Aquarian Tarot Deck by David Palladini, 78 Cards

Rider-Waite structure, Art Deco style. The Aquarian Tarot deck keeps the 78-card Waite-Smith system underneath Palladini's Art Deco artwork, so every meaning you know from the Rider-Waite carries straight over.

Fully illustrated cards. Every card, including the Minor Arcana, is a full scene rather than a row of symbols, which gives intuitive readers something to work from on every draw.

A compact 8-page booklet. The included booklet covers the basics quickly, leaving room for the deck to become your own through use rather than through memorizing a manual.

• Card count: 78
• Booklet: 8 pages
• Dimensions: 5.625 x 3 x 1 inches (box)
• Designer: David Palladini
• Style: Art Deco
• ISBN: 9780913866696
• Weight: about 11.2 oz

The Aquarian Tarot is used for divination and self-reflection in the Western esoteric tradition that descends from the Golden Dawn through the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. You can use it for anything that tradition uses tarot for: a daily card, a three-card spread, a Celtic Cross when a question needs the full picture, or a single Major Arcana pulled as a meditation focus.

Arthur Edward Waite and the artist Pamela Colman Smith published their deck in 1909, giving the Minor Arcana full scenes for the first time in a widely available deck. David Palladini's Aquarian Tarot, first published in 1970 and named for the era's talk of a dawning Age of Aquarius, was one of the earliest major re-imaginings of that system, and its Art Deco restraint has kept it a working reader's deck for more than fifty years.

That is what you are holding: a bridge between the 1909 originals and every art deck that came after, and one that still reads as clearly as the day it was drawn.

1. Cleanse the Aquarian Tarot deck before its first reading, with incense smoke, a selenite wand, or a firm knock on the deck, and take a moment to look through all 78 cards.
2. If you know the Rider-Waite, lay the two decks side by side for a few cards and notice how Palladini quiets each scene; the meanings are the same, the mood is calmer.
3. Shuffle while you hold your question, cut once, and draw a single card for a daily message or three for past, present, and what is coming.
4. Read the picture before the booklet. The long faces and Art Deco lines reward a slow look, so give each card a full breath before you interpret it.
5. Note the draw in a journal and return to the same question at the next moon to see how the cards' answer has moved.

The booklet is short by design. Where your intuition and the printed meaning part ways, follow the card in your hand.

• The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by A.E. Waite: Waite's own explanation of the system the Aquarian Tarot is built on.
• Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack: The deep companion for any Rider-Waite-based deck, and this one rewards depth.
• Sun and Moon Tarot Box, 3.75 x 5.5 Inches: A wooden box to keep a fifty-year classic safe on the shelf.
• White Selenite Wand: Rest the deck on it between readings to keep the cards clear.
• Celtic Moon Altar Cloth or Scarf, 36 x 36 Inches: A reading cloth whose muted tones suit the Aquarian palette.

How many cards are in the Aquarian Tarot deck?

The Aquarian Tarot deck has 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana in four suits, the same count as every standard tarot deck. It ships with an 8-page instruction booklet. Because the structure matches the Rider-Waite, any tarot book written for that system will work as a fuller guide to this one.

Does the Aquarian Tarot follow the Rider-Waite structure?

The Aquarian Tarot follows the Rider-Waite structure card for card. David Palladini kept the 78-card Waite-Smith system, including fully illustrated Minor Arcana, and redrew each scene in Art Deco style. If you learned on a Rider-Waite deck, your meanings transfer directly; only the look and the mood change.

How do I cleanse a tarot deck?

Cleanse a tarot deck by passing it through incense smoke, resting it on a selenite wand overnight, or knocking firmly on the deck three times with the intention of clearing it. Cleanse the Aquarian Tarot deck when it is new, after someone else handles it, and whenever readings begin to feel stale.

How do I shuffle a tarot deck?

Shuffle a tarot deck with a gentle overhand shuffle, dropping small sections from one hand into the other until the cards feel mixed, then cut once. This protects the card edges better than a riffle shuffle. The Aquarian Tarot's cards are standard size, so most hands manage the overhand shuffle comfortably.

How do I use the Aquarian Tarot deck as a beginner?

Use the Aquarian Tarot deck by drawing one card a day, reading the scene before you open the booklet, and writing a line about what you saw. After a few weeks, add a three-card spread. Beginners do well with this deck because every card is a full picture, and the booklet gets you started.

What is the difference between the Aquarian Tarot and the Rider-Waite?

The Aquarian Tarot and the Rider-Waite share the same 78-card structure and meanings; the difference is entirely artistic. Palladini's 1970 deck replaces Pamela Colman Smith's medieval scenes with Art Deco figures in muted golds and greens, giving the same system a calmer, more stylized mood that many readers find easier to sit with.