Join me as I unbox the Lux Ex Umbra Tarot, a visual feast of lush colours and beautiful artwork…
To purchase this deck: https://mystiic.com/en/products/lux-ex-umbra-tarot
My first impression of this deck is that it’s a high quality Tarot deck, full of imagery that seems to glow and pulse with life. But let’s dig a little deeper…
The name of the deck Lux Ex Umbra means light & shadow, which is based on the idea that each card has both light and dark sides. When I’m teaching Tarot, I always stress this – that no card is 100% positive or negative – there is a good/bad or light/dark side to all the cards, so I love that this is the theme of this deck!
The card stock is that high quality, velvety matte that I love so much and the deck comes with a little booklet (in both French and English). What I like about the booklet is that it gives both light and shadow meanings for the cards, which is very helpful.
This deck is a Tarot de Marseille style deck, which is different from the Rider Waite Smith deck in that the minor arcana are illustrated only with symbols and not elaborate scenes and characters. For example, the Eight of Swords in a Marseille deck just shows eight swords, whereas the Rider Waite Smith deck shows a blindfolded woman trapped in a circle of swords.
I find Marseille style decks (sometimes called pip decks) a bit trickier to read than a Rider Waite style deck – since there’s less obvious imagery to work with, it requires a better knowledge of the Tarot. For that reason it isn’t the ideal beginner deck. But what I love about these kinds of decks is that they force you to slow down and gain a broader understanding of the cards – making the Lux Ex Umbra Tarot a good deck for readers who are ready to dive a little deeper into their Tarot journey.
The Majors are absolutely stunning. They glow with so much light and almost seem to leap right off the cards. My favorite card has to be Le Pape (The Hierophant), which is a beautiful dark blue crow, holding a key in it’s beak. Even the minors seem to light up and radiate a mysterious glow that lends a feeling of magic to even the most mundane of readings! I love this!
I did find the court cards tricky to read. They are in French (as are the Majors) and are depicted as astrological symbols (not people). This made me really have to pause, think and refer to the book. I think if you use this deck regularly, and especially if you have some astrological knowledge, you’ll get comfortable with them, but I had trouble reading them right out of the box.
So how does the Lux Ex Umbra Tarot read?
It reads well, but it’s the kind of deck I gravitate to when I have some time to sit with the cards for a bit. It’s not a wham-bam, boom-boom deck that is super easy to read and gives quick insights – this is more of a slow burn kind of Tarot deck. It’s the kind of deck I plan to use for Tarot journalling and meditation.
This is a stunning Tarot deck of high quality that would be a wonderful addition to your Tarot collection. Perfect for readers looking for something a little different and maybe even a bit more challenging than your average deck!
To learn more about this deck and to purchase: https://mystiic.com/en/products/lux-ex-umbra-tarot
Happy Tarot Reading!
xoxo
Kate
That box and card back is so lovely and the cards are so mystical in a way I’m kind of freaked out by it, ha ha! I also have a bit of trouble figuring out what quite a number of the cards actually are, which is good for without conscious knowledge of the Tarot interfering with the reading, as I’d be “blindfolded” and have to rely purely on intuition and “live response” there. It’s kind of as though I am forced to not know what card it is so I can completely rely on the images and feelings, and I think that’s a good thing. It’s one of the more interesting and original decks out there, and very high quality 🙂 The deck is actually Out of Stock as I check right now, and you’re lucky to get its first edition!
Hi Kate, Marseille deck reader here. Le Pendu, the first card you drew in the reading, is The Hanged Man, not The Tower. The Tower (Le Maison Dieu) is the card that came after Le Diable, the card with the glossy black circle, in the deck.
xoxo
Liz
Ah! thanks for clarifying that for me, Liz 🙂
Sure, so happy to help! Loved the unboxing and the reading 💖 and I thought it was super brave of you to do one with a pip deck if you aren’t used to reading with one 🏋️♀️