Welcome to Totally Tarot review! I want to make it clear first of all, I am not affiliated in any way with the magazine, the publishers or Lo Scarabeo; I'm just an enthusiastic subscriber who wants to share (parts of) this collection with you all.
Secondly, obviously I can't share the whole magazine with you (much as I want to, because it's awesome!) So these entries will be more like a detailed summary than a complete reproduction. If you're cool with that, read on for an introduction to the series as a whole.
(Quick note: subscriptions aren't available in my country, so I'm having them sent to a friend who will then forward them to me. Thus, unfortunately, my summaries will always be behind issues arriving, and I won't be able to stick to a schedule as I won't know exactly when I'm going to get anything!)
Total Tarot is a partwork designed to take readers from complete novice to tarot reading genius in 78 issues (plus possibly some specials.) They've partnered with Lo Scarabeo, one of the major publishers of Tarot decks and associated paraphernalia, and the collection will include 40 decks; one provided piecemeal over the first 58 issues, the rest split into two and given between two issues. So, for example, in issue two you get one half of a deck and in part three you get the other half, so your collection will build up very quickly. The magazine releases fortnightly, so you get one deck per month and the whole collection will take about three years to be complete. If you're a subscriber, you'll get one delivery of two issues once a month, so you'll have a complete deck immediately.
TTC have released the list of the first few decks. They're still finalising the next lot. Remember that it's one issue per two weeks so this list represents nearly a year!
The deck listed against issue 1 is the one we're getting in parts; the Major Arcana come with it, then one more card in every issue. It's a special large format exclusive to this collection. I know that at least one deck which is normally borderless will have a border in this collection, so I assume they're all going to be altered slightly.
I have linked to each deck on the Lo Scarabeo site so you can see them. I recommend Pinterest for lots of images of each deck!
Issue 1 - Tarot of the Art Nouveau
Issues 2 & 3 - Radiant Wise Spirit
Issues 4 & 5 - Thelema Tarot
Issues 6 & 7 - Harmonious Tarot
Issues 8 & 9 - Marseille Tarot
Issues 10 & 11 - Pre-Raphaelite Tarot
Issues 12 & 13 - Viceversa Tarot
Issues 14 & 15 - John Bauer Tarot
Issues 16 & 17 - Celtic Tarot
Issues 18 & 19 - Arcanum Tarot
Issues 20 & 21 - Illuminati Tarot
Now, a lot of people are trying to figure out if the collection is worth it, doing all kinds of sums. In sterling, as that's how it's priced, the collection will end up costing you 537.98. That means, discounting the magazine totally, each deck will cost you 13.45. If you subscribe, there are extra subscriber's gifts for free. I haven't seen these yet, obviously, but the picture makes them look pretty good!
(I have heard that the binder isn't great, but haven't seen it myself to confirm or deny. I have also heard that the magazines fit into a standard poly pocket, so you could put them into a ring binder. Again I haven't seen them yet myself.)
The free gifts are: A binder (you can get more during the collection for 8.99 a pop); A hardback notebook to serve as your tarot journal; Tarot crystals in a gauze bag; a tarot pouch to carry your cards (you also get a pouch with a different picture with issue two if you buy it from the shops; Scented crystal candles (I believe these are candles with crystals embedded in the wax, but I can't swear to it); and a Crystal ball for scrying and meditating. Remember these are all free!
You can also choose to pay an extra 1 pound per issue, so 78 extra pounds, and get the super dooper deluxe gifts:
These gifts are; the Starman tarot deck (a deck based on David Bowie); a Starman pouch; the Guidebook for the deck; a Starman journal; and a Reading mat. It's up to you whether you think that's worth the extra money.
The magazine will focus on one card in detail each issue, so by the end we'll have gone through the whole deck. It will also feature spreads, tips on forming your questions and connecting to your cards, histories of different decks and more. Once I get my hands on some issues I'll be able to describe this part better!
I'm really looking forward to working through this series and learning more about tarot! I'm not a total beginner, but I'm a long way from being an expert and I struggle especially with spreads, so those sections and the histories of different decks are the parts I'm looking forward to most (apart from all the lovely decks!)
I'm going to start moving some of my old tarot deck and book reviews over here, so expect to see me again soon!
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