Tarot Deck Review: The Classical Golden Dawn Tarot by Dudschus and Sledzinski

Until recently, one of the advantages that BOTA (Builders of the Adytum) members had over the Golden Dawn is that they could hand color a set of pre-outlined Tarot cards which helped them establish the symbolism of the cards firmly in their minds; with the publication of "The Classical Golden Dawn Tarot: An Historic Deck In Black And White" by Richard Dudschus and David Sledzinski, Golden Dawn members can also engage in the practice of coloring their own Tarot cards.

Originally, the members of Golden Dawn were meant to hand-draw their own deck of Tarot cards. There were several reasons for this practice. The primary one is that the Tarot deck that Golden Dawn used was a truly esoteric deck; Golden Dawn members were sworn to keep its symbolism and images secret. The symbolism of the Golden Dawn Tarot tied into the symbols and concepts studied by the students of the system, and the cards were used both in private and lodge rituals (divinations, initiations, pathworkings, etc.). Members of Golden Dawn, and its offshoots, took their oaths of secrecy so seriously that it was not until 1978 that a published version of the Golden Dawn Tarot deck became available. Unfortunately, the first published version of the deck, done by Robert Wang, was less than satisfactory.

Over the years, the practice of hand-drawing one's Tarot deck fell into abeyance. The primary reason is that it is hard work to draw all seventy-eight cards (actually seventy-nine cards, the Golden Dawn uses two versions of the Temperance card). When I was in Hathor Temple, I was required to draw a few of the cards, enough to prove that I could accomplish the task, and it was interesting, but difficult task. The fact that Tarot decks also became easier to obtain, and the fact that the cards and their full symbolism was only introduced to the student a few at a time also contributed to the discontinuation of the practice.

Outside of hand-drawing your cards, the second best practice is to hand-color a set. It helps make the imagery of the cards part of your mental furniture. This practice was adopted by Paul Foster Case for his esoteric Order, the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA). Unfortunately, the deck used by BOTA is a version based on the censored and blinded one produced by A. E. Waite and Pamela Colman Smith (the Rider/Waite deck) which is why the Classic Golden Tarot in Black and White is so important. Designed by Richard Dudschus and David Sledzinski, with the guidance of Pat Zalewski, "The Classic Golden Dawn Tarot: An Historic Deck In Black And White" is meant "for those who want to color their own" Golden Dawn Tarot deck.

The cards of this deck were redesigned to bring them into line with the final stage of their development, as the members of Whare Ra Temple (a lodge of the Golden Dawn that lasted sixty years) knew them. The Whare Ra deck was the most developed of the various stages of the Tarot development in Golden Dawn and its offshoots. Because of this, there are some differences in the cards when compared to other published Golden Dawn Tarot decks. Even if you do not agree with the differences, studying the deck is educational.

This deck, same as with all other published versions of the Golden Dawn Tarot, is not for beginners. A beginner is probably better off using the Rider/Waite deck, or one based on it, rather than a Golden Dawn deck. The reason for this is that the symbolism of the deck is only partially revealed though the imagery of the cards. The student of Golden Dawn is expected to have memorized a certain amount of the background symbolism of the Tarot; unless that is done, no Golden Dawn Tarot deck can be used straight from the box.

Overall, I am happy with this deck. I do wish that it was printed on better cardstock; I doubt that it will last long under the heavy use. There is also the fact that there is no booklet on the cards meanings or how to color the deck included in the box. The card meanings are meant to be memorized by the student of Golden Dawn; the coloring instructions can be obtained online in PDF form on the publisher's website. For the student of Golden Dawn and its mysteries, I consider this deck to be a must-have; for general students of Tarot, it is important because of its historical interest; but for beginners, there are better choices.