Showing posts with label Mauro de Luca. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mauro de Luca. Show all posts

Sexual Magic Tarot Mini by Mauro De Luca & Laura Tuan

, 16 Apr 2021

This an heterodox wonderfully-charming RSM-inspired tarot that focuses on and explores the erotic romantic relationship between female and male energies, which are represented as male and male characters in the deck. The number of cards, suits and major arcana are those proper of the Tarot, and the interpretation given to each card in the booklet is also in resonance with those of the traditional Tarot.

 GOOD STUFF
> I can use this deck intuitively, just using the imagery and disregarding the suit they belong to, or go just with the tarot suits, or both.
> Wonderful watercolor artwork.
> Tasteful erotic images.   
> Card back doesn't give away whether the card is coming reverse or upright.
>  Semi-glossy flexible, good cardboard. Cards glide magically in your hands and shuffle wonderfully.
> Great quality printing.
> Good sturdy box.
> A true mini, not tiny, not medium. Perfect for people with small hands.  
> Booklet in several languages. 
SOME DOWNSIDES
 > Lack of racial diversity. Most characters are Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, Nordic-ish looking. If you are multiracial or just not Caucasian this might be a point of annoyance. 
> In all honestly, the images don't always convey what they're supposed to, or at least not in an obvious way to me. Some examples:-- XII - The hanged man = The image has a woman lying reverse, which perfectly conveys the image of the hanged man. Meaning given in the booklet "sacrifice. bonding'. Does the image conveys the text? Not to me.
-- 4 of Pentacles  = A lady is asleep, in sexy lingerie, by the fireplace. She holding a fan in her hand.. Her man is caressing her, like checking whether she's asleep, absorbed in her sensual beauty. Meaning given in the text: " Pleasure. The magic of the fan". Does the image conveys the text? Not to me.
In other cases, though, the images convey perfectly the suit and card, like, just as an example, the High Priestess and The Star.   
> There is a focus on female nudity and the female body more than on male nudity, and I would have loved seeing a 50/50 kind of male/female nudity.
> Very basic booklet that doesn't always convey  the meanings that the author intended for or assigned to the imagery.
> Booklet tiny lettering size, so you might need a magnifying glass to read it.

MIND
 > Needless to say, if you mind nudity, this is not a Tarot for you.
> There is a focus on the female being the object of sexual desire and the male the subject of pleasure, and not vice versa. It might not appeal to people who have nontraditional romantic or erotic relationships.   
> Some of the original deck design features has been altered.