The Tarot and the Mysteries of Love and Sex by Mel Fleming II © 2009 Oestara Publishing LLC ISBN: 978-0-9842166-2-8 Paperback 102 pages $30.10 (U.S.) E-Book ISBN: 978-0-9842166-3-5 62 pages $10.00 (U.S.)
Given that I am reviewing an Advanced Reading Copy I will refrain from dwelling on the typographical glitches I found throughout this short book. I will concentrate, instead, on the information contained herein. First, the meat of the book is in the first 39 pages, with the final 23 pages being composed of reproductions of the Tarot cards under discussion.
This book, and the cards designed to go with it (available as a paperback book from the company’s website www.oestarapublishing.com) are of a highly charged, sexual nature, so if these ideas make you uncomfortable, this is not the system to you. The information contained within these covers can be utilized with any Tarot deck, although obviously the intended deck will be more easily understood in the context of the meanings.
The Major Arcana are illustrated on pages 40 through 45, with the Minor Arcana (and the design for the back of the cards) on pages 46 through 61) of the eBook. The paperback is designed so that the cards can be cut out and used. The resolution for the eBook is, obviously, of a lower quality than that used in the paperback edition.
How well this system will work is for the individual to determine. Obviously, I would not try using it for divination of anything other than questions relating to love and/or relationships, since that is the primary focus. However, given that restriction, I can certainly see how this deck and system could open new avenues of thought and perception.
The illustrations are in a retro style, and are very explicit. For that reason, I would suggest that you restrict its use to “adults only” situations, and locations. They range from illustrations which you would expect to find as “French postcards” to those which would be appropriate for the Kama Sutra and other Eastern sources.
Each of the Major Arcana explanations consists of general information, as well as upright and “flipped” meanings. The author offers some unusual insights. He also offers couple of very simple suggestions for layouts, which he encourages you to keep simple (from one to three cards, for example) for the sake of ease of interpretation.
Overall, my impression is that is that this is a set which will have limited appeal, but it is well worth the cost. I would prefer to see the cards available on their own instead of bound in the paperback (to be cut out), but given the current economic conditions I understand why it was done this way.
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The Tarot & the Mysteries of Love & Sex (2009)
Posted - 10/30/2009 : 12:27:49
