The Tarot of Prague

Surrealist Andre Bréton once said that Prague is a magic city. It is a place historically filled with esoterica, art, the occult and those who practice astronomy, astrology and alchemy. Now Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov have given the world a glimpse of this world that touches a place in your soul by designing the Tarot of Prague.

This deck contains 79 cards that resemble a fairy tale come alive (there are two Death cards, one more intense than the other) in a heavy bound folder secured with gold ribbons. The cards are a collage or rich colors and photographs with elements of the traditional graphics of Bohemian playing cards. The deck is a lesson in the art, architecture and history of Prague. The artistic styles of the cards vary from photographs of marble statues, Medieval to Art Deco genres and mosaics. The cards are medium-sized, quite stiff, and unlike most decks, only lightly laminated. They fit the hand well and are easy to shuffle. The back of each card has a reversible design with a palindromic protection charm (it can be read left to right or right to left) in the outside borders. Mahony has written a larger 301-page paperback as an accompaniment to the deck.

A l little white book (LWB) is permanently attached to the back binder, so that if you choose to buy only the deck, it is complete in itself. I believe most readers will want to buy the set that includes the larger book because it gives much more information about the cards, including:

• Photographs from various places in Prague



• Historical information on the city and associated figures



• A brief description of the card



• A short interpretation (one paragraph)



• A full interpretation of eight to ten paragraphs

The first thing I did was to draw a card from the Major Arcana to gain insight about what Spirit wanted me to know. I drew The Chariot. It is a portrait of a mature, intense-looking woman in a crimson robe with a blue sash, driving a chariot pulled by two wild eagles. She is taken from the decorated ceiling of the Theology Hall at the Strahov Library. She is traveling along the Royal Route used by the Bohemian kings of Prague to travel to their coronation. One eagle is squawking at her, as if to question her authority. However this charioteer is calmly, successfully, in control. The message I get from Spirit is that I am to remain a woman of faith, be confident in my goals and continue to pursue them; I can also expect that there will be those who will “sqawk” at me and try to distract me but in the end I will reach my goals.

The second question I asked after shuffling the full deck was “What do my readers need to know?”. The answer came in the form of the Knight of Pentacles. This Knight is dressed in blue and the card is a mosaic taken from the Art Nouveau mosaic on the façade of the Municipal House. The message here is that there is a balance to be sought between patience and methodical work (which accomplishes much!) and taking some time to play and let your hair down. Let it all hang out! All work and no play is not healthy. Knights are about taking responsibility and this Knight certainly knows how to do that – perhaps too much! If you buy this deck, have FUN with it. Open yourself to the meaning and messages but also have fun with it.

At the back of Mahony’s book there is basic information about the Tarot, how to use it, and how to do readings with several spreads. There is even a special Tarot of Prague “Threshold Spread”.

The Major Arcana cards are titled but not numbered so you can decide for yourself where to place the Strength and Justice cards. Historically the Strength card has been 11, but in the Ride-Waite deck it is 8. Earlier I mentioned that there are two Death cards. One is a fully armored Death replete with staff and flag on the back of a horse, the other card presents a skeletal and robed Death, reclining with an arrow below a chaotic background scene.

The Tarot of Prague can be used for daily guidance with a Tarot journal, or for Tarot readings by users of all levels of ability. If you are an art of history aficionado, you will especially enjoy this deck.