“An
American Gothic slant on tarot for those with an appreciation for the irony of
American society”
Guidance in your life can come from strange and unlikely places. The more we can acknowledge who we truly are on this earth the more we can learn about ourselves. Such is the aim of this unique, American Gothic-inspired Tarot deck. This Tarot deck is for those who gravitate towards the allure of the underbelly of American history. Who see the beauty in chipped paint, circus sideshows, the old west, haunted houses and the unique artwork presented by these themes and images. The descriptions of the cards are presented cut and dry and the imagery plays on themes of Americana that people of the modern age can relate to.
A raw and gritty portrait, this deck embraces the underbelly of Americana and its characters ranging from a lowly factory worker to a Hollywood starlet
2 years in the making, this a wonderful gift for someone who has been interested in picking up tarot, but hasn't found a deck to match their interests yet. It's also a wonderful gift for a tarot collector or art collector for that matter!
A raw and gritty portrait, this deck embraces the underbelly of Americana and its characters ranging from a lowly factory worker to a Hollywood starlet
2 years in the making, this a wonderful gift for someone who has been interested in picking up tarot, but hasn't found a deck to match their interests yet. It's also a wonderful gift for a tarot collector or art collector for that matter!
Book Introduction
By Danny Dodge
The Huntting Sisters, Yana and Lin ,were unknowingly part of the wide-spread transition of pulling up your garters to burning your bra in the Early 1970’s. Part of this transition was their interest in the metaphysical, astrology and tarot. They both went on to carry this new found tradition and making it a family trade
The artist of this book is the daughter of Lin Huntting, Misha Huntting. Misha recalls her mother’s practices, "She would lay her tarot cards out on a transparent green scarf that had a very distinct smell every day without fail.When I was about six years old, I asked her to explain the cards to me," and so the tradition was passed.
Come high school, she embraced the art of Tarot reading wholly and began to give herself regular readings. Though at the time, these readings were less metaphysical and maybe a bit more hocus bogus with questions like: "Does Jimmy like me?" or maybe more importantly, "Does Jimmy like me more than Suzy?” Were these the kind of life-altering questions you would be dying to foresee? Well, probably not, but when you're a pubescent pre-teen with a life full of Lisa Frank and Nickelodeon on the television, anything else just seems trite.
"As you can imagine," Misha continues, "the public schools were not so big on me giving readings in seventh grade to other children. Especially for their lunch money". The schools should have thanked her for the premature preparation of the swindling of life to come. "I was allowed to continue but i had to censor the cards with address labels over what was deemed inappropriate by the teachers".
Sticking with it over the years, Misha, now 28 years old, has gone through her share of various decks but felt there was always something missing. "The description of the cards and the feeling of spiritual righteousness was just not how I lived my life. I don’t take myself too seriously. I appreciate disgust and black humor and I don't want to compare myself to some ancient goddess when examining my own life".
And there's where we find ourselves at the beginning of this book. From this point forward, you will not be met by tempests, devils, and towers; Misha's art takes away the familiar and outdated symbolism and replaces them with the rough and tumble worn faces that make up the American outlaws, criminals, unfortunates, and icons.
Testimonials
"One thing I love about this deck is the attention it pays to American history. Many of the cards share obscure vignettes that have me traveling down the research rabbit hole." -Stephanie Arwen Lynch, President of the American Tarot Association. For her full review follow this link Arwen's Blog
"Deep wonderful lore, rooted in truth. Thank you so much for putting this order together for me, you are incredibly talented and insightful......Highly recommended! "
"Quite possibly the most powerful and beautiful thing I've ever bought""
"Just got the American Obscura Tarot, and I love it !!!!"
"It's is a fun little ride through the darker side of American Culture and the booklet that comes with it is quite a delight."
"I'm stunned by the beauty of this deck. I feel like it's an important artistic accomplishment, and every pictorial card contains a myriad of amazing stories. "
"This deck is gorgeous! I keep flipping through it just to drink in your art! "
"Very dark and atmospheric, and definitely one of those deck you hate or love I'm in the loving it part, it has lots of personality, the kind that is it where a person you'd encounter in the bar after midnight telling all kinds of strange and enticing (but true) stories and adventures. "
"Beautiful artistry and thoughtfully designed deck. It speaks very loudly and with a surprising sense of humor. Amazing. Humble thanks"
" It is HUGE! I mean, I noted the dimensions when I ordered it, but that doesn't compare to having it in the hand. The size gives it heft and makes it all that more impressive.
The art, of course, is really quite compelling and fascinating. I typically don't collect so-called "dark decks," but I wanted this one because I tend to like garish decks and the AOT seemed to gesture in that direction. I wouldn't call the art garish or even necessarily dark (certainly not as dark as, say, the Vertigo)--it's just strange. Wonderfully strange. I love how some of the images are of famous people (or are based on them), and others are just the embodiments of an institution or idea. Uniform people or concepts would be expected, but the back and forth adds to the quirkiness of the deck.
- I'm very impressed with the overall presentation; the deck is well worth the price. I've purchased a number of small press decks over the years, and I always have to hold my breath for the final product (Will the cutting be uniform? How many cards will be dented or scraped?). I'm happy to report that the printing quality here is stellar. The LWB is actually worth it for the stories of the aforementioned people on the cards, and the choice of bag or box (or both!) for storage is a pleasant bonus."