The Tarot of Vampyres

by Ian Daniels

Embrace the night as you succumb to visions of blood-red roses and feel the impassioned rhythms of your feverishly pounding heart. The Vampyre legend is rooted in darkness and seduction, yet its eternal message is one of spiritual hunger--to taste the Divine.

Featuring Ian Daniels' richly evocative Gothic-style artwork, this hauntingly romantic deck is a tool for spiritual awakening. With it, you can plumb the depths of your inner shadows and emerge in the radiant light of truth.

Inspired by the Rider-Waite structure, the deck shows the Fool, Priestess, and other traditional figures, while the suits bear unique names that call forth the mysterious and macabre: Scepters, Grails, Knives, and Skulls. The companion book provides detailed card meanings, creative exercises, original spreads, and instructions for creating your own Vampyre character. Includes a 78-card deck and a 312-page book.

Genres: Tarot, Nonfiction, Occult, Reference, Vampires

Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took these out of the box for the first time, shuffled, and dealt some cards, and understood them perfectly. Immediately. I've never experienced anything like it. I've spent a lot of time with the old RWS and its many clones, and even the Thoth for a while, and never felt like I made progress with them despite my best efforts.

What it is about this particular deck, I don't know. It just speaks to me, loud and clear. Also, it is incredibly beautiful. I don't regret the time spent with traditional decks. I'm glad I have a bit of that knowledge base floating around in my brain, and I will probably return to my studies of them from time to time (I will be reviewing keywords for the Thoth minors, for sure, as this is a Thoth-inspired deck). However, I no longer feel like I have to keep struggling with them just because of their places in Tarot history.

I feel like this deck very much resembles my inner landscape, so to speak, and maybe that is why I was able to do a purely intuitive reading right out of the box without having to so much as glance at the companion book. My only concern is how the deck will be received in a professional reading situation :D It's certainly not for everyone.

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite tarot deck of all time, and I own a lot of decks. In fact, I think people who aren't vampire fans will still love it. The deck is beautiful and gothic, and the cards feel smooth in your hands and are easy to shuffle.

I really enjoyed the book as well. This symbolism was well thought out and Daniels makes you look at the cards in a different way. I cannot recommend this set enough!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

As beautiful as the artwork of this tarot deck is, what is even more stunning is the guidebook that comes with it. This work combines vampyre lore, concepts from other mythologies as well as kabala - in the world of tarot this work draws from both Thoth and Smith-Waite, as well as being something in its own right.

If this particular deck does not speak to you (for me it does sometimes feel like a descent back into my goth youth... a regression of sorts), the book alone is worth the purchase. This book can be used with other decks as it spends most of its time discussing ideas and connections that hold true for the tarot system and is general (whilst also being particular when connecting it with the symbols depicted in this deck).

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the Deck I am currently working with. I love the artwork and I always have accurate readings when I use the deck. The accompanying book is the best Tarot book I have read to date.

[Wraith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first tarot deck I ever owned since 2012 and it's still my favourite. The book Phantasmagoria is amazing. Since I am attuned to the darkness, being a night creature and also having natal signature (dominant) and Moon sign in Scorpio, working with this tarot brings me a large degree of emotional fulfilment.

"Our truth manifests in the external world from the depths of our soul, born in our spirit. All the world is a stage, onto which we can project a phantasmagoria of deep, dark beauty, poetry, and wondrous light from our own inner magic lantern."
— Excerpt from the Ten of Knives analysis and symbolism.

[Strangerealms · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have two copies.

[Magda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art in this Tarot deck is some of the most beautiful I have ever seen, and I found the exercise on the Personal Card Portrait quite fascinating.

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this deck! The artwork is incredible with its gothic style, it spoke to me immediately and I knew I had to add it to my collection.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The guide Phantasmagoria is 5 stars. Very thorough & with some really good insights & correspondences.
For me though, the card illustrations are 3 stars. So, overall a 4 star deck.

[Kleri _reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a unique and very well-thought out deck. The guidebook is great. It contains a lot of information that is not often found in other Tarot books/guidebooks (like astrological and Kabbalah related references and associations). There are also some useful spreads. The only thing that one could say is missing - that is often found in newer, popular guidebooks - is affirmations and journaling prompts, but given that this is a dark themed deck and the book is 300 pages already, I can see why these might have been left out.
The cards are very detailed and beautiful - if you are a fan of the theme. Some images are overly dramatic for my taste, but this is totally subjective. The cardstock (I have the 2018/6th edition) is very thin and prone to chipping, but it shuffles like a dream.
Overall I am very happy to have this deck in my collection.

[Mel Salvador · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has never been drawn to vampires, I had no desire to buy The Tarot of Vampyres. But, I kept hearing about the amazing accompanying book, so I finally relented. I am so glad I did. The book is everything people had said about it and so much more. It drew me in completely and now I cannot imagine not having this deck in my collection. It is one of the most empowering decks I own.

To see a wide range of card images and to read my full review visit https://mjstarot.com/the-tarot-of-vam...

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick impressions: In terms of value and substance, this is one of the best Tarot sets in my collection. I am very glad to own it and look forward to keep using it. It's one of those decks you discover new things with each use, and it does draw you in. I would not label this as a beginner deck, but if you are a beginner and choose this deck, if you put in the work you can work it. It's more for intermediate and advanced cartomancers. I do strongly recommend.

(Full review on my blog later)

[Berna Labourdette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Además de los bellos dibujos de las cartas, Daniels escribe un libro muy interesante (que le pone como título Fantasmagoría) como complemento al tarot, que analiza los significados según el mito del vampiro y la cábala. Hay muchísima información sobre símbolos muy bien explicada, además de tiradas propuestas que funcionan. Para los aficionados al tema de los vampiros (como yo), ya es una gran compra y sí además les interesa el tarot, mejor aún. 

[Terri Strange · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book and deck are very powerful. The book explains so much of the depth and complexity of certain concepts in tarot I had trouble grasping before coming upon it.

[Mariea Coady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice dark deck .... vampire galore

[Amir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gg

[Baroness · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had an instant connection with this beautiful tarot deck.

[アレツクス コツト · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beginner here. But this deck is absolutely amazing. the artwork on the cards are gorgeous and unique individually in their own way. It was love at first sight when I saw these cards at the store. I felt myself staring at them and becoming more and more curious about what they are. the best birthday present ever. I have felt really good after bonding with my cards and connecting with them. at first i felt a little discomfort and some minor pain when I bonded with them the first week after purchase and now I feel great working with them. the book gives lots of useful information that has really helped me understand the cards as these are the very first cards I've gotten. I now understand and see the misunderstandings people associate with tarot cards these days. I feel great after every reading and am glad I can practice. I recommend to all who are curious and beginners as well as those that are more experienced.

[Joaquin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely cards, i star working on then using the nice book that is included.

If you search you could find the pdf spanish version on the editor ( http://edicionesobelisco.com/compleme... )

[Drae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my main deck I'm working with now. At first, the book was a little bewildering. There are no pictures of the cards inside and the reading is quite dense. I picked it up again recently and the whole thing seemed to open up to me.

I guess it was time.

[Ally A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite deck of all time. Also, this is the BEST guidebook I’ve ever come across. Perfect to really get to the root of any issue, or get really in depth advice. Love it!! 💗💗