“This splendid deck of Tarot pays homage to the wonderful ‘horror’ literature of the 19th century. The suggestive images of Davide Corsi transport the observer to distant times, in fantastic and mysterious places, where darkness becomes the essential element. The walls of ancient manors hide and safeguard the secrets of the vampire, who comes here depicted in all his manifestations: man or woman, dog, wolf, or bag, demon or monster.” -- From the Little White Book to the Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night
I am not “into” vampires. I’ve never read an Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles nor the Twilight series. However, I *am* a fan of Davide Corsi’s computer generated decks, which include the Pictorial Key and the Tarot of the Elves.
Naturally, I wanted to get my hands on the Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night, primarily so I could see what technical wizardry Corsi produced with this latest deck from Lo Scarabeo.
Gratuitous bloody scenes or romanticized hand-to-the-forehead poses might be expected for a deck dedicated to vampires. Not in the Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Nightl! Instead, I found this deck to be provocative, even elegant.
Realistic, arresting creatures populate this deck. Yes, the pale, lithe vampires are here, but there are also hairless, bat-eared beings with milky, translucent skin as well as wolfish, powerful, menacing monsters.
From burnished wood caskets in card X (The Wheel) to veined, muscled black horses in the Knight of Swords, many depictions are downright photorealistic. There’s also a strong sense of movement to the Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night, as with the blurring of bat wings in card XVI (The Tower) and the dusty stirrings of skin disintegration in card XIX (The Sun).
The card borders are outstanding: a stonework frame, reminiscent of a mausoleum’s entrance, encases the central image. As with his two previous decks, there are no words on any of the cards. The Major Arcana features roman numerals, while the Minors bear color-coded, marble-like placards with the number and suit symbol. (Coins are emerald green, Cups are royal blue, Wands are crimson, and Swords are gold. The Majors are charcoal).
The Court Cards symbols are a bat (Knave), lion (Knight), head with long feathery hair (Queen) and head with coiffed hair (King). Because of the absence of cards names and abstract court symbols, beginners would probably find the Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night quite challenging to use.
Cards measure approximately 4 ¾ x 2 ½ inches with handsome backings that are not quite reversible because of the (small) central sphere in the design. However, whatever that scarlet central image (I haven’t been able to figure it out), it certainly produces a hypnotic effect while shuffling!
The Little White Book to the Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night contains glaring errors and contradictions, and the interpretations don’t correspond with the images (as is the case with many Lo Scarabeo decks). However, the card meanings that *are* clear and accurate aren’t bad at all (some are even thought provoking).
So how does the Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night read for someone who’s not into vampires? I was wondering this myself! I admit not to expecting much, not because of the illustrations—as I said, they’re striking—but because I don’t relate much to the genre.
Yet, when I did three separate one-card readings with this deck, I’ll be darned if it was not only accurate, but had a sense of humor! The cards spoke with such clarity, that I admit to being quite surprised. One card made me chuckle with its encouraging bluntness, while another was truly profound. For example, I asked what I needed to know most about my novel-in-progress and drew card IV (The Emperor).
However, I didn’t notice it to be The Emperor right away. Rather, I the ankh brooch at the neck of the figure, located at the throat chakra, “said” to me “express your truth, don’t censor”. Then I noticed the large, clear goblet of wing (er, blood?) that the person was holding. I immediately thought of the Ace of Cups and “heard”, “write from your soul, the depth of your being”. (The Ace of Cups often comes up for me when I need to dig deep when writing, or accessing the wellspring of Spirit.)
And then I saw the glowing full moon in the background and “heard”, “trust your intuition and the receptive side of creativity”. It was *then* that I noticed that it was the card usually called The Emperor. And then I heard a message about boundaries, organization and routine (something for arranging those impressions in an orderly fashion). And I “got” all that information in under a minute!
So if you enjoy the CGI artistry of Davide Corsi and would like to expand your cache beyond traditional decks (in case you’re not into vampires like me!), do give Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night a try. I found the imagery of this deck to be far superior to the cartoonish Vampire Tarot in both art and depth of intuitive transmission. I plan to use this deck for the “darker” elements of my novel and for plotting, as well as any time I want an especially piercing dose of truth.
To see 16 more images from this deck, click here.
-- Janet Boyer, Editor at The Tarot Channel
I've seen talk of this deck and have skipped over it every time. Although I'm a vampire aficionado, none of the vampire decks appeal to me, so why should this one? But wow! From your descriptions and the images you've shown, this looks like a spectacular deck! I'm still not a 100% fan of the 3D-CG figures, but the cold, smooth, "otherness" of the figures in this deck lends itself well to the subject matter. Thank you for featuring it here!
Posted by: Submerina | December 10, 2009 at 08:34 PM
You are most welcome, Submerina! Thanks for stopping by the Tarot Channel.
I have to say, most of the images on this deck do NOT look CGI. In fact, they're a few steps better than the Pictorial Key and the Tarot of the Elves, I think.
If you like what you see of the sample cards, I believe you'll find the deck quite appealing. :o)
-- Janet
Posted by: Janet | December 10, 2009 at 10:49 PM