A review.
I should start right off by saying that I'd heard about the Tarot of the Sephiroth before I'd actually seen it (unusual, for me), and that everything I'd heard was pretty exciting. K. Frank Jensen, writing in the May-June 2001 issue of The Playing-Card: Journal of the International Playing Card Society, compared the Tarot of the Sephiroth favorably to The Witches Tarot, saying that the Tarot-Qabalah (or Kabbalah) relationship was "way better done here," and recommending the Tarot of the Sephiroth "not only to devoted tarotists, but also just for the sake of the art." Jensen's not the easiest reviewer in the world, so I was prepared to be impressed.
I was impressed. The Tarot of the Sephiroth is designed to show the connection between the Tarot and the Qabalah, using the Tarot to illustrate the Sephiroth (spheres) on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. This is a great tarot deck, much more substantive than most, and will repay close study. But your study will probably come from some other source than the small instructional booklet included with the deck. The booklet does have a great Tree of Life tarot spread, but most of its 38 pages are devoted to giving traditional meanings of the cards. Necessary, I suppose, if this is your first tarot deck, but I don't think I'd want this to be anyone's first tarot deck - it's too advanced, and belongs with those who are already quite familiar with traditional tarot readings.
My suggestion - get the Tarot of the Sephiroth (by all means!), familiarize yourself with it, and then, if you develop a strong interest in the subject of the Tarot as it relates to the Qabalah, read Clifford Bias' Qabalah, Tarot & The Western Mystery Tradition: The 22 Connecting Paths on the Tree of Life. On a related note, Neil Asher Silberman's Heavenly Powers: Unraveling the Secret History of the Kabbalah doesn't mention Tarot, but if you find yourself wanting a more historical perspective on the Qabalah, this is a worthwhile read. (Unfortunately, I'm not sure if it's still in print.)
Final Note: The Tarot of the Sephiroth was created by Josephine Mori, Jill Stockwell and Dan Staroff. Who did what is not made all that clear from the booklet that accompanies the deck.
Dan Staroff was kind enough to write to us and elaborate on the question of who did what. According to Mr. Staroff: "I am the artist and creator of the deck. Josephine Mori and Jill Stockwell are the authors."
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