The Cosmic Tarot Deck Review (Norbert Losche)

And since we're on a roll now...! Please note, this is the original, unadulterated review, which appeared in the 2001 Winter edition of the TABI ezine - complete with links from back then, tarot impressions from yester year and probably a different writing style. If anything doesn't work, please feel free to let us know.


Cosmic Tarot by Norbert Lösche
(English Edition FX Schmid 1988. Art Nr. 15530 – 1)
Reviewed by Diana McMahon

This is the main deck that attracted my attention when, perhaps for want of a better term, “psychic responses” to my Rider Waite cards suddenly began to dwindle. In terms of early reading development the Rider Waite deck had been a fantastic learning tool, taking my understanding of tarot from confused to much clearer. Thanks to the proliferation of imagery my ability to quickly put a meaning to a card and provide insightful readings had developed in leaps in bounds, so I shall always be grateful for the introduction to that deck. But when things went quiet in my psyche I realised I needed some sort of new stimulus and this is exactly what the Cosmic Tarot deck provided.

The deck is not to be confused with the Cosmic Tribe by American creator Stevee Postman which, whilst also very strong in imagery, is a very different deck. Ditto the Cosmic Egg tarot, by Guido Gillabel and Carol Herzer, which features more abstract, brightly coloured images on square shaped cards. The Cosmic Tarot with its mix of intense and pastel shades of predominantly blue, green, yellow, pink, purple and brown was created by Norbert Lösche and originally published by the German company Schmid though it is also available via US Games. I bought my copy in one of the book shops in Glastonbury.

The cards are beautifully designed and the artist, who has a natural interest in the esoteric, has drawn on a combination of symbolism from various cultures and perspectives. Some cards feature symbolism related to Arabic, North African and Asian influences, for instance the Four of Wands, featuring Egyptian pyramids and the Four of Swords set in the desert with a camel in the background. Others, such as the Ten of Pentacles, with its robed and stockinged suitor have a more European, historic feel. And then there are cards that seem either timeless, e.g. the evocative Ten of Cups featuring a semi-naked woman sitting among an array of overflowing cups. Finally there are the more modern and contemporary images found in cards such as the Four and Nine of Pentacles, featuring Twentieth Century houses and clothing.

Many of the Major Arcana cards in this deck also have a timeless quality. In many cases the imagery is excellent at conveying facets such as movement and fluidity (in Judgement and The World for example), opulence (The Empress) and stasis and spiritual reflection (The Hermit).

With the Court cards, even though these often feature characters in historic clothing, it soon becomes evident that the artist’s consciousness also encapsulates film history and images. Some of the faces on the minor cards look distinctly familiar and you could be forgiven for thinking you were looking at an image of, for example, Elizabeth Taylor in the Queen of Wands or Sean Connery in the King of Cups. However this is not, in my opinion, the most predominant feature of the deck. What is more important is that the images are so varied and dense whilst maintaining an integrity of their own.

For those with an astrological awareness I would say that this deck would appeal especially to the sensitivity and romance of Water types. Although it also has a wide ranging appeal that will reach many kinds of tarot card readers, if you respond to soft, dreamy imagery, this could be the perfect deck for you. I use the Cosmic Tarot frequently for my own readings and find that clients often choose it, too. A further feature that appeals to me as a reader is the clear labelling of the title of each card. It doesn’t interfere with my reaction to the card because there is no extraneous information but what is there is clear and easy to recognise. This is a deck where, when the cards are turned face up, you know without hesitation whether you are looking at an upright or reversed card. When the cards are face down you only have that information through noticing the colour of the Sun images on the backs of the cards. Unless you are focussing on that you may well miss it, which can be ideal for readers who still want to maintain a practice of selecting upright and reversed cards “blind”.

Is this a useful tarot deck for the absolute beginner? Certainly the images are very striking but in all honesty I think it is better suited to someone who has a basic grasp of tarot and is looking to work with a new and interesting deck. The imagery will, in some instances, take you quite a way from what you may have learnt from tarot books and the Rider Waite styles of decks. That is not necessarily a bad thing if you wish to expand your tarot imagination and psychic “vocabulary” but it could be a bit confusing to switch mid stream to a deck such as this if you are still learning your basic language of the cards.

A final note is that whilst a lot of the images are gentle and peaceful, those that are “darker” are often quite intense. That is often no bad thing because powerful and distinctive imagery can be a great help for clear and effective reading responses. But if you are going to use these cards for face to face readings you may want to work up quite a relationship with and understanding of the more powerful cards. These include the Nine of Swords, featuring a man under attack from flying swords and the Ten of Wands, showing an individual burning up amidst a stack of flaming wands. All in all I am glad I found this deck and very much enjoy reading with it.

Publishers & Images:
F X Schmid GmbH & Co. KG Bachstr. 17, PO Box 1465, D-83209 Prien (English edition)
Also available from US Games Systems: http://usgamessystems.com
For images online, one source is: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cosmic/index.html
For comparison with images from other decks with Cosmic in the title, visit
http://www.aesthetic.net
For the Cosmic Tribe deck specifically, visit author Stevee Postmans’s site at: http://www.stevee.com

Tarot Numbers - Sixes

Today, the seasons are transitioning - and in the UK this is more marked right now than at the Spring Equinox itself, as our clocks have "gone back" and the evenings are visibly lighter for longer.  So I want to talk about a transition number in the tarot.  It is number Six.  Firstly, the previous number, Five, reminds me of being on a see-saw.  It represents a midway point in the Minor Arcana of the tarot; a point from which we can roll back, stay static or move forward, possibly in a new direction.

Six is the actual step forward.  Six is when we have the impetus, or sense of safety, or feeling of a 'green light', which is telling us and showing us that we can go ahead.  So if Sixes come up in your reading for yourself or another, it means some forward movement is on the way and that, generally, it will be good.  This is perhaps most obvious with the Six of Wands, one of the keywords for which is 'victory'.  Or with the Six of Swords, which indicates a journey to a safer place, usually after a period of stress, strife or difficulty.

Bearing in mind that the Six of Cups is often linked with the past - past places, past contacts, etc - does this hold true for that card?  Yes it does.  At least it does if you're seeing several Sixes in the reading and/or if other cards are pointing to forward motion and change - say The Chariot, The Fool or The Wheel, from the Major Arcana are showing up.  Or one or more Sixes appear in the spread of cards.  Then you can be fairly sure that this is the case.  The Six of Cups, in particular, may be saying that a connection with the past will help to pivot you forward to a new future.


The Six of Pentacles is an interesting card, because it suggests doing more financially and work-wise. I think it's a card that warns to consider the choice carefully because, whilst success may be promised, there can be the risk of overburdening. I use the Cosmic Tarot for some of my professional tarot readings and this is especially obvious in the imagery on that card - a man holds out his arms with the six Pentacles between them, rather like a juggler. If those arms go any wider he might find he drops one of the Pentacles! So it's a card about limits as well.

We can also sometimes think about the Six as an actual measure of time, of course. We may need to think about the unit of time - Six years, months, weeks, etc.  And as to whether the figure six runs from the current time or a past time.  In a recent client reading two Sixes appeared in the Celtic Cross tarot spread and, after discussing the client's life context a little, it became clear that the time period would be measured from when she had lost someone important in her life.  The Sixes here were showing a transition forward after a period of bereavement.

If you have experience of, thoughts on or questions about working with the Sixes in the tarot, I'd love to hear your comments, here on the blog!

For those who have been following this blog, it's been a while, I know. Celestial spot has been publicly quiet but only because Celestia has been hard at work 'in the ring', as it were! The desire to write is very powerful, though and I think the blog will soon have new life because of this. Posts may be a little shorter sometimes, but better a little than not at all, we figure - and hope you agree. We hope you enjoy the latest!  Happy Easter (or your favoured festival, at this time of the year) to all.

Celestially Yours