The Mythic Tarot Set by Juliet Sharman-Burke & Liz Greene
A deck set review by Matt Brooks, CTR
© July 7, 1998

The Mythic Tarot Deck is a wonderful deck with beautiful pictures on every Card. Juliet Sharman-Burke & Liz Greene created the Deck. It’s available from the publisher, Eddison-Sadd Editions Limited, ISBN #0-671-61863-6. I’ve also seen it in Llwellyn’s New Worlds Catalog at different times. It’s offered in a deck & book set. The accompanying book is a wonderful guide to the many myths and stories that the Cards symbolize.

The Mythic Tarot is a deck that is based totally on Greek Mythology. The stories told through the minor arcana are individual myths (ie, the cups are one myth, the pents another, etc) and the Major Arcana tells the story of the Fool on his journey through life. Therefore, it's very easy to see the flowing nature of the Cards. Each Card is another step of the journey. That's almost always true with any Tarot deck. The Cards of a reading will form a story just like the Cards of a suit do. The difference is that the Cards of your reading will bring in all of the suits (or at least more than one suit). That's how you get a diversified reading that tells you a little about every part of the question.

The Cups tell the myth of Eros & Psyche. Eros was the son of Aphrodite, the Love Goddess. He fell in love with Psyche and carried her off to his island home, but he didn’t want her to see him, because he was afraid that if she knew he was a god, she wouldn’t love him. The Wands tell the myth of Jason & the quest for the Golden Fleece. Jason was the heir to the throne of Iolkos, and it’s in this suit that we see his journey to reclaim his throne. The Swords tell the myth of Orestes. He was a boy who was forced to deal with a very dark time over his house, the House of Atreus. The Pentacles tell the story of Daedalus. He was a master craftsmen, but from jealousy, he left his home and started life again. He found happiness and security in the end.

The Court Cards, too, use different characters from Greek Mythology that have the characteristics of the standard Raider-Waite figures.

The book that comes with the set is wonderful, too. It talks a little about the origin of the Cards, the Cards themselves (details about them), and it relates these to the creation of the Mythic Tarot Deck all in the introduction. It moves on to describe the individual Keys in the Major Arcana, discussing the many symbols in the Cards and how they relate to the Fool’s journey. Next, the authors move on to discuss the minor arcana dividing the discussion into the suits, then further, to the numbered cards and the court cards. Finally, the book discusses methods to read the Cards, what the Tarot can and cannot do for you, how to make a relationship with your Cards, and how to lay out the Cards. They give two example readings and explanations showing the actual cards laid out as well.

The set also comes with a silky black cloth that has the impressions of the positions of the Celtic Cross Spread on it. This is useful not only for learning the spread, but also for wrapping the Cards up in. The only draw back to the set is that they only use the Celtic Cross Spread; they don’t work with any other spreads. This is perfect, however, for beginners (less confusion over which spread to use for what).

If you like Mythology, then you'll love this deck set. It's perfect for learning the myths and for learning the Tarot. Hey, that's two for the price of one! It’s great for beginners, and for the advanced student, because there is something for everybody in this set. What a deal! Happy reading to you! These were my first Cards, and I still go back to them whenever I feel they have an answer to share.

Good luck!