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The Tarot of Oz | 
 enlarge | Author: David Sexton
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $22.95
You Save: $2.00 (8%)
New (1) Used (2) from $17.93
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 61130
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 192
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 5 x 3.5 x 1.6
ISBN: 0738700894
Dewey Decimal Number: 133
EAN: 9780738700892
ASIN: 0738700894
Publication Date: May 1, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: New book and cards edition in slipcase, shrink wrapped, ships within 24 hr
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Product Description
The famous yellow-brick road is a fanciful variation of the hero's journey to self-discovery and the characters of Oz have been part of our culture for nearly one hundred years. Author L. Frank Baum tapped into many primal ideas and concepts when he wrote The Wizard of Oz. Today these archetypes continue to resonate strongly with the Tarot and within our psyches. This kit contains 78 full-colour cards and a mini-book.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Cute tarot cards.... October 3, 2007
M. Dirig (Binghamton, New York United States)
These cards are very creative and interesting. You have to read more than just "the Wizard of Oz" to know all of the figures depicted on the cards. The use of the big Oz on each card is very artistically pleasing. I think it is a great collectors deck. I do not think I'll use the deck for reading cards, though.
 We're Off to See the Wizard January 30, 2007
Janet Boyer (Pennsylvania)
"Whether we are seeking a home, as Dorothy might have found through the suit of Coins, or a brain, which the Scarecrow could have sought through the suit of Swords, whether we seek the Lion's courage in the suit of Wands, or the Tin Woodman's heart in the suit of Cups, the Tarot and the Yellow Brick Road move us forward in our journey to a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world we inhabit." - From the book
Although the Wizard of Oz is the most known work by Frank L. Baum, there are actually 15 additional books featuring Dorothy's journey to self-discovery. While most are familiar with the Emerald City and Dorothy's companions--Scarecrow, Lion, and Tin Woodsman--other whimsical (but not necessarily nice) characters and lands occupy the landscape of Baum's imagination.
In the Tarot of Oz, author and illustrator David Sexton mines rich, relevant archetypal lessons buried within Baum's fanciful tales and correlates them with the ancient wisdom of Tarot. Sweet Jack Pumpkinhead, who sacrifices himself many times to save his friends, makes an especially appropriate Hanged Man, while the clockwork mind of Tik-Tok the machine man mirrors the theme of Justice as he fights tirelessly to rescue the royal family and bring King Evoldo to justice.
Who among us hasn't been affected by the cyclone of change (The Wheel) or endured the sudden Deadly Desert experience of The Tower, where gritty, stinging hot sand seems to touch everything?
The Minor Arcana cleverly follows four story lines: Swords (Air) follows the adventures of a now intellectually superior Scarecrow (The Scarecrow of Oz), exploring themes of handling conflict and using your noggin. Wands (Fire) depict Lion (The Magic of Oz) leading a colorful team of characters on a quest, exploring the realms of creativity and using our own will.
Cups (Water) teach us lessons about love and emotion as the Tin Woodman of Oz searches for Nimmie Amee with his friends. Stones (Earth)--a path often focusing on monetary pursuits, career matters, or simple aspects of home--are explored as Dorothy (Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz) makes her way back to Oz when she tumbles deep into the Earth via a California earthquakes, resulting in several subterranean adventures.
The Tarot of Oz comes with a 78-card deck in its own box nestled in a slipcase, which also contains a 180-page bound mini-book. There are two extra cards detailing the 9-card Yellow Brick Road Spread. Measuring approximately 4 x 3 inches, the cards feature a stylized OZ in the background of each image with dual suit symbols on the Minor Arcana. Card backings, showing the same OZ motif with all four suit symbols, are NOT reversible.
Even if you're only familiar with the most famous Baum story (like me), Sexton does a wonderful job correlating plot details from the other books with the theme of each card--often with eerie appropriateness.
For example, The Lovers depict Nimmie Amee and Chopfyt. Originally, Nimmie was in love with Nick Chopper (the Tin Woodman), who used an axe cursed by a witch. Every time he swung the axe, it would turn on him and chop off a body part--requiring him to get tin replacements until he was no longer human. Well, Nimmie fell in love with *another* man, a soldier named Captain Fyter, who suffered the same type of fate--except his sword was the cursed instrument.
Distraught over losing two suitors, Nimmie finds out that the smith who replaced the parts of both men not only kept the discarded human pieces--but also sewn them together to form a new man called Chopfyt. Nimmie fell instantly in love. Sexton writes of this card from the Tarot of Oz:
"As the Lovers, Nimmie and Chopfyt foreshadow a choice we will need to make between paths that may seem equally compelling. Careful consideration must be given before a decision can be made. Is it possible to find a choice that includes both possibilities as Nimmie did?"
If you ARE unfamiliar with the likes of Dr. Pipt, the Nome King, Ozma, Scraps the Patchwork Girl or Polychrome the Rainbow's Daughter, then you'll have to consult the mini-book for interpretation and insight, in my opinion. As such, I don't think the Tarot of Oz is a good deck for Tarot beginners, although it would make an appealing deck for those with a soft spot for Dorothy and company or fantastical whimsy.
(To see 10 images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)
Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)
The Wonderful Tarot of Oz April 20, 2005
Shloma ben Avram HaKohain (Michigan)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
David Sexton has presented a lovely deck based on the majority of the Oz books, of which there are now more than fifty. He does not even make an attempt at correlating them with the classic movie, which may make it difficult for people who are not extremely well acquainted with L. Frank Baum and his successors' Oz universe, but it is a blessing for those of us who are, as the deck is worlds more well-rounded than it would be otherwise.
Like other reviewers, however, I found that the correlation of the suit of swords with the Scarecrow and the wands with the Lion was not the most appropriate. I know that this discrepancy is based on some magickal systems which associate the sword with the element of air, and therefore the intellect, and wands with the element of fire, and therefore with virility, passion, conflict, and courage. Many modern occultists, however, agree that these associations were "blinds" created by ceremonial magicians to discern between those inside the fold and those outside. It certainly makes sense to me, as wands are a gentler magickal tool and would certainly be consumed by fire, whereas swords are forged and created by fire and are easily recognizeable as being associated with conflict. Still, even with this issue, the deck is lovely and very useful as a meditative and divinatory aid.
Again, those who are not and who don't plan on becoming well versed in the mythology of Oz in its entirety would probably find the imagery in this deck too obscure, and would certainly not be able to figure out what luminaries such as Santa Claus are doing in the deck, but those who love Oz, as I have for over 30 years, will find this exquisitely rendered deck a joy to peruse, and likely an excellent divinatory tool.
Postscript: For those who would like to use the deck and need to get acquainted with the world of Oz, or need to brush up on the series, Jack Snow's "Who's Who in Oz" is invaluable.
Vivid, imaginative, and thought-provoking! November 5, 2002
T. Edwards (Miami Beach, FL United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
What a breath of fresh air!I've been fascinated with tarot cards for years, but lately have become disenchanted with new decks that focus on dark, scary themes and monochromatic colors. Many times these decks come with a book equally foreboding and dull. The Tarot of Oz brings imagination and vivid colors to the Fool's journey in a whimsical and delightful tarot deck. It has been a pleasure to spend quiet time each day reflecting on life's lessons with these beautiful cards. Thank you, David Sexton, for rediscovering the Joy and Fun in tarot meditations!
 Most likely fine if you are well acquainted with Oz October 10, 2002
Winter Wren (Normal, IL USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Tarot of Oz is a 78 card deck with 8 Strength/11 Justice configuration. Wands signify Fire and Swords signify Air. Pentacles have become Stones. The cards measure 3.25 x 4.5 in size and are fully illustrated. The card back allows the reader to distinguish the card position from the back. The background image on all the cards is a large "O" with a smaller "Z" tucked inside the circle. The imagery on the cards draws more from the series of 15 Oz books than from the classic movie. For those who have not read the books, some of the imagery is likely not to be obvious. For someone who has neither read the books or seen the movie, the imagery is downright vague. Sexton's artwork is clear, clean, vivid and sharp. It is almost minimalist in content. The accompanying booklet is 180 pages and measures the same as the deck. It includes Sexton's Yellow Brick Road Spread of nine cards to clarify physical, emotional, intellectual and creative goals. In my opinion, read the Oz books before you read with this deck.
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