A distant cousin of our beloved Hops & Barley, Essential is a classic deck of cards with an ornate botanical theme, playful colours and some hidden depths. For Essential we wanted to experiment a little, and some of its less obvious features are… Crushed olive dual-tone tuck box with interior gold foil. The inside of the box is made from a special paper stock with crushed olive residue Transparent foiling in multiple layers to create the glass bottle effect on the fronts The first filled backgrounds on any Jocu court cards

A distant cousin of our beloved Hops & Barley, Essential is a classic deck of cards with an ornate botanical theme, playful colours and some hidden depths. For Essential we wanted to experiment a little, and some of its less obvious features are… Crushed olive dual-tone tuck box with interior gold foil. The inside of the box is made from a special paper stock with crushed olive residue Transparent foiling in multiple layers to create the glass bottle effect on the fronts The first filled backgrounds on any Jocu court cards

Scans of each card can be seen at www.marytcusack.com/maryc/decks/html/Tarot/Essential.html

Created by Chilean artist Pablo Montt, this incredible deck represents the powerful symbols of tarot in their most pure, essential form. Conceptually evocative and spiritually transformative, these cards provide an amazingly clear experience when reading; the simple illustrations allow more and more of the reader's intuition and experience to fill the cards, creating a uniquely rich perspective. This deck is perfect for learning the meaning of the tarot symbols, too. When you discover the raw energy that flows from pure symbols, your intuitive senses will awaken and you will experience the deep insights that you desire.

Scans of each card can be seen at http://www.marytcusack.com/maryc/decks/html/Tarot/Essential2.html

Taking inspiration from the archetypes of the original tarot decks like the Rider-Waite, The Essential Tarot reimagines them for a new age: powerful, diverse, and full of contemporary wisdom. As depicted by many artists and authors throughout the ages, tarot has become an effective way to understand yourself and others—and perhaps even look into the future. But a new audience for tarot is being born, and its adherents want a new way to see the world: fresh, contemporary, and full of diverse bodies, races, and genders, acknowledging the spiritual and cultural offerings of people around the globe and throughout history. These practitioners need an essential deck that both honors the tradition of tarot that has given power to readers for generations and also gives them insight and hope for the generations to come.