Dark Grimoire Tarot - Lovecraftian imagery, 78 cards for shadow work
Some tarot decks offer reassurance. The Dark Grimoire Tarot does not. This is a deck that pushes you toward what you would rather not look at: suppressed fears, old patterns, images rising from the undertow of the mind.
The deck is rooted in the cosmic horror fiction of H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu mythos. Michele Penco translated that world into 78 cards using a palette of pale greys and sickly greens, with scenes that recall forgotten libraries and forbidden manuscripts, and figures suspended somewhere between trance and madness.
What you see on the cards
The visual language is dark and consistent. Penco works with a narrow colour range: almost no warmth, heavy reliance on grey and greenish tones. Figures stand before portals to alien dimensions or are submerged in ritual. The classical tarot archetypes are recognisable, but any resemblance to a Rider-Waite deck stops there.
This deck is also known as the Tarot Necronomicon, a name used across several editions. Both names refer to the same deck.
Shadow work as a starting point
The cards can be used for standard tarot readings, but the imagery steers naturally toward something else: shadow work, where the figures and symbols on the cards act as a mirror for what is moving in yourself. That requires some willingness to sit with uncomfortable images.
The included guidebook is multilingual and covers the basic card meanings. Anyone looking for depth on the Lovecraftian symbolism will need to look beyond the guidebook.
Write down your first, unfiltered reaction to a card before opening the guidebook. That immediate response often carries more information than the official meaning.
About Michele Penco
Michele Penco is an Italian artist whose work moves at the intersection of Lovecraftian literature and European esotericism. For this deck, he translated that literary and mythical world into images that make the psychological tension between madness and insight something you can see and hold.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 78
- Language: Multilingual (including English)
- ISBN: 9780738714103
- Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
- Weight: 318 g
- Dimensions: 66 x 120 mm
- Finish: Matte
Questions we often get
Which languages does the guidebook include?
The guidebook is multilingual, with English confirmed. Lo Scarabeo typically includes several European languages in this type of deck. A complete language list is not printed on the packaging.
How does the Dark Grimoire Tarot compare to a standard Rider-Waite deck?
The card structure follows the classical 78-card format, but the imagery diverges sharply. There are no warm tones or welcoming symbols here. Anyone familiar with Rider-Waite meanings will recognise the underlying structure, but the atmosphere is something else entirely.
