In the Northern Hemisphere, the time of Winter Solstice is near. Darkness continues to expand its influence, yet the light of the Sun will soon return to renew our spirits and give us hope for brighter times.
In these holiday times (what I call the Hollow Daze), the focus of many is on acquiring material objects and stuffing their stockings and themselves. I choose to reflect on the darkness, and the Light emerging within.
I recently received an intriguing deck from Denmark, called the Javanne Tarot. It has evocative artwork, an insightful companion book (Javanne Tarot: Turning Corners of Widsom), and came in a very nice custom bag with leather draw strings and beaded ends.
The artwork is by Annelie Zofia, and the companion book is by Karen Javanna (hence the name Javanne Tarot). The cards are square (90 mm, 3 & 3/4 inches), and have a wonderful soft satiny finish.
To coincide with the square shape of the cards, the companion book describes interpretations for the cards based on all 4 orientations (normal, reversed, left side, right side). Many of the cards have symbols or images in each quadrant to embellish the meaning of the card in that orientation. These perspectives bring interesting nuances to the imagery and impact of the cards.
The artwork is simple yet powerful, having a tribal native style to them. They remind me in some cases of the Shining Tribe Tarot by Rachel Pollack.
Here are some sample cards:
Major Arcana: 2 – High Priestess / 12 – Hanged One / 19 – Sun
Court cards: Page of Shields / Knight of Wands
Minor Arcana: Ace of Swords / 4 of Swords
You can purchase the Javanne Tarot from the Javanne Tarot site, or from the New Age Musik Shop.
Deck and book set, item BK1187: (if you want the book in English, mention that when ordering)
http://new-age-musik-shop.dk/product.asp?product=401&sub=6
Deck, item BK1186:
http://new-age-musik-shop.dk/product.asp?product=400&sub=6
O-where 
