Reviews The Shapeshifter Tarot by D.J. Conway and Sirona Knight Art by Lisa Hunt Published by Llewellyn Browsing through the stunning art of Lisa Hunt in the Shapeshifter Tarot reminds me of the infinite possibilities and journeys we have before us. Using Celtic Shamanism as a guiding force for its symbolism, this deck is powerful and inspirational, and I am sure will become one of my most-used tools, despite the fact that I'm not generally attracted to things Celtic. Each card shows a human shapeshifter emerging from or merged with an animal, the earth and the environment. All manner of animals, real and mythological, grace the natural landscapes where the rocks have faces, and where every tree, plant and stream is alive with message and meaning. Alive is what best describes this deck for me. To be alive is to undertake a journey of change and transformation; to shapeshift in very real ways in our everyday lives. This would be a wonderful deck to use for questions and guidance about change and spiritual growth. I laid the cards in a series of 3-card spreads, asking specific questions about direction. Using the key words and my intuitive response to the images, I felt I had obtained an accurate series of readings. My reading of the text confirmed my own perceptions in most cases. However, for me this wasn't of major importance. I was concerned that the cards would bring inspiration and spark my intuition, and they did. The full length book in this set is also a really useful tool as it talks about the symbolism of each card and relates those symbols to the traditional tarot card. (There are a few extra cards added to the major arcana which are not directly related to the 78-card tarot we know, but they do add extra dimension to the Shapeshifter deck.) The book also includes some new spreads aimed at looking at life direction, finding animal totems and guidance, and personal issues. I didn't try these spreads, preferring my own 3-card method to begin, but I was interested in the Polarity Spread which involves consciously choosing the cards you like and dislike, rather than relying on randomness. That's for another time. I highly recommend this deck. Lilitu Babalon The Rock and Roll Tarot by Chris Paradis self-published edition The Rock and Roll Tarot by Chris Paradis is very clever. Only a person with a strong knowledge of and feel for the history of rock and roll and the personalities within it could have produced such a deck, and clearly Chris has done the research. The Rock and Roll Tarot is a great collector's deck but it is more than that. It’s also a fantastic reader’s deck. Chris has chosen as the four suits: guitars for air, albums for earth, muse for water and voice for fire. Within each suit, personalities and lyrics are chosen that manifest the energy of each particular card.  Hence the essence of Albums (Ace of earth) is represented by Cher, an earthy woman, singing "put your tiny hand in mine, there ain’t no hill or mountain we can’t climb".  Jimi Hendrix *is* the essence of air, "excuse me while I kiss the sky". The major arcana heave clearly received a lot of thought as well. Frank Zappa is the Magician, Tina Turner the High Priestess, Elvis Presley the Emperor, Madonna is Libido, John Lennon is Death. David Bowie represents the duality of the lovers. Nice. A person with more knowledge than me on the specifics of the history of rock and roll in the last fifty years will find even more meaning with the chosen ones. In the introduction to the deck, Chris Paradis speaks of the characters on the cards: "They reside in the temple of the Juke box and their lyrics invoke love, thought, passion and comfort." While this is not a deck I would use frequently, I can certainly envision some times when a reading such as these cards can give would be appropriate, especially at times when a more light-hearted view of the world is important. I really enjoy the sense of personal history the deck gives me, having grown up with the music of most of the musicians in this deck. The Rock and Roll Tarot is created with digital art and images, altered and recreated in Adobe Photoshop, and with the lyrics imposed on each card. The printing is limited to 500 decks so be quick. Lilitu Babalon