In honor of World Goth Day today (May 22), I thought it a good time to review perhaps my favorite deck, The Bohemian Gothic Tarot, Third Edition, by Alex Ukolov and Karen Mahoney. Note that all photos are screenshots from the Bohemian Gothic Tarot app for iPhone.

The deck has the usual 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana cards. The images are dark and at times somewhat gruesome to look at. By “Dark” I mean in overall feeling rather than the color. The images are easy to see and they give very clear messages to the reader, at least this reader. Surprisingly the deck is very beginner friendly as it does follow the traditional RWS meanings. It was actually the first deck that I was able to “read” one of the cards.

The deck does not come with a little white book (LWB) because one does not exist, nor is there a companion book for it. How do you know how the deck is intended to be read without a book? Easy!   With an app!  

At first I didn’t think I would like the app but as I got to use it, I quickly discovered how useful and easy it was to use. When you first open the app, you’re given several options. You can immediately begin a reading with your choice of several spreads, or you can browse through the cards. You are also able to save, retrieve or share a reading via email.   A menu with a good variety of information is also included. The menu is shown in the pictures.

The app has large full color photos of each card, and if you flip the card over you get the lighter or more conventional meanings of the card, based on the RWS system, followed by the darker, shadow or more hidden meanings to be seen. These meanings are followed by a description of the card itself This description of the card is fantastic as it helps you see things you might have otherwise missed. This is something I’ve found useful in other decks as well. The information goes on to give you some further ways to consider the card.

Finally, on most cards there will be a quote from literature that applies to the card. I found this to be helpful in applying the descriptions I had just read and ing them in the future.

This may seem like more of an app review than a deck review, but for me it’s impossible to separate the two. Additionally, the app makes the deck very portable here in the old smarter-than-me phone. Of course the physical deck is portable, but due to its cost I’m a bit apprehensive about taking it anywhere.  

The physical deck has good quality card stock and is easy to hold and shuffle. I will say, however, that I have other decks from this company with the same card stock and they can warp quite easily if you live in a humid environment. I’ve not had that issue with this deck, but I have others. The company recommends a heavy weight on top of the cards and that does seem to work quite well. The colors are beautiful and the images easy to read as stated above. There’s more often than not something hidden in the card that will give some insight into how to interpret the card, such as a hidden black cat or some other gothic feature.

I’ve included some of my favorite cards in the photo gallery. Which is your favorite?

───────⊹⊱✫⊰⊹───────

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this review. As always, if you have any questions or wish to talk about the deck, just say so!

───────⊹⊱✫⊰⊹───────

screenshots of cards from The Bohemian Gothic Tarot app