Tarot Deck Review: Shapeshifter Tarot by D J Conway, Sironna Knight and Lisa Hunt (artist)

This tarot deck is intended to draw upon magical shape-shifting tradition within the Celtic tradition. It is a strongly 'neo-shamanistic' deck and book, and therefore focused on the use of creative visualization to temporarily acquire the virtues of animals. On the positive side the art is consistently pretty and the book is easy to read and make sense of. This deck might be of use of an eclectic beginner who is not interested in the more mainstream decks. Any person with a greater knowledge of tarot symbolism, Celtic mythology of older traditions of shamanism may, like me, find the Shapershifter Tarot irritating and impossible to work with.

The book provides a cheerful, light interpretation of each card that is quite revisionist and does not make systematic use of Celtic animal beliefs. Its determined perkiness was the first thing I found difficult. Not only are reversed readings not allowed for, the darker aspects of all meanings are airbrushed away. The hanged man becomes 'contemplation' with a woman half-transformed into a jaguar considers her progress with satisfaction - the ideas of tribulation, rites of passage, despair, endurance and sacrifice are tossed aside as distastefully uncomfortable and scary. Likewise death is only 'rebirth', the devil is 'choice' and judgment is 'transcendence' -- symbolized by dancing butterflies and overlooking what I feel is the whole point of 'judgment', which is that not everybody is judged to be worthy.

I would expect a deck based on Celtic shapeshifting to make prominent use of the boar, fish, serpent, bird, horse and dragon in a way that is consistent with these ancient beliefs. However, the majority of the cards show no European animals, American animals predominate with an emphasis on dolphins, bald eagles, grizzlies and cougars. There is a scattering of real, mythological and domesticated animals from North America, Egypt, Africa, Australia and ancient Greece -- each appearing startlingly out of context. A Tiger centaur is depicted in front of a Sphinx, creating a confusion of geography or mythology. The traditional relationship between tarot and animals is also passed over, for example the 'strength' card does not feature a lion, nor does the 'fool' card show a dog.

The white wolves and coyotes beloved of American neo-pagans are shown on many cards, but not the red-eared hounds or cattle of the British Isles. Taliesen is laughably combined with the hummingbird, despite his very real association with British animals such as the salmon. Dragons, when they appear, are cuddly totems of the American new age, not ancient Celtic embodiment of strife and infertility. The idea of the dragon, doom of kings and creator of famine, symbolizing 'the fool' (renamed 'initiation') was, to my eyes, quite ridiculous. The hodge-podge appropriation of the menagerie depicted seems to almost disregard culture and their use has very little to do with the Celtic tradition as I understand it.

The art is competent, energetic and decorative but also flawed. Many of the cards are similar to each other such as the three of wands and the lovers, both showing a couple in a similar embrace. The figures on the cards are quite bland and again, in conflict with Celtic animal beliefs, they are so asexual that even the naked figures lack nipples and genitals. The depiction of animal anatomy is often weak, especially in the wings of the birds and legs of the horses.

The shaman's tradition tends to focus upon particular animal teachers and guides, yet the figures on the cards are often shown with a confusing collection of animals in a way that feels more like a Disney cartoon that serious journey of the shaman into the many hidden world where wisdom may be found. The reader who does not believe in shape-changing at all as explicitly included -- but by always treating shape-changing as a purely spiritual condition the authors actually exclude members of traditions that believe in its literal occurrence.

There are many implicit beliefs reflected in the cards that will be difficult readers for various other perspectives such as the goddess worshipper (balancing male and female is often mentioned) and the gay or lesbian reader (happiness is repeatedly depicted as a heterosexual couple, including card where this is not traditional such as the 'Ace of Pentacles'/'Garden').

This deck may be good eye-candy for the animal loving novice or collector, and it would be perfect for a less-than-serious American neo-shamanist. Those with a serious passion for Celtic animal magic, traditional shamanism or more classical tarot imagery should probably pass it by, especially at a price of $29.99.