Golden Dawn Magical Tarot

EDIT: I updated it to 5 stars because I'm not such a cardstock snob anymore...it is a well done deck, with a BRILLIANT book. I was blown away by how much came with my purchase! The listing picture only shows a box and what I received was a whole kit! (Retailed $39.99 it said on the barcode on the box). But, like all Golden Dawn publishings, the book was very complex - even with the card meanings. The meanings were more like an intense study guide to the Qabalah and the Tree of Life with each card. But if you want card meanings, buy a tarot 101 guide! This 235 page book that it comes with is packed full of occult knowledge & I believe is emencly more valuable itself than any "little white book". One thing, it came with (2) Temperence cards (shown in pictures). Not sure why, but i will investigate in my own time. The reason why I gave this 4 stars is because after all the awesomeness, the cardstock is pretty thin. About like an index card thickness. So they probably wont hold up to wear too well. Yet, I still think that this is an invaluable set to have - even if it only for a collectors item! It is worth every penny! *Note: Maybe they didnt offer better cardstock because they might have had this deck more in mind of a study deck with the Tree of Life and less a fortune telling tarot deck. Either way! This is a piece of history that needs to be respected! Well done!

There are a lot of tarot decks and books over there. Each and every with it's own philosophy and art. What do you want a tarot for? Divination? Kabbalah? Ritual Magick? Well... this gets you covered for all. This will get you into magick and very fast. It' all you need. However it has it's own philosophy and it will depend on you if you like it. I own these decks: Thoth -> Crowley/Harris (IMO the most beautiful and fully loaded with symbolism, first deck and favorite) Ceremonial magic --> DuQuette (Synthesis of enochian, goetia and Kabbalah, heavy on wisdom but get my advice and get yourself the book by the author for the deck) Hermetic tarot --> Dowson (Didn't like the symbolism and overall energy, just not for me but great if you want to learn concepts) Rider-Waite --> Rider/Waite (Intuitive but it came after the Thoth and didn't give all the information that you could get in a symbol heavy tarot, not really my style but people love it). And this one... this one has something that comes really easy to it. It's absurdly easy to scry using it. I would advise you to get the company book so that you can get yourself stared with magick, but guess what? It's already included... You get so much for so little, It's a large box, with large cards and a super useful book, forget the little booklet that you throw away after opening the box. This one has some of the best information compiled in a single place. No brainer, would buy again. Totally happy with my investment. Good luck in your adventure traveler. Godspeed.

I was very impressed with this product. The book is almost worth the price alone. It guides the reader through the necessary prerequisites regarding the Tarot and Kabbalah. Moreover, all of the information in Book T (i.e. the original GD Tarot document) is included throughout the text and elaborated on. The end of the book contains several useful rituals directly from or based on traditional Golden Dawn rituals, as well as a few ways to use the cards for divination (including the "all day method" from Book T). My biggest complaints are with the deck itself. First, the size is a little awkward as it's slightly wider than most decks of that length. I'm also not a huge fan of the artwork. It's not distractingly bad or terrible (others may disagree), and maybe I've been spoiled by the artwork from the Thoth Tarot, but this is certainly a point that could be improved upon in the future. That said, the card designs are meticulous and true to the Golden Dawn curriculum. All in all, a must have Tarot deck for any collector or Golden Dawn initiate.

This deck is really just ok. I have been using tarot for years and primarily use the thoth deck but have several other decks and oracle decks. I started the Modern Magick course and this deck was recommended to I purchased it. Overall the deck seems to be incredibly average in quality for being the premier Golden Dawn deck. Please note that I am specifically referring to the quality of the card stock and images in the book NOT Golden Dawn symbolism or ritual. Box: -The box it comes in is very nice, but there is not smaller wrap around box. So either you have to keep the deck in a very large box or you need to purchases a smaller wrap around box separately. Book: +The book that comes with it is very large and informative and actually feels like a real book that for other decks I would purchase the equivalent separately. Overall very happy with the contents of the book and its value. - However once you flip to the pages with the card images you will quickly note that these images seem to be sloppily scanned in black and white not color and many of the cards you actually cannot see much of the detail and it just looks white! Its as if somehow this book was not edited or properly reviewed before publishing. This disappointed me. Its like a quick cheap fax scan or something. Card Quality: +The cards are slightly bigger and thicker then a standard Rider-Waite deck which is nice. So they are not the poorest quality I have seen. -However they are not even close to being the size of my Thoth deck and the quality is lacking in comparison to the Thoth and other oracle decks I have. These are certainly not top quality as far as material, thickness and size. I prefer larger tarot cards to more easily study the imagery. Thoth deck also has beautifully golden edges. They are not water proof and bend quite easily. Petty thin. Art: -Ok I am updating my review here. As I use it I am appreciating the very vibrant colors. The art imagery is a bit crude and quite a few of the cards look or feel angry. Its not my favorite deck to look at but I appreciate the colors and symbolism. +According to my Magick Course this deck has the best Hermetic symbolism if studying that path and less complex then the Thoth. According to the book the colors all represent something that brings out something in the Psyche. I am just starting my path on the Golden Dawn Teachings although I have been on the spiritual path for a long time. I cannot say with certainty how will all this is represented but trust the sources I have read and the authors of the decks reputation and credibility. Overall while I am both impressed with the content of the book I am disappointed with the sloppy scanning of the cards. I trust the credibility of the Hermetic symbolism but find the art lacking and the overall quality of the cards exceedingly average. For something that is a life long companion I would have happily spent a little more to have larger higher quality cards and a properly scanned book. As it stands I will use this for my course as recommended but Thoth stands as the higher quality.

A good Golden Dawn deck. Well researched and executed. The accompanying manual explains the symbolism clearly. Good addition to a collection and a good reference for students of the Golden Dawn.

This deck was WAY MORE than I expected. I saw many people complaining about the cardstock, but I find it quite satisfactory. The cards are packed full of Qabbalistic and Hermetic symbolism, and it all comes with a nice book to explain it. The book offers a complete overview of the Tree of Life, and meanings and attributions to all cards in the deck. I would not reccomend this deck to the New Age/pagan/Wiccan users as it contains ceremonial magick symbolism that most would not grasp easily. For ceremonial magicians, this is a must have. It is inspired by the Thoth deck, but without the Thelemic symbolism. It is a great introduction to other decks and to the whole Western Mystery Tradition. Learning this deck will shine a whole new light on the Rider-Waite deck, and learning it will make the Thoth deck much more clear.

✨First, I appreciated all the pics from others to know what the designs were, but still could not gauge what the actual size of the cards were. I wanted to order an appropriate box to house the cards in the same order. Older edition decks were much bigger. The dimensions listed here described the book’s size. Nevertheless I approximated about right. They are 4.6 x 3.2 inches. Pretty much just like a set of Bicycle playing cards in thickness and feel I’ve owned about 5 other Golden Dawn inspired decks before, all of which were lost about 20 years ago during an international shipping when I moved overseas for three years. I never felt the need to buy another deck mainly because I had the 22 Major cards already by memory, but also because all those decks were lacking in some aspect of crafting, size, symbols or design. Even today there are an innumerable amount of “hokey” or just plain old bizarre tarot decks for sale. I’ll suffice to say this deck is about as good as your going to get without creating your own 🎨👨‍🎨.... which is the best most traditional and appropriate method. 🎄🕊

As a beginner user of tarot cards, I find this deck to be very helpful! It comes with a book that explains the cards and their meanings, which for me is important. This may be the only deck of its kind, insofar as having two temperance cards. I'm sure even the more advanced tarot users can find some use out of this deck. You'll get to know the Hebrew alphabet which helps explain the cards' meanings, in addition to the planets, zodiac signs and flashing colors.

Este mazo es el más reciente entre la familia de los mazos vinculados con la Orden de la Golden Dawn (GD). Incorpora los "Color Scales" (escalas de colores) que son muy importantes en el currículum de la GD. Esto representa una ventaja respecto al *Hermetic Tarot* (de 1978, también un mazo inspirado en los trabajos de Israel Regardie, uno de los últimos miembros de la primera fase de la GD y el cual tengo desde hace 2 años --hay que adquirirlo también, porque incluye muchísima información astrológica y cabalística en cada carta). La caja del Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot, además del mazo de muy buena calidad y tamaño, contiene el libro "The New Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot" de Chic y Sandra Cicero, miembros de la orden reformada en los años 1980 en EE.UU. El libro explica paso a paso la relación de la Cábala (el Árbol de la vida) con el Tarot, ofrecen una explicación de las 78 cartas (arcanos mayores y menores) y presentan al final varios rituales para el autoconocimiento y la adivinación. Por el precio del paquete, vale muchísimo la pena.

Beautiful Tarot cards with vivid, bright colors and all the expected symbolism from a Golden Dawn Tarot deck. The book it comes with is fantastic and contains a wealth of information about the use of Tarot in ritual magic and meditation, as well as the symbolic meanings of the cards and their relationship to Qabbalah. If you're someone who is interested in exploring esotericism in the Golden Dawn tradition this deck is a great starting point.

I’m really not sure why people complain about the drawings. I have a feeling some people just live in the negative zone. The illustrations are great, the colours are amazingly vibrant, the details are exquisite. Yes, exquisite. They’re not professional but the home-made effect is actually quite enticing when you get to know the authors/illustrator and their work history with the Tarot. The illustrations give a fresher version of the Tarot interpretations than the tired old (with all due respect) Colman deck and a new take on the more subdued tones of the Crowley deck on which they are based. The box the set comes in is a real plus and the card quality is prime; the size is perfect and shuffling is a dream. For anyone interested in the Golden Dawn/Thoth, it is an essential part of your collection or learning process. If you think you can get by with just the Crowley Thoth, I kindly beg to differ. And the price is a steal. I felt guilty paying so little.

This is very amazing and qood quality deck. If you are intersted in old fashion way of reading tarot and understand all aspects of it this deck is for you. The book itself is really educational also.

What's Included Golden Dawn Magical Tarot comes in a typical Llewellyn box: oversized, flimsy and coming apart at the seams upon arrival. When I opened my parcel, I could feel something sliding around inside the box, tore off the outer shrink wrap, and the side of the box (not the top flap) came open because the glue was dried out. I opened the box and the deck slid out onto the table, not in its own tuck box but only wrapped in cellophane, like a pack of cigarettes. I dumped the remaining contents out: a white bit supposedly meant to hold the deck in place, but nothing like the same size or shape as the deck, and a companion book called 'The New Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot'. The Cards The cards are not particularly thick nor thin and have a slight lamination with a matte finish. The card back is a borderless black background, with a red cross atop a white pyramid, inside of which is a half sun, which also resembles a cog. Must be some sort of Golden Dawn logo. The fronts of the cards have a white outer border, then elaborate black line borders which echo the Egyptian/Deco style of the Thoth. The cards measure 4.5 x 3 inches (11.5 x 8 cm), and the actual image on each card is 3.25 x 2.75 inches (roughly 8 x 6 cm). So there is a lot of white on the card, which might bother some people. Stacked, the deck is just under 1 inch thick (2.75 cm). Some of the cards of my particular deck are printed crooked on the card, particularly in the Pentacles suit. This is quite noticeable when examining the deck, but I don't think it will detract when using for actual readings, when the focus locks onto the actual image to the exclusion of all else. It's been my experience that many apparent deal breakers fade into the background during readings. The majors include an arabic numeral, Hebrew letter, and astrological symbol. The courts have a title at the bottom and elemental symbol at the top. The minors have an arabic numeral, suit name at top, elemental symbols and Golden Dawn title at the bottom. There are the planetary and astrological symbols in the minor images. The colours of the cards are not random but to do with Golden Dawn attributes, and a technique called 'flashing colours'--the Golden Dawn assigns each element two complimentary colours, those that sit on opposite sides of the colour wheel which, when stared at, will swap places with each other in an optical effect. This is designed to enhance intuition, meditation, divination and magical practice. One thing about the card art which might bother some but doesn't bother me at all is that the format for cards is very samey, or should I say 'formulaic'. All the kings look exactly the same save for colouring and symbols. Same with queens, princes and princesses. This makes perfect sense when you realise that they ARE the same in value and function, changing only as related to their suit. Another thing is the minor cards. All cards in a particular suit have identical colouring, and vary only in arrangement of the pips in order to fit the proper number on the card. This, too, makes sense, as the colours are Golden Dawn associations with suit, and the numbers are only important as they pertain to which sephiroth on the Tree of Life each number is associated with. I've also noticed that every single minor card has at least one human hand in it. There is always a human hand holding the pips. Though sometimes it's a green hand (in the wands, because red and green are flashing colours, I guess.) A Word about the Art I would put the art work on par with the Sol Invictus deck: that is to say, it seems to have been created by someone who cannot draw, but who is motivated to do so anyway, and who soldiers on to produce work that would be praised by a 6th grade art teacher. This doesn't bother me. I am mindful that Golden Dawn students were required to create their own tarot decks based on the descriptions given, and this deck looks like the kind of thing that I, having no artistic talent, might produce after hours, months or even years of devoted labour. It would be my best possible effort, and it makes me feel kindly toward the deck, and lends it a sort of personal feeling. Comparing it to Lady Frieda Harris's art, which is so skilled and stylish, the symbols so integrated into the lines of the art that it is sometimes hard to pick them up or understand why they are there, this deck's art is quite clunky. In Golden Dawn Magical Tarot, the symbols are rather guilelessly plonked in, to be earnestly pondered. Let's compare the Princess of Cups from this deck and the Thoth, a card that puzzled me greatly in the Thoth deck, on first encounter. Both artists worked from the same Golden Dawn description: 'She stands on a sea with foaming spray. Away to her right is a dolphin. She wears a crest on her helmet, belt and buskins, a swan with opening wings. She bears in one hand a lotus, and in the other an open cup from which a turtle issues. Her mantle is lined with swan's down, and is of thin, floating material.' Students of Golden Dawn would have been taught what each one of these symbols means. (And the Golden Dawn Magical Tarot companion book explains them). It is much easier for me to pick out the details in the more primitive (or 'naive') art style of the Golden Dawn Magical Tarot on the right than the Thoth on the left. It might not be as lush or aesthetically pleasing, but as a straightforward representation of the symbols that the Golden Dawn required for Princess of Cups, it's pretty darn close to perfect. There is clearly a headdress, belt and buskins, whereas the Thoth figure looks like a swan has landed on the head of a statue, which is sailing away toward a vortex behind her, on cosmic ribbons, wearing a voluminous pink sheet. Great, once you know the symbols, not so great if you're a student just learning. Extra Card There are two versions of the Temperance card, which I think deserves examination in a separate blog entry of its own. Very interesting. So in total there are 79 cards in this deck. The Book The book, 'The Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot' by Chic and Sandra Cicero, is the usual full-size soft cover companion book, with glued and stitched binding and a few black and white illustrations. It contains five chapters and a bibliography -- but what chapters! This book packs a lot of information and is great for beginning students of the Golden Dawn system. The basics of Qabalah, the Tree of Life, The Hebrew alphabet, the colour scales, and the decanates are all presented here in a straightforward manner. There are succinct, easy-to-read tables of attributions. The bulk of the book is the card-by-card explanation. Don't look for much in the way of divinatory meanings here; this book is not about fortune telling. This book is about Golden Dawn theories of tarot, which are summed up in the intro: 'Whether or not the original creators of Tarot intended to create a pictorial system of that would explain the basic principles of Qabalah is unimportant. It is irrefutably evident that the two systems fit together so completely that one explains the other, and both point to the same Divine Truths.' The final chapters of the book include detailed instructions on magical basics such as the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, Ritual Bath, Relaxation Ritual, Tarot consecration rituals, and many more. An index lists divinatory card meanings, and there are some spreads supplied at the end of the book, including the Golden Dawn 15 card spread and the Opening of the Key. It is not a lightweight work, but a book for true magical practice. I am very happy to have purchased this kit and believe it will enhance my study of the Golden Dawn system and the Thoth deck.