A truly horrible tarot for Halloween - the Magicians, Martyrs & Madmen Tarot
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ม.ค. 2025
- #tarotdeck #deckreview #halloweentarot
If you're into horror you might like this grisly creation by Travis Mc Henry. I don't personally think I could use it for reading, and I find its connections a bit spurious, but it's a bold project and certainly of interest if you enjoy tracking the way tarot design is evolving.
Robert, I'm with you on this one. I don't know if they'd have done better to remove the 'madmen' from the deck. My reaction is the same one I had when a friend shared her joy at obtaining the Vlad The Impaler Tarot. I think we're in a state of society that revels in the romanticism of fictional horror. But actual historic horror and human brutality, are in my opinion, nothing to be glamourized, glorified or celebrated. It's just wrong-headed thinking to even consider putting out decks like these. We have numbed and dumbed down our senses when it comes to maltreatment all around, not limited to people, but also animals and our planet. It's the crashing down of civilization. Some argue that tarot is evil. This may be the one case where I might agree with that statement, although it's not the system of tarot, but the chosen envelope in which it is here presented.
Temperance is definitely based on The Magic Circle by John William Waterhouse. They've changed one arm position, painted over her robe, and turned her around, but the pose is unmistakable. Which is fair - there are countless tarots that use classic paintings, some more successfully than others. This one doesn't appeal to me.
Thank you! I knew that I knew it and it was from that pre-Raphaelite era but I couldn't remember the name.
I wonder about that guy. 😳🤨. I bought his demon deck second hand. I thought it would be fun for Halloween. I didn’t realize how dark it was till I got it home. I took it right back and donated it back to the store. The lady working looked like I slid the old maid card back to her on the counter. 😂
@@d.m.3133 Love it!
I love your deck reviews! Also how nice to have a roommate who buys so many random decks you can look through.
@@grannyweatherwax8005 Yes, sometimes I am swamped by decks, some of them a bit dodgy:-)
This deck was originally a Kickstarter in 2022. This is from the Kickstarter regarding the illustrations “Each card features original artwork of a magician, a martyr, or a mad-person from the past that had a connection with spirituality or occult practices. These original paintings were created by Venezuelan artist Helen Gottberg under my direction to ensure they captured the essence of the person on the card and the meaning behind the Tarot card itself.”
Travis has become a very controversial creator wih his decks as to his accuracy of information in all his decks. Many occultists do not agree at all with his ramblings. I love his decks, however, I don’t use them for typical tarot readings.
I very much enjoy your tarot reviews! Be well! ❤
@@jenniferballswitchhouse37 Thanks for the info. I don’t have the deck to refer to any more, but I believe he has used two different names for the “creator” of the “original paintings.” I wonder why?
I love the deck. I have the indie version. I enjoyed your review - what a blast !!! what a surprise you reviewed it, wow - thank you ❣️
@@angelawilliams-TarotAsArt My flatmate lent it to me - I probably wouldn’t have picked it up otherwise! Do you find it good to read with?
@@teatarot4557would not use with a paying client - but yes with friends 🎉
Yes, I really don’t think I could read with this deck. I did find the text you read very amusing (I do like the odd bit of black humour) but I’m not sure where I would go with it once the novelty had worn off. I guess if one has a truly dark side, one could use it to for readings on that…perhaps I am just too square for that! 😅 Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the review. I too dislike horror.
I can't possibly imagine reading for someone else with this deck but it does intrigue me. I have been tempted to pick it up a few times but haven't yet. I want a flatmate who is into Tarot, can I have him?😁Great video, thank you Robert❤
@@JonSkyeTarot Well it’s certainly one of a kind! As for a flatmate who is constantly online buying tarots… maybe you could advertise? ;-)
My birth card is the Empress, I’m a mom of two girls who has a very conflicted relationship to the mother archetype (due to my own upbringing). Heck, I even use my own blood in protection spells for my family. Still: to use Elisabeth Báthory for the Empress card is in completely poor taste IMHO (among many things wrong with this deck). We need to stop glorifying criminals. Love your review though, as usual!
I only have the Hieronymus Bosch tarot by Travis McHenry and even that one isn’t very convincing. I think this one is meant as more of an allegory of the historical (mis)apprehensions of madness rather than just a satire on tarot. He does seem to be stretching it, but maybe we wouldn’t think so if he provided more sophisticated guidebooks and explained the connections in more detail. While I’m all for being concise, I find that his interpretations are way too superficial for the sophisticated ideas and concepts he employs in his decks. Once again, a very interesting review, thanks! 🎉
Sigh, even when you, completely reasonably, explain why a Tarot deck is awful, I still kinda want it 🥺
@@DownUnderTarot Of course! I am always careful to include the phrase “this may be exactly your thing” :-)
If you do get it, let me know what it’s like to read with.
That ill conceived and dreadfully executed deck just oozes negative energy. It’s also sloppy.
Thanks for reviewing it so I can avoid it like the plague. He is playing with fire with that subject matter and I think your friend is right - AI has been thrown into the mix adding insult to injury. How dare he call himself an artist. It’s utter tripe. Be careful Robert.
I don’t dig the vibes on that deck true crime is an appalling subject for tarot, especially such heinous ones. Run away!
@@zenarcher_awats Oh, I have indeed run away! The deck is safely in the hands of Jacopo!
@ I’m so glad. Your energy must be protected it is refined and rare.
I might have been a bit rough with the words sorry about that.
Thank you for your charming reply. I really enjoy your reviews and seeing unfamiliar decks. The title for this video was great! Hilarious. Carry on with your artistry and intelligent attitude. It’s Beautiful ! ❤️⭐️
@@zenarcher_awats Thank you for the encouragement 👍
I suppose a project of this nature this could work but don't think he's pulled it off. The illustrations seem lazy. I wonder if a deluge of AI decks are on the horizon and hope not!
@@Talentedtadpole I think the deluge has already started! Perhaps for this one there was no illustrator. I noticed that the author claimed copyright for the illustrations, even though there was an illustrator biography at the back of the book.
@@teatarot4557 Yes, that does seem a bit fishy. Perhaps the author was following his heart's desire as they describe the cannibals mentioned doing, something I think we should temper with consideration of many factors, such as others, our environment and onward ripples of consequence. That makes the ethos of the project seem less one of parody to me, but perhaps in keeping with an attitude much in Vogue. Maybe I sound a bit self righteous. I feel rather weighed down with such thoughts, though I cannot imagine being a happy cannibal...
@@Talentedtadpole right. I don’t think it’s parody. I think it’s more likely to express a really crazy version of New Age narcissism (“What about *my* needs?”) combined with that weird horror fan sensibility, resulting in a highly tasteless product!
@@teatarot4557 I feel this outlook is prevalent among Thelemites among others - this is anecdotal and personal experience, I cannot claim to be knowledgeable on the topic and don't believe it's fair to say of all. It's complex territory I think which seems important to consider and discuss!
Lol. I have this deck and yes I'm not sure I'd regularly use it at all in my spreads. Perhaps only one card to add something to what I've pulled. It's very dark, but very interesting. I used it for a Halloween spread just this week.. no cannibals thankfully .. which is a miracle bc the deck is LOADED with them. Although I'm not sure I think Travis walks a left hand path. I also have his Hieronymus Bosch deck which i enjoy and use often.
It’s probably AI
@@justinmichaeltarot Very likely. Maybe the text is AI too? I hadn’t thought of that. If you told Chat GPT to create a tarot, complete with booklet, in which the 78 cards were linked to murderers and sadists, you would probably get something like this - strange, illogical connections, spurious tarot meanings, a project that seems to lack raison d’etre…
I was eying this deck for a long time; the main reason I didn't buy it was the Rasputin card. Thank you for this review, it really made me think - I use tarot to put some beauty and magic (not magick) in my mundane life. I,definitely, do not want to be dragged to the deepest bottom of human depravity. I thought this deck might be interesting but now I find it just repulsive. It's off my wishlist for good. 😁 Thanks again.
@@OfWavesAndWinds I agree about beauty and magic! But I suppose some people are just horror-fans…
@@teatarot4557 Of course. When I was a teenager I used to love horror movies, too, but now the gruesomeness of the real world is enough. And I'm trying to avoid adding to it... Even my Madhouse tarot by Eugene Vinitski is not played with, for the same reason. 🫢
@@teatarot4557Of course. But I was just giving my own reasoning for taking this deck of my wish list. 😄👍