FNL_INSPIRED Vol 2_Spring

18 INSPIRED VOL 2 function. The army, the church, and the artistic and mercan- tile aspects of the ancient world resonated with the swords, cups, wands, and coins of the later medieval pack. From the strange, exotic courts of the emperors, we have discovered layers of meaning, some little known or under- stood today, that form the core of The Byzantine Tarot . In particular, we discovered a legion of courtly characters that fit so well into the archetypal world of Tarot they seem des- tined to belong there. From this beginning, we went on to create a full-scale Tarot that not only draws upon the ico- nography of this forgotten world but also extends the range of the Tarot itself. Myth, legend, and the hierarchical complexity of life in Byzantium make this a unique exploration of a period of time in which the last echoes of the pagan world were being enfolded into the burgeoning world of early Chris- tianity. Today, in the West, the Byzantine Empire is largely misrepresented; we see it as rigid, corrupt, and moribund. However, we discovered long forgotten and misunderstood aspects of the empire that enrich the cards and accompa- nying book. The deck features emperors, empresses, court officials, saints, and sinners to create a dazzling array of images bound to thrill every user of the Tarot. But it is the city itself, Byzantium, that lies at the heart of our vision. One early viewer of the cards described it as “a city within a deck”. Somehow, the magical world of the Byzan- tine Empire has transferred itself into the cards we created, showing that its timeless imagery and vision still resonate in our own journey today. JOHN MATTHEWS has produced a number of successful divinatory systems based on early spiritual beliefs, including The Arthurian Tarot (with Caitlín Matthews and Miranda Gray), the bestselling Wildwood Tarot (with Mark Ryan and Will Worthington), the Grail Tarot (with Giovanni Caselli), and the more recent Lost Tarot of Nostradamus and Steampunk Tarot (both with Caitlín Matthews and Wil Kinghan). He is widely known as the author of numer- ous books on the Grail and Arthurian legends and volumes of Celtic literature, myth, and belief. His book Pirates was a number one New York Times bestseller for twenty-two weeks in 2007. He has acted as an advisor on several motion pictures, including Jerry Bruckheimer’s King Arthur , and is currently engaged in a number of movie projects of his own. Visit hallowquest.org.uk . The Byzantine Tarot: Wisdom from an Ancient Empire Size: box set 9” x 5 1/2” x 2” | 78 art cards | 160 pp Binding: box set | ISBN: 978-0-7643-6041-1