Review - Today's Journey Tarot

Author:  Expanding Dimensions

Artist/Illustrator:  Christopher Wilkey

Publisher:  Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.

ISBN:  978-0-7643-3905-9

     “Today’s Journey Tarot  is a fresh approach to the ancient wisdom offered by the classic Tarot.  Everyday experiences come alive with the power of archetypal imagery.  The deck of seventy-eight cards represents the true essence of the Tarot: spiritual enlightenment, transformation, and discovery as humanity expands into new dimensions.  It is easy to relate to the contemporary symbolism without struggling to understand the esoteric ideology.”  (excerpt from the Introduction)   

Who are Expanding Dimensions?  The members, Ben Perry, Teresa Sue McAdams, John Lavey, Pat Lavey, Bonnie Taylor, are from Louisville, Kentucky.  They have spent years studying the Tarot and they read professionally at psychic fairs, other events, and privately for clients.

You can find out more about this collection of friends and authors through the link above and through their blog-website at: blog. Today’sJourneyTarot.com

As mentioned before, this is a 78 card deck and it is based on traditional Tarot structure and meanings.  There are some major differences, although I do not feel that this makes it difficult to read with.  The Major Arcana are all renamed,  referred to as “Keys” and numbered 0-21.  The Aces are designated “One”; the court cards are, Child, Youth, Mother, Father; and the suits are Water, Air, Fire, and Earth.  Each card in the suit is surrounded by a border which reflects that particular suit’s element.  All of the “Key” cards have a purple border.

In the above example, you will notice that Key 0, Beginning, is better known as The Fool.  Key 19, Illumination, is better known as The Sun.  Key 14, Discernment, (aka Temperance) was not quite as apparent to me as the other two, but a quick glance at the Keywords in the LWB, Equilibrium; Harmony; and Balance, cleared up any initial confusion.

The booklet that comes with the deck shows a black and white copy of each card, the Keywords, a brief description of the image and the symbols that are incorporated into the image, as well as the meaning for the card.  There are no reversed or shadow meanings in the book.

The cards are printed on a sturdy card stock with a gloss finish and measure approximately 2″ 7/8 x 4″ 7/8.   The  booklet is the same size and they both come packaged in the Schiffer sturdy storage box with a ribbon-hinged lid and metallic clasp.  Perfect to keep your deck in between uses.  The backs are reversible and have a merkaba, a symbolic vehicle to reach enlightenment.  You will notice this same symbol repeated repeated throughout the deck.  “Mer” means light, “Ka” means spirit and “Ba” means body.  The merkaba is a spirit body of light.  A vehicle to expanding dimensions. (lwb)

All of the images show either a contemporary scene or people acting and reacting in a world and situations we can all recognize and relate to, especially in the Minor’s.

The Keywords for each card in the image above, are listed as follows.  The Eight of Fire – Energy, Movement.  The Six of Air – Journey.  Ten of Earth – Legacy, Bounty, Cycles of Life.  And the Five of Water – Regret, Disappointment, Attachment.

I’d like you to meet a few members of the Court, one from each suit.  The Father of Earth;  Abundance and Endurance, The Mother of Fire;  Creates success, Strength, and Mature Passion.  The Youth of Water;  Outpouring of Love and Emotional intensity.  The Child of Air is full of New Ideas and Optimism.

For the purposes of this review, I asked the question, “What would you say is your strongest point and message?”  Enter, the One of Water.

LWB Keywords:  Unconditional Love; Deep Emotion. – The sea, expressing its many aspects flows from calm to chaotic.  It nourishes all life.

For me this means that whether you use Today’s Journey Tarot for your own personal self exploration, with clients, or simply as a meditation tool, you can rest assured the intention is one of unconditional love.  Our journey is nothing if not an emotional one, and although those emotions can range from pure joy to utter despair, they will usually fall somewhere in between those extremes.  Water is sustaining, healing, cleansing and celebrates life.

I was a bit worried that the images for this deck would be “too” contemporary for my more traditional tastes, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.  Today’s Journey Tarot is very real and relevant to our modern day lifestyles, and yet it’s not a new system to learn.  It’s very easy to pick up and read with as you would with your favorite traditional deck.   Check it out for yourself and see if you don’t agree with me.

In the meantime here is Wishing you an Enchanted Journey and Happy Tarot’ing!

NewPathsTarot