Lo Scarabeo's Tarot decks have been acclaimed all over the world for originality and quality. With the best Italian and international artists, each Lo Scarabeo deck is an exceptional artistic value.
Commited to developing innovative new decks while preserving the rich tradition of Tarot, Lo Scarabeo continues to be a favorite among collectors and readers.
Llewellyn is the exclusive distributor of Lo Scarabeo products in North America.
Summary: The Harmonious Tarot is a beautiful homage to the artwork
of Walter Crane and an interesting exploration of an era. The
serene, gentle (at first glance!) images calm you, invite you in to
explore the intricate details, and then, just when you are in an
almost hypnotic, liminal state--they reveal their secrets, and
yours. While this deck is built on a Rider-Waite-Smith foundation,
there are departures. For the reader well acquainted with the RWS,
this deck presents clever and fascinating facets. For the new
reader, this deck is a lovely introduction to Tarot reading.
Review:
The images are rather small and have lots of tiny details. With
this Tarot that works well and adds to the experience of reading
with this deck. And let's be clear from the start. Reading with
this deck is meant to be an experience. The LWB [Little White
Booklet] starts off right away introducing a fictional character,
Lady Victoria Westwood, who is our guide through the journey of the
Harmonious Tarot. Give yourself over to the whimsy and fantasy of
this deck. Put on a pair of lace gloves, have tea in a delicate,
hand-painted cup, and lay out your best white linen. Create an
external experience as you prepare for an internal experience. For
this deck is full of whimsy. But beware! The lovely flowers do have
thorns. It's not all cookies and sherbet.
By now you get that the cards are charming and are wondering "are
they something more?" Let's look at a few. The High Priestess and
The Empress, for example. The High Priestess looks familiar: a
woman standing between a black and a white pillar, a crescent moon
at her feet, a scroll. The difference? She is a flower. Well, she
has the head and arms of a woman and you can sense her figure under
the greenery, but petals grow from her head and she's holding buds
in each hand. It definitely looks like she is the flower. The
Empress is very recognizable as well: a voluptuous goddess figure
in a chair in a lush garden. An addition to the composition: two
maidens are fanning her. So, we generally take the High Priestess
and the Empress as representing feminine wisdom. But one is the
flower and the other reigns over the flowers. Hmmmm. What do you
make of that?
Death shows an old man with a black mask, white beard, and a clown
costume. He is dancing and prancing as he holds his scythe and
hourglass. A treasure chest and crown are before him but no
evidence of the dearly departed. Behind him is a shadowy, cloaked
figure (and although I cannot see, I just know it's a woman), her
arms outstretched as if to embrace Death in a misty embrace. But
perhaps the dancing man is not Death even if he holds the symbols
of Death. He is the nearly departed and is he in for a surprise.
Clearly, he thinks he's okay, that he needn't worry about Death.
Unfortunately for him, there is no escaping Death.
The 7 of Cups has the usual seven cups filled with dreams and
fantasies. There is also a woman, but instead of looking at the
cups, she is looking at something in the hands of the man sitting
next to her. He is holding a mirror up for her to gaze in. What
does she see? Reflected back is her own image but as an old woman.
Imagine how that plays with the idea of daydreams, fantasies, and
imagination.
These cards were designed to evoke feelings and then lead you
further and deeper into the meanings. The Tower card does this
excellently because the image is so very vivid. We often hear that
The Tower represents sudden changes, changes that shake our world
to its very foundation. More than any other Tower card, this one
evokes that feeling. How ironic that this powerful card is in a
deck called "Harmonious."
Enough about the cards--they are better experienced in person than
described. The booklet that comes with the cards is a lovely little
treat. The opening story, taking you into Lady Westwood's home,
helps create the mood for meeting these cards. This is followed by
a short introduction and the usual short interpretations for each
card. After that, we get a "lesson" in reading the cards from Lady
W herself. This will be useful for those who have never read
before. It gives enough direction so that the new reader doesn't
feel completely lost, yet isn't didactic and encourages the new
reader to find her/his own way and style.
The booklet also includes a Magic Triangle spread...simple yet
easily used for almost any type of question; a great beginner's
spread. With six cards it is not overwhelming and yet there is
enough to interpret. It works well for a great variety of
questions.
These cards read beautifully. Usually you can tell the different
suits in a deck pretty easily, so when you lay out a spread, you
get an idea right away if there are a lot of Wands or Majors, or
whatever. The Harmonious Tarot is subtler; the color palettes are
similar. The readings, therefore, feel quieter, slower, more
genteel, if you will. But no less powerful. This is a deck you will
use quite often. Name of deck: Harmonious Tarot
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
ISBN: 9780738707884
Artists' names: Walter Crane, Ernest Fitzpatrick
Brief biography of artist: Ernest Fitzpatrick also illustrated the
Lenormand Tarot.
Name of accompanying booklet: Harmonious Tarot
Number of pages of booklet: 63, 14 in English
Author of booklet: Maria Caratti
Brief biography of author: Maria has collaborated on the Universal
Goddess Tarot and the Secret Forest Tarot.
Available in a boxed kit?: No
Reading Uses: Romance, general, meditation, spiritual.
Artistic Style: Kind of Art Nouveau/Arts & Crafts
Original Medium: Watercolor(?)
Theme: A Victorian afternoon visiting a cartomancer.
Does it follow Rider-Waite-Smith Standard?: Yes.
Does it have extra cards?: No
Does it have alternate names for Major Arcana cards?: No, although
Justice is VIII and Strength is XI
Does it have alternate names for Minor Arcana suits?: No
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