Lo Scarabeo Universal Tarot (Universal Tarots or Tarrochi Universali)

Illustrated by Roberto De Angelis

Reviewed by John Gilbert

Lo Scarabeo is a small Italian manufacturer of exquisitely beautiful tarot decks. Their artists like vivid colors throbbing with life. They like well-defined subjects in their pictures and delightfully human expressions of a wide range of emotions. These are wonderful decks, well crafted on thick card stock, beautiful works of art that take the creation of outstanding tarot decks into the new millennium.

The Lo Scarabeo Universal Tarot, which is also called Universal Tarot, is a vibrantly alive tarot deck modeled after the descriptions given by A.E. Waite in his Pictorial Key to the Tarot. You'll recognize the cards from the more-familiar Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot and you'll love the differences. Each card has its own vital energy. The subjects are animated. The colors are vivid and wonderfully contrast each other. Objects in the cards stand out and each has a message for you the reader and your client.

The name of this deck in Italian is Tarocchi Universali. The name bespeaks great beauty and that's exactly what this deck is, a beautiful work of art. The number of each card is displayed prominently at the top of each card. The names of the cards of the Major Arcana are displayed in six languages with English in the upper right-hand corner. The names of the suits and royalty are displayed in the same manner. In this deck, Chalices replace Cups but the other suits are the familiar Pentacles, Swords and Wands.

You'll like the size of this deck. It's a standard four and a half inches tall but only two and a half inches wide. This makes the deck easier to shuffle whether you have large or small hands. The cards are a lot easier to handle. Tarot spreads are not quite as spread out, so your readings fit on a small desk or table just fine.

Until you've seen this deck, you'll underestimate the potential Waite saw in the tarot. This deck is impressive, very impressive. It works very well with numerological, astrological, psychological, mystical and other systems. You can use the same key words, phrases and concepts you use with other Waite decks. You can use the key words, phrases or concepts printed on the little pamphlet that comes with the deck.

The Lo Scarabeo Universal Tarot, Universal Tarots or Tarocchi Universali Deck, (ISBN 0-7387-0007-X) illustrated by Roberto De Angelis and published by Lo Scarabeo http://www.loscarabeo.com is distributed in the United States and Canada by Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. (800-843-6666) http://www.llewellyn.com. For a complete listing of other Lo Scarabeo tarot decks contact the publisher Lo Scarabeo or their American and Canadian distributor, Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd.

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