"Liber T Tarot of Stars Eternal" Deck Review

By Allan Ritchie, Certified Tarot Reader & active volunteer and member of the American Tarot Association.

My first impression of the Liber T Tarot of Stars Eternal Deck was that it is both intriguing and intimidating. Unsure how to begin to understand the imagery and symbolism it sat quietly in my collection for nearly six months. It took the devoted on-line fans of the deck to convince me to spend the time it would take to get into the deck. I decided to dive in by using it exclusively for a couple of months. I was determined to find out if it could be a reading deck or simply another deck in my collection.

The deck creator, Roberto Negrini, is an Italian Crowley expert. The artist, Andrea Serio, is widely known for his work on the Dante Tarot. Published by Lo Scarabeo, the Liber T is the same excellent size and quality as the majority of their decks. The numbering and naming of the Major trumps follow the Crowley-Harris tradition. The organization of the deck suits are Scepter (Wands), Cups, Swords and Spheres (Coins or Pentacles). The Court Cards are Princess, Prince, Queen, and Knight.

I am immediately impressed with the subtle beauty of the deck. With a softer rendering the Harris paintings of the Trumps, this deck displays an impressive depiction of the archetypes. Seiro’s images are clear and distinct but do not contain the emphasis on projective geometry that characterizes the Harris paintings. Likewise, the Aces and the Court Cards remain true to the Crowley Thoth Tarot symbolically. The student looking for an alternative deck for Thoth study may find this deck an approachable alternative.

The small cards carry the essential depictions of the pips from the Crowley-Harris deck but divert from the original by adding illustrated scenes to the cards. Negrini draws deeply on the Egyptian astrological Decans and mythology to create extremely vivid scenes. These scenes are frank depictions of violence, sexual activity of all flavors and esoteric symbolism and can elicit reactions ranging from shock and revulsion to wonder and confusion. Though it hampers some, the cards are a unique blended of the classic Thoth pips and stunning new symbolic scenes.

Challenges abound with this deck. The common disappointment with this deck is the desperate need for substantive companion literature. The effort that went into the deck's creation and structure is clear to anyone but some find this deck prohibitively confusing. There has been some impressive work done by a few fans in online forums to provide the novice with information but even that work is speculative and full of assumption and conjecture. In the end, the lack of support information has left this promising deck with low sales and on the verge of going out of print.

Each of the cards has a border that contains the title in six different languages but also contains the astrological association using the astrological glyphs. The original Crowley-Harris deck also contained the information in each painting often is unclear. Here it is clearly visible and accessible to the reader but this may have been at the cost of the card titles such as Love, Ruin, and Happiness that often appear on the cards as they do in the printings of the Crowley Thoth Tarot. 

Aside from the beautiful reinvention of the Harris paintings, my recommendation of this deck is due to its potential for the intuitive use rooted in solid traditional meanings. Each card is so full of thought provoking images that the reader’s intuition can literally feasts off the depth of the artistry. Mythological gods and goddesses, animals, beasts, icons and stories drip from the cards and repay the reader for the effort. Not for the faint of heart, this deck is an excellent deck to explore if even for a change of pace or a new challenge. Based on the substance of the Thoth system and crafted with the gateway of illustrated pips the Liber T may open new doors of discovery.

To contact Mr. Ritchie for further information, readings or Tarot chat, click here:   www.tarotcardscafe.com/page/page/5605256.htm

Allan Ritchie