The Dark Mansion Tarot
The Dark Mansion tarot was created in 2018 by illustrator Magdalena Kaczan and Krzysztof Wasiuk, founder of Taroteca Studios. An enormous amount of thought went into every inch of the finished product. Wasiuk states that he wanted to create something that was not only uniquely beautiful but useable and intuitive. It comes in a sturdy side-opening box that has a weirdly soft texture. There is no booklet, not even a tiny white one. The deck is available in blue or brown. I bought the brown set with the dreadful gilded edging, and the cards are laminated. I know it looks stunning when you first get them out of the box, so I completely understand the impulse to use the gilded edging, but honestly, I wish deck creators would just leave them plain. The gold comes off too quickly and makes the set look tatty in no time. The artwork is consistent throughout the deck, and the minor arcana are detailed. Most people would call it Burton-esque, and I can see why, but Burton's stuff tends to be darker, with more depth and less detail.
The major arcana stay close to the Rider-Waite depictions, so it is a deck suitable for beginners. I want to talk about a few of the cards and will begin with The Lovers. It’s an interesting depiction because we have a man and a woman staring intently at one another in front of a stone statue of an angel. A snake slithers around one of the angel’s wings. A third character, a woman in blue, stands with her arms folded and side-eyeing the man from behind the statue’s base. What is interesting is the positioning of the angel. She is not standing over the couple but facing off to the side and away from them. Do we have an indicator that the couple has no divine protection for their union? The snake is one of those symbols with various meanings. In some cultures, it is seen as a symbol of regeneration, fertility, and creativity. In Western culture, we tend to view it with suspicion and regard it as symbolic of betrayal or sneaky behaviour. The imagery on this card appears to imply a threat to the relationship. This is not a happy lovers card.
Some short thoughts of a few other major arcana cards: I like The Chariot card with its Victorian gothic horse-drawn carriage driven down a narrow street with crooked houses. It reminds me of a street called The Shambles, York, full of medieval buildings with overhanging upper floors. The only thing missing is a cobbled road. I notice the one on the card is very smooth-looking and wonder if this could imply there are no bumps in the road ahead, metaphorically speaking. In the Strength card, a woman physically leans on a lion that is showing its teeth and claws. This variation suggests that it’s a good time to rely on one’s inner resources such as willpower and, well, strength. The showing of teeth and claws can be interpreted as a sign that you can do the same yourself. Show your power if it’s needed. The Hermit is a sweet card. The old man is a very appropriate visual representation of the wisdom aspect of this card. His little lamp symbolises illumination, and he has an aged crow sitting on his shoulder, emphasising the need to do some thinking. The books on the bookcase in the background reinforce the message of wisdom. Look closer, and you’ll see a sand timer on the shelf; does this suggest time is limited? The moon is in the last quarter, so there could be a suggestion that enough time has passed to acquire knowledge. The situation is not new. I don’t know if Death looks bored or melancholic. He’s sitting on top of a grave in the cemetery. It seems like he’s actively waiting but has possibly been there for some time. This Death card could suggest that an ending is long overdue. I wonder if The Hermit card is the early warning in this deck. Curious indeed. The Devil is shown as a woman sitting on a throne inside a church. She looks seductive in her long red dress, and I definitely get the vibe that the card is cautioning against being seduced by the material realm.
Judgement breaks with tradition slightly and shows a celebration of happy couples. I say slightly because the couples are all skeletons, which ties in with the contemporary interpretation of something coming back from the dead. I used to see Judgement as a card more symbolic of an inner calling. A typical artistic interpretation will often include an angel blowing a trumpet to summon the souls of the dead. Although, we still have an angel here, albeit with a saxophone. Like The Magician, Judgement is one of those cards whose meaning appears to be slipping away. Anyone watching the readers on Youtube will notice that they’ll often say Judgement is someone coming back from the past. Traditionally, it was a card that made it clear (if you weren’t already aware) that it was time for radical self-honesty. Most of the time, when this card appears in your reading, you are more than aware that you feel compelled to get back into your authenticity. If you’ve been lying to yourself, this is where you realise you can’t fool yourself any longer. It does have a connection to resurrection, but it’s usually of a spiritual nature. The resurrection usually involves an aspect of yourself that you’ve suppressed. Do old lovers return with this card? No. Not really. I’d be tempted to view the couples dancing as symbolic of a successful inner union between two opposing aspects of the psyche. This card strongly correlates to Pluto, but more than anything, Pluto represents the renewal and rebirth of existing things. It’s not your ex from two years ago, and neither is it the crush who barely knows you. Pluto is said to reveal all that is hidden, but it’s the stuff you hide from yourself that will typically come to the surface. I really like the imagery on this one. It’s very positive, if not a little macabre, but then that’s Judgement all over.
The minor arcana are nicely illustrated. Of all the suits, I’m torn between the cups and swords as a favourite. The two of cups stays traditional, with its loved-up couple gazing adoringly at one another. We have a cutesy pair of birds sitting on a tree branch above them. Wonderful. Until you spot the shiny red apple above the man’s head with a worm crawling through it. It’s usually a card that symbolises reciprocity in love, but that apple has me wondering if there’s a suggestion of going after low-hanging fruit. The four of cups is an unmistakable impression of someone ignoring the love being offered. A man sits on a cold stone floor staring at three cups; he looks bored and dissatisfied. He’s oblivious to the hand holding the fourth cup behind him. He needs to turn around and look behind. I do not advocate looking to the past, yet I think this card suggests precisely that. Maybe there’s a need to see how far one has come. The seven of cups makes it clear this is a card to highlight the current choices on offer. The seven cups are each filled with something different, but what will you choose? It’s another notoriously problematic card because it usually appears when we’re being delusional in some way. Maybe, though, part of the problem is that we are just looking and not really interested. Are we attracting the unattainable because we don’t want to put our money where our mouth is? The artwork for the eight of cups leaves no uncertainty that someone is walking away. The ship has definitely sailed, and while most of the cups remain upright, the woman has wandered off, leaving them behind, and what’s more, she isn’t looking back.
I like the imagery for the three of swords; it’s something different. The lock of hair in the locket is quite sweet. This style was popular during the 18th century and was worn to represent the love for someone who had died. From that, we can take that the card’s meaning predominantly concerns grief and the loss of someone close. It isn’t usually a physical death that has caused the separation; just an ending of a special relationship or it could indicate being apart from someone you have love for. Defensiveness is a strong theme for the five of swords. The man has won the battle but seems to be anticipating further conflict with his stance. We have our classic Mr Sneaky Bastard for the seven of swords. I don’t think it could be any clearer that whoever gets this in a reading needs to be on their guard. It doesn’t have to be an object at risk of being stolen; it can be time and energy. The nine of swords sticks with tradition and shows a woman struggling to sleep because of a scary shadow. The monster has come out from under the bed. Is it real, though? Or is it just fears playing havoc with the mind? Pain and ruin are evident with the ten of swords. The skeleton is on his knees with his head in his hands. The imagery suggests that it’s time for healing, and the help of others may be required; he’s not going to get those swords out of his back by himself.
A circus performer balances gracefully on a rope for the two of wands, and I wonder if it implies that someone either is or needs to put on a performance. It’s all very theatrical and dramatic. This card correlates to Mars in Aries, which tells us that bold and brave action is needed. I like the art, but I’m not sure it gives much to go on for interpretation. I get a feeling of indecision or balance from it, but neither are considered notable fire (wands) qualities. The three of wands shows someone playing the old waiting game, and I still need to figure out where that came from. I like the unusually romantic scenery for the four of wands, but does it relay the meaning? It’s a card that indicates being on the right path, having your shit together, and having a strong sense of completion. I can kind of see it, but it’s also missing something. I love the vibrancy of the eight of wands. The girl riding the wand through the sky looks happy and comfortable. The artist nails it by dressing her as a postmistress, and I love the addition of the black cat to show the instinct. The ten of wands is a traditional representation, and the owl in the tree is a nice touch. It could symbolise the wisdom often achieved during and soon after a struggle. This card has the astrological correlation of Saturn in Sagittarius, and Saturn is all about those burdens and responsibilities.
The pentacles are pretty solid throughout and mostly stay close to traditional interpretations. The two men standing behind third and watching him work for the three of pentacles gives us a good clean impression of someone being watched at work for all the right reasons. The misery-looking coin-hoarding man in the four of pentacles leaves no uncertainty of underlying greed being a potential issue. And, I like that the five of pentacles emphasises the weather and shows a blizzard. The charitable aspect of the six of pentacles is highlighted, and we can see a set of scales on a signpost above the head of a child receiving a coin from a well-dressed woman. The balance aspect stresses the need to correct an imbalance rather than make everything fair. The seven of pentacles is one of those cards that can mean one of two very different things depending on who is reading. One group will say it’s about waiting for the harvest, and others will say the crop is already ripe for picking. This card shows a happy farmer with the fruits of his labour in front of him. This deck is clearly on the side that says the harvest is ready. I appreciate the woman in pink for the nine of pentacles. She looks content to be alone and is surrounded by growth. The splendid-looking house in the background could suggest stability and previous success. The woman has a bird for company, which could imply a fondness for nature over the company of humans.
It’s a lovely deck with gorgeous artwork. Halfway through looking at the cups, I realised how much I loved the use of the colour red throughout the deck. It’s a great deck for beginners but a little expensive for what you get. For the price you pay, it really should have a book to go alongside. The Shadowland Tarot comes in cheaper with a huge book and is of similar stature. I can see why it’s popular with experienced readers, too. Besides the gold edging, it’s clearly made to be used regularly. I’d like to see a mass-market version along the lines of The Wonderland Tarot. It would make it more affordable and easier to replace the cards once they get ruined by frequent shuffling. Fifty quid plus postage is excessive; I want a version in a tuck box for under £20. In fact, I’d like to see all expensive decks with a cheap version that isn’t produced by some dodgy knock-off merchant. It’s always a shame to ruin a beautiful deck, and we can’t all afford to buy two copies. Choosing between using it or leaving it on a shelf is an awful dilemma. Or maybe that’s just me.
