The Crystal Visions Tarot deck, created by fantasy artist Jennifer Galasso, invites you into a vibrant world filled with crystals, fairies, animals, and mystical figures. This deck beautifully blends traditional symbolism with modern artistic expression, staying true to the classic Rider-Waite 78-card system while offering fresh, visually captivating imagery.
When you open up the Crystal Visions Tarot, you are entering a different world -- a colorful one filled with crystals, fairies, animals and mystical figures. The artist was inspired by Stevie Nicks' latest CD "Crystal Visions" as well as her interest in crystal balls.
The artist's color choices are bold and bright yet still ethereal. Purples, scarlet reds, deep indigos and lush greens make this deck a visual feast for the eyes. While the art is fantasy based, it manages to steer away from being too cheesy. Although some of the figures were a bit cartoonish, overall the look is whimsical, romantic and mythical.
Key Features of Crystal Visions Tarot
Crystal Visions Tarot remains true to the classic Rider-Waite 78-card system in much of its symbolism, as well as in card and suit names. The luscious card imagery also illustrates the elemental aspects of each suit in order to aid the novice in forming associations with the cards.
- Traditional Structure: Based on the standard Rider Waite Smith system, this deck stays almost true to the tradition.
- Additional Card: There is an additional card in the deck, giving you 79 cards rather than 78. This extra card is called "The Unknown Card" and when it lands in a reading, it represents something that is "not yet meant to be revealed".
- Standard Suits: The usual Majors are featured and the suits are traditional Cups, Wands, Swords and Pentacles. Court cards are Kings, Queens, Knights and Pages.
Each card is designed to reflect elemental energies, making it an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced readers looking to deepen their understanding of the suits and their meanings. The deck includes an additional unknown card, which provides insight into future situations yet to unfold or offers deeper exploration of complex issues.
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Elemental Associations
Different flowers and animals represent each suit:
- Cups: emotions -- water lilies and dragon flies
- Swords: intellect and conflict -- ravens and winged creatures
- Pentacles: material things and money -- crystals, fruitful trees, wildlife
- Wands: creativity -- candles, sprites, dragons
Card Imagery and Symbolism
While I enjoyed the art in the Minors, the Majors are the standout part of this deck. My favorites were the Hierophant with the pope sitting on a throne in front of a stained glass window adorned with different religious symbols; the eerie Death card with a ghostly figure standing above a seemingly dead female on a headstone; the mighty Emperor with his ram's mask and The Devil with a playful Pan like figure in the background trying to entice a naked woman who lounging by a tree with an apple in her hand (who is tempting who?).
Galasso's attention to detail is impressive -- the Ace of Cups is one of the most beautiful cards I have ever seen in a tarot deck. One interesting fact is the many of the cards have some kind of reference to air -- a dragonfly, fairy, butterfly, or other winged creature -- which is something you don't often see in tarot decks. I especially liked the Death card, which has Death holding a staff topped with an ankh and the inscription VITA MUTATUR NON TOLLITUR (Life is changed, not taken away) on a tomb. Butterflies reinforce the overall transformation feel of the card.
The Unknown Card
This deck also features an additional card, bringing the total number of cards to 79. "The Unknown Card" is explained as an area of the reading which requires further examination -- like a past event, for example -- or that additional steps need to be taken to clarify the bigger picture. I'm not a big fan of extra cards in tarot decks, especially with vague descriptions, so likely I'd use the deck without this one.
Crystal Visions Tarot Unboxing
Color Schemes and Elemental Associations
The colors on these cards are soft yet vivid. The images have a distinctly fantasy feel. The characters primarily consist of broad-shouldered, well-proportioned men and beautiful, slender women with long, flowing hair. These ethereal images are pleasing to the eye in both color and style. Each suit has its own consistent color scheme, inspired by the element associated with that suit.
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A major strength of this deck is its ability to create a mood or feeling with each card by such masterful use of color. In the author's own words, the cards have a "vibrant and consistent color scheme, in order to be easily recognizable within a spread."
The artist has consistently portrayed each suit experience through specific colors, crystals, people and other beings. She also assigns elements to each of the four suits in the LWB.
The symbolism on the cards also ties in nicely with elemental associations. For example, the moon appears in in various phases on all of the Cups (Water) cards. Lions and dragons appear on many of the Wands (Fire) cards. Birds or butterflies appear on most of the Swords (Air) cards. Trees and plants dominate the scenes on the Pentacles (Earth) cards.
Here's a breakdown of the color schemes for each suit:
- Cups: feature violet and magenta backgrounds; the card titles are black on a pinky lavender bar.
- Swords: are indigo and lavender, with the titles written on a lavender-blue bar.
- Pentacles: are shades of green and brown, with the titles written on a pale olive-green bar.
- Wands: are orange-red and maroon, with the titles written on what I would call a rosy beige bar.
The artist's "cool" and "warm" palettes make it easy to recognize the elemental associations in any given spread.
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Little White Book (LWB)
The Crystal Visions Tarot deck includes 78 cards with an additional unknown card for gazing into future situations that have not yet been revealed, or for exploring issues with deeper insight. The instruction booklet offers both upright and reversed meanings.
The LWB provides an Introduction to the deck along with descriptions and divinatory meanings for each card, including meanings for reversed cards. I am impressed with the amount and value of the material in this LWB. We are given the usual DMs but we are also given insight into the reasoning behind the depiction of the characters on the cards.
For example, the description of The World includes: "The characters depicted in this card sits on top of the world in the lotus pose. She appears to be meditating, listening to the hum of the universe. She wears a necklace with the Hindu symbol 'Om' symbolizing the most perfect integration of mind, body and spirit."
Who Should Buy This Deck?
I would recommend this deck to any tarot collector, any fans of fantasy art, younger readers or beginners, as well as anyone who enjoys crystals and faeries. There are no really creepy images, making this deck appropriate for everyone.
This deck is likely to appeal to readers who prefer traditional RWS titles and symbolism, but also like to work with cards that feature romantic, fantasy-style art suggestive of the Faerie realm. The level of detail in the images encourages closer study of the cards, yet is not overwhelming. Although the characters are not people you are likely to see in your everyday life, many of them are approachable and engaging.
If you are familiar with a RWS deck, you can read the Crystal Visions Tarot straight out of the box with the understanding that there is that extra card in this deck. But for those who are new to the Tarot, I like the way the author and artist has written the 63-page accompanying booklet. It's far better than most LWB's available for a deck. I feel that even a beginner to Tarot could successfully learn Tarot with this deck and the proper books for learning this subject.
I highly recommend this deck to anyone who enjoys the RWS tarot decks, to those who want a gentle deck that has a softer approach (yet still powerful!), and even for those who are just starting with the Tarot. The Crystal Visions Tarot follows RWS tradition in a way that doesn't clone or copy the familiar and well-loved kind of traditional tarot deck, but is still similar enough to immediately resonate with. Collectors will also want to get a copy of this deck, too.