Ciro Marchetti's "Legacy of the Divine Tarot" is a captivating deck that seamlessly blends fantasy with the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith tarot system. This review delves into the deck's unique features, artwork, and overall appeal, making it a valuable resource for both seasoned tarot enthusiasts and newcomers alike.
The “Legacy of the Divine Tarot” was first published as a Special Edition deck, prior to being mass published by Llewellyn Worldwide. It comes as a set, with the traditional 78 cards, the companion book “Gateway to the Divine Tarot”, and a black organdy bag to hold the cards. The box is a cigar type box that opens lengthwise. The cover shows the imagery from the Queen of Wands (which many of you will recognize from Leisa ReFalo’s “Tarot Connection” site). Exquisitely rich and magical, this new Rider-Waite-Smith based tarot deck by digital artist Ciro Marchetti takes you into the heart of fantasy.
The Story Behind the Deck
The 295 page companion book, “Gateway to the Divine Tarot”, is a story onto itself - that also tells the story that is Tarot. The beginning of the story is all about a dream - a dream that it seems must be a reality, as there are physical manifestations of the dream in Ciro’s real environment. From there, we go far back into history, where the third planet from the sun collides with an asteroid. This is catastrophic, but some flora and fauna did survive. We learn about the Blind Ones, an elite class with great knowledge. They revealed to humankind, to the hour, the time of their passing.
A council was called, and the Kings and their courts of the four elements were summoned. The goal was to determine the directions and actions to be taken in the remaining twelve solar orbits. The Four Kingdoms flourished, and were in balance with their environment. However, they were not always in balance with each other. One realm shared in their activities, but also ruled over them. They were the people that looked beyond the physical to the mind and the universe. The Blind Ones were part of this group of people. They were blessed from birth, and possessed great powers.
The story now moves back to the present, and to correspondence Ciro is having with a gentleman by the name of Gianluca Colombo de Savoy. De Savoy comments on the “Limited Edition Tarot” that Ciro did, and then he sends him prints, along with a handwritten note. The imagery in the “Gilded Tarot” - is it possibly not unique to Ciro? Could he have seen it before, and not remembered it? Ciro is invited to Italy - in fact, it is more of a command performance than an invitation. Once he gets there, he hears a fantastic tale about knowledge shared between de Savoy and a small group of colleagues, and now being shared with Ciro. For various reasons, the time was not right, and this information has been suppressed.
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Part of this story is about gateways - gateways that are very similar to images in the “Tarot of Dreams”. Ciro had been “encouraged” to visit Italy at a specific time because one of the gateways would be opening, and de Savoy wanted him to experience the museum that it opened into for himself. This is an absolutely wonderful section, showing a great gift for vision and insight into journey work.
Key Features and Design
* Rider-Waite-Smith Foundation: The deck is based on the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith system, making it accessible to readers familiar with this structure.* Digital Art: The artwork is digital, very much in the fantasy tradition.* Card Stock: The cards themselves are approximately 2 ¾” by 4 ½”, of good quality card stock.* Reversible Backs: The backs are reversible, with a dark border surrounding a gold and silver mechanical web (the same back as the Special Edition deck).* Color-Coded Court Cards: The Court Cards carry the card title and suit at the top of the card, with the lettering color coded to the elemental associations.* Companion Book: The Standard Edition comes with a black organdy tarot bag and a 295 page, paperback collaborative companion book, which also contains the “story.” This book is titled Gateway to the Divine Tarot.The artwork in this deck is truly captivating. Even though much of the RWS symbolism is not included in the images, it will prove to be a brilliant working deck, that is quite capable of packing a punch! On course with Ciro’s other decks, the Legacy of the Divine carry’s the same tradition of the use of vivid color and plays in light and shadow. The images fade to a black border.
The card faces carry the same dark border, with the Major Arcana showing the card title at the top of the card, and the card number, in Roman numerals, at the bottom of the card. The Minor Arcana Pips show the suit at the top of the card, and the card number at the bottom of the card. There is a slight difference in style, as the Special Edition used Roman numerals for the pips, while the mass edition does not.
Some of the imagery carries through the Major Arcana - for instance, the same figure appears on The Fool, TheWheel, The Hanging Man, and The World. We see The Fool balanced in space, with the Major Arcana cards arching around him. The High Priestess has eyes so pale as to almost not be there. The Emperor, standng under the sign of the Ram, evokes a sense of great power. The Chariot is a winged chariot, while the Hermit carries with him a sense of the hidden (as does the High Priestess). I love that The Wheel shows the same figure (that of The Fool) in all four of its phases. The Hanging Man is suspended horizontally over a horizontal hourglass (indicating that time is standing still).
Ciro has created a beautiful, magickal interactive e site to showcase this deck at www.legacyofthedivinetarot.com. Here members will be able to create and save their own readings, work with the cards and much more!
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Legacy of the Divine Tarot Unboxing
Variations and Special Editions
There are also color variations between the Special Edition decks themselves. There are three Special Edition Deck packages available. The SE Deck, the SE Deck and Hardback Book Set, and the SE Deck, Book and Canvas set. It is a custom produced collector’s edition. It is in limited quantity. Each deck is signed. With the variations in the cards, each set is unique in it’s particular combination of cards. The Special Edition deck is larger and thicker than standard, measuring 5 ½“ tall x 3 ¼“ wide x 1 ½“ thick. It also contains a black velvet bag, stamped with “Legacy of the Divine,” in gold foil.
Card Variations
The traditional names for the Major Arcana are used, with the following exceptions: The Hierophant becomes Faith, The Wheel of Fortune becomes the Wheel, and the Hanged Man becomes the Hanging Man. Strength is VIII, Justice is XI.
This deck follows the Rider-Waite tradition with some deviations. For example, the Suit of Pentacles is renamed the Suit of Coins. This isn’t too unusual within Tarot decks as other popular decks make the same choice. Pentacles usually refer to financial and materialistic parts of our lives, so the change is pretty intuitive. There are some other changes throughout the deck, for example, the Hierophant card is now Faith.
I quite like this touch as the word Hierophant is defined as ‘Priest’, which can exclude certain religions. I know that some people don’t like the Christian undertones of many traditional Tarot decks, so when changing the card to Faith, Ciro Marchetti is opening up the Tarot to a more diverse audience.
Here's a summary of the key variations in the Legacy of the Divine Tarot:
Read also: The Meaning of Tarot Suits
| Card | Traditional Name | Legacy of the Divine Name |
|---|---|---|
| V | The Hierophant | Faith |
| X | The Wheel of Fortune | The Wheel |
| XII | The Hanged Man | The Hanging Man |
| Suits | Pentacles | Coins |
The Companion Book: A Gateway to the Divine
Like most decks on the market right now, the Legacy of the Divine Tarot deck comes with its own guidebook. The book bears its own name; ‘A Gateway to the Divine’. It is a huge book and I was really surprised at this when I first got my hands on the deck. What is unusual about this guidebook is that it is a story. The beginning of the book gives you the background of the deck and describes stories from another dimension. The book does also contain in-depth descriptions of all the Tarot cards, with keywords and reverse meanings included. This means the book is suitable for beginners but also gives a fresh and interesting depth to the Tarot. There is so much information in the book and really gives the deck structure and intrigue.
The presentation of the cards in the companion book is text only. Ciro has presented his own thoughts on the cards, as have contributors Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone, James Ricklef, and Leisa ReFalo. Ciro talks about the reasoning behind his choices of imagery for the card, while the Amberstones talk about the basic card energy. James Ricklef provides in depth commentary, while Leisa ReFalo covers each card using the following categories: keywords, reversed keywords, description, meanings, elemental attribution, planetary attribution, gifts and advice.
The second part of the book provides a variety of perspectives on the cards’ meanings from Ciro, himself, as well as highly respected tarot experts such as Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone, James Ricklef and Leisa ReFalo. The third part of the book is a “How To Read Tarot” section by Leisa ReFalo. She covers everything from the question, the spread, drawing the cards and interpretation to many extras.
In a precursor to the Court Cards, Ciro talks about the Court Cards as templates for royal families. In other words, the Court Cards are flexible! In this deck, they all look directly at the reader, making a strong connection. Leisa wrote a very comprehensive chapter on how to read the cards. Brief instruction for doing a one to three card daily spread is given, along with a three card Legacy Spread, a seven card Pages (or What is Needed) Spread, a nine card Knights Spread, a five card Queens Spread, and an eight card Kings Spread. There is an appendix with attributions for elements, numbers, planets, and zodiac signs, along with an in-depth bibliography.
The Cards
The cards in the deck all have really unique designs on them. I actually think this deck is a ‘love it or hate it’ deck because of the originality of the cards. The artwork on the cards takes from the traditional Rider-Waite deck but also takes inspiration from the meanings behind the card. Certain cards have very loose similarities to Rider-Waite, but the meaning is still there in the imagery and symbolism. I like this because it really shows that Ciro Marchetti worked hard to create this deck, with a deep knowledge of Tarot and the different meanings of the cards. It also means that this deck is intuitive to read and suitable for beginners.
The card backs have this intricate metallic pattern on them which gives me a fantasy, steam-punk vibe. This deck is non-gilded and fits in my hands nicely thanks to the smaller size of the cards and how thin they are. This is a great deck to carry around with you, but I know some readers do prefer a thicker cardstock.
The colors of the Major Arcana are all vibrant and striking. Reds, golds, and blues all follow through the cards bringing life and energy to the deck. Let’s take a look at The Devil card. I think this is one of the most interesting cards of the deck as Ciro Marchetti has created a card that reflects the meaning of the card. The Devil card is all about temptation and material focus, and I really think that this depiction shows this well. The devil is now a strong and handsome man, controlling someone who is depicted as a marionette. I also love The Moon card. There is an icy, anxious feel to the card, with the glowing moon taking center stage. We can really sense the sinister undertones that The Moon brings, and I love how the dogs are now statues that are tied together.
The Minor Arcana cards are just as vibrant and interesting as the Major Arcana. The depictions on the cards can be read easily and give a deep understanding of the meaning of the different cards without needing to consult the book.
The Knights
Here are the Knights of the four different suits. Looks odd, I know, as they’re kind of depersonalized here. Instead of the young male figures, we only have helmets and the background of fire, water, sky, and the forest. But, I quite like this stripped-back take on the Knights. I think they are easy to understand and I love how they incorporate the four elements of the Tarot suits.
Final Thoughts
The Legacy of the Divine Tarot stands out from the other RW adaptations that are on the market in that Marchetti skillfully weaves in his own trademark aesthetic and insight into each card. In using this deck, I came to love the way in which he incorporates the astrological associations into his cards, a trend that is evident throughout much, though not all, of the deck. In this deck, Marchetti also goes out of his way to engage the reader with the court cards, which can sometimes be difficult to understand in a reading. Many of the court characters stare directly out from the card, making a visceral connection with the reader and letting their own distinct personality come through. However, the most engaging ones (to me) are the Knights, which only depict stylized helmets and elemental scenes below. This allows the reader to deepen their own understanding of the energy inherent to each knight in a way that I have not seen before in other decks.
This is a deck that could be used by any Tarot student that had a basic understanding of the cards. It can be picked and used almost immediately by the novice reader or the professional. Ciro Marchettis Legacy of the Divine Tarot is a particularly striking deck, one with rich imagery and a unique vision that comes across from the moment the deck is opened. While it is based in the Rider-Waite tradition, the artist manages to transcend the typical depictions to create a deck that is fresh, modern, and visually appealing.
What makes this deck so wonderful is that it is immediately accessible regardless of expertise or training; a new tarot reader would be just as comfortable using this deck as any experienced reader.
In all, I found this to be an incredibly beautiful and evocative deck! Though I would have liked the card stock to be slightly thicker, there is truly nothing to complain about with this Marchetti creation. Any reader, novice or expert, would be happy to have this as part of their collection, as it combines tradition and fantasy in an innovative manner.
Overall, this is an excellent set for beginners as well as advanced Tarot readers. For collectors, this is one to add to the collection. If I was going to give a deck as a gift to someone, this would be a solid choice. I really can't praise this deck enough. I would recommend it to anyone, anywhere, anytime. It is suitable for any type of reading. I can't think of a single reason why you shouldn't run out and get a copy for yourself.