Gothic Vampire Tarot Deck by Lo Scarabeo at House of Tarot

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Submitted By: Susan on 02/01/2006
Gothic Tarot of Vampires
By Riccardo Minetti, artwork by Emiliano Mammucari

The Gothic Tarot of the Vampires is a dark, brooding, often disturbing, and always thought provoking Tarot deck produced by the Italian publishing house, Lo Scarabeo. In it, a symbolic parallel is drawn between Vampires and Man. This is referred to in the deck’s little white book as “the Metaphor”. Parallels are drawn between the Vampire’s thirst and the insatiable greed of Man. The Vampire’s supernatural power becomes a metaphor for human power. The deck explores all areas of the darkest recesses of human nature, such as loneliness, fear, greed, desire, and weakness. But there is more than simply the shadow side of the Vampire (Man) found here. Seduction, sensuality, beauty and strength are arenas that are delved into as well.

Looking through the lens of a Vampire, the conditions explored in this deck are depicted vividly and at times violently. The deck’s artwork is done in a contemporary, urban, comic book style and serves to effectively underscore the immediacy of the cards’ images. Although the cards are generally monochromatic, in gradations of grays and blues, the bright red splashes of color depicting blood prove to be rather startling. This is not a subtle deck! But, then again, it wasn’t designed to be. The Vampire myth is, after all, larger than life, where all things are more punctuated. It bears noting that blood is not depicted on many of the cards, but due to the effective use of color, its presence, where it is featured, really packs a punch!

The deck’s ubiquitous, multilingual little white book, is the best I have ever seen in terms of being informative and uniquely tailored to the deck it accompanies. Although brief by necessity, there is an amazing amount of information packed into the booklet’s pages, providing the reader a firm foundation upon which to begin working with and exploring this very unique Tarot deck.

Though it is likely obvious, a word of caution is worth noting here. This is not a superficial deck with a vampire theme. Nor is it a “kitschy” deck best suited to readings at Halloween parties. The Gothic Tarot of the Vampires is a serious, multilayered deck designed to explore difficult issues in an honest, no-holds-barred sort of way. The images it contains are not always comfortable, but, in the proper setting, they can provide a portal through which powerful, subconscious insights can emerge. This is an important deck, but it is not a deck for everyone. Still, for those willing to enter the Gothic Tarot of the Vampires’ world openly, and as a means of personal exploration, the rewards will likely prove to be entirely worthwhile.

5 of 5 Stars!

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