Review: The Essential Tarot by Chloé Zarka Grinsnir

Poeple are often surprised when I say I have a big collection of tarot decks. They often ask my why I need more than one, or perhaps two. The answer I give is that every tarot deck I own offers different insights into the meanings of the cards.

The Essential Tarot by Chloé Zarka Grinsnir, which was officially published yesterday, is the latest addition to my collection. I was lucky enough to get my copy a little bit early and I've been using it daily to try it out. I'm really enjoying using it. 

The imagery is inspired by the archetypes of earlier decks like the Rider-Waite-Smith, but the artwork is new and in some cases very different. For example, The Devil is represented by lovers in a relationship that has become toxic. The people depicted on all the cards come from a variety of times and places, with plenty of ethnic and gender diversity. The style of the art is clean and unfussy, with bright colours, and sufficient symbolism in each that intuitive readers will find using the deck easy. I guess that's one of the reasons it's called The Essential Tarot.

The official description says: 

"As depicted by many artists and authors throughout the ages, tarot has become an effective way to understand yourself and others ― and perhaps even look into the future. But a new audience for tarot is being born and its adherents want a new way to see the world – fresh, contemporary, and full of diverse bodies, races, and genders, acknowledging the spiritual and cultural offerings of people around the globe and throughout history. These practitioners need an essential deck that both honours the tradition of tarot that has given power to readers for generations and also gives them insight and hope for the generations to come."

The box it comes in is nice and solid and includes a small but perfectly useful guide to interpreting the cards.

If you read my blog regularly you'll know that I often post readings for the world using decks from my collection. I'm looking forward to using The Essential Tarot for that a bit later in the month, but in the meantime I'm still enjoying drawing a card from the set for my own guidance every morning.

You can view The Essential Tarot on Amazon. It is published by Sterling Ethos.