Ethereal Visions Tarot by Matt Hughes

Hand-drawn Art Nouveau artwork. Hughes's imagery in the lineage of Art Nouveau, Pre-Raphaelite, and Symbolist masters: flowing line, mythic figures, ornamental frames.

Gold foil stamping throughout. Every card illuminated with gold accents, the ceremonial glow the deck is famous for.

Two additional Major Arcana. Hughes extends the traditional 22 with two original majors, 80 cards in all, with a 48-page guidebook.

• Contents: 80-card deck (including 2 additional Major Arcana), 48-page guidebook
• Artist and author: Matt Hughes
• Publisher: U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
• SKU: DETHVIS

The Art Nouveau movement and the tarot revival were born of the same fin-de-siècle spirit, the era's hunger for myth, ornament, and the mystical made visible, and Hughes's deck reunites the siblings a century on. His figures carry the Mucha lineage's serene gravity, the flowing hair and botanical frames doing what that style always did: making the symbolic feel inevitable. Beneath the ornament the deck reads on familiar bones, its structure and symbolism accessible to any RWS-trained reader, while the two additional majors offer Hughes's own extensions of the arcana for readers who enjoy new rooms in an old house.

In practice it is the ceremony deck: the one that comes out when a reading deserves candlelight, the gold foil catching flame the way illuminated manuscripts were designed to. Art lovers buy it for the drawing and stay for the readings; readers buy it for the readings and find themselves framing cards. Few modern decks serve both audiences this completely, which is why it has become a standard recommendation for the reader who wants their practice beautiful.

1. Read it by any standard method; the RWS-familiar structure carries beneath the ornament.
2. Consult the guidebook for the two additional majors; Hughes explains his extensions there.
3. Give it candlelit sessions when occasions allow; gold foil was made for flame.
4. Store it in cloth or pouch; foil-stamped stock rewards gentle keeping.
5. Let the slow, ornamental imagery set the reading's pace; this deck does not rush.

It also makes the genre's most reliable gift deck: beautiful enough for the art lover, readable enough for the diviner they become.

• Ethereal Visions Tarot, Luna Edition by Matt Hughes: the silver-foil moonlit sister of this deck.
• Easy Tarot: New Edition by Ellershaw & Marchetti: the method kit whose lessons read this deck too.
• Egyptian Tarot Deck by Silvana Alasia: the shelf's other painter-led ceremonial deck.
• Earth Goddess Altar Cloth, 24 x 24 Inches: a spread surface worthy of the gold.
• White Sage Smudge Sticks, Set of 6: the cleanse between querents.

What are the two extra Major Arcana?

Hughes's original additions to the traditional 22, explained in the guidebook; readers can shuffle them in for expanded readings or set them aside for a purist deck.

Is it readable for beginners?

Yes: the structure and symbolism sit on familiar RWS bones, and the 48-page guidebook covers meanings and spreads; the ornament decorates the system rather than obscuring it.

What is the art style?

Hand-drawn Art Nouveau in the Mucha lineage, with Pre-Raphaelite and Symbolist inflections, gold foil stamped on every card in the illuminated-manuscript spirit.

How does it differ from the Luna Edition?

Same artist and structure, different illumination: this original wears gold foil, while the Luna Edition wears iridescent silver with revised artwork and an expanded 140-page color guide.

Who publishes it?

U.S. Games Systems, the American tarot house, in their signature quality stock and box.