Tarot of the Golden Wheel
Author: Mila Losenko
Artist: Mila Losenko
U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
2019
ISBN# 9781572819764
The “Tarot of the Golden Wheel” is a 78 card Tarot deck that comes with an 82 page guidebook/companion book. The structure of the deck is based on the Rider/Waite/Smith deck, with the following exceptions: the suit of Pentacles has been changed to the suit of Wheels. Strength is VIII, Justice is XI, and the court cards are Page, Knight, Queen, and King.
The theme for this deck was inspired by Slavic folk culture, and the magic and wisdom of Russian fairy tales. The Golden Wheel acts as a sacred symbol of karma, symbolizing motion and the never ending cycles of life, and the four seasons.
The cover to the guidebook/companion book shows a vibrant picture of the Three of Cups, with three women in traditional dress. In her introduction, Losenko indicates that the most important issue addressed by this deck is man and his relationship to nature.
The Major Arcana are presented by number, name, and keyword. This is followed by a lovely story that describes the energy of the card. Upright and reversed keywords are given.
The Minor Arcana are presented by number and suit, an overall keyword for the card, a short discussion of the card, and upright and reversed keywords.
The Court Cards are presented by title and suit, a short discussion of the card, and upright and reversed meanings. At the end of the book an eight card spread entitled the “Golden Wheel Spread” is presented.
The cards and guidebook/companion book come in a heavy cardboard, lift-top box. The cards are 3.2 inches by 5.6 inches, with reversible backs, and are borderless. The card number and title (for the Major Arcana), number and suit (for the minor arcana), title and suit (for the Court Cards) are printed in black on a white background at the bottom of the card.
The artwork is quite well done, realistic in manner, and makes use of beautiful pastels. The colors are basic and minimal, making the cards a pleasure to read. It is magical the manner in which the culture comes through in the lovely costumes.
The one quibble I would have with this deck is that the cards are a bit longer than a normal Tarot deck, and the card stock is a bit stiff. Both of these things make shuffling a bit difficult (especially if you have small hands, as I do).
I recommend this deck for those that might want to peek into another culture through the Tarot, for those that like pastels, and for those that like cards without borders.
© October 2019 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.
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