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When Arnell asked me to review the Pholarchos Tarot. I was thrilled because I had seen some examples of the artwork on Carmen’s website as she developed the images. Nevertheless, I was unprepared for what a magnificent, insightful, creative and intriguing deck it would become when all put together. I then felt somewhat overwhelmed by the notion of putting thoughts about it into a short review, because, to put it simply, this deck is a work of art and a vehicle for the imagination to go wild. The only way to experience it is to plunge in and work with it yourself. It is a deck which works on very many levels, but most of all Carmen encourages each of us to follow our dreams and as the Sun card instructs, “Whatever you do in this life, find your essence and be true to it.” This is not a deck for those who want an easy guide to divination; it requires a commitment, a relationship with the images, and the accompanying booklet gives abundant guidance. It is beautifully and lovingly written, just as each image is a labour of love, wrested from the depths of the imagination. There is so much information in each passage and image that it will require dedication to follow the multi-layered, and sometimes mysterious, journey that the Pholarchos Tarot. demands. The journey will undoubtedly be worth it. The deck contains 78 cards with the 22 Major Arcana retaining their usual names and numbers but Carmen has renamed the suits to fit the elements with reference to stages in the alchemical work. Fire or the Wands become Sparks, or calcinato, trial by fire. Earth or the Pentacles become Spirals, coagulatio, trial by earth. Air or the Swords become sublimatio, trial by air, and Water or the Cups become solutio, trial by water. The Four Aces are in black and white, all blindfolded, while out of their heads emerge imagery pertaining to the suit – horses and salamanders for the fiery Sparks; foliage and flowers for the earthy Spirals; birds for the airy Wings and sea anemones and jelly fish for the watery Coral. I wonder if the blindfold and lack of colour suggest the potential contained in the Ace that is yet to be fulfilled and developed? The Pages become Dreamers and the Knights become Trails although the Queen and King retain their traditional titles. Everything about this deck is very high quality - the luminous artwork, the eloquent guide book and the glossy cards themselves. It is impossible to choose favourites, because each image is a piece of art in its own right, packed full of symbolism, imagery and reference to myth, so I randomly selected cards to illustrate the beauty of the colours and intricacy of the imagery. The shared cards decided they wanted to be shown!
Review by Juliet Sharman-Burke:
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Pholarchos Tarot is copyright protected. Card images may be used on blogs/websites as 'Card of the Day' endeavors or for review purposes but must contain artist's site along with Pholarchos Tarot by Carmen Sorrenti. The images are not to form part of written teaching material or otherwise be used without prior consent from artist, Carmen Sorrenti. |
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