Tarot Illuminati

Other reviewers have remarked that the four suites seem to be based on four races - Arabic (Wands), Asian (Pentacles), Eastern European (Cups) and British (Swords). While some of that may be fairly subjective, there is no doubting that the Queen of Swords shown above is none other than Queen Elizabeth I, according to most of the artistic representations of Her Majesty, while the King of Swords bears a striking resemblance to her father, dear ol’ Henry VIII!. Incidentally, the Queen of Swords was the first card Erik created and shared with his Facebook followers, which resulted in an incredibly supportive wave of interest, and which lead Tarot officionadoes like Barbara Steele to share their interest in and eventual love for the Tarot Illuminati project. Other cultural character references one can assume include, perhaps, Elric of Melnibone, the pale albino sorcerer-king, owner of the soul-stealing Rune-sword Stormbringer, while many other cards lend themselves easily to a wide range on mystical interpretations. A veritable feast for the imagination! 

The cards of my original edition are printed on excellent - maybe 400 gsm - cardstock, and came with gilded edges, and in a very sturdy keepsake box with a magnetic lock. The box describes the card like so, “Each card is like a stained glass window, highlighting a meaningful tale and passing down age-old wisdom…” A 160 page glossy companion  book comes with the deck, but Kim Huggens has also written a humungous companion book - Complete Guide to Tarot Illuminati -  a 404-page tome pf Tarot wisdom in its own right.

As a final comment, Erik and Kim have also collaborated on a sequel to the Tarot Illuminati, called Tarot Apokalypsis, published by Lo Scarabeo in 2016, and which comes with the impressive 460 hard-backed book by Kim, in a beautiful package.