Major Arcana

Tarot of the Spirit
Published by: U.S. Games Systems Inc, 1992
ISBN: 0-88079-544-1

The Tarot of the Spirit deck was conceived by Pamela Eakins, with painted artwork by Joyce Eakins (Pamela’s mother).  Tarot of the Spirit (hereinafter referred to as TOS) was first published in 1992 by U.S. Games.  The deck also comes with an in-depth companion book (424 pages, including an index), also written by Pamela Eakins, and published by Samuel Weiser.  It is an excellent Tarot book in its own right, providing detailed explorations of each card, including sections on divinatory meanings, meditations, interpretations, and card symbology.  There is also a little white book (LWB) that comes with the deck. 

I enjoy the Tarot of the Spirit deck because of its uplifting energies and expressive evocative artwork.   TOS is often described as similar to the Crowley/Harris Thoth deck, and I find TOS to be an excellent companion and/or balance to Thoth’s bold zestiness.  TOS is subtle, soothing, glowing, flowing, passionate and compassionate. 

TOS features a mostly traditional Major Arcana with a nontraditional Minor Arcana.  The Major cards that differ in name from the traditional are: I – Magus (Magician), XI – Karma (Justice), XX – Resurrection (Judgment), and XXI – Universe (World).  The Minor Arcana use the nontraditional yet common elemental suit names of Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth (as opposed to Wands, Cups, Swords, and Disks).  Also divergent are the names of the court or face cards:  Father, Mother, Brother, Sister instead of King, Queen, Prince, Princess.  However, none of this divergence interferes with relating to and understanding the cards from a traditional perspective.

All the cards have a simple white border around the painting on the card.  The Majors have the Roman numeral of the card on the top, and the name of the card on the bottom.  Conversely, the Minors have the name of the card at the top (for example, Eight of Fire), while on the bottom there is a keyword or words (for example, Lightning Path).  I’m not a big fan of keywords on cards; they are good to have when you are first getting to know a deck, but they tend to narrow your perceptions of the card when you are seeking personal insights.  The artwork on the Minors depicts creative illustrative arrangements of the suit tokens.  The Face cards have the name of the card at the top, and the suit name at the bottom.  There is also an extra “Mystery Card” included with TOS.

The backs of the TOS cards depict a watery blue ellipse on a black background, within which is a multicolored braided uroborous snake swallowing its tail.  Within the ellipse is multi-geometric construction of a square within a circle within a square.  At the very center of the design is a yellow glowing eye or sun.  The backs are reversible. 

Here are a few key descriptive quotes on TOS, from the companion book: 

“Tarot of the Spirit reveals the tarot as a complex yet beautifully simple and refined system for describing the psyche.  It leads the student of tarot on a transformational journey of the soul through meditation and divination.  Centered on the Qabalistic Tree of Life, TOS is neither dark nor light, neither chauvinist nor feminist – it is a guide for those seeking lasting balance in their lives.”

 “This new deck and new symbolism clearly explore the Minor Arcana as a representation of the four components of life: spirit, emotion, intellect, and body; while it reveals the Major Arcana to be the keys that can unlock our emotional response patterns to the symbolic universe in which we live.  Through the 78 cards… we can reach an altered state of consciousness, necessary for our spiritual transformation to begin.” 

“Its reason for being is to provide assistance for inner awakening and continued spiritual practice.”

 Tarot of the Spirit combines Pamela Eakins’ spiritual and analytical insights with Joyce Eakins’ impressionistic artwork, resulting in a deck that is both powerful yet personal.