The Radiant Tarot
Full Title: The Radiant Tarot – Pathway to Creativity
By: Tony Barnstone www.whittier.edu/academics/english/barnstone
Illustrated by: Alexandra Eldridge www.alexandraeldridge.com
Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser. LLC www.redwheelweiser.com
ISBN: 978-1-57863-750-8
Book Size: 6.5″ x 8.75″
Book Pages: 184
Card Size: 3″ x 5″
Release Date: 2021
Purchased or Gifted: Purchased
Price: Package marked at $40 retail.
Favorite: I love the Creative Practice section that they have for each card. Some of the practices are as simple as a writing prompt while others are very in depth activities. It is such a creative way to connect to the cards.
Description of Deck:
The Radiant Tarot Deck –
The imagery reminds me of being in a magical garden. It appears that it was created using inks and/or watercolors, so it has a “soft” feel (vs. bold graphic lines). There is a white boarder around each card with the text at the bottom. This deck follow the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, so it is easy to interpret. It is on a nice heavy card stock, too!
Layout of Book:
A Guide to the Cards –
This book is really geared to the “Creative” (which I absolutely love!). There is the large Introduction – Pathway to Creativity and also the section Creativity and the Transformed Self, which includes a few tarot spreads.
The book then moves into the Major Arcana. There is the name of the card, a little title for the card, and a quote. There are an additional five sections for each card. The “Description” section explains the imagery in a concise way. Then the “Meaning” section has a few key words then a nice writeup. Under the “Musing” section there is a little story. There is a “Creative Practice” which has some good questions and journal prompts. And then there is the “Astrological Note” giving the element, sign and astrological body that corresponds.
The book continues with the Minor Arcana. It has the suits in the following order: Cups, Wands, Swords, Pentacles. The cards are in the traditional order from Ace to Ten, Page, Knight, Queen, and King. The Minor Arcana has all of the same sections as the Major Arcana, which is absolutely amazing.
Packaging:
The book and cards are packed into a nice, heavy duty, one piece box that opens from the side.
Final Thoughts:
I love, love this deck! As a creative person, I really identified with the guide! I didn’t take advantage of the journaling prompts and creating a “Creative Journal”, but I definitely want to come back and do this!
One of my favorite parts of the guide is in the Introduction: “This handbook is designed to help seekers recreate themselves and use creativity as an aid toward that self-transformation, each part of which is inherent in a particular Tarot suit:
- Imagination (Cups)
- Creating (Wands)
- Shaping (Swords)
- Manifestation (Pentacles). ”
The images are very easy to read on the cards. It is a great deck to use when reading for another person. One issue I have with the deck is that the image has the white boarder around it, which makes the images smaller. I wish that the image bled off the sides of the card.
Would I recommend this? YES! It suited me perfectly! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Make sure to check out my other Tarot Deck and Book Reviews!
