The Macabre Tarot Review
It just makes my gothic guts spill out in happiness.
“In Jungian psychology the shadow is the unknown parts of yourself. Shadow work, a long process that involves meditation and introspection, allows you to dive deep within your own psyche and connect with the parts you wouldn’t otherwise know. If your looking for love and light turn back now; this is not the deck for you.”
This deck is specifically designed for shadow work. I know, I know… we hear shadow work and most people run! This deck takes a very playful approach, yet still manages to get to the root of things.
Can we just take a minute to admire this kick butt packaging. The coffin shape is not only cool to look at but it’s a very sturdy box. You wont have to stress about your cards not being stored in a safe place. It looks great on display, its currently on my bookshelf now and I am showing it proudly. The best feature which I have never seen before, is when you open the lid a creaking door sound effect plays. It is just a show stopping event when you crack this baby open. I did not expect that pleasant surprise and everyone seem to eat that up! It’s a very fun and interactive moment when taking these cards out for a reading. I can’t wait to break this out for Halloween, but honestly I will be using this deck throughout the whole year.
Back of the cards.
Shimmering gold gilding.
The gilding is a beautiful shimmering gold. When it catches the light it just shines and these cards look absolutely radiant under candlelight. Although it is a dark deck it has a childlike innocence to it. The simplicity of the images can be deceiving, because every card is so unique you never get bored looking at them and the initial tone seems to change. I interviewed this deck with a interview spread and it was very talkative. It enjoys reading for people who are about to embark on a whole new journey. Major endings and beginnings is what this deck seems to crave. For it being called Macabre is very fitting.
The little book it comes with includes 3 special tarot spreads. Explore The Shadow Self is pretty self-explanatory. The Coffin spread explores when you are feeling trapped and stuck in a situation. It helps show you options and what’s waiting for you after this obstacle. The Tombstone Spread helps you acknowledge and remember what you’ve lost. It helps you reconnect with pieces of your past that can guide you in the present. Every spread is extremely beginner friendly. It ranges from a 4 card spread to a 7 card spread.
The court cards have been renamed and It just makes my gothic guts spill out with happiness.
The Page: Terror
The Knight: Nightmare
The Queen: Haunting
The King: Massacre
Now for the not so great stuff, sorry in advance. For a deck that is designed for shadow work, I was a bit disappointed with the Shadow Self spread. It didn’t seem to have much depth to it at all. The meanings to the cards are no different than any Rider-Waite tarot deck. Key words are provided for both upright and upside down cards along with a short blurb that in my opinion, tends to stay on the lighter side of things.
If you are truly looking to dive deeper into shadow work I recommend reading “Tarot Shadow Work: Using the Dark Symbols to Heal” by Christine Jette Or “Tarot For Your Self” by Mary K. Greer which takes more of a work book approach to shadow work. The artwork in this deck is perfect for shadow work, it just may need some support from an accompanied book to take it to that level of introspection.
The Macabre Tarot accompanied with The Halloween Oracle
I pulled out the Halloween Oracle to accompany this deck for a couple readings and you cant deny it just looks like a match made in a Tim Burton film.
Every time you pull this deck out it creates such a unique experience. The packaging is one of a kind, the shimmering gold is pretty stunning and the playfully dark imagery is very captivating.
To buy this deck or any of the books, and oracle deck I mentioned please visit Just Witchy's.
Happy is the new rich,
Laura Lee
