Astro-Tarot

Astro-Tarot
Russell Grant and Kay Smith, 1992

This is a book and deck set which has been available in Britain for several years, though I have only recently seen it on American store shelves. It was published in 1992 by Virgin Books of London. My book also shows a reprinting in 1993 and 1996.

The illustrations by Kay Smith are light-hearted and charming. They remind me of images one might paint on the walls of a child’s bedroom. Like a masquerade party, everyone is dressed in costume and many are wearing masks. There are allusions to mythology, fairy tales, and nursery rhymes; The Tower, for example, shows a magic castle and Libra shows a fairy godmother.

The Astro-Tarot was conceived by Russell Grant as an innovative combination of astrology and tarot, which he achieves by altering the structure of the deck. The first cards are the 22 traditional Trumps, followed by the Aces from each of the four suits – there are no other minor arcana cards. After these come the 12 signs of the Western zodiac, the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac, the 9 planets, and the 5 astrological aspects of Ascendant, Midheaven, new moon and full moon, and Moon’s node. This gives the deck a total of 64 cards, which are numbered in consecutive order from The Fool (0) to Node (63).

Grant’s 144-page book is also lighthearted. It is not concerned with the mystical or the occult, but is entertaining because it doesn’t take anything too seriously. One of Grant’s innovations was to give every card twelve additional interpretations, based upon its tenor within each of the astrological houses. Many of these sound like daily newspaper horoscopes (I’m not kidding!). The meanings are generally simplistic but they do suggest an interesting approach to the cards.

Many of the Trumps are influenced by Greek myth. The Empress, shown above, is based on Ceres, the Greek goddess of fertility. Green vines are growing from her gown and she is surrounded by stalks of wheat. Also shown above is The Star, who looks like a fairy goddess. Grant says that the woman traditionally shown on this card represents Proseperna, daughter of Ceres and Jupiter. He suggests thinking of this card as “wishing upon a star and having your dream come true.”

Most of the 12 zodiacal cards depict characters from nursery rhymes. For example, Aries becomes Little Bo Peep with her flock, and Gemini shows Jack and Jill. The card for Leo, above, shows Old King Cole with his pipe and his bowl. The King symbolizes the regal quality of Leo, and the throne represents his self confidence. He is blowing bubbles with his pipe and there is a lion painted onto his soap bowl.

The Virgo card shows Mary, Mary, quite contrary, tending her orderly garden. This nursery rhyme recalls the tendency of Virgo folk to be meticulous and precise. Cancer does not depict a specific character but represents a comforting, maternal atmosphere. The moon and ocean symbolize the emotions, the unconscious, and psychic sensitivities. The crab of the zodiacal sign is seen inside the little girl’s net.

The 12 Chinese astrological signs are each depicted by a person in animal costume, as if they are playing games at a masquerade party. The Tiger, shown below, is surrounded by stardust to symbolize “people who are magnetic, magical and mesmerizing, but who have to tread their own path through life.” Those born under the sign of the Horse “hate feeling fettered or trapped. They need to be on the move, and also need plenty to occupy their agile brains.”

The planets are often depicted in old manuscripts as austere personifications of Roman gods. The planetary gods in this deck look as if they are straight from the pages of a colorful fairy tale. Their personalities are given focus as they pass through the twelve house positions, described in Grant’s book. These cards are rather clever; the god Pluto, for example, is shown with his draped arm raised to cover half his face, showing his tendency toward cloak and dagger, disguise, and perplexity. Uranus is pictured in the midst of all kinds of weather patterns to represent his disrupting and unexpected influence. Saturn, shown above, is an old man of experience, wisdom, and restriction.

It is unlikely that this set would be taken seriously by occultists or tarot ‘purists’, but its artwork is so playful that it would be appreciated in anyone else’s collection. The package would not win any design awards. The book and cards, though, are well made. The cards are medium weight, nicely printed, and plastic coated.

Review by Mark Filipas, 9/15/00