A review and walkthrough of the „Occult Tarot“, by Travis McHenry, published by Rockpool; feat. the 72 Spirits of the “Goetia” or “Lesser Key of Solomon”. My Instagram: cards.n.colors
I believe he probably made the book as more of a reference source for those not wanting to dig out their Goetia to examine the demon descriptions. Let's be honest, how many of us ever utilize the books that come with Tarot decks? I sure don't. But I do often times look at this booklet as a quick reference vs digging out the specific card.
Thank, it was interesting. I have the sister deck, the Angel Tarot. With that deck I have the same issue. The guidebook doesn't gives enough information and the angels are not relate to the the traditional tarot meanings. Despite these issues I will buy this one too.
Thank you for your honest and detailed review. I agree the book is a complete waste of paper as well as money. I would much rather have bought the deck separately.
Well to be honest. You can have the book and take your time reading it while putting the deck away via downtime. Something I like doing with tarot via personal study and whatnot. Added - They really screwed up putting Baphomet as the Magician. Baphomet is really temperance for he (I’m using he even though it can be she also) represents balance and unity.
That‘s an interesting idea! Very fitting with my view of Baphomet. (I usually go with XXI as Baphomet, being an embodiment of all the 4 elements and the duality/polarity of being or the cosmos.)
Thank you for this video , really informative ,I orderd myself the deck on amazon , I felt somehow attracted to it & when you explanined what the deck is about , I was a little alarmed that I was attracted to a " demonic" deck 🤣😂 lol ,anyways I'm excited to use it ,and thank you for all the Info. 👏 keep the good work
There not really demons. Just workings of the universe. Treat them like you would a wild tiger. There majestic but should be respected and treated with dignity. They don't want to hurt you but can.
I've had my eyes 👀 on these cards for a while now, but after watching ur honest and detailed review, I will most definitely purchase them 👌 thank u so much for taking the time to make and upload this review ❤
I bought this his deck today. I should have watched this review before hand. I found the booklet not great. I was hoping to get more information on the demon in the booklet. The art work is gorgeous, I feel really dizzy using this deck. It has a lot of energy behind it. I found your video very educational-you’re a really intelligent man. Thanks for the review.
@@nenaj1You are right. People can think that it is just innocent pictures but that's definitely not true. Every tarot, oracle or lenormand deck has it is own personality and basically what is on the cards affect how it works. Some works better some worse. However when you make deck from demons you not only connecting to evil entities but also attract the evil to you, your house and family. Plus you keep thinking about this evil entities which gives them energy and they are attracted to you. I love scary decks but I wouldnt buy something like that. That's simply too much. Anyway it is up to everyone if they will to risk it.
I completely agree about the judgement that the book is a waste of paper, as that was my judgement as well. The book should have had more reading/spread options, and explanations of the spirits and what they offer/mean in a reading.
I recently ordered this deck from Amazon. Excellent packaging. No damage noted. The cards I received have red gilded edges, They look/feel great. Wish they would have added a nice silk cloth or bag to wrap the cards with.
Omg. Got into Traot recently and shortly before I started on tarot I was studying the goatia. I'm going to buy this deck just for the demon pictures and sigils. Awesome deck, awesome video!
I honestly agree with your statements on the book the deck comes with. It's nothing but wasted paper and space filler to "justify" a higher retail pricing
I noticed my copy came with a piece of plastic holding the deck together, the box is builg different to stop the issue with cards falling from their correct storage space and the edges of the cards on mine are a metallic foil red same as the text on the front of the box
Thanks for the review. My take on the book displaying the cards and same texts is maybe.. If you'd like to take the book with you and learn some stuff while you're away from home? I prefer to leave my cards at my house in a drawer or something (near me), only because I don't want them to be filled with other people energy. So having a book like that is super ideal for me, this way I can learn and take my own guesses on the deck.. Since this deck is more an Oracle deck than a Tarot one :)
Kind of ironic that the first card you get from this deck---and a jumper at that---is the 7 of Cups---don't be fooled by illusions. In other words, put me away. In my shoddy box, with my useless guidebook lol. One of the first little tarot "rules" I learned is that the first card you draw from a new deck tells you why that deck came to you, and what it has to teach you. So, yeah, 7 of Cups, huh? I'm sure you get my point. Also, I just bought the "companion" deck to this, The Angel Tarot, and found similar issues. Many of the angel/card associations seem a little off, at least from a traditional point of view, and after one day, the guidebook is already starting to fall apart. (As opposed to my Doreen Virtue Angel Tarot, which, though "lighter" in tone though it may be, has worn like iron over years of use and sure as heck didn't cost as much, just saying..................Pretty package, pretty cover, not as much substance as could have been......7 of Cups.
Really appreciate your comment, Glenn. Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for all the trees... (another possible meaning of the 7 of Cups) - though I didn’t interpret the jumper the way you did, in the first place. (Though it makes sense!) Honestly, I‘ve never used the deck since I did the walkthrough.
Very comprehensive run through, many thanks. I heard there was a PDF somewhere of the Grimoire of Dark Souls, by the author, which includes rituals and spreads for this deck. Do you know of such a book, and are there any spreads in particular you would recommend for this deck? Personally I don't find the tarot attributes work terribly well with all the spirits, I would rather use their elemental / planetary correspondences. It would also have been handy to have had the Shem angels in English, for those, such as myself, who don't read Hebrew.
Agree on the Angels! The „Fallen Angels Oracle“ uses the elemental and planetary correspondences of the 72 Spirits. I‘d use this deck more like an Oracle. One card as a spirit/theme of the moment or in regards to a specific question. For a more „magickal“ approach, maybe try a pentagram layout: one card for each point and element. (The spirits representing lessons or potentials of each of the 5 elements in or around you.) As the Goetia spirits are usually evoked into a circle, maybe combine this deck with another (more regular) Tarot: three cards for each point of the triangle, and a spirit (from this deck) in the middle.
PS: search for the author on Instagram. He just recently promoted a new version/print run of the book you mentioned, including detailed information on the Goetia spirits and the Shemhamohorash angels!
I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of this deck. It pretty much is redundant and therefore pointless. As a student of the goetia for some time, I found the author's "resonances" utterly preposterous. Where are his points of references and how does he come up with his correllations? The spirit's hierarchy, principalities and powers are not represented according to tarot symbolism. In fact, according to this deck, they are not even astrologically correct. Pretty cards, impressive presentation, but entirely superficial.
I really love everything about this video (except for how silent it is) I got the deck for educational purposes and I found this video to be incredibly helpful. Also I learned so much I didn't expect to learn which is really cool so thank you and just wondering are you by any chance German? I'm trying to figure out the accent. Anyways great video, thank you so much
Glad you liked it and found it to be useful, Perry. You guessed right, I‘m German! 😄👍 Sorry for being to silent. I‘m filming with an old iPhone and guess I should upgrade my audio (microphone)...? Best wishes, Chris
Maybe the book is a good companion for when not using the deck. Information for the novice. We like the book. Is the information accurate? Thank you for your informative review!
Thanks for giving correct information about the origins of these so called "demons". Also, the book is a waste of money, the only information in the book is for summoning. So this deck is poorly recomended for people who wants it for readings as a Tarot Deck. Thank you so much, amazing video
Thank you for the review! I just got both decks and I’m a little hesitant to use them to be honest because of the lack of information in the guidebooks. I did wait to get the Angel Tarot before opening this one so that I would have some divine protection. Should I be worried about summoning darkness into my life even though the purpose of the purchase was to delve deeper into shadow energies in order to transmute and heal them? Would love to hear your thoughts on this. By the way, thanks for mentioning some of the angel correspondences. The guidebook doesn’t tell us which angel protects against each entity which is unfortunate.
If you’ve both decks you can easily comprehend which Angel corresponds to each Demon/Spirit - just by the Numbering: first Spirit = first Angel, and so on. (1 Bael = 1 Vehuiah... 72 Andromalius = 72 Mumiah) As for „dark forces“, I don’t think that many of the Spirits are in themselves „evil“. Many are „just“ pagan, pre-Christian entities, antique gods, nature-spirits or familiars. (Stolas for example, appearing as an owl, and teaching healing properties of herbs, doesn’t sound evil or malific at all!) And as for summoning: just being interested in them, or using the cards doesn’t equal summoning them - in my opinion. (Though the guidebook almost implies the contrary, which is unfortunate.) In the end, it’s a matter of your own, individual feeling: if this tarot scares you - maybe don’t use it or get rid of it. But again, in my opinion (and worldview), pictures on pieces of paper aren’t harmful or dangerous by any means! (But if they still give you the creeps - don’t torture yourself and follow your instinct, whether to keep them or not. ❤️) BTW: archangels can have an intimidating, almost frightening (powerful) appearance or energy too. („Angel“ or „demon“ is in the end just a label for specific energies/entities/archetypes, influenced by the individual conditions of the observer.) // I hope that helps, and thanks for watching. Glad you liked the video! 😊👍
Cards.n.Colors thanks for the reply! The angel/demon matchup works for the 72 but not for the 6 archangels and 6 rulers. I have figured out 5 rulers except Baphomet. Which angel rules over him? I appreciate your take on the subject and look forward to looking into it further. 😊
Thanks for this great review. I just got this deck finally. I like it but yes the book was so disappointing! I would have loved more information. I do have books on the goetia so they are better to accompany this deck. New subscriber too!
Perhaps the book is a way to carry the deck around without having the actual deck; to study the deck while out and about in daily life; to double check your intuitions or increase your awareness of meanings found within the individual cards without having to carry the actual deck around. Just a thought. Thanks for the vid. This deck really calls to me, and it was nice to take a closer look into it. I will be buying this deck.
Thank you for this very informative and coherent explanation. I am a beginner with tarot cards however I am going to be taking weekly classes soon. For this occult deck specifically, does it mostly rely on intuition to interpret the cards? I am not sure how to go about properly using this deck since it is unlike the typical cards I have seen. Also, what kind of information can be revealed through using a deck like this one? It is somewhat frustrating that this deck did not come with any type of instructions or information.
Thank you, Hannah. There are many ways to read this deck. You can ignore all the demon stuff and just read the tarot cards in a traditional (RWS) style - so 2 Cups is love etc., no matter what demon there is. Or you can read them completely intuitive, by looking at the pictures (of the spirits, their animal parts etc.) and see what comes to your mind (in regards to a question or situation). Another way would be to go with the meanings and scopes of each demon - but you’d have to study them first. The last way I can think of is to not use it as a (classic) tarot at all! Just draw a single card as an oracle, an additional message or clarifier, on top of your regular tarot cards.
Agree! In some places the connection seems quite obvious - at least if you have some knowledge of both systems -, like with Forcas/Furcas, the „Saturnian Loner“ being associated with The Hermit. (Who himself was „Father Time“ in the old Renaissance Tarocchi/Trionfi.) But we‘ll - unfortunately - never know if that was the intention (behind this connection) of the author, or for any other of the correlations. As for the book, besides an explanation, it would at least be nice to name for example the 72 angels that are also mentioned on the cards (in Hebrew).
The Occult deck looks great re: red foil edging and adds a nice "theatrical" element to your reading as does the demon art works & mini sigils..however the accompanying booklet ,demon descriptions on the cards and tarot meanings are really, really lazy by McHenry and very very disappointing..There is also NO interpretations for cards that are dealt upside..... The booklet is a joke..the typography is lousy and cramped & hard to comprehend especially when you are working by candlelight or in darkness..guess the desire to understand & interpret the Tarot better is the driving factor behind my disappoint of the McHenry Occult deck as I want to learn more! Thanks CnC for the vid
hello my husband just recently purchased the occult tarot cards and i was able to find the guidebook online but the red words are really hard to read. on page 14 i am unable to read what the red worded paragraph says. could you tell me what it says exactly?
Thank you very much for this. i already buy it this month and im a newbie in tarot. The guidebook shows us how to use the occult tarot by create an infernal circle ( as you can seen ) , with 5 red candles and say words to summoning the demons and how to lay the cards. So i have a few questions ~ Can i read the cards without create an infernal circle, spell the words, red candles ? can i read it in the traditional way to read tarot like my friends ? In the first day, i lay the cards to get to know it without the infernal circle, i still feel the connection between me and the deck. Sorry if my English is not correct. By the way, thank you very much.
Hân Đoàn My personal opinion is that - as long as you just read the cards and do not summon the spirits - you don’t need the magick circle. Maybe use some centering meditation prior to using the cards, to ground and feel safe.
I think he is lazy in the book because there is an oracle deck containing the demons and angels. I am not sure if I am right though. The oracle deck contains the demon with the proper angel, and it does not have the extra six cards to make it 78 cards. I have to agree though. The book is utterly useless when it comes to the description of the cards.
@@CardsnColors When I saw it sold in a store, I was thinking about it. But then I thought to see this video first to see what it’s like with the cards and such. I am actually quite happy with how it looks, but the book does look like a waste as you say if there is no additional information on the cards.
Thank you for this walkthrough. I was wondering if the guidebook has the astrological day correspondences for the Demons and associated Shem Angels? If not, do you know where this information can be found?
You’re welcome! The angels and spirits follow the astrological year, starting at 0° Aries on March 21 - Vehuiah and Bael etc. (There are different sources on the internet available. But as every angel/spirit covers 5° or roughly 5 days of the year, starting at the spring equinox, you can calculate them yourself, if you know the number of the angel/spirit.)
The point of them having the same thing in the book as on the cards is you can throw the book in a backpack if you wanna just read at your leisure. Sure, you could do the same thing with the cards but then you open up the same backpack and next thing you know the cards are all over the place, shuffled up, and not in a format that is easy to read. You know, the same way a book could. That being said you pointed out other things wrong with this set that I would say people who are new to tarot or are not collectors should AVOID this set for. It's not a good set to learn with. But if you like demons, or if you like collecting tarot, why not? I love tarot cards I collect them as a hobby but if you are just starting you're better off getting like the Rider Waite Smith Tarot aka the Universal Tarot OR maybe even Chic and Sandra Cicerot's Golden Dawn Tarot.
So i was at this spiritual store looking for crystals and i saw this deck, i felt rlly atracted to it. Im kinda confused because this deck is kinda enigmatic for me.
I’m kinda scratching my head about the whole guide book thing. I ordered the Angel Tarot...ugh I truly hope that it’s not the same. What do u think of the knowledge in the cards? Have u used them? Have u got the Angel Tarot yet? I really wanna know what u think of it!
As far as I‘ve heard, the guidebook for the angel one is quite the same. I didn’t get the other deck, though. To be honest: I never really used this deck. There so many decks that I like better than this, that it has faded into the background... literally, when looking at my tarot shelf! ;-)
@@CardsnColors i have that deck and my opinion on it is that its abit diffrent in the sense theres abit more of an info about who is born and wich date,hour you re born with them and the only thing i ll say is that the book is actually helpful in the angel tarot.I don't know about the occult one maybe because i didn't get it but from what i can tell yea its pretty useless
hey, i just stumbled upon this video cuz i wanna buy this deck too and im wondering where did you get all that knowledge from?? im fairly interested in that topic too but i just dont know where or how to learn more about it
chixrxx Over 20 years of study and “research” - out of curiosity and personal interest in spiritual traditions, mystic teachings, mythology, symbology, etc. As a visual reference the deck’s quite nice. If you want to study the subject: this kit and the book are totally worthless - unfortunately.
Cards.n.Colors yeah i was already a bit disappointed when i saw that the book had almost no information at all besides the stuff thats already written on the cards. do you have any book recommendations regarding this or similar topics?
I’d recommend the “Fallen Angel Oracle” by Nigel Suckling, and maybe the Mathers/Crowley edition of the Goetia. The Goetia by Rudd is very well researched, but quite pricy.
Cards.n.Colors thank you so much! last but not least would you recommend this deck for a beginner? im really drawn to the design and theme of it but the lack of information seems like a big deal
You’re welcome! 😊 I wouldn’t recommend this deck for a Tarot-beginner, just as a reference for further studies, like flash cards. It’s hard to recommend a tarot deck, as it’s a matter of taste and personal preference. But I think it would be good to start with a deck that has “classic” imagery, and some accompanying literature. (Or you’re a natural intuitive and can read “anything”, without a book or background information.) Not sure if that helps...
I want to buy these cards just for the art and feel and dont intend to use it . Will it have a negative effect if If I own them . I got no knowledge about tarot reading or rituals and I am just an artist and a nerd who loves these stuff.
I don’t think they’ll have a negative effect by just owning them. In the end, they’re just pieces of cardboard and ink. (Owning a violent graphic novel doesn’t radiate evil energy either - in my opinion.) Enjoy the art!
@@CardsnColors that's what I was thought but I see people giving wrong review over Amazon saying it has negative energy, gave them a headache ,nausea. So I wanted to some information . Thanks . 👍
Somebody said there were angel restraints on each and every card or angel info on each card and I was wondering where are they on the card and how do I blacken the angel info out?
He said in the beginning 16:53 there is a corresponding angel just under the cards bold print name. I don't know myself if they are angels as I don't read that language and never studied it. The narrator seems to have though. I don't know if the angels are suppose to be restraining. If you want to blacken the angels name out just get a sharpie marker and doodle a double edged scroll over it or something else bar like. Make sure you do a trial marking with the filler cards that come with the deck advertising other decks with your marker before touching the cards you want to keep to, and make sure you let each card dry before touching the marker or you might accidently smear it. Or you could just let the cards be.
Is this deck safe for beginners? Because I've never interested in tarot before but I feel like this deck chose me the moment I accidentally saw it on my facebook, but some reviews say that it's not safe and it's too complicated for newbies TT
I wouldn’t say that it’s a beginner‘s deck… BUT if you feel drawn to it…! Maybe you have an intuitive approach to these cards? I‘d say: just try it! And if it doesn’t work - go for a more classic deck first, and then come back to this one. Either way: enjoy your tarot journey!
Oh no 😆😳 what did they say. I bought the deck cuz it was calling out to me as well but after reading the book, just realised you have to summon a demon like 😂 I don’t wanna bother anything. Tho I have amethyst stone with me so I hope things won’t go south. Im already cursed since birth so no more pls lol.
@@khathamatbaebsawat99 I tried the deck and it’s completely okay. Calling a demon is just optional, we don’t really need to do that. You can read it like a normal tarot deck
I have this deck too, but watching your video, I noticed there’s a card in specific that I have and it’s x’ed out on mine - and on it is a red x across the card and has Chinese lettering on it, any idea what this means?
@@CardsnColors thank you for the reply, just a tad bit odd to me! I’ve watch multiple videos on this deck and no ones has any card or of sorts with the same thing on it! I will try that! Again thank you!
The guide book has no respect to the deamonds . Have to do a huge job to get knowing them before using. So sad 😞 So I have started to work with getting knowledge about all daemons
I'm so disappointed because I thought this deck was perfect when I found it and held it in my hands. Didn't look at the book though. 🤣 and now that I'm getting more familiar with them, the abilities and lore of the spirits don't seem to line up well with the actual tarot arcana. This book was a cash grab by some dude who used Wikipedia.
Don’t blame me! 😉😄 I think this is the illustration in the „Infernal Dictionary“, meant as a satirical interpretation of - or comment on - the biblical „Golden Cow“.
Hm..., first of all: something that *feels* (subjectively) evil, doesn’t have to be „evil“ per se (objectively). In fact they’re just depictions (ink) on pieces of paper or cardboard. Some Hindu gods and goddesses are depicted even more „brutal“, and yet they cannot (or shouldn’t) be labeled as „evil“. In the end: it’s *your* deck and you’re free to do what ever you want to do with it. If it makes you feel uncomfortable - maybe gift it to someone who would or could appreciate it? (Instead of destroying a piece of art.) If It gives you nightmares, because of the way you were conditioned or because of your worldview, I’d say it’s okay if you have to use a more dramatic (ritualized) way of getting rid of them - like burning or burying them. Whatever you decide - I hope you find a way to feel more comfortable again.
@@CardsnColors thank you for this considerate answer. I am not a superstitious person usually, buy i don't know why, when I opened the deck ot made me skwirm, that is actually how I found you, because I started looking for reviews of the deck... so one good thing already came out of it...😍 Anyway, I don't think I'll ever use it but I might keep it as a good luck omen . My life has been full of curses, loses, illness hardship, so maybe something will change...
This” Tarot Deck “ in my opinion is a black magic ritual to contact the demons to do favours but for exchange you have to give something in return I will not recommend this for anyone that actually wants to read tarot as reading this deck is a big more deeper than actually is portrait by the author Don’t get me wrong it is very interesting but if you handle wrong this cards and don’t do things correctly is not good to use Everyone that wants to read tarot should stick first to white rider first tarot
You are right to say that this is dark magic and that you must give something in exchange. It can be whatever though. It doesn't have to be your soul or any Christian thinking of demons. However, it must be truly meant. It cannot be just find the nearest object or food and put it at random. This deck is in fact to work with demons and not really a Tarot deck. In fact, if you work it as a simple Tarot card, the demonic entity will not aid you or be even present itself to you. The same goes to the counter-Tarot deck of this Occult one (Angel Tarot deck). Anyone that does not wish to work with demons shouldn't buy a demonic Tarot deck. Nevertheless, this deck is a little different than other demonic Tarot deck (there are others out there). This deck contains a seal in the back that is suppose to chain the demon into the card and into your aid when called. This means that the demon will have none or very little chance of influencing you into darkness and evilness. In fact, the Angel Tarot deck also has a seal in the back, but it is to evoke them into your work, and they will not be sealed from influencing you. In the end, after all that, you are right. However, one has to be clear that darkness is not equal to evilness. In fact, these demons can be used for justice, but with a twist.
@@elnationalista hi, i wondering that can i read this deck in the traditional way to read tarot without an infernal circle ? i like the art very much but i just want to read it like a normal tarot deck, without demonic entity. thank you very much
@@hanoan893 Yes, you can. This means, however, that you shouldn't into the temptation of working in an infernal circle. You will be tempted though, and it will all be up to you. It's easy to reject the temptation though as they are sealed from having enough power to control you. However, I wanted to warn you about it.
I have this deck and the Angel deck. WHICH BTW has a Demon in it!! Even the description of what he does is NOT from an Angel lol Even though I have 3 decks each because the cards can be used in spells and curses which of course destroys that card. Mine are knock off decks though. I LOVE knock off cards. Yes I like cheap but I mostly like the size of the cards. I am thinking of ordering an original deck of each though. IDK. I'm not impressed with Travis McStupid You need to learn how to pronounce their names! VERY disrespectful!!
@@CardsnColors well after watching your very informative video and further thinking I went and just bought this deck despite his obvious shortcomings. My first one in the genre.
@@CardsnColors yes I will although it may take a little while. As I said it's a new kind of tarot for me, if I can call it tarot, and I will do more research about each daemon. To start with I would like to understand why you have a different view of Baphomet from this author. The other thing is that I found a pdf copy from the same author called the the Grimoire of Heaven and Hell and was wondering if you knew of it. If you do what are your thoughts on it? By the way I like your approach to reviewing decks no superfluous speeches and not to much loud annoying music background so subscribed 🙂
I think the author chose Baphomet as the magician because of Baphomet being mentioned (and depicted) in Eliphas Levi‘s book, where he describes Baphomet as „the idol of magick“ or „the occult practitioner“.