Total Tarot Issue 2

Hi all! Welcome to the close up look at the second issue of Total Tarot.

With this issue we received the first half of the Radiant Wise Spirit deck, as well as the Ace of Cups from the Golden Art Nouveau deck.

The first issue was a little thicker, with a few introductory pages. This one gets right into things with Reading The Tarot, which talks about the Major Arcana and the journey the Fool takes through it. I know some people find that very helpful to remember the Majors, and I'm enjoying reading through it.

Tarot Techniques talks about how to interpret your cards with regard to the question you asked. There's a guide to the Major Arcana and what they can each teach a reader; I hope we get this kind of guide throughout the whole series, as it's really intriguing! (I notice they were obviously shifting the forthcoming decks as they type set, as this one says that the Vice Versa is coming in issues 8 & 9 - that's actually the Marseille, the VV is coming in 12 & 13! It doesn't really matter, it's just amusing.)

The next section is the Tarot Spreads. This week it features the Past, Present and Future spread. This is a great spread with a lot of applications, so it's great to see it this early in the series.

There's a Visual Reference to the Radiant Wise Major Arcana. I love seeing the decks laid out like this, it's great to look for similarities and progressions in the cards.

The Card in Detail this week is The Magician. This in depth look talks about the symbolism, the different meanings the Magician can have in different circumstances, and shows us Magicians from different decks, which is great. I love that they are all clearly based on the same thing, but have their own personality as well. The article does briefly touch on reversals, and it suggests further reading about the character of the Magician.

The Tarot Deck Library tells us about the history of the Radiant Wise Spirit deck - I'm really enjoying learning about different decks! - and finally the Glossary covers C and D.

Some of the sections are in a different order this week than they were last week. I hope they settle into one kind or the other - it's nice to know that Tarot Spreads is always on page 7, or wherever it may happen to be. Hopefully now that we're past the first issue they'll settle in.

Can't wait for issue 3 and the rest of the deck!