The New Golden Dawn Tarot

The New Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot by Chic and Tabatha Cicero Review by Michele Jackson

If you would like to purchase the mini-book/deck set, click here.

Another deck that claims it “fulfills the traditional symbolic and ritual requirements of the Golden Dawn System of Magick”, this deck is very different in feel from Wang’s Golden Dawn Deck. The art is more primitive and is somewhat modern in style. The
colors are bright and deep and the art is much less refined than Wang’s work. There are 23 Major Arcana as a result of an additional Temperance Card, which is supposedly
necessary for ritual work, but not readings. The Minors have an abbreviated Golden Dawn name consisting of one or two words like Thoth. All cards have their corresponding element in the border, while the Majors have the Hebrew letter in the border as well. There are astrological symbols on the Minors, but not on the Majors or Court Cards. A comparison of the symbolism of the two decks show them to be virtually identical in content, though substantially different in layout. The Emperor for example shows a seated man with a ram at his feet, a rams head scepter in one hand and a globe
with a cross in the other. This is the same in both decks. However, the headdress is
different, the style of clothing is different, the hands the scepters are in are reversed and
one deck shows the Emperor with one foot on the ram, while the other has both feet on it.
Personally I like this version better than the other, but I think it is a matter of personal
taste. I find Wang’s artwork rather dull, and while this deck is by no means an artistic
masterpiece, at least it looks lively, if somewhat garish.
The booklet that comes with this deck is skimpier than most, possibly to boost sales of the
book written for this deck. You’ll find nothing here but the shortest of interpretations.
There is no explanation of the symbolism and there is only one spread, which thankfully
isn’t the Celtic Cross, but rather another 10 card spread. This deck would be of
interest to Golden Dawn enthusiasts. I don’t have the book written specifically for this
deck so I can’t comment on it.: See more cards from the New Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot Deck

If you would like to purchase the mini-book/deck set, click here.

Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot
Publisher: Llewellyn
ISBN: 0-87542-138-5