The Tarot of Vampyres Cards – September 8, 2010

"Our mind is adept at using irrational fears to protect itself from unknown primal emotions and instincts. We become rooted in a fear of the `other'--whether it be fear of others who seem different than us, unresolved psychological issues, or fears about our place in the natural cycles of life and death, love and separation. One of our biggest fears as humans is the fear of loss, whether of the self or of a loved one. On a personal, the fear of losing the self often reveals itself when we experience romantic love. The Vampyre myth illustrates this idea with relish...Our conscious mind resists such surrender for fear of losing our identity, while our unconscious hungers for release from the tight grip of the ego, into a place of boundless love and belonging." - From Phantasmagoria, the companion book to the Vampyre Tarot by Ian DanielsFirey crosses and bloodstained lips, pallid creatures and hairy horned beasts, purple roses and ornate skulls--this is the stuff of the Vampyre Tarot.While the Vampyre Tarot by Ian Daniels isn't the first Gothic, vampire-themed Tarot to enter the marketplace, it's arguably the finest--thanks to both the superb card illustrations and the exceptional 301-page companion book.A veritable (blood) feast for those who love vampires, the Vampyre Tarot box set delights the eyes with unexpected coloring (emerald roses!), painting effects (airbrush glows!), intricate details (dress fringe!) and photorealistic renderings of human, animal and beast.In fact, the Vampyre Tarot may very well enchant those lacking interest in the vampire craze or so-called "dark" decks. I know this first-hand, because I'm now under its spell! Never expecting to be so enamored with a vampire deck, I find myself grabbing for these cards for most personal readings these days. It reads so clearly and honestly, and I admire its unusual, dynamic perspective on familiar archetypes.Measuring approximately 4 ¾ x 2 ¾ inches, the cards of the Vampyre Tarot feature a thin black border around the illustrations and an ornate stonework banner at the bottom. The Major Arcana lacks numbering and the Minor suits follow the designation of Knives (Swords), Scepters (Wands), Grails (Cups) and Skulls (Pentacles). The almost-but-not-quite reversible backings depict thorny, intertwined branches with a red rose in the middle, and the background looks to be blood-spattered stone (a grave marker, perhaps?).It would be enough to own this lavish deck, but the Phantasmagoria book is (far) beyond most deck companions. You'll not find fluff here, although Ian Daniels (who also wrote the book) possesses poetic prowess (say THAT three times fast!). Nor will you find a shallow understanding of Tarot and related metaphysical fields (as in many Llewellyn Tarot deck companion books--and you KNOW what I mean).What IS remarkable about the Vampyre Tarot companion is its intelligence, insight and perspective--on both Tarot AND esoteric wisdom.You'll find solid Kabbalistic correlations and explanations in Phantasmagoria, as well as astrological and numerological considerations.But what I find especially impressive about Phantasmagoria is the author's spiritual and psychological understanding of the vampire mythos and how it relates to everyday life--including human longing, fears and responses. The way he correlates these profound insights with each Tarot card--weaving in numerological, Kabbalistic, astrological and Jungian considerations--truly an amazing treat.Absorbing, profound, informative, illuminating--all these words apply to the companion book. What an incredible surprise for me! And the cards? Can bloody figures be beautiful? Can demonic creatures be beguiling? Can skulls be lovely, graveyards inviting and dead branches alluring? Can vampire cards be--dare I say it--spiritual? Yes!If you cross hand-painted versions of Ciro Marchetti's detailed digital art (especially fabric fringing and metal work) with Will Worthington's sumptuous egg tempera pieces--and apply that to gothic creatures and landscapes--you'll get an idea of the luscious illustrations in the Vampyre Tarot.I have only two minor criticisms of this box set: firstly, the companion book does NOT contain grayscale replications of each card. If you're like me and enjoy reading a companion book without having to lug around the actual cards (say, as your relaxing outside), then this is a bit of a pain (although Daniels does adequately describe most cards).Also, I feel that such a fine box set deserved an ornate bag--or ANY bag, really. However, all we get is the plain white cardboard box to store the cards. Speaking of cards, make sure you check your set! Mine was missing the 9 of Scepters, but had two 10 of Scepters cards. After emailing Llewellyn Customer Service a super-friendly and competent gal named Jackie responded right back and I had a replacement card within a week (not to mention great recommends on Flux titles and some catalogues!).Having said that, the Vampyre Tarot blows away brethren decks like Bob Place's Vampire Tarot (don't like it) and the Bohemian Gothic Tarot (can't compete with this set). However, I will say that I adore the art of the CGI Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night just as well as the Vampyre Tarot--or maybe a bit more so, because I feel that Davide Corsi's deck displays a bit more variety than the Vampyre Tarot (for example, older vampires, half-bat creatures, coffins and range of emotion).If you're into vampires, you must get the Vampyre Tarot ASAP (if you already haven't). The companion book is packed with card meanings, symbolism, spreads, alchemical correlations, personal card portraits and charts. Even if you're not "into" vampires (I'm not), you may find this box set a special, unexpected treasure; at the very least, it would be great for Halloween readings or to have as an art deck!(To see 18 large, full-color cards from this deck, visit the REVIEWS--DECKS section at [...])-- Janet Boyer, author of Back in Time Tarot

I love this deck so much!I see why it’s a favorite of many card readers!I really feel each picture holds so much meaning!I highly recommend!!

This is Hands-Down my favorite deck!The Tarot of Vampyres is a tarot deck and book set heavily inspired by the symbolism of the Thoth tarot. It is laden with symbols and rich imagery that provide a complete picture of the matters the seeker is asking about.Ian Daniels is an amazing artist with a new project in the wings. His artwork is phenomenal and there is only one card in this deck that I'm not partial to (the nine of grails) because the appearance of the woman is particularly uncomfortable for me.This is a DARK DECK, and its symbolism is deep and connected with the Golden Dawn traditions and Alistair Crowley's writings. Seekers should be aware that this is NOT a RWS (Rider-Waite-Smith) deck and that everything from the images to the symbols have a much darker feel to them. As Mr. Daniels writes in his amazing book Phantasmagoria (accompanying the deck), the purpose of these cards is to draw out the darker parts of ourselves and to reveal the hidden parts of our nature.As a result, I feel that this deck does an outstanding job of offering good, relevant advice to the seeker. No deck has ever spoken to me more than this deck, and I highly recommend it for those who are interested in working with darker symbolism and imagery, as well as committed enough to explore the underlying astrology and numerology of this deck.Some things you may wish to note:Card stock is relatively thin. I didn't like this at first but later realized that it makes the cards easier to handle for me. The stock is NOT cheap, though it is THIN. This is something to bear in mind, compared to other decks.Cards do not come with a storage box. They will come cellophane-wrapped inside of a much larger box inside a box. You'll need to get some kind of storage box or bag for your cards. Please don't rubber band them.The accompanying book is the best I've ever received with a deck of tarot cards and provides amply study opportunities with the deck. However, it does not provide illustrations of the cards, either black and white or in color, and some users have been upset about this.

I bought this as a back up copy since the deck was going out of print. Hopefully it comes back into print as I can't imagine new tarot readers not having access to this gem.

The publisher decided to let this go out of print recently (July 2024), which is utter madness. This is one of the very best decks Llewellyn had in their line-up, probably one of the very best of all the mass market decks across all publishers.Yes, the artwork is cheesy, but trust me: get it. I resisted this deck for years, thinking the artwork was just not my cup of tea. Finally, after having it strongly recommended by a number of people, I got it and am so very glad I did.Excellent deck, but even moreso: a fantastic guidebook. Light years beyond what you get in most decks. Most newer boxed-set decks coming out these days have giant books full of oversized colour photos and only as much (or less) text as could easily fit in a standard little white book in a little tuckbox deck. (Which is to say: lots and lots of filler, wasting so much paper and space.) THIS guidebook is not that, not at all. It is a whole educational course in tarot in one book. Cram-packed with information, not just about this deck in particular, but that also applies to tarot as a whole.Best deck out there for anyone who has learned the basics of the RWS and wants to branch out into deeper, more esoteric tarot studies -- or who is looking to add a 'shadow work' dimension to their tarot practice. You'll get a taste of the Thoth deck from this, and you'll learn so much about astrological and Kabbalistic tarot as well.Llewellyn has made a grave error dropping this deck in favour of their much fluffier, less deep, less informative "Tarot of the Vampires" by Chas Harrington (with Vampires spelled with an 'i' not a 'y'). Nothing against Harrington, but that new deck is Diet Tarot. The folks at Llewellyn seem to think that one vampire theme deck is just as good as another, which shows they have absolutely no idea the depth and vastly superior quality that this deck holds. So they have let this one go into 'out of print' status.Right now, as of August 2024, there are still copies available at normal retail price. Once those copies sell out and this becomes only available on the secondary market, prices will go up and it may become much harder to obtain. Buy it now while you still can. (Just make sure to get this one not the newer inferior one. 'Vampyres' not 'Vampires'.)Heck, do what I did & buy a second copy as a backup for when you eventually wear the first one out!

Esun tarot muy bien diseñado. No es el típico que copia los diseños RWS; son originales y aunque a primera vista pueden parecer muy simples, en realidad están muy bien pensados y llenos de detalles simbólicos de las correspondencias de todas las cartas. Es un gran Tarot.

The most beautiful, deep artwork that makes you feel the card meanings so deeply! It gets into the spirituality, depth and beauty of tarot! Artwork speaks to you so beautifully, deeply and clearly! The best deck, like no other…♥️♥️♥️

到着も早く、商品もとても綺麗な状態でした。また機会がありましたら、ご利用させて頂きたいと思います。ありがとうございました。

A beautifully illustrated deck completely dragged down & ruined by the rubbish cardstock as thin as loo-paper, from Llewellyn ... Have since found out, this the norm from this tarot publisher....These cards will never endure any type of shuffling at all . The cards in this deck came with chips, dings & white patches throughout, as in above photo...While the external packaging is quite sound & intack. In aust these are not cheap decks to purchase.. So if intending to buy Llewellyn tarot /oracles be aware of the very cheap & poor quality of the actual cards.