Quick Specs
- Brand: U.S. Games Systems
- Artist: Norbert Losche
- Type: 78-card tarot deck with booklet
- Card Size: 2.75 x 4.75 inches
- Best for: Astrologically-oriented readers, Golden Dawn students, collectors of illustrated pip decks
Cosmic Tarot: Astrological Symbolism and Qabalistic Structure
The Cosmic Tarot was designed by German artist Norbert Losche and published by AGM-Urania, later widely distributed through U.S. Games Systems. Losche built the deck around a synthesis of astrological, Qabalistic, and Golden Dawn attributions, making it one of the more systematically annotated decks in the 78-card tradition. Each Major Arcana card carries explicit astrological and Qabalistic correspondences drawn from the Golden Dawn framework, and the Minor Arcana follow the illustrated pip approach established by the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, giving each of the 56 minor cards a distinct narrative scene rather than abstract pip arrangements.
The artwork is pen-and-ink illustration colored in muted pastels, producing a palette that reads as atmospheric and slightly dreamlike without tipping into abstraction. Human figures throughout the deck have a quality that draws comparisons to portraiture: faces are individualized and expressive, lending the cards an unusual psychological specificity. The Minor Arcana figures in particular convey the emotional and psychological states of each card through body language and expression rather than just symbolic props. Cards measure 2.75 by 4.75 inches, a comfortable size for handling and laying spreads. Browse my full tarot decks collection for other Golden Dawn-aligned and astrological decks.
Working with the Cosmic Tarot’s Layered Symbolism
The booklet by Norbert Losche interprets each card on three levels: the individual, the community, and the cosmos, a structure that reflects the Hermetic principle of correspondence between microcosm and macrocosm. This three-tiered approach gives readers a framework for scaling any reading from personal matters outward to larger social or universal themes. The astrological attributions on the Major Arcana also allow practitioners who work with natal charts or transits to draw direct connections between card pulls and current planetary positions.
The Cosmic Tarot is best suited to readers who already have some familiarity with either the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition or basic astrology and Qabalah, as the symbolic density of the cards rewards rather than requires that background knowledge. Beginners can read intuitively from the imagery, but the full depth of the system opens up with study.
How to Use the Cosmic Tarot
Approaches for getting the most from this astrologically structured deck.
- Use the Astrological Attributions
Each Major Arcana card in the Cosmic Tarot carries an astrological symbol. Before readings, note which planet or sign governs the card you’re studying. Cross-referencing with current transits adds a timing dimension that many readers find useful.
- Read the Three-Level Booklet Entries
Losche’s booklet interprets each card at the individual, community, and cosmic levels. For personal readings, start with the individual entry. For questions about relationships or society, move to the community level for additional context.
- Work the Minor Arcana Scenes Narratively
Rather than memorizing keywords, study each Minor Arcana scene as a story. The figures’ expressions and postures carry the meaning. Ask what situation the characters are in and how they feel about it, then connect that reading to your question.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock the Cosmic Tarot because Losche’s three-level interpretive structure genuinely adds something that most packaged booklets don’t offer: a way to consciously shift the scale of your reading from personal to universal. The astrological annotations on the Majors also make this a useful study deck for readers working through Golden Dawn material. The muted pastel illustration style is distinctive without being polarizing. If you work with astrology alongside tarot, browse my tarot divination books for titles that bridge both systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Cosmic Tarot integrates astrological, Qabalistic, and Golden Dawn attributions into the Major Arcana, and the booklet interprets every card on individual, community, and cosmic levels. Most standard decks don’t offer that three-tiered structure.
Beginners can read the illustrated Minor Arcana intuitively, since every card has a narrative scene rather than abstract pip arrangements. The astrological and Qabalistic layers reward study but aren’t required to get useful readings from the start.
The Cosmic Tarot was designed and illustrated by Norbert Losche, a German artist. The deck was originally published by AGM-Urania and is now distributed by U.S. Games Systems. Losche also wrote the companion interpretive booklet.
Cards measure 2.75 by 4.75 inches, which is on the smaller side for a standard tarot deck. This size handles comfortably during shuffling and spreading, and the compact format makes the deck easy to carry for travel or away-from-home readings.
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