Silver Era Tarot

“Keeping with her Aunia’s own artwork, she decided to create an entire journey through the deck by using herself as the primary model (except for the inherently masculine cards), so visitors of the deck could see the path she set out on, carried through, and completed, in almost one complete characters reference, something no had done to date.” – From the companion booklet to the Silver Era Tarot

A provocative display of black and white photography, the Silver Era Tarot offers a unique spin on Rider-Waite-Smith iconography thanks to award-winning and exhibited artist Aunia Kahn. Arguably, the most dazzling and intriguing part of this deck arises out of that one touch of color that Aunia strategically places in each card.

For example, the woman in the Two of Swords wears a pink blindfold while the Magician concocts an emerald liquid in her test tube. Imperceptible ruby lips glisten on the female Hierophant and a wild teal mane crowns the woman in the Eight of Swords. Part of the fun of the Silver Era Tarot is looking for those lovely splashes of color! (However, the polychromatic touches appear to be more artistic capriciousness than symbolic).

Measuring approximately 4 ½ x 2 ¾ inches, the glossy, sturdy cards of this daring deck come in a flip-top box secured by hidden magnets, easily opened via a ribbon. A 96-page companion book authored by Russell J. Moon accompanies the Silver Era Tarot (and, if I’m not mistaken, he’s the male model in some of the cards).

You might think that a deck comprised of largely black and white photos would get a bit boring, but the lavish costumes, diverse hairstyles and artsy props make the Silver Era Tarot a classy set of cards. One of my favorite stylistic touches emerge from the Wands suits, where smooth, wavy, metallic “wands” tipped with orbs replace the usual rough wooden batons—giving this deck a futuristic feel.

The Minor suits of this deck are Wands, Swords, Cups and Pentacles, while the court cards range the usual Page, Knight, Queen and King demarcation. The reversible card backings in the Silver Era Tarot feature a diamond patterns in subdued grays.

I would have loved to see a more elegant backing to these cards, perhaps a subdued gray with a metallic pink rose in the middle (still reversible). Any simple symbol in the middle with a splash of color would have better reflected the theme of this deck, in my opinion. Also, I think the male model (the writer of the companion book?) was a poor choice; in almost every instance, he appears bored or looks like a dullard. In fact, in the King of Pentacles card, he looks asleep! (And the 10 of Pentacles? Ugh. Totally doesn’t match Aunia’s elegance; and what’s up with that beribboned woman’s hat he’s wearing?!)

The 96-page companion booklet begs for better editing, not only to prune Moon’s bloated prose, but also to catch embarrassing grammatical errors (e.g. using “eludes” instead the correct “alludes” in the Lovers description). Speaking of The Lovers, here’s the short description of the cards to give a feel for what I mean: “The Lovers stand back to back in a confident embrace which eludes [sic] to a relationship of trust and individuality, but ever common in their shared love by holding the same roses.”

Huh?

And, unfortunately, the companion booklet—although offering upright and reversed meanings—provides the same keywords for *multiple* cards, which would no doubt confuse those new to Tarot. (And Moon’s attempt at flowery prose doesn’t help, either.)

Those sticking points aside, I’ve been experimenting with the Silver Era Tarot for a few months, and it reads clearly and pointedly. Those familiar with Rider-Waite-Smith renderings will likely feel right at home with this deck, while appreciating Aunia Kahn’s dreamlike photo manipulations and avant-garde interpretation of the cards.