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author: Tracy Hoover
suits: Swords, Staves (Wands), Cups, Sacred Circles (Pentacles)
Ancestral Path is based on the fundamental structure of Tarot. The notable exceptions being the juxta-position of Strength and Justice, and the renaming of The Hanged Man to The Hanged One. (The Wheel of Fortune becomes simply the Wheel - a very minor change.)
The four suits are depicted as representing the four racial divisions: yellow transforms to the Japanese ancestry for the Swords, black transforms into the Egyptian ancestry portrayed by the Staves, white transforms into the British ancestry of the Cups, and red transforms into the Native Amrican ancestry of the Sacred Circles.
Each suit tells a story: the Swords details the Ainu people's relationship to their bear god, to each other, and to the Japanese culture. Staves relates the Osirian myth of death and resurrection, Cups relates to the Arthurian/Grail myths and Sacred Circles depicts a vision quest.
Aces are seen as the raw elemental power of each suit - air for Swords, Fire for Staves, water for Cups and earth for the Sacred Circles. Each ace is depicted with the symbol of it's suit - the feudal sword of ancient Japan for the Swords, the ankh for the Egyptian staff, The Grail for the Cups and the drum for the Sacred Circles. Each symbol speaks specifically to what was important and honored in these cultures.
I find myself drawn full force to the Sacred Circles. Yes, I have always had an interest in Native American culture - but this goes beyond that. Julie has done such deep research that her portrayal of these cultures is resounding. The cards flow - there is no learning curve if this deck resonates with you. (Julie also appears as the subject of several of the cards, including the High Priestess and the Empress.)
The LWB (the booklet accompanying the deck) presents some very good explanations of the meanings for the deck, as well as presenting the traditional Celtic Cross spread. I have not seen it yet, but I understand that Tracy Hoover has a book that goes with this deck that describes what is going on story wise in each card, along with a chart that gives a time period for each of the cards. (The book ISBN is 0-88079-176-4).
I would reccomend this deck to anyone looking for a beautiful artwork, or for anyone interested in the role ancestors play in our lives. In my opinion, there would be no problem for someone new to Tarot, or someone well versed in Tarot, reading with this deck. It has certainly been an enjoyable experience for me.
Illustrations from the Morgan-Greer, Tarot of the Cat People and Tarot of the Witches decks reproduced by permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902 USA. Copyrights ©1993, 1985 and 1974 respectively by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Further reproduction prohibited.
November 2000
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