Auset Gypsy Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Auset Gypsy Tarot by James Jacob Pierri, original illustrations by Rebecca Stotsenburgh and Heather Scott. Published by REDFeather. UK: £22.99 US: $24.99

Mind Body & Spirit Ezine Book and Card Set of 78 Cards and full colour guidebook is contained within a magnetic clip closure quality presentation box. Good sturdy card stock with gold leafed edges, size: 7 inches x 4 inches.

The concept of this deck is unconventional. It’s an ‘on the move’ dream-like adventure, with modern styling and a hint of antiquity. It was 20 years in the making! It dances, struggles, juggles, charms and heals. It’s quirky, joyful, Bohemian, and it is full of the wonder and magic of the goddess Isis and of the Gypsies. There is autobiographical information provided, as the deck is the very personal perspective of the Creator, Designer and Writer, James Jacob Pierri, an Astrologer and International Tarot Reader who was known under the name of the Auset Gypsy when reading cards at Islands of Adventure in Universal Studios Theme Park. From there, he built a clientelle of movie stars and other celebrities. The two female artists are graphic artists who add their quirkiness to the mix. Within the deck are astrology, myths and secrets, gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, and it has a canny style of know how, and it introduces us to all the fun of the fairground! It unlocks spiritual insights but always suggests you use your own intuition. The cards can be used for meditation, inspiration, and personal development. “The bitter truth is better than the sweetest lie”. 

 

The word 'Auset' is an ancient form of the Egyptian pronounciation of the godddess Isis - and a Gypsy is a nomadic and free spirited person. When James was growing up, he saw the old style cards but not the Rider/Waite/Smith deck. He produced his own Tarot designs that became the template for the artwork in this deck. They hark back to his Italian heritage. The cards carry his image in the Fool, Magician, Chariot, Hanged Man and World Cards and the pug in the Fool card is Mr BoJangles, a real dog who features also in the story! 

The Death Card shows us a romantic, harmonious, enigmatic Grim Reaper, a Dance Macabre with a ballerina, so this is not a heavy deck but a light and humorous one! It shows us the carnival of life!

Card Sample: Temperance. Number 14. XIV Astrological Associations: Aquarius, Pisces. Traditional meaning: Moderation. Balance. Calm. Centring. Mind and soul. Body and spirit. Sun and moon. Day and night. Male and female. Receptive and assertive. Human and animal. Perfection. Maintaining polarity. Good and bad. Auset Gypsy Meaning: holding both heart and mind. Being on two planes at one time. Living a double existence. Bringing peace and calm to turbulent situations. Maintaining the spiritual life and mundane physical life. Applying moderation in all things. Mediation and bliss. Story Plot: The mermaid sits on the border of light and dark. She holds the cup to receive and return the flowing waters of life back into the cycles for eternity. Her place is of extreme importance, being part human and part of the natural world. She possesses the balanced keel that is needed to maintain the flooding waters of all existence in a continual flow. She keeps not a drop for herself, but channels the flow of spirit, matter, thought, emotion, and intuition perpetually.

From a personal communication with James Jacob Pierri: 

“These cards speak! I’ve devoted my adult life to practicing and exploring the use of mysticism and the history of Tarot. As evident in this deck, The Auset Gypsy Tarot is a blend of autobiography, experience and attention to detail wrapped in the tapestry of the Tarot’s rich history. It’s a dream come true for me tto deliver this to the world and my hopes are that it inspires those new to the journey as well as seasoned professionals. It’s a combination of romantic, old world charm and contemporary art styles, it pays homage to my heritage and it nods to the old fashioned Italian playing cards that were used for fortune telling and that I saw growing up as a child.”

Advice when meeting an enquirer, when shuffling, how to meditate on the cards, how to read them - Majors for Fates and Destinies and Minors for People, Places and Things with Aces titled Love Thanks and Devotion, Fortune Favours the Bold, Know Thyself, and Bonus Fortuna!

The Major Arcana cards depict a wanderer who travels across a magical land and meets with deities, men and women, animals and all kinds of spirits, with trials and successes, and highlights the life that learns wisdom, has strength and achieves tranquility and experiences many great secrets of life. There is a carnival romance and a dreamlike revelry within this novelty deck. We are introduced to a Card Reader par excellence, who deals the cards and reads the fortunes, over many years. One day he disappears, and he leaving behind all his possessions: a spirit board, his crytal ball, his tarot cards, and a hand written message that says “who will come and take my place?” No one arrived to take the place of the Auset Gypsy - until now - You are that person! 

Expect the usual Tarot titles for the Majors, with Roman Numerals, astrology associations, and traditional keyword meanings. You will get also the Auset Gypsy meaning with its story plot, all in 150 buzzy words. The Minors are Cups - Hearts & Water (A Egyptian situla similar to an amphora), Wands - Clubs and Fire (Staff of Mercury), Swords - Spades and Air (a Balkan cutlass) and Coins - Diamonds and Earth (white roses and fruit). The Courts are King, Queen, Cavalier, Prince/Princess. We have three spreads as suggestions: The Auset Gypsy Aradia Lunar of 5 Cards, Auset Gypsy Seven-Point-Star of 7 cards, Auset Gypsy 3 Fates of Past, Present & Future, Love, Career & Spiritual! 

Will you be the next Auset Gypsy? I like it! I’m buying my tent now!

Review by Wendy Stokes. https://wendystokes.co,uk