John and Caitlin Matthews (authors) and Wil Kingham (artist), The Steampunk Tarot: Wisdom from the Gods of the Machine. North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Publishing, 2013. ISBN: 978-0-8048-4352-2.
Genre: Tarot decks
Subgenre: steampunk, world building
Format: 78-cards deck with companion book
Source: I own this one
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The Empress-III card
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This appears to be a Tarot deck that not many Tarotistas use or display. Most the time
Steampunk Tarot refers to the Moore and Fell edition (
link to my review), which is a fine deck. By the way, if you want to see a bit more of the Moore and Fell deck, I did
a deck interview spread of it over at
Alchemical Thoughts. The
Wisdom from the Gods of the Machine deck is worth studying as well and captures the essence of steampunk aesthetic. A strength in this set is the very detailed world building in the steampunk setting. .
The kit comes in a large box with a full companion book and the 78-cards deck. A small detail in the box is the inside had a divider to put the deck in two halves, a detail I know annoys many users/ I am not too keen on the packaging style, but it does not detract from the overall experience.
The book is 160 pages long. It is arranged as follows:
- Preface. Sets up the deck's concept and discusses what is steampunk. It also goes over the motivation for creating this deck.
- Introduction. Here we start looking at the world of the book and deck.
- Part One: Exploring the Imperium. This presents the structure of the Tarot deck. Many card names have been changed from traditional Tarot, and the changes are noted here. We also get the overall structure of the deck's world.
- Part Two: The Adventury. Here we find the card meanings. We start with the Major Arcana, then the Minor Arcana. Note that each Major Arcana card features its own card spread, so you are getting a good amount of spreads to try out.
- Part Three: Blueprints. This includes four additional spreads with instructions and a sample reading for each spread.
- Part Four: Telescopic Sights: This has additional advice on how to read and interpret the cards. It provides tips, advice, and question prompts to help readers.
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Ten of Submersibles card
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If you are going to use this deck, you need to read the book. The authors build an extensive, detailed, and immersive alternate steampunk universe. In this universe, the Major Arcana become the Gods of the Machine, and the Court Cards are Legates overseeing the Four Leagues, which are the Minor Arcana suits. The Leagues are Airships (air/swords), Engines (fire/wands), Submersibles (water/cups), and Leviathans (earth/pentacles). To be honest, if you already enjoy science fiction and/or steampunk, you will enjoy reading this book. The book reads very much as a guide as well as a good novel. It is rich in details and information. I was concerned initially that the deck's system would be too hard to learn, but it is not. Once you get the hang of the elemental correspondences in the Minor Arcana and the archetypes in the Major Arcana you are good to go. It does take some study, but it is not overly difficult. Plus, if you already love steampunk, this deck and book are perfect for you.
The card entries include a black and white illustration of the card and a descriptive text of the card and its symbols. You then get various keywords and ideas arranged by concepts to help you shape the best interpretation based on your situation. As I noted, Major Arcana cards add a spread for each card. Upright and reversed meanings are included to use as you choose.
The end of the book includes a small list of resources, books, and some websites that may be of interest. Some of the websites by now are no longer active or available. The books listed cover steampunk and Tarot. If the topics interest you, I would recommend seeking some of the books listed as well as searching for other books that may not be listed. It has certainly inspired me to research further on steampunk as well as Tarot.
The art in the cards is excellent, and it embodies the steampunk universe well. We find people, machines, artifacts, and technology with a bit of magic. The deck is colorful, but the colors can be a bit subdued. The art does convey a sense of adventure, learning, exploring, and discovery. You get a sense of wonder using the deck. You may recognized elements of Rider Waite Smith (RWS), but this is not a deck fully within RWS. It can work for intuitive readers as the images give material to observe and explore. However, as I stated, it is essential to read the book to make the most of the deck.
Overall, I really enjoy this deck, and it was become a favorite for me. The more I used it, the more in depth I could go with it. It delivers good messages and readings. You feel like you are in the steampunk world when using it. This might not be a deck for beginners. Intermediate to advanced users may be the audience here. For Tarot readers who enjoy steampunk, this deck is a must have. It seems to be highly underrated. I say it deserves a chance and for more folks to try it out.
The cards measure about 4 3/4 inches by about 2 3/4 inches. The images have a wide border, which provides a frame like for a work of art. The card back is reversible; it does have the small annoying detail of a copyright note in very small print on the side. The card back image is simple but nice. The card stock feels flexible and durable with a soft gloss, so the deck is easy to shuffle.
This is a solid kit I am glad to own and happy to recommend. It may require a bit more study and work, but it is well worth it.
5 out of 5 stars.
This kit qualifies for the following 2023 Reading Challenge:
