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THE NIGEL JACKSON TAROT |
From the moment I saw the depiction of the Temperance card on the box, I knew that this was a deck that had grown from a unique vision. I encountered in this image an angel wearing a gown, half red and half sky blue, pouring liquid from one cup to another. Out of all the Temperance cards I have seen, I had never seen the division in the color of the garment before. The artwork was also very soft and inviting, part children's illustration, part Medieval epic mural, that I was immediately drawn into the card.
Once I got the deck home, I discovered from the LWB (actually a fairly large 146 page booklet), that the deck was designed based on Pythagorean concepts. The booklet definitely assumes a basic knowledge of Pythagorean numerology in it's explanation of the author's approach to Tarot. Don't let this scare you off. I found the information interesting and the book includes a helpful glossary and relatively complete bibliography, if you personally want to increase your knowledge of this realm of study; however, the cards speak for themselves.
First of all, if anyone every wanted a transition deck between an illustrated deck and a pip oriented deck, this is the one. The Minor cards are fully illustrated in the lower half of the card, but included in the illustration, usually in the heavens above, is a pip representation straight out of the earliest Italian tarochi decks. This technique allows the artist to draw illustrations below the pips without having to include a sword, stave, cup or coin in the scene. For example, the seven of Swords is a picture of a fox trotting stealthily across a landscape to depict cunning and slyness, as concise an image as the guy stealing swords on the Rider-Waite. The eight of Staves shows a shirtless young man carrying a scroll and runnung with a ribbon around his waist as if he has just crossed a finish line. I think anyone will agree this is a very understandable interpretation of speed and potential messages. Above him, floating in the air, are eight staves or arrows in a cross-hatched pattern.
The Major Arcana also shows a great deal of originally without straying so far afield that the cards are unidentifiable. The Magician is changed to the Juggler and on his table are four standard playing cards representing all four suites, a die, and inverted cup and a magic wand. A serpent encircles one leg and two wind blown candles stand in front of the table. The familiar posture of pointing heavenward and to earth is not present, but the Juggler glows with a spiritual light which gives the impression he is divinely inspired. Popess and Pope replace the High Priestess and Hierophant and the Chariot is now pulled by four white horses, three of which face different directions. Strength is a particularly beautiful image. A lion wearing a garland of roses lies beside a kneeling woman, licking her hand as she pets him. A truly loving interpretation of strength born of love and trust. The Sun is one of the most elaborate and breathtaking suns I have ever seen. I've always wanted a sun tattoo and I have finally found the image I want. It is so full of life and vitality the card literally vibrates with positive energy.
The Court cards look very similar to each other, and I, personally will have to visualize Court cards from other decks to help me make the mental distinctions. The King of Sword and the King of Cups could be twins. The hair color, eye color and skin tone on all the Court cards are identical. Only the color of their garments are distinct, fiery red for swords, earthly greens for pentacles, intellectual yellow for staves and hints of emotional blue for cups. This small obstacle by no means takes away from the overall beauty and usefulness of the deck.
The cards are a bit larger than the standard Rider-Waite deck which some people may not like, but I believe it was necessary in order to do justice to the intricate scenes created on the cards. They are well worth buying a larger storage box.
The Nigel Jackson deck and book (1-56718-365-4)
is published by Llewellyn Publications in St. Paul, Minnesota. Nigel Jackson
has shown us what can be accomplished by honoring the age-old messages
in the Tarot, while enveloping these messages in the style of a new visionary.
The cards are ideal for readings, but exceptional for meditation and pathwork.
Nigel Jackson has given the Tarot community a brand new world of images
to crawl into and enjoy.
"THE NIGEL JACKSON TAROT",
by Nigel Jackson
© Llewellyn Publications
Images used by kind permission from Llewellyn
Publications.