Quick Peek: The Zerner-Farber Tarot

One of my all-time favorite Tarot decks is the Zerner-Farber Tarot. This is a bridge-sized version of the Enchanted Tarot with some slight color variations and no borders. If you aren’t familiar with either of these, this is a fabric and found item collage deck created by Amy Zerner and Monte Farber. Besides being offered as a stand-alone deck, it was marketed in a kit with a how-to book (The Instant Tarot Reader) and later with a DVD (The Tarot Discovery Kit). It is now a number of years out of print but has just been re-released by RedFeather. As an aside, the 30th Anniversary Edition of the Enchanted Tarot is out now.

Why I Love The Zerner-Farber Tarot

The fabric collages are heavy on brocade and lace. Some cards have a wispy feel, others were made with beads and bric-a-brac. The entire deck tickles the little girl in me who loved to browse the “notions” section of the fabric store. Zerner used rich and romantic colors to bring out an emotional response in readers. Even the Tower has a not-so-subtle elegance amid the flames.

Some Favorite Cards

From the Major Arcana, two of my favorites are Death and the Lovers. Death is intriguing because a skeleton stands among what we can assume is dead vegetation. Red roses border the card to show the passion for life that ebbs and flows through transitions. The Lovers card is one of the few examples of this Major that shows the card’s connection to choices and long-term decisions. A man and woman dance onstage while his “other choice” lounges just off stage. Who he chooses as his partner will affect the rest of his life.

The Minor Arcana cards that stand out for me are the Three of Pentacles, the Six of Swords, and the Queen of Swords. For the Three of Pentacles, I am struck by the image of two Edwardian Era women coming in from the fields where they have presumably worked all day. This reflects the card meaning of collaboration and being productive. The Six of Swords is such a light, airy card of hope that it draws you in with its beauty. A rainbow and a gray dove show the occupants of a small watercraft that all will be well soon. The Queen of Swords is also an airy vision with lace and butterflies framing her portrait. The element of air is well represented here as the entire framing area gives the impression of clouds.

The Basics

Number of Cards: 78

Major Card Titles: Traditional

Suits: Hearts (Cups), Pentacles, Wands, and Swords

Courts: Princess (Page), Prince (Knight), Queen, and King

Backs: Purple with a stylized “ZF” in white.

Special Features: Title color coding (Majors (Purple), Hearts (Red), Pentacles (Green), Wands (Orange), and Swords (Blue)