of Dreams (self-pub, US Games release in 2015), and Legacy of the Divine Tarot (Llewellyn), along with the Gilded Reverie Lenormand (US Games). The artist has engaged in intensive research of the tarot and how readers use the cards. Marchetti is not himself a tarotist, but an educated observer who is interested in what works best for readers, and what is needed for reading decks. He takes a very practical approach in designing art that will best deliver intuitive prompts.
The Oracle of Visions deck is a big departure from previous work. In the mini-book included with the cards, he writes that moving outside of the RWS canon left him free to explore images, symbols, ideas and concepts for this 52-card deck.
There are no titles printed on the cards, but numbers that help readers refer to meanings given in the book. There’s no particular order or program theme. The accompanying mini-book gives descriptions of the images and meanings of each card. The reader is reliant on impressions of the card images, which may refer to individuals, events, emotions, thoughts, and situations – or any and all of these. This deck is terrific for free-style readings. Readers who are good at delving into imagery will enjoy using this deck for intuitive prompts. It’s advisable to experiment with this deck. For example, first I tried shuffling and taking the first few cards off the top of the deck. Then I shuffled and fanned the deck to pick out cards at random. The random picks seemed more apt and relatable. There are no restrictions to follow, no particular spreads one must use. It’s very liberating!
As with any oracle deck, it may take a while to become familiar with the deck and get a feel for working with it. It can be used alone or in combination with other tarot decks and divination tools. Marchetti’s computer-generated art work is, as always, astoundingly beautiful and appealing.
On a practical note, this is a very fine production. The cards are a generously large 3 ¾” x 5 ½” size, which makes the images large enough to appreciate. The book is a perfect-bound, 140-page mini-book with a nicely-written foreword and useful end matter. The book and cards are contained in a lovely yet sturdy 2-part box that will wear well over time. Hooray!
This is a very fine oracle deck. It’s clear that Mr. Marchetti has gained a lot of knowledge during his tour through Tarotville, but is flying free into new territory with this deck. The artwork and imagery seems more personal and meaningful. This deck is recommended for readers who enjoy oracle decks and for fans of Mr. Marchetti’s previous offerings.
~review by Elizabeth Hazel
Creator: Ciro Marchetti
U S Games Systems 2014
52 cards and 140 pg mini-book contained in a 2-part box. $21.95.
For images of Ciro Marchetti’s other decks, see: http://www.ciromarchetti.com/
