The New Orleans Voodoo Tarot/Book and Card Set

by Louis Martinié, Sallie Ann Glassman

The first tarot to celebrate an African-American culture, this book and 79-card deck capture both the spirit and the imagery of Voodoo`s African, West Indian, and Catholic influences. Ancient and earth-honoring, Voodoo`s practices take on different forms specific to time and place, but its essence remains focused on the loa--the potent spiritual forces of Voodoo that are manifested directly through human beings and their actions. The authors draw strong parallels between the Waite and Thoth Tarots, the Kabalistic Tree of Life, and the Voodoo tradition as it is practiced in New Orleans. Just as the major and minor arcana of the Tarot represent the archetypes of the human psyche and the natural forces of our world, so do the loa of Voodoo embody the primal energies of the universe. With a variety of spreads and readings, the authors show how the Tarot can be an idea channel through which the loa exercise their powers to teach, advise, and initiate the serious student into their mysteries

Genres: Tarot, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Divination, Occult

288 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1992

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually a really great way to learn about the lwa. If you have read a few other books, so you understand Rada, Congo, and Petro, you should be able to grasp the lwa chosen for this deck. (There are maybe hundreds of lwa, so it is interesting to see which ones were chosen. Like Simbi? A hard one to find in a Haitian book - but important in New Orleans.)

The art strongly sums up the passionate connection to Earth and Spirit that the lwa relationships is about. He even lists proper sacrifices - and a wonderful new idea! If sacrifices are meant to be meaningful, well, what has meaning to Westerners? Money! So donate money to charities the lwa would support as your sacrifice. We don't leave out big meals and have the homeless eat it over the passing of night any more.

This, to me, is the interesting part. He's obviously well schooled in Crowley's thelema. I actually learned a lot more about the beauty of thelema's basic concepts here than I did studying it with thelema scholars. So it's great for Western magi as well.

Combining thelema with Vodou was kinda New Orleans in itself. It is one of those types of cities where anything shows up and anything goes. New Orleans makes me cautious, the sheer hatred and violence scared me and I have never felt afraid of any other city. Every corner holds a different type of chaos. Yet it is the most beautiful city in the US. My friend Laura said it was the most female city: gorgeous, intuitive, and cruel. (New York was the most male.)

Books on New Orleans Vodou are harder to find than Haitian Vodou so this is important if only for that reason. Learn what Marti Gras is really about!

Putting Santeria in here is a little weird, since it's not Vodou and there are Santeria decks (I got one a decade ago). So you have to know Vodou and Santeria and thelema to understand what is going on really. That's a lot of magical religion!

But don't worry - each card has a meditation and a meaning. The comtemplation is way cooler. The author knows that. They are rather thelema heavy.

A star is taken away though because I am a professional Tarot reader whose used a zillion decks in 24 years and even with my Vodou and Santeria knowledge I have no fucking idea what the cards mean. Petro Legba? Ummm, so Legba, uh, the door opener and communicator between us and the lwa, petro, born in the violence of Haiti's slave days, not the goodness of Guinee (Africa). What the Hell does that mean about your love life or buying a house or moving? All I have found the cards good for is asking which lwa wants something from me. Which is getting costly.

[Dominique Lamssies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book and card set is a great way to learn about Voodoo, its spirits and its tenants in a way that allows you to really experience the spirit of Voodoo. It's one thing to read about these things, it's another to be given the chance to work with them in an intimate way.

I'd also recommend it to anyone looking for a new view on the classic tarot. While the pictures and basis of the system is different, the same ideas are conveyed with just slightly different twists.

Although I will point out that this book leans more toward the Haitian version of Voodoo than any other.

[Ruby Hollyberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly fascinating accompanying book! The most intriguing thing about this deck to me was my discovery that it is not pure Voodoo: it is an equal mix of Voodoo and the teachings of Aleister Crowley! What a combination! I enjoyed it and learned a great deal, but mostly from the book, which is an excellent magickal tutorial in itself. The deck, however, is very far from the standard tarot setup and did not harmonize well with my notions of tarot divination methods, or my habits of mind in terms of spellwork. Also I was of two minds about the art. It is very good from an artistic viewpoint, but does not represent the energies of Tarot well - and the paintings are all fairly similar and difficult to tell apart. My husband and I both tried working with it over a period of years and we eventually gave it away to a nice girl we met who wanted it - an Afro-Caribbean drummer. I fondly hope it was just what she needed at the time.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading a pile of Voudou books reading this the difference between Petro and Rada spirits overwhelmed me. Picked it up a few years later, and the structure really clicked and the superb understanding of the tarot by the authors made this a great synthetic work, linking Thelema with traditional religion.

[Orsayor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The New Orleans Voodoo Tarot" is an excellent addition to any Tarot collection. It is a beautifully illustrated and well-written book that offers a unique perspective on Tarot and Voodoo. It is recommended for anyone interested in exploring the rich cultural heritage of African-American Voodoo and its spiritual traditions.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great set of cards. It is not your regular tarot, and as such should not be expected to be read in the same way.
I would suggest getting the book Vodou Visions by Sallie Ann Glassman as a great compliment to the deck.

[Silverose · Rating 5 out of 5]

The imagery on the tarot cards themselves are not my favorite, but the book that accompanies the deck is worth the purchase for the breadth of information about the Voodoo lwa.

[Ryan Laplante · Rating 3 out of 5]

neat pictured. comprehensive collection of symbols and list of gods.

[Sony Voodoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo único malo que mezcla santería cubana con vudú, dos cosas totalmente diferentes, aún adí el mazo de barajas es muy bello

[Louise Carlson Stowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The deck is very beautiful and eye catching. I found it very different from other Tarot Decks that I have used. The accompanying book is very informative. A nice set.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://youtu.be/-cEJrOxxJEM
Watch the above link to see a walkthrough of this deck.

[Donald K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

i was compelled to grab this tarot book and card set for the longest time. if you are looking at working in the Vodou current and don't know where to start, this is a great primer and tool to have. the divination system is quite different from traditional tarot cards. i found more of a connection to my ancestors through this current. the artwork on the tarot cards are beautiful! there are also various methods that you can use for ritual practice (if you are into that). the book is well written and goes into detail explaining each lwa. divination was my first occult practice that i started so i felt comfortable moving and exploring and jumping into the African-based pantheons which allowed me to explore more deeper into ritual Vodou practice and darker workings into ritual "black magick". It's not for everyone, it has to call you. excellent book and tarot card set to add to your collection!