The World Spirit Tarot
A Review by Kimberly Schwartz

        Maybe it's just my imagination, but it seems that in the last year or so Llewellyn has been making a concerted effort to give U.S. Games some more serious competition in the publication of new and interesting tarot decks.  If I'm right (and I hope I am), The World Spirit Tarot, with artwork by Lauren O'Leary and accompanying text by O'Leary and Jessica Godino, is a worthy contribution toward the cause.

        The cards, which measure 3-1/4 by 4-3/4, are nicely printed on a fairly flexible cardstock which is coated to the point of being slippery.  The image on each card is contained within a thin colored line border (teal for the Majors, red for Wands, blue for Cups, purple for Swords, and yellow for Pentacles), which is in turn contained within a thick black border.  The black border is wider at the bottom of the card and contains the card title in plain white type.  Kudos to Llewellyn for their new smart packaging which they call a "mini-set" - the deck is contained in a "clamshell" box which closes securely with tuck-in flaps.  The deck, along with the accompanying book (which is the same length and width as the card box) fit neatly into a heavy cardboard slipcover without the need for any of those flimsy and annoying cardboard placeholders or frames.  Considerably more substantial than a "little white book" at 163 pages, the accompanying text contains brief information about the deck's creators and the artwork, a section explaining the structure of the deck, directions and diagrams for three spreads (a three-card "yes-no" spread, the Celtic Cross, and an interesting one called the "Seven Card Spiral"), along with descriptions of the imagery and discussions of the meanings for each card which, though brief, are thoughtful and well-written, and have considerably more depth than the typical list of keywords. There are no separate discussions for reversals included, but the meanings as written do delve into some shadow aspects of each card.

        The deck contains 78 cards and follows RWS structure and titles with the exception of The World, which has been renamed "The Universe," and the courts, which have been renamed Seer (Page), Seeker (Knight), Sibyl (Queen), and Sage (King).  The book explains that the courts are "not meant to be hierarchical; rather they speak to different stages of development.  The Seers are students, curious about the world around them.  They are young and delicate and need nurturance and protection.  The Seekers interact more dynamically with the world, questing for answers and challenges, taking risks, and trying to get things done.  As young adults they lack experience and maturity, but not enthusiasm.  The Sibyls are the mature embodiment of their suit.  They use their energies wisely and know how to govern their realms with ease.  The Sages are accomplished in the world.  They bring a broad perspective garnered by age and responsibility, and they possess great authority."  Strength is eight and Justice is eleven.  The backs are non-reversible and show an hourglass poised halfway between night and day.

        I liked the artwork in this deck from the moment I opened the box, and it has actually grown on me the more I've studied the cards.  Remarkably, each card image is actually a hand-colored linoleum block print.  Having experimented with a tiny bit of carving myself years ago, I am impressed with the amount of effort involved in creating 78 such prints. The colors chosen are deep and rich and they "stand out" vibrantly because of the bold black outlines, which are characteristic of block printing.  The carving is so beautifully detailed that the images, while they have a earthy, rustic quality, do not have the "crude" or "primitive" look of some block printing.

        O'Leary makes no apologies for the fact that her images draw heavily from Pamela Colman Smith's work in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck - in fact the book claims (and Llewellyn advertises) that her art for this deck is influenced both by the Smith and by Lady Frieda Harris' paintings for the Thoth deck.  I don't really see the Harris influence myself.  While many of the images are quite reminiscent of the RWS deck, O'Leary's work here is fresh enough that I would stop just short of calling it a "RWS clone."  Some of the cards are so innovative as to be striking:  For instance, in the Tower card, we see a shift in perspective from the usual image where the viewer is on ground-level looking up at the crumbling tower and falling figures.  In the World Spirit Tower card, we are looking down from above the top of the tower and witnessing a bolt of lighting going right through a human figure (seen only in silhouette) which is falling toward the water below. The image is so different from what we're used to seeing that it evokes a kind of a mental "Yow!" response - your expectations have just been shattered, your view of things turned upside down - you viscerally experience a "Tower" moment.

        I also really like the way the World Spirit deck depicts Death.  In this card, we see a corpse on a bier, and three living people evincing different responses to the moment:  One lies unconscious or sleeping by an overturned cup, another is huddled in grief, and a third is shaking its fist at the sky and crying out in anguish or rage.  The traditional skeletal death figure is also crouched at the bottom of the bier, but it, like all the other figures, is dwarfed in importance by the central figure in the image - a brilliant phoenix rising triumphantly from the flames.

        There's absolutely nothing soft or delicate about this deck.  The images have a robust, vivacious, lusty feel to them.  Out of the whole deck, the Courts are probably my least favorite cards - the Sages, especially, strike me as being a bit staid.  I don't think a conversation with these guys would be very interesting.  On the other hand,  O'Leary has added some evocative elements to her designs in both the Majors and Minors which call for an expanded consideration of the divinatory meanings generally applied to the RWS:  In the Eight of Cups card, we see the familiar retreating figure, but it is far in the background.  In the foreground, there are three cups standing on a shoreline - but mysteriously, five cups are reflected back in the water. The woman in the Strength card reclines against the side of a recumbent lion, and holds a tiny glowing orb containing a mouse.  The blindfolded figure in the Two of Swords not only holds two swords, but is standing with one foot on either side of a chasm.  There are three figures riding the Wheel of Fortune - a baby, a middle aged-woman, and a crone.  The adults are covering their eyes; only the baby is not.  In an interesting homage to the historical underpinnings of the Magician, the figure in the World Spirit card is juggling the suit symbols as he dances inside a sacred circle.   

        I am impressed by the way the human figures on many cards in this deck share the gender-ambiguous quality seen in many of the RWS figures - a quality that I find very valuable in expanding the readability of the cards.  The creators have managed to instill a multi-cultural feeling to the deck without straining to do so, therefore this deck will appeal to those who are either bored or offended by the European/Caucasian focus of the RWS.  I also like that the images in this deck seem to stand outside any particular time frame - you see people depicted who might have lived centuries ago, and also might well be living today.

        Readers who are used to working with the RWS deck will immediately feel comfortable with The World Spirit Tarot, and I would recommend this deck for RWS loyalists looking for something fresh to study.  Beginners should find this deck fairly accessible, and if they wish to expand their reading past the book which comes with the deck, they will discover that many RWS-based books will "work" with this deck as well.  Collectors should find this set to be an interesting addition to their shelves, and well worth the $24.95 purchase price.  The deck is available through Llewellyn Worldwide.

Illustrations from The World Spirit Tarot used by permission of Llewellyn Publications, P.O. Box 64383, Dept. 1-56718-500-9, St. Paul, MN  55164-0383, USA.  Artwork ©2001 Lauren O'Leary.  Text ©2001 Lauren O'Leary and Jessica Godino.  All rights reserved.  Further reproduction prohibited.

This review ©Kimberly S. Schwartz 2001.  All rights reserved.

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