The New Orleans Voodoo Tarot, based on the stunning paintings by Sallie Ann Glassman, stirred some controversy when it appeared in 1992. Some questioned the wisdom of this heady blending of Kabbalah, Vodoun, and Santeria with modern occult philosophy. But they rarely doubted the power and beauty of Glassman’s visionary artwork. Over the years this deck has secured its reputation by proving its potency as a divinatory tool.
Frankly this tarot wipes the floor with any other so-called gothic or urban decks. Interestingly this is because it nods firmly in the direction of the Marseilles and surrealist traditions- both currently unfashionable in the English-speaking tarot scene.
The ingredients really shouldn’t work: bold computer graphics, collage, an eighties goth/industrial sensibility, humour, and a desire to depict tarot concepts in modern life. But it works. This deck was conceived by Patrick Valenza in his childhood. We eagerly await his next project.
The Runes are an alphabet originating in Scandinavia. Their distinctive sharp lines are because the symbols were originally carved into objects rather than painted. Over the course of time the alphabet has evolved, so that nowadays there are distinct versions of it. This is the Elder Futhark, the oldest version known, which consists of 24 runes.
The story of the artist of this most familiar of Tarot decks is seldom known. Pamela Colman Smith was an active member of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn- a founding movement of modern Western esotericism. She brought with her a background in Swedenborgian mysticism, Jamaican folklore and theatrical design. It is generally believed that she proposed the unusual idea to fully illustrate each ‘pip’ card, and that she strongly influenced how each scene was depicted.
This concept set a standard for every deck published since.
