Labyrinth Tarot
By Luis Royo
Tarot Deck – 78 Cards – Published by Fournier
This review is part of the reviews that I have done for House Of Tarot. By clicking on a link, you are accessing the Amazon store. If you buy via this link, I do get a small percentage of that. I like to disclose this so you can make your own decisions! 🙂
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The Labryinth Tarot by Luis Royo seems to be more a way for Royo fans to get miniatures of his work. An accomplished and well known fantasy artist, Royo’s deck is lovely to look at. As an art deck, I can recommend this one. However there are some issues with this deck that I can not get past on a personal level.
Even though the LWB (Little White Book) gives the standard meanings, the cards do not mesh with those meanings. Each suit has a color which is a common device in Tarot decks. However Royo has chosen colors that don’t work for me. While his pentacles are gold which is a natural for Earth, when I pulled the first cup card, I had to stop to make sure I was looking at cups. With a red background, this does not say water to me.
His pip cards are not pictorial. Instead they use the number of symbols per card system. The court cards are stunning examples of his art, but the elemental meanings are lost when he uses colors like red for water and has flames shooting out of the court cards various items.
The trump cards are too dark for my tastes. I tend to prefer a brighter palette. And there is a flatness to some of the cards that seems to denote the artist’s lack of involvement with that particular card. He does use traditional symbolism along with the Hebrew letters so common to most Tarot decks. On the Moon card it is difficult to tell if he has drawn two dogs, two wolves or a wolf and a dog. I must confess that I couldn’t determine.
I did like Royo’s rendition of the Empress. Bare-breasted and looking off to the side, she truly captures the magnificent indifference of nature. And his Fool is intriguing wearing pointed horns. It brings to mind a cuckolded husband to me. His art work is truly amazing and for that alone, I think people will enjoy this deck.
My overall opinion is that this is a deck perfect for those who collect art decks or the art of Royo. Personally, I could never use this one as a reading deck because of the, for me, incorrect color choices and flatness of some of the trumps.
Physically, it is a small deck which will be perfect for those who do not like the larger decks.
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I have to admit that I really do not like giving a negative review and will always try to say something positive. This is obviously not a deck for me. 🙂 I have more decks to review for House of Tarot. As one of their reviewers, they sometimes send me decks. I never know exactly what I am going to get!
I have a question. I recently got this deck. It is my first. and I absolutely love it. My problem is I lost the book that it came with 🙁 is there somewhere online I might be able to find another copy, even in PDF format possibly? I’m sure they are standard meanings but I’d still like the original. Any help would be so appreciated.
i’m also looking for it. BUT I ALSO FELT that this card didn’t worked for me with a booklet- it just gives a distinct YES or NO frankness response. This rather a bit heavy for me to handle, not that its difficult to use, but its just that it’s a frank straight on point card. I usually classify decks as “Female” or “male” and this one probably “male”, strong, tactful personality. more like a middle aged, strong willed/ seasoned gentleman. Tarot decks have a soul. This one is good for spells or some support barriers or meditation..but i won’t recommend it for reading other people because it won’t give you elaborate insights (or lighter advice) unless you know how to interpret. It’s not a beginner’s card in my opinion.
I liked this deck because the last name in the cards (right/down) it’s Portuguese!