The Tattoo Tarot was a Christmas gift from Daddy Maxwell, one that I had spotted several weeks prior on a shelf in, of all places, Spencer’s Gifts. Immediately, I fell under its spell.

It is illustrated by Megamunden, a UK-based illustrator according to the booklet text. The booklet itself was written by Diana McMahon Collis, tarot reader for 30 years and co-founder of the Tarot Association of the British Isles. She also offers professional readings through the Circle of Professional Clairvoyants and through her website http://mindbliss.co.uk. They co-developed the Tattoo Tarot and it hit shelves in 2018.

Megamunden certainly threw his weight behind the illustrations in this deck! Every card is singularly visually captivating with its tattooed subjects and modern aesthetic. The colors and some of the visuals that the deck uses bring traditional Native American artwork heavily to my mind. Prime examples would be many of the Major Arcana, especially the Hermit, Temperance, Magician, and Justice cards.

The cards themselves are made of cardstock thicker than I’m used to seeing from a tarot or oracle deck. This makes it a little bit more difficult to shuffle for me personally because I have smaller hands. That’s not going to be an issue for everyone but it is something to keep in mind. However, even for me, it’s certainly not a deal breaker for this beautifully illustrated deck.

The way I got around it was I cut the deck in half, shuffled it then swapped it out with a half from the other half-deck stack, shuffled again, swapped it out for another half, and so on until I felt that it was shuffled well. So for you who are similarly dexterously handicapped this is one way you could go about it.

One thing I noticed rather quickly, not with the deck itself, but with the booklet that accompanied it, was that unlike other tarot sets, this one features the Minor Arcana first. And why not? There are far more of them than there are the majors. Something that this one does that many others don’t is that it goes into a general meaning for not only the suits but the numbers as well so you’re learning very general tarot information as well as deck specific information.

I feel good and solid about how my reading went with this deck. I didn’t get that immediately put off feeling that I’ve had with decks that just would not work with me (as has happened with two others in the past). Rather, my feelings with this deck were more along the lines of amused curiosity. Overall I would say as a deck for reading, this one is a sturdy and reliable companion. Of course that IS going to vary from person-to-person, as most of us well know by now. The Hermetic deck that bonded so beautifully with a good friend of mine, nearly makes my hands crawl off of my body.

Fortunately, tarot decks are just as variable as cities and countries. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing where the future takes me with this one!

With Peace and Passion!

Ta!

The Tattoo Tarot can be purchased at Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Tattoo-Tarot-Intuition-Diana-McMahon-Collins/dp/1786272059/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=tattoo+tarot&qid=1578609293&sr=8-1

At Barnes and Noble here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tattoo-tarot-diana-mcmahon-collins/1130000713?ean=9781786272058

And is also available at Spencer’s Gifts!