Quick Peek: Erenberg Tarot

Why I Love the Erenberg Tarot

The Erenberg Tarot by Steve Erenberg is a simplistic Tarot deck in the Rider Waite Smith tradition. There is just enough symbolism on each card to get a feel for the card itself. All characters are portrayed up close and only in fragments. For example, the World shows only a ballerina’s feet in pink pointe shoes. A portion of the wreath and the astrological symbols that correspond to the four living creatures featured on the RWS are also present. I’ve been reading with this deck for just over a month, and have been delighted with how easy it is to interpret.

Some Favorite Cards

Three of my favorite cards are Death, the 9 of Cups, and the Knight of Pentacles. The Death card features a skull and skeletal hand in the foreground, but also many other skulls and various bones in the background. The message is that death arrives for everyone. The visual is simple and potent. The 9 of Cups is next. Traditionally, this card has been seen as the fortune teller, the wish card, or the self-satisfied merchant in the red hat. Erenberg portrays the character in a red turban with a bejeweled pin and large rings. This could very well be a fortune teller or a rich storekeeper. These nods to old traditional card meanings are part of the joy I find in this deck. Last, my third favorite card is the Knight of Pentacles. H is the planner, the owner of the farm looking over a freshly planted field. Although he is a knight in armor, he carries a hoe as a reminder that he is the Knight of Earth, and in that capacity plants the seeds of what is to come.

The Basics

Number of Cards: 78

Major Card Titles: Traditional

Suits: Cups, Pentacles, Wands, and Swords

Courts: Page, Knight, Queen, and King

Backs: An earth-tone harlequin pattern (diamonds)