By Lalia Wilson
The Modern Spellcaster’s Tarot, created by Melanie Marquis and illustrated by Scott Murphy, comes in a large 6” X 9” X 2” magnetic closing box. Inside are the 78 tarot cards and a 6” X 9” 246 page book, with full color illustrations of each card. The deck and book (2016) are published by Llewellyn. Melanie Marquis has written at least five previous books regarding wicca. The book is an interesting volume all by itself discussing the tarot and magick. Each card is paired with a magical purpose.
Although the deck has the standard 78 cards, 22 major arcana, and four suit minor arcana, it assigns different elements to Wands and Swords. In this deck Wands are considered air and Swords fire. Notwithstanding that assignment, the minor cards all follow the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition. The court cards are Page, Knight, Queen and King. Strength is number 8 and Justice is number 11.
The cards feel good in the hands and are a comfortable size (2 7/8” X 4 ½”) for riffle shuffling. The colors and pallet are rather dark, perhaps alluding to the magical nature of this deck. Also some of the cards feature people with complexions similar to the Hindu deities like green and blue. The deck is LGBTQ friendly and ethnically diverse. The card backs are reversible-friendly. You will see six cards from this deck on the Tarot Scopes page. Here are three more.
The Five of Wands is not usually my go-to card in reviewing a deck, but this deck is different. Here we see the standard meaning of this card, an altercation, but there is a bit of humor and a spiritual message as well. Four of the figures are actively fighting with their staves, each is blindfolded. The fifth figure has no blindfold and can clearly see the hornet’s nest about to be hit by the others. The message is to beware taking on a fight because there may be far more consequences than we see at the beginning.
The Three of Swords is also a card I rarely cite as exemplary. Yes, it is the traditional card of three swords piercing a heart, a symbol of heartbreak. But, again, there is more meaning here. One meaning is heart health and heart surgery. Another meaning though, shown by the flame, is perhaps that through heartbreak we gain spiritual wisdom.
The Queen of Wands is the loving female exemplar of the Wands suit. She is your friend, your hostess, your lover. She is a woman who is unforgettable and who cannot be overlooked. She is a powerful woman who takes her seat at the table of policy making.
This deck is reader-friendly. The cards are similar to the Rider-Waite-Smith convention. Any reader who uses the R-W-S conventions will find this deck easy to use. I recommend this deck.