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The Steampunk Tarot
Where the past and future converge . . .
With a turn of the wheel and a spin of the cog, the oracular machinery lumbers into action. The curtains slowly draw back; the time has come to reveal your destiny.
Created by award-winning tarot expert Barbara Moore and brilliantly brought to life by artist Aly Fell, The Steampunk Tarot deck offers a glimpse of the future through a lens to the past. Retooling the gears of the Rider-Waite tradition, each card's intricate artwork depicts a scintillating fusion of man and machine, nature and technology, science and alchemy, romance and fashion. The included manual offers tips, original spreads, and guidance in card interpretation.
Praise:
"An electric marriage of favorite geeky things, this deck is the perfect formula." --Geek Mom Blog on Wired.com
With a turn of the wheel and a spin of the cog, the oracular machinery lumbers into action. The curtains slowly draw back; the time has come to reveal your destiny.
Created by award-winning tarot expert Barbara Moore and brilliantly brought to life by artist Aly Fell, The Steampunk Tarot deck offers a glimpse of the future through a lens to the past. Retooling the gears of the Rider-Waite tradition, each card's intricate artwork depicts a scintillating fusion of man and machine, nature and technology, science and alchemy, romance and fashion. The included manual offers tips, original spreads, and guidance in card interpretation.
Praise:
"An electric marriage of favorite geeky things, this deck is the perfect formula." --Geek Mom Blog on Wired.com
1000 pages, Tarot Deck & Book
First published May 8, 2012
18 people are currently reading
347 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Moore
185 books141 followersThe tarot has been a part of my personal and professional life for nearly twenty years. I first discovered the Tarot in college. Right from the start, the tarot intrigued me with its marvelous blending of mythology, psychology, art, history mystery, and magic.
My education in the tarot has been and continues to be broad and enlightening. I am grateful to have been blessed with the opportunity to study under renowned tarot scholars Mary K. Greer and Rachel Pollack. I have also had the privilege to share the wonders of the tarot with all manner of wide-eyed, would-be tarot readers.
I enjoy giving a voice to tarot cards by writing the books that accompany decks. I have had the good fortune to write books and booklets for several decks, including A Guide to Mystic Faerie Tarot (Llewellyn, July 2007), The Gilded Tarot Companion (Llewellyn, September 2004), The Enchanted Oracle (Llewellyn, September 2008), The Mystic Dreamer Tarot (Llewellyn, September 2008), and Shadowscapes Tarot (Llewellyn, May 2010). Recently, I finished writing a new edition of Tarot for Beginners (Llewellyn, November 2010).
My articles on the tarot have appeared in several tarot publications and in Llewellyn's New Worlds of Mind and Spirit.
Over the years, I have been very active in the tarot community. I am a founding member of the Minnesota Area Tarot Symposium and have spoken at tarot conferences around the United States. In July of 2010, I had the pleasure of attending the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI) Annual Conference as keynote speaker.
In addition to teaching tarot classes and providing personal readings, I currently work as a consultant for tarot publishers Llewellyn Worldwide and Lo Scarabeo. I also contribute bi-weekly posts to Llewellyn's Tarot Pathways blog. I am very excited to be working on designing several forthcoming tarot decks as well as another book for tarot newbies on spread design.
My education in the tarot has been and continues to be broad and enlightening. I am grateful to have been blessed with the opportunity to study under renowned tarot scholars Mary K. Greer and Rachel Pollack. I have also had the privilege to share the wonders of the tarot with all manner of wide-eyed, would-be tarot readers.
I enjoy giving a voice to tarot cards by writing the books that accompany decks. I have had the good fortune to write books and booklets for several decks, including A Guide to Mystic Faerie Tarot (Llewellyn, July 2007), The Gilded Tarot Companion (Llewellyn, September 2004), The Enchanted Oracle (Llewellyn, September 2008), The Mystic Dreamer Tarot (Llewellyn, September 2008), and Shadowscapes Tarot (Llewellyn, May 2010). Recently, I finished writing a new edition of Tarot for Beginners (Llewellyn, November 2010).
My articles on the tarot have appeared in several tarot publications and in Llewellyn's New Worlds of Mind and Spirit.
Over the years, I have been very active in the tarot community. I am a founding member of the Minnesota Area Tarot Symposium and have spoken at tarot conferences around the United States. In July of 2010, I had the pleasure of attending the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI) Annual Conference as keynote speaker.
In addition to teaching tarot classes and providing personal readings, I currently work as a consultant for tarot publishers Llewellyn Worldwide and Lo Scarabeo. I also contribute bi-weekly posts to Llewellyn's Tarot Pathways blog. I am very excited to be working on designing several forthcoming tarot decks as well as another book for tarot newbies on spread design.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
April 19, 2017
Excellent, excellent deck and book.
My mother has a ton of tarot cards, but I was never really interested in them. The ones she has are a teeny tiny bit new agey for my tastes. Perfect for her, don't get me wrong, but I was never attracted to them. Then I was in one of those new agey shops (buying a gift for her, ha) then I saw this. Steampunk tarot!
I wanted it immediately. I thought I could use them as bookmarks (tarot cards are the perfect size for bookmarks. seriously. try it). I mean, the illustrations are so beautiful, why not? Then I read the book/guide and using tarot cards made so much more sense to me. Inspiration for creative storytelling! I can totally get into that and understand how that's useful. The explanations for the cards in the guide really appealed to me as well. They were more like mini-stories inspired by card, using the symbolism in the illustrations as a guide. Much more resonant to my intuitive, comfortable-with-ambiguity mind than other guides which focus heavily on symbolism and history and this means that ect ect.
I still use them as bookmarks, to memorize the gist of the card by applying the meaning to the book. Working well so far.
My mother has a ton of tarot cards, but I was never really interested in them. The ones she has are a teeny tiny bit new agey for my tastes. Perfect for her, don't get me wrong, but I was never attracted to them. Then I was in one of those new agey shops (buying a gift for her, ha) then I saw this. Steampunk tarot!
I wanted it immediately. I thought I could use them as bookmarks (tarot cards are the perfect size for bookmarks. seriously. try it). I mean, the illustrations are so beautiful, why not? Then I read the book/guide and using tarot cards made so much more sense to me. Inspiration for creative storytelling! I can totally get into that and understand how that's useful. The explanations for the cards in the guide really appealed to me as well. They were more like mini-stories inspired by card, using the symbolism in the illustrations as a guide. Much more resonant to my intuitive, comfortable-with-ambiguity mind than other guides which focus heavily on symbolism and history and this means that ect ect.
I still use them as bookmarks, to memorize the gist of the card by applying the meaning to the book. Working well so far.
September 22, 2020
Another of the tarot decks and guides I'm going through for this writing project. I was attracted to the concept and the art and found that it was fortunately not gimmicky, but really integrated the concepts of steampunk into the meaning of each card. The art itself is wonderful and I can imagine drawing a random card and having a wealth of information to write a short story from any of them.
March 4, 2014
This deck and its accompanying book were given to me by a really lovely friend as a gift, after I mentioned wanting to learn more about tarot and how to read cards. I've read the manual, cover to cover, to get acquainted with each card, as well as studying the imagery present in each card as I went along. The manual is incredibly thorough. It tells stories, gives meaning, and draws attention to certain elements of each card that I didn't necessarily notice with my own inspection. The book also gives tips for how to read cards alongside each other, what to look for with suits and numbers, and what it means when a reading weighs heavily in favor of the major arcana, court cards, or certain suits.
The deck itself is absolutely stunning. I'm just starting to get my feet properly wet when it comes to reading the cards, but I feel really, actively drawn to this deck which I think is important. I'm very much looking forward to continuing to learn its nuances and how to interpret readings with this deck, and I'm incredibly grateful to my friend for knowing me well enough to give me such a beautiful gift.
The deck itself is absolutely stunning. I'm just starting to get my feet properly wet when it comes to reading the cards, but I feel really, actively drawn to this deck which I think is important. I'm very much looking forward to continuing to learn its nuances and how to interpret readings with this deck, and I'm incredibly grateful to my friend for knowing me well enough to give me such a beautiful gift.
April 16, 2017
Book #10 for 2017
PopSugar Challenge Prompts (max 3):
- A book with career advice
- A book with pictures
- A book you bought on a trip
Book Bingo Square: A Book with Pictures
Personal Challenge Task: A book with a woman on the cover
Better World Books: A book by a female writer
The Legendary Book Club of Habitica's Ultimate Reading Challenge: A book with pictures
Abandoned Book Rescue: Abandoned more than once
This is a great resource for tarot in general, not just this particular deck. And it's a gorgeous deck, with some unusual detail work and fascinating imagery. Moore's commentary draws out some amazing insights from Fell's artwork, and I love how she weaves so much together meaningfully yet leaves so much open to interpretation.
You really don't have to be into tarot or divination to appreciate a lot of things in this book. There are discussions of art history, myths and legends, the steampunk aesthetic, and subconscious associations. But if you are into tarot (or looking to get into it), you will find a wealth of information here. I enjoyed Moore's suggestions for spreads, especially the "Difference Engine" spread, which also keeps to the steampunk theme of the book and the deck.
This book is normally packaged with the deck, but if one were to have only the book, they might be a little disappointed that the book's illustrations are not in color. Of course, the expense for color illustrations is a little hard to justify when the intent is for the book to be a companion to the deck. But if you do find yourself with a deck-less book, never fear, this is well worth the read on its own merits.
PopSugar Challenge Prompts (max 3):
- A book with career advice
- A book with pictures
- A book you bought on a trip
Book Bingo Square: A Book with Pictures
Personal Challenge Task: A book with a woman on the cover
Better World Books: A book by a female writer
The Legendary Book Club of Habitica's Ultimate Reading Challenge: A book with pictures
Abandoned Book Rescue: Abandoned more than once
This is a great resource for tarot in general, not just this particular deck. And it's a gorgeous deck, with some unusual detail work and fascinating imagery. Moore's commentary draws out some amazing insights from Fell's artwork, and I love how she weaves so much together meaningfully yet leaves so much open to interpretation.
You really don't have to be into tarot or divination to appreciate a lot of things in this book. There are discussions of art history, myths and legends, the steampunk aesthetic, and subconscious associations. But if you are into tarot (or looking to get into it), you will find a wealth of information here. I enjoyed Moore's suggestions for spreads, especially the "Difference Engine" spread, which also keeps to the steampunk theme of the book and the deck.
This book is normally packaged with the deck, but if one were to have only the book, they might be a little disappointed that the book's illustrations are not in color. Of course, the expense for color illustrations is a little hard to justify when the intent is for the book to be a companion to the deck. But if you do find yourself with a deck-less book, never fear, this is well worth the read on its own merits.
March 23, 2016
I'm not very impressed with the major arcana (it's not bad, just not very spectacular), but the minor arcana is absolutely gorgeous.
April 4, 2016
Creative, insightful, and encouraging interpretations of the tarot. Beautiful artwork. One of my go-to reference books!
October 14, 2021
The first ever deck I picked out! Highly recommend edging in black. It makes the gorgeous artwork feel even more bold and lux, and the black borders are pretty forgiving which makes it ideal for practicing the technique. The oil painted style with its moody and smoggy color scheme is modest yet striking. I love this deck, but the figures lack diversity in some ways (though does feature some androgynous gender presentations which is nice) and the darker cards look a bit muddy. I also wouldn't necessarily recommend this as a first deck because some of the fundamental RWS iconography can be quite subdued and easy to miss. I definitely appreciate its subtlety more thoroughly now though as I've gotten experience with a range of decks since then. The guide book is very creative, insightful, and entertaining. I love the flavor text explanations especially.
September 27, 2017
Really enjoying this book. Barbara Moore has a smooth way of explaining the man vs. machine fun of Steampunk as it relates to the design of the tarot cards that go along with the book. The traditional RW cards don't resonate with me, but these illustrations have enough fun, craziness, old world/new world supernatural in them to keep myself thought provoked while still similar to RW.
Sure, the illustrations are in b/w but I get that colour is expensive to print, and I have the cards, so it's not a big issue for me.
I don't think I'll ever be truly finished with it because it's a great reference guide.
Sure, the illustrations are in b/w but I get that colour is expensive to print, and I have the cards, so it's not a big issue for me.
I don't think I'll ever be truly finished with it because it's a great reference guide.
January 16, 2019
Found this at a thrift store, but sadly I didn't see the cards there. I bought the book anyway, at least I could see the art in black and white! I'm not really a fan of steampunk, but I am very into tarot reading.
This book provides a fresh new perspective to the cards, and tell a fun story for each card. The artwork is also really cool. There are also examples of spreads, and a little bit about steampunk and tarot in general.
I think this is a great book for people who are just getting into tarot, and if you like steampunk that's a big bonus! I would also recommend this to people who are already familiar with tarot if they are into steampunk.
This book provides a fresh new perspective to the cards, and tell a fun story for each card. The artwork is also really cool. There are also examples of spreads, and a little bit about steampunk and tarot in general.
I think this is a great book for people who are just getting into tarot, and if you like steampunk that's a big bonus! I would also recommend this to people who are already familiar with tarot if they are into steampunk.
August 18, 2023
Barbara Moore writes, “Throughout the images in this deck, you will see humans and machines, nature and devices, science and alchemy, light and dark, despair and kindness, loss and grace, pain and healing.” What I experienced were some aha moments that helped me see certain cards in a whole new light. The Steampunk Tarot doesn’t appeal to me visually in the way many other decks do, but that hasn’t prevented me gaining a lot from working with it. And, as I get to know the characters and spend more time in their world, the artwork is definitely growing on me.
I have posted a full review including card images over at https://mjstarot.com/the-steampunk-ta...
I have posted a full review including card images over at https://mjstarot.com/the-steampunk-ta...
July 6, 2023
Two things I loved about this is that (1) it is very insightful especially for someone like me who is a beginner on tarot cards, and (2) the overall steampunk arts that are seen in these tarots are indescribably beautiful!
August 10, 2017
I love this deck and book.
January 7, 2020
Excellent book for an excellent deck. The images are lovely interpretations of the rws, the card descriptions are interesting and caring. Good set of spreads too. Definitely recommended!
January 24, 2021
love the descriptions for the cards. good for relationship questions.
May 27, 2021
Love how they are as relatable and intuitive as the original Rider Waite!
October 3, 2023
Una guía muy completa para el tarotista principiante y sobretodo un hermoso arte, muchas gracias por formar parte de mi comienzo
January 1, 2017
Great merging of tarot and steampunk
March 22, 2016
I found this manual, as the cover even calls it such, rather helpful and even at moments comedic. The author showed passion in her writing so much as to almost give her life story in the pages. She had added in the phrase "As a former gamer, i could not resist having a more or less valid excuse to include these little nuggets of fun." (Moore 9). She is adding little pieces of herself to comfort the reader. In the quoted phrase she is talking about the "flavor" text in the cards descriptions and her reasoning behind including such tidbits. I did have trouble understanding some of the steps in the Spreads section, but after rereading, because i was an idiot and merely glanced through, i was better able to understand. Many of the card descriptions went into more detail then i had ever heard before. It was a pleasant surprise.
May 17, 2015
I found this book and accompanying tarot deck to not only be beautiful and well written, but also extremely accessible for a new enthusiast to the tarot arts. The part of the book devoted to the description of all the cards was extremely interesting and I found myself flipping through the pages very quickly. The Steampunk element was also well done in relation to the card's meanings and interpretations.
My only desire is that this book would have included a little more information on creating layouts and general tips on how to conduct a reading. The author at least acknowledged this lack of detail and gave titles of other books that would fulfill these needs. But overall, I enjoyed the work and level of detail in this book and within the cards.
My only desire is that this book would have included a little more information on creating layouts and general tips on how to conduct a reading. The author at least acknowledged this lack of detail and gave titles of other books that would fulfill these needs. But overall, I enjoyed the work and level of detail in this book and within the cards.
October 29, 2012
I received this deck as a birthday present! OMW! It's just soooooooo pretty!! I love it! The cards are gorgeous and just flipping through the deck, my mind explodes with possibilities.
The deck is pretty easy to read as well. There are no reverted meanings, so I would have to say it's one of the simplest decks I have. The only drawback is that there are no Meaning: headlines with keywords. I like having those, but I've been reading tarot for so long, I doubt seriously this is going to slow me down any!
I love this deck! If you're shopping around for a good tarot deck and you're into steampunk, grab this one!
The deck is pretty easy to read as well. There are no reverted meanings, so I would have to say it's one of the simplest decks I have. The only drawback is that there are no Meaning: headlines with keywords. I like having those, but I've been reading tarot for so long, I doubt seriously this is going to slow me down any!
I love this deck! If you're shopping around for a good tarot deck and you're into steampunk, grab this one!
February 27, 2014
It is a really good book in that sense that you learn the basics of tarot-reading. There is flavor text to every card and some historical notes and it's all in all a somewhat good read even if you're not interested in tarot thanks to the flavortexts.
My personal favorite part of the book is that you get th feeeling that she really want others to learn how to read tarot. While others might refer to some of their other books for more understanding, Barbara refers to other authors as well as some of her other books.
Her work with Aly Fell is a beautiful piece of art and I am very glad that I purchased this.
My personal favorite part of the book is that you get th feeeling that she really want others to learn how to read tarot. While others might refer to some of their other books for more understanding, Barbara refers to other authors as well as some of her other books.
Her work with Aly Fell is a beautiful piece of art and I am very glad that I purchased this.
July 4, 2012
I love this author's outlook. I really do. She presents tarot in so many different ways, it's just astounding that she makes it all seem so simple and comprehensive. Her descriptions of each of the cards is colorful, creative, and informative. She tells the story of the cards in a way that makes it easy and enjoyable for novices and veterans alike.
I will be reading this again, just in case I missed anything. Barbara Moore? Well done, madam.
I will be reading this again, just in case I missed anything. Barbara Moore? Well done, madam.
October 3, 2012
Excellent Tarot!!! The artwork is wonderful and really helps to bring forth the imagery for a good tarot reading. AAA++++
April 10, 2013
LOVE LOVE LOVE -- If you love steampunk and tarot, this is THE deck for you! Beautiful imagery and lovely descriptions, telltale to the love Ms. Moore! <3
September 13, 2016
Beautiful cards and well written book with a pleasant new twist on how you interpret in a world of SteamPunk! Can't say enough about how lush and gorgeous these cards are!
December 13, 2015
This deck was gifted to me and it's absolutely perfect. Beautiful cards and well written and descriptive book with room for the reader's own interpretation. Definitely one of my favourite decks.
October 9, 2018
This was fun to read and look at.
July 11, 2020
https://youtu.be/gqoWDOkz6lA
Click on the link to see a walkthrough of this deck.
Click on the link to see a walkthrough of this deck.
April 26, 2017
It is a great book to read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews