The Infinite Tarot by Jolynn Kottke and Rachel Ritter
Review by Sherryl Smith

This quirky, colorful, unorthodox deck is divided into four
19-card suits - Earth, Water, Fire, and Sky. Each suit is
comprised of cards numbered 1 through 10, four family cards,
and five extra cards that replace the trumps. The extra cards in
each suit are called High Ace, King, Queen, Joker and Gift.
The family cards vary depending on the suit. The Earth and
Water suits have Mother, Son and Sister, while the Sky and
Fire suits have Father, Daughter and Brother. The fifth family
card is either Spirit or Matter and shows an abstract symbol
rather than a person. Only a few cards in the deck have
familiar Waite-type imagery such as Death as the Grim
Reaper, and three women singing on the 3 of Water card.
Each card has a key word printed on it, but many of the words
only state the obvious by repeating the image.

The little white book is very good. The author gives several
ways of looking at each image, plus ideas for manifesting the
best of each card's energy in your life. The book has some
new spreads, such as a heart-shaped relationship spread, and a
Whole Soul spread to be used on birthdays or other special
times. It also gives an interactive card game for two or more
people where each player picks cards representing different
parts of his psyche and discusses them with the other players.

The art is colorful, energetic and somewhat psychedelic. The
cards depict people, natural objects like rainbows and
mountains, everyday things such telephones and light bulbs,
as well as abstract swirls and symbols. The backs are
blue-purple monochrome with semi-abstract images from nature.

I did a two-card reading to transmit a message from the deck
for the Tarot community and drew the 6 of Fire (The Athlete)
and the Joker of Water (The Knot). The Athlete depicts a
person speeding downhill on a bicycle with a red wave of
energy streaming behind him. The book speaks of immersion
in physical activity, playing and working hard, and strength
and determination to achieve goals.  The Knot is a thick cord
of many colored strands tied in a loose knot. The book says it 
describes a situation that is a tangled mess, or a feeling of being 
constricted or tied in knots and not able to see the larger picture. 
This spread is saying that the deck is an ideal tool for untangling
knotty, confused situations, especially if you stay
grounded in your body while doing the reading. Your intuition
speaks through your body and your gut feelings, not the
images rattling around in your skull. The striking art work in
this deck gives an immediate visceral reaction to the cards that
makes it easy for the reader to stay grounded in the present
moment. Doing your readings with determination means not
giving up too quickly when a card is difficult to interpret.
Rather than pulling a clarification card, or spinning fantasies
about the card, stick with the spread and wrestle with the cards
until you get a sense of completion.

I've fallen in love with this deck, even though I think it's a
stretch to call it a true Tarot deck. Since it is non-traditional,
the images speak to me directly without being filtered through
my mental data bank of keywords and card meanings. The
swirling surreal colors and dream-like pictures pull me out of
my thinking mind and directly into my intuition. I enjoy
selecting my card for the day from this deck because the
vibrant energy and bright colors lift my spirits. The deck has
cards of sadness, alienation and destruction, but the overall
tone is upbeat and energetic, making the deck ideal to use with
children and in situations where you want to keep the tone
light and positive.