FAIRYTALE TAROT KIT

I am totally overjoyed with this deck, I have many but this is one of my top 5 favorites - I draw a card daily to post to a site I belong to and get to learn daily from this deck. I love the stories & find they so relate to the card.... I would recommend this deck to anyone no matter the age - I don't have one regret having bought this set - The book itself is a gem to go with a top notch deck... As you can see I can't say enough about this deck - and there's not one negative I could think of - just my opinion

I think the deck itself is great. In fact, I love it. I just wish I had a complete deck. I wrote Baba Studio twice and Amazon once. All I want is a replacement card for one that is not printed on both sides. I'm sure they're a good company. I have many other decks of Baba's that are fantastic. Anyway, I ordered in November, and no reply from anyone. :(

This deck is truly unique. I really like how the cards look like the pages of a story book. I also like that it is a fairtyale deck, yet also has darker tales (or at least darker aspects of a story) and how this is not just a deck for beauty. This deck is about the teachings of each tale and what they can mean for you.

"Fairy stories open out a parallel and hidden world in our own minds-and therein lies their power and fascination, and their great potential as a partner for tarot. Because after all, isn't tarot at its best, also a form of story?" - From The Fairytale Tarot companion book Like the tarot, fairy tales weave layers of shadow and light, with interpretation often in the eye of the beholder. Containing brutality and beauty, the obvious and the ambiguous, the complexity of fairy tales seemed a suitable partnership to the tarot in the mind of Karen Mahony. The designer of The Fairytale Tarot, she and Alex Ukolov (illustrator) and Irena Triskova (artist) have created an exquisite set of 78 cards reflecting mostly European tales-in addition to several Asian, Indian, and Middle Eastern stories. Rather than merely grafting fairytales to fit Rider-Waite-Smith iconography, the Magic Realist Press team selected stories and designed images that are congruent with acceptable card meaning, yet expand these correlations into something more: a deck that is fresh, thought provoking, and potentially transformative. Blending the transcendent and the ordinary, fairy tales have captured the imagination of children around the world for centuries. However, The Fairytale Tarot doesn't "Disney-fy" the stories, making this deck decidedly adult. For example, the stepsisters hacking parts off their feet to fit into the glass slipper in Cinderella (The Empress) preserves the vision of the Brothers Grimm. Hans Christian Anderson's tale of The Little Mermaid (Nine of Swords) finds the mermaid permitting the sea witch to take her singing voice by cutting out her tongue in exchange for "legs...that felt like walking on knife blades." Like life itself, both fairy tales and tarot reflect sorrow, sacrifice, betrayal, and loss-as well as the happier themes of marriage, recovery, justice, and fortune. As is often the case, some stories lack satisfactory resolution-and Ms. Mahony is sure to include several of these untidy tales which stir the imagination and beg for a closer look. However, even the well-known stories that are chosen-The Ugly Duckling (Ace of Cups), The Sorcerer's Apprentice (10 of Wands), and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Judgement) offer new, intriguing insights into the cards. This is in large part to the magnificent prose of Ms. Mahony, whose astute observations make the companion book a treasure in itself. But when these tales-many unfamiliar-are coupled with the exquisite artwork and illustration of Mr. Ukolov and Ms. Triskova, the result is truly magical. The Fairytale Tarot uses the suits of Swords (Air), Cups (Water), Wands (Fire) and Coins (Earth), with the Court cards following the Page, Knight, Queen, and King designation. Cards measure approximately 5 x 3 inches, and although the card stock is flexible, they appear to hold up acceptably. Nevertheless, I've noticed a few of the edges beginning to turn up, so you may want to take extra care with this deck. At first glance, the backs appear fully reversible, but upon closer inspection, they are not. However, since the design is rather intricate and filigreed, you'd only notice the position if you paid particular attention to the four corners. As previously mentioned, the Fairytale Tarot comes with a companion book: 232 glossy pages that feature a smaller version of the card image, corresponding fairy tale, keywords and phrases, Ms. Mahony's adept commentary, and additional artwork. Several spreads, with interpretations, are also included, as is some historical background and a bibliography. A unique addition to the companion book is a tale created for the 10 of Coins by Rachel Pollack. Ms. Pollack did not know the original tale and used the picture to suggest a fresh story culled from her own imagination-The Girl Who Was Too Shy. In the book proper, Ms. Mahony provides the actual tale for the 10 of Coins-The Goose Girl by the Brothers Grimm. As a professional Tarot reader, I've used The Fairytale Tarot the last several weeks with great success-especially with a 3-card Life Purpose spread using a "separated" deck (dividing the deck up in Majors, Courts, and Minors). My clients report amazing accuracy, and reading with this deck has been a joy. The expressiveness of the images lends itself to personal intuitive interpretation, and the tales themselves add depth to readings. There are many symbolic "jump off points" in the Fairytale Tarot! I thoroughly enjoyed reading the companion book, especially discovering new tales and gaining fresh insights into several tarot cards. Some of the tales-such as The Nightingale and the Rose (3 of Swords) and The Constant Tin Solider (10 of Swords) were positively heartbreaking. Other stories-such as The Emperor and the Nightingale (The Emperor) and Water and Salt (Temperance) seem ordinary at first (as far as fairytales go!), but their lessons add depth and breadth to these two Majors. I look forward to re-reading the tales and working further with the Fairytale Tarot. Kudos goes to Ms. Mahony, Mr. Ukolov, and Ms. Triskova for creating a most delightful deck! It may not be a good deck for beginners, but for those who enjoy the complexity of fairytales, it is a very readable, very engaging deck. (To see 10 images from The Fairytale Tarot, visit the Reviews--Decks section at [...]) Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

A friend gave me this deck as a birthday present. I was had high hopes for this deck but have to admit that I'm dissappointed. The art is okay and I know the vintage illustration look the artist was going for, but for me it just seems a bit too stilted and forced. There are some nice cards, but one the whole I found the illustrations dissappointing. I could probably still read with it, but it does not draw me in. Another big issue is that while I was flipping through it, I noticed that I had 2 of one of the cards. After checking through it carefully I realized that one was missing. I asked around and found that this has been a problem with the initial printing of the deck. Lucky me! :( I don't want to hurt my friend's feeling so will probably just hang on to the deck, but any thoughts of reading with it are now gone. It's not a bad tarot deck, but I think it could have been done better. The companion book has some interesting backstories for the cards, but seems like it was rushed to print. I can't recommend it though because there is no telling if you will get the complete package or not.

Okay, I should say outright that I'm biased. I wrote the foreword for the book on this deck, and have followed its progress from before publication. But I didn't see the full art until it was published, and didn't try to read with it until then as well. The colors are stunning, bright and clear without being too dark or too pastel, and all the pictures truly have the quality of a story. While the art all holds together there are stylistic varations that evoke the different cultures. When I got my full copy I experimented with readings. I found that you can look up the story for the card in the book (which in itself is a terrific collection of retold tales from all over the world). But you also can see new stories in the pictures, letting the exciting scenes spark your own imagination. My favorite way to read with this deck is to ask questions like "What story am I in?" and "what story do I want to avoid?" We all tend to act out certain stories--or try to, such as the woman who avoids the messiness of relatonships because she is waiting for Prince Charming to sweep her away. The Fairytale Tarot helps us see the many *kinds* of stories we act out, and make conscious choices to enhance or alter or change those stories to enrich our lives. As far as I'm concerned, that is what Tarot is all about. I asked the cards what story we enter when we read with this deck. The card was the Page of Cups, the story for which is called Sadko. The picture shows an elegant young man who seems to have stepped off a dragon-headed sailboat. He holds a cup with a lid. The lid has tipped back because inside is a golden fish. When we read with this deck we sail to a magical world. The deck is like the cup. Open it and inside there are wonders. In the book the story tells of a musician bard, who sings to a lake and learns of a magic fish, that if you eat it you become young again. Most of us learned fairytales as children, and when we read from this deck we indeed can return to a childlike state of wonder and delight. So--given that the writer of this review is not an impartial observer, I hope people find it worthwhile.

I got these cards just as a collectibles. Or so I thought. When I ordered them, I already had The Tarot of Prague from The Magic Realist Press and had a very strong connection to it. I was convinced I'd never use another deck. Still, my life-long love of fairytales and the quality of the Prague deck compelled me to send for this deck too. Just for curiosity's sake - I wasn't actually planning on reading with the cards, I was only going to add them to my collection. Well, that theory was pretty much blown out of the water as soon as I actually saw these cards: there's no way you can have this deck and not want to use it. Visually, this is an entirely different deck from my beloved Tarot of Prague. True to what the name promises, The Fairytale Tarot is a deck of illustrations for a wide assortment of fairytales. Beautiful illustrations. The rich and vibrant colours and the luminous quality of the cards are perfect for the fairytale worlds the cards portray: they are magical and somehow mysterious yet without being dark. And, much care and thought has clearly gone into marrying the style of each illustration to the part of the world each tale comes from be it Asia, the far east, Russia, or central Europe among others. But I don't just like this deck because it allows me to revisit the world of fairytales I read as a child. I've been using the cards for several months now and I actually love reading with them. Yes, doing a multi-card spread takes a bit more time than with a standard Rider Waite facsimile, but the readings gain so much new depth from the fairytales that the extra time is well compensated for. My readings have gained a whole new layer of meaning as I find the themes of the stories, so intelligently linked to each card, greatly embellish the cards' traditional associations. Plus, I generally don't do a reading of more than five cards anyway so, for me, this deck works wonderfully. I definitely recommend the book as well. Even those who aren't familiar with the stories, and there are many stories that will be new to even fairytale experts, can learn all they'll need to know from the book. And, as with Karen Mahony's other writings, the book is witty and wise and wholly enjoyable to read. It gives an excellent synopsis of each story used as well as providing the traditional meanings for each card. When I first got these cards I went through them one by one, reading a different story each night- a treat at bedtime. If you're considering this deck because you a) like fairytales or b) you like lovely illustrations or c) you're looking for a new slant to your readings, these cards will not disappoint. They are definitely worth every penny.

I have purchased various products from Baba Studios, and have always been more than pleased with their attention to detail and quality customer service. In terms of the review regarding cards missing from decks, this is something that occurs at the packing plant. Whilst many decks are hand checked, there is simply no way to check every deck. HOWEVER, if cards are missing, or have a manufacturing defect, Baba stand by their products. They would prefer you contact them and request a new card(s)as they view customer satisfaction as equal to product quality. Please don't hesitate to let them know if there is a problem. They are lovely people to work with and truly stand by their work. Provided they still have replacement stock, this should be an easy fix. Give them a chance to make this right.

Magic Realist press have a unique and wonderful way of making pictures that fascinate, intrigue and which give a good feeling inside. "With art that is precise as it is ornate, Magic Realist press have united some of the world most fascinating fairy tales with the symbolic, yet story-like images of the tarot. There is a real marriage here and not simply a cobbling together of different traditions. The pictures illuminate both the tales and the cards, but they do something more. They allow us to create new stories, new meanings and that is certainly special." ~Racheal Pollock Fairy tales portray wisdom through stories of sadness, happiness, the overcoming of obstacles, courage, danger, good and evil, the list is endless. It goes without saying that the meaning of fairy tales goes hand in hand with the meaning of Tarot. Magic Realist Press have integrated them perfectly in an easy to understand and very enjoyable way. The images are bright and beautiful and make the both the fairy tale and Tarot meaning easy to understand. As usual, the cards are accompanied by a beautifully bound, in-depth book which explains the picture and meaning of each card in detail. The cards are a good size with a matt finish, although not very robust. The book and deck come in an easily accessible box. Oh, and it comes with one extra, special card. This deck is for both beginners and experienced readers alike. I highly recommend it.

Each card in this pack is illustrated a fairy story appropriate to its meaning. Unfortunately, if you don't know the story, you may not get the point. A girl dancing in the street, watched by a cynical-looking man, will not suggest the Devil unless you know "The Red Shoes". Luckily you get a book with all the stories. As well as well-known tales from Grimm and Anderson, it has folktales from all over the world, and is a good read in its own right. The meanings of the minors are generally in line with those of the Waite-Smith pack. Not, perhaps, for beginners, but it should appeal to experienced readers and to collectors.