RWS vs. Tarot of the New Vision

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Hello, everyone!  Today I'm doing a blog in the series of “RWS vs” and the purpose of this is that I like to sit down and compare a deck that’s based on Rider-Waite-Smith against a Rider-Waite-Smith deck.  I like to see where the images are the same and where they’re different. It’s typically something I like to do every time I get a deck that is based on Rider-Waite-Smith. I also do a bit of a review while I’m going through the deck and doing this comparison.

The decks I’m looking at today are the Tarot of the New Vision by Lo Scarabeo and Pietro Alligo (Authors), illustrators are Raul & Gianluca Cestaro against the Universal Waite Tarot Deck (RWS) by Stuart R. Kaplan (author), Pamela Colman Smith; Mary Hanson-Roberts (Illustrator).  First off, the card stock of Tarot of the New Vision is thinner than the already thin Universal Waite.  It is very easy to shuffle but it will also be easy to bend the cards.

I’m not a huge fan of the back of the New Vision deck.  It’s the Knight of Cups on there if you can’t make it out.  Both decks come with a little white book. Since the New Vision deck is a Lo Scarabeo it’s in several languages.  It has very little information in English. It doesn’t give more than the basic key words and I wouldn’t rely on it to help you out much with meanings.  I do have to say that the amount of detail in the New Vision deck is spectacular. The images are very crisp and clear which make them easier to see.

The New Vision deck surprised me.  It looks at things in the RWS world from a different perspective.  For example, in the standard RWS deck, the fool is captured from the front, like someone is standing in front of him taking the picture.  In the New Vision deck, someone is standing behind the fool taking a picture of the back of him that includes all the scenery and action that is happening in front of him.  This forces you to look at the deck from an entirely different view point. There are people and lots of activity that weren’t a part of the reality in a standard Ride-Waite-Smith deck.  Almost every scene was a nice surprise for me. It’s such a different energy than the RWS. It’s like a whole brand new deck.

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The New Vision cards are all on the left in these photos and the Universal Waite are on the right. Some of the cards that made me uneasy - The Knight of Wands (above left) you’ve got the knight charging a group of people that look like they’re coming in peace. This seems like overkill to me. Hopefully no one gets hurt when the knight charges in. For the Strength card (middle above), the woman is handling the lion with a light hand. The clouds are pretty to look at above her head, however, there is a snake slithering very close to her foot. Does she know it’s there or is she going to provoke it unknowingly? That makes me uncomfortable. Finally, you’ve got the 9 of Wands (above right). The man has survived the fight up to this point and is still on his feet, but we see a bear coming toward him. Is this going to be another battle that he’ll be able to win? The outcome is again, unclear.

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This next collection are cards that I appreciated. With the 3 of Wands (above left), I like the fact that a wagon train is being led by the man. I’ve always pictured the 3 of Wands as a card of yearning, but yearning alone. It’s nice to see that in the New Vision deck that the traveler is just one of many. He’s not alone. In the 4 of Swords (above middle), this is a time of rest and meditation. I find it comforting in the New Vision deck that there are two people watching over the knight while he’s meditating. I’m much more able to rest easy when I know someone is watching over me. Finally, the 6 of Cups - I like that there’s an older couple, perhaps grandparents, watching over the children. They are like guardian angels making sure the children are safe. This card was touching.

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This next group of cards completely changed the energy of the cards to something unexpected. The 3 of Swords (above left) looks like group suffering and grief as opposed to what normally seems like the grief of one person alone. While it’s nice to not suffer in grief alone, it can be harder to get past it if the entire group is suffering. In The Magician (above middle), the arrival of the monkey made me laugh. The Magician card typically is a very serious “let’s get down to business” card. The monkey literally throws a monkey wrench in there. It’s hard to be serious when you’re looking at a monkey. Finally, the 8 of Cups (above right) is usually a very quiet, peaceful and deliberate card to me. With the New Vision card, it seems like much more of a sacrifice to leave the celebration that is clearly behind the traveler.

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Finally, we’ve got a collection of cards that I just found disturbing. There were a lot of them. In the King of Sword (above left) with the baby left naked and alone on the ground, is something I really don’t like. If the parents are the ones kneeling in front of the King of Swords then I think the sacrifice that he’s requiring is more than I’d be willing to give. Next, who could rest in the 9 of Swords (above middle) when you’ve got that demon crawling at you from above? Typically in the 9 of Swords you’re completely absorbed internally but this New Vision depiction is warning you to keep your eyes open and be aware of what’s going on around you. In the Hanged Man (above right), there is an angry mob. This scene reminds me of the Crucifixion. Although it’s obvious to me that you can’t get in to this position alone, this card has always been a reminder to me to look at a situation from a different perspective. Being confronted by the angry mob, however, I get a much different feeling. It feels like you’ve been strung up because you’ve done something to anger the crowd and you’re going to suffer for it.

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Clothes in the RWS image were added using a gold paint pen after getting the deck home.

Clothes in the RWS image were added using a gold paint pen after getting the deck home.

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This last group of cards are more that I found disturbing. First, the Justice card (above left) where the two women are playing tug of war with the baby - who is the mother? Who should have the baby? Why are they fighting over it? The Devil card (above middle) is another where the tension just intensified. In the New Vision card the fires of the underworld are now close enough for the two to touch. The self-imposed prison of the RWS Devil card no longer seems as easy to escape. Finally, the Knave of Swords (above right) - I had to do a close-up of this one. It seems harmless enough until you notice he’s standing on a head (bottom right of image). Wha?? Like I said, disturbing.

As a whole I found this deck very surprising. I was expecting another gimmicky deck with very little new perspective to offer. Instead I discovered a deck that had a lot of original things to say. I started reading tarot over 25 years ago and not many decks in this time have surprised me as much as this one did. It is on the darker side and can be a little intense but if you like a deck that will make you feel something, this is certainly it.

RESOURCES USED IN THIS POST:

Tarot of the New Vision by Lo Scarabeo and Pietro Alligo (Authors), illustrators are Raul & Gianluca Cestaro

Universal Waite Tarot Deck by Stuart R. Kaplan (author), Pamela Colman Smith; Mary Hanson-Roberts (Illustrator)

Kim NixonHummingbirdtarot, hummingbird tarot, tarot, tarot reader, tarot card, tarot card reader, tarot cards, intuitive, tarot deck, tarot decks, experienced reader, experienced tarot reader, learning tarot, good decks for beginners, good tips for beginners, tarot reading, learn tarot, tarot tips, tarot secrets, rider waite tarot, rider waite smith, tarot lesson free, rws, RWS vs Tarot of the New Vision, Tarot of the New Vision1 Comment