The Tarot Restless Review

“It is by the first sword that each universe is brought into being, and all the numberless stars are scattered across the expanse in their shimmering spirals.” (Restless Meditations guidebook, by Winslow Dumaine)

The Tarot Restless, by Winslow Dumaine, is like walking into your first appointment with a new psychologist and finding that it’s Osiris. He already knows the things you’ve done, the things you’ve thought, and the things that have happened to you. He also knows roughly how much they weigh, but he didn’t bring his scale and anyway, he’s not here to judge you. Yet. He’s here to watch you to judge yourself.

This deck is the Judgement card shattered into 78 pieces, and The Tower card that refuses to be ignored for the possibility of The Star coming next.

The Tarot Restless spends its days trying to help humans sort through their suffering. Suffering needs to be learned from, not shoved in a closet and ignored.

As fantastic as the cards are, the guidebook is my very favorite part. You know I love stories, guys, and each card has its own little short story. But all of the short stories are linked by the curse of infertility and immortality laid upon the people of this alternate universe.

It pains me to classify this as a “not for everyone” deck, because everyone does need it, many people just don’t think they do.

The Tarot Restless defies the traditional Rider-Waite system, leaving the reader to treat it more as an oracle deck. Here are a few of the majors:

This is an emotionally heavy deck. I, personally, wouldn’t use it to read for someone besides myself. And that has nothing to do with the artwork and everything to do with the deeply personal nature of how this deck conducts its business.

Not to say that it doesn’t have a sense of humor.

Energetically, it seems to be a veey focused yet weirdly balanced deck. It doesn’t skew masculine or feminine, and there are numerous fantastical beasts throughout a people-populated deck.

You know I never really have shit to say about cardstock unless I’m bitching. The size is…regular? It’s got a glossy finish and the edges are silver. The box (pictured up there a ways with the severed finger) is nice and sturdy, although I do believe that the box’s art has been slightly changed from what I have.

This deck contains some of my favorite shit: offensive art, short stories, and shadow work.

As scary as this deck might seem, the scariest part is that it forces you to look inside yourself.

Do you need this deck?

Yes.

Get it right here: http://www.winslowdumaine.com/shop/

2 thoughts on “The Tarot Restless Review

  1. Absolutely love your blog, your style, and this deck. I met the artist at the last c2e2 and I’m happy to confirm that he’s exactly as twisted, and funny, and interesting as his deck and online presence would lead you to believe. He even does some of the funniest pitch black standup comedy I’ve ever seen.

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