Sunday 18 February 2024

Deck review: Lisboa Tarot by Beth Seilonen



Take a journey through Old World Lisbon, Portugal, to better understand the present and future!

Readers are transported to the magical streets of Lisbon, Portugal, in a trip of self-discovery. The Lisboa Tarot opens new pathways with the energies and memories that were carved into stone and cast into metal so many years ago, awaiting to be heard again.

A simple shuffle of the cards and the wisdom of sentinel statues and vibrant places comes pouring forth from the post impressionist style images of the cards. Beautifully hand-drawn illustrations will encourage readings and meditation by reflecting an Old World European city from direct life observation as it relates to everyday experience.

• Travel through the wisdom of past to discover your own spiritual journey
• Offers stunning illustrations inspiring the readers to connect deeper to find their own path
• Instill an awareness of the self, the strength, and confidence that comes with personal recognition of our own power in this world

Within the accompanying guidebook are further insights and reflections that resonate from a place of lived experience to provide inspiration which will guide and nourish the soul. Allow the lessons of the past to inform present situations and provide a positive influence on the future.

Card dimensions: 3" x 5" Readers are transported to the magical streets of Lisbon, Portugal, in a trip of self-discovery. The Lisboa Tarot opens new pathways with the energies and memories that were carved into stone and cast into metal so many years ago, awaiting to be heard again.

A deck created for those who appreciate art and culture and how it relates to the timeless themes of Tarot

Lisbon, Portugal, resonates with an energy that echoes a time long forgotten, and this deck brings that energy into the palm of one’s hand

This deck is available now from REDfeather MBS. You can see the unboxing and flickthrough videos on tiktok.


This is the kind of tarot reader I want to be; Beth Seilonen was on holiday in Lisbon, Portugal, when she noticed that various statues, vistas and buildings throughout the city seemed to embody various tarot cards. She found enough to make the whole deck, named Lisboa for the Portuguese name for the city. 


At 3 x 5, these cards are just a little bigger in both dimensions than standard tarot cards, still comfortable to hold and shuffle. They're presented in a box with a magnetic flap on the right hand side. The LWB sits above the cards. An introduction describes Beth's thought processes, but there's no introduction to tarot itself as some LWBs have; after the introduction we're straight into the card meanings. Each major card has roughly a page and a half; there's the card name, a small image of the card, an indepth upright and slightly shorter reversed meaning, and a description of the real life statue or location that inspired the card. (That was very nearly my favourite part - I spent a lot of time looking them up as I worked with the deck!) Minors have about a page, so slightly less detailed but still the same types of information.


 
After the meanings there are two spreads designed specifically for the deck, a five card and a seven card.


The cards themselves! They have a matte design, and had a slight tendency to cling straight out of the box; shuffling and handling has cleared that up without any difficulty. My very limited art knowledge says that they are drawn in maybe chalk or pastels. They feature this reversible back design:


Names are written along the left hand side. Majors have their numbers in Roman, while Minors are written out. Only one card in the deck has no label at all, but being an RWS it's obvious which one it is anyway. 


The images are slightly diffuse and quite gentle, in mostly light and pastel shades. The deck is RWS based, so would suit a beginner or someone who's trained on that deck. Beth has done an amazing job interpreting the cards through the lens of Lisbon city - I would love to see other tarot artists doing the same for other cities in the world! There could be a whole series.

Here are some samples from the deck; remember the full flickthrough is linked above if you'd like to see it.


My querants found this honest and straightforward, but the art style didn't suit everyone, so keep that in mind when choosing your audience. I enjoyed the slightly hazy feel but I realise it wouldn't be for everyone. This is a deck I'll be keeping for when I need a good, straight forward read, or simply want to imagine myself in Lisboa for a while!

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