The Nigel Jackson Tarot Cards – September 8, 2000

Let me start by saying that I don't consider a "retelling of the Waite deck" to be in any way a criticism. The Waite/Coleman-Smith tarot informs all of our perspectives, at this point. I appreciate tarot decks that are highly original, but I don't exactly see the point of a deck that creates entirely new meanings for the cards. Tarot cards are potent, in part, because they draw upon shared meanings that have been carried through time. All the decks that I personally use (as opposed to only collect) have fairly similar basic meanings to each card. I consider this a plus.What is really special about this deck is, as other reviewers have pointed out, the quality. You really feel that focus and loving attention was paid to every step of the creation of this deck, from the luminous, colorful paintings, to the thorough discussion of the deck in the accompaning book, to the excellent quality of the cards themselves. To be truthful, I haven't yet plowed through the author's philosophy about his deck; the beautiful cards speak for themselves.The art is an interesting combination of renaissance painterly tradition, Tibetan decorations, William Morris' English influence, and slightly cartoonish (but quite tolerable) figures. You get the feeling that Jackson, and especially his wife, are represented over and over in both the trumps and the minors! The minors have quite similar symobolism to the Waite deck, but not always. There are lots of unique cards. Only several of these do I not personally care for. For instance, the 9 of Swords pictures a nightmare: a nude women with a frightful beast's head. The traditional picture of someone in their own private nightmare of despair, doubt, fear, torment, guilt, or whatever, seems more powerful than this kind of silly, scary lady. And I found the Moon to be rather dark: very much the ominous, malignant side of the Moon, without the deep, holy and benevolent aspect of the Lunar Orb. But these are really the only cards I didn't care for.The Trumps, in particular, are very powerful. The backgrounds radiate energy, intention, and serenity, and the figures themselves are very effectively brought to life. This deck has already leaped into my very favorite top five or six for regular use. By the way, the cover illustration of Temperance is not, in my opinion, the strongest or lovliest, by any means. Don't hesitate to invest in this stunning and user-friendly new addition to the world of Tarot.

This deck was everything I hoped it would be - a total treasure. It was used, and it was in excellent condition. The packaging is unique and quite protective of the cards and book. The illustrations are glorious with some notable additions or twists to the imagery. The small book written by Mr. Jackson is an absolute gem!!!! He really knows the history of Tarot, and provides some extremely interesting and rare spreads. I bought this deck on the recommendation of Ann Moura, who talks about how the deck does not pick up alot of energy when one is doing readings for many people, say at a festival or event. I want to also give kudos to the seller, Silver Arch books who handled a small mix up promptly and efficiently. They have a great selection, and I recommend buying from them 100%. I will be studying Mr. Jackson's deck for quite some time I'm sure. Love it!

I had emailed several sellers who were offering this, making sure that the cards came with the booklet. This seller was the only one who emailed me back, answering my question, plus his was the lowest price. Despite the shipping problems during Christmastime, I received my deck as promised. I was very happy when I sorted through the deck to find that all the cards were there, and they were in better than described shape. I am very happy with what I got.

The seller I purchased this from did NOT state in the description that they were selling ONLY the book, and sold it on the page for the whole deck. For the whole deck used, it would've been a fair price. However, the book is worthless alone.

The most beautiful deck. The description on this deck was that it had been opened, however, there was no visible sign of use. It was a gamble, and so glad I came across this one, the description was accurate, no sign of use. I've hunted for this lovely deck and would highly recommend it, it was considerably less then the going rate as it's out of print. Well worth the cost to own.

Fast shipping & great product, thank you! Great price too.

This is one of the last decks I ever purchased, and at the time I thought it was just another Rider-Waite knock-off, pretty but largely unimpressive. However, when I recently took these cards out to prepare for a Halloween party, I was surprised by the evocativeness of the imagery. After reading prior reviews from other buyers online, I looked back at the elements of the old Marseilles style of tarot cards that one can find in this deck. Combining this with Jackson's unique touches, such as the apparition of what I assume to be Lilith in the 9 of swords, this tarot does indeed seem to have something for everyone. The faces in the portraits are quite expressive, and the colouring appears muted but powerful, especially the red and white roses used in the Fortitude and Temperance cards, the latter being visible on the front of the package. This card seems very elfin and childlike without losing the power of the original concept, and although some nudity is present in the deck I don't consider it gratuitous or excessively graphic. All in all, along with Brian Williams's redesigned The Minchiate Tarot: The 97-card Tarot of the Renaissance, Complete with the 12 Astrological Signs and the 4 Elements, the Nigel Jackson Tarot is one of the crowning jewels of my collection, recommended both for beginners and experienced readers.