Tarot Cards and Gummy Bears...

[fajrdrako]

I got this from mlleelizabeth: a link to the Gummy Bear Tarot.

I'm not sure whether I'm horrified or hungry.

I love tarot cards; took a course in reading them once. My preferred deck is a variation on the classic Rider-Waite tarot deck, but I own a few others which are gorgeous. My favourite aesthetically: the Renaissance Tarot deck, though I also like the Norse Tarot deck. Trust me to like the historically-evocative ones, not the trendy modern ones. There are some incredibly ugly tarot cards out there. And some fascinating ones: just browsing that site I found the Etruscan Tarot, which is gorgeous. Or the comic-book style of the Fradella Tarot. I wish Moebius would put out a tarot deck!

I like the Silver Era Tarot both conceptually and aesthetically - but I'm not sure if I could do a reading with it. Some of the Italian decks really appeal, like the Taro Gatti, anot to be confused with the also interesting i Gatti. And hey - there's a Pirate Tarot. Shiver me timbers, Captain Jack Sparrow!

And I find the art on this one appallingly scary. So is the Storm Tarot. Shudder.

I've been feeling like doing a reading, but I'm not sure who to read for. I like to use the triadic Celtic spread, and I read rather subjectively and intuitively - I have the positions memorized and go from there. It's like reading a comic book, or like poetry - the cards form a narrative, and I read along.

Comments

[mlleelizabeth.livejournal.com]

The Storm Tarot didn't bother me too much (it looks like woodcuts to me) but OMG those soul cards! They look like my nightmares! I have to admit they are fairly artistic and probably draw a lot of reaction from the Querant, but I'd worry they were putting negative imagery in the Querant's mind rather than helping them interpret their own thoughts and feelings.

The Etruscan deck truly is gorgeous! It's going on my Must Have list. My favorite is still the Mythic Tarot, which is sadly out of print. I keep my Mythic cards very, very safe.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

The Storm Tarot didn't bother me too much (it looks like woodcuts to me)

Yes - on the dark side, I thought, but not so bad as to be difficult to read. I feel a but this way with the Crowley deck: it's borderline, but I tend to think when I use it that I'm tipping over into dark interpretations.

OMG those soul cards! They look like my nightmares!

Yes - or the nightmares I don't dare to have. Makes me want to run to the safety of the Gummy Bear Cards.

I'd worry they were putting negative imagery in the Querant's mind rather than helping them interpret their own thoughts and feelings.

I'd worry they were putting negative images of fear and anxiety into my own mind - and that I wouldn't be able to sleep that night.

The Etruscan deck truly is gorgeous! It's going on my Must Have list.

Mine too.

[idiotgrrl.livejournal.com]

Why not read for the state of the nation and/or the world in the coming year the way the astrologers have done?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Interesting idea. I've never actually done that - but it might be fun!

[star-momma.livejournal.com]

I use the deck here (http://www.daughtersofthemoon.com/). Yes, it sounds very overly feminist and new-agey, but I like the cards, the explanations of them in the book that comes with it, and the round card format. It gives more wiggle room in terms of interpretation. Something isn't A or B, there are spaces in between, which I find helpful and logical since, honestly, when is life ever clear-cut?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes, it does look feminist and new-agey, but in a good way. I can see reading with that one. Of course life is never clear-cut, and that's why I like to use the triadic Celtic spread rather than just the Celtic spread - more info, more room for creative interpretation. Sor of like playing jazz.

(Okay, what do I know, I never played jazz! But in theory...)

[star-momma.livejournal.com]

I may have to check that out. Sounds cool :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I always feel it was one of the real benefits of the course I took: we got to try different spreads on for size. I really took to that one. Its ease of reading more than compensated for the fact that you need a really big table to do it properly! And there are ways around that - you can always put the sets of three cards on top of each other and then 'reveal' them as you go.

[star-momma.livejournal.com]

I'm also a fan of doing readings on the bed - plenty of space :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Good idea - and cosy, too. Cuddly, even.

(Perhaps I shouldn't let my mind stray in those directors. Hmm. Do I sense a story idea here?)

[gypsylady.livejournal.com]

I've used that deck. (hmmmmm...it's up on my bookcase, need to pull it down and use it once in a while.) Mine is the old one, that you could color in. I've been coloring it in for years, decades maybe. (I don't remember when I got it.) The deck I use most often is Ellen Cannon Reed's The Witches Tarot (http://www.amazon.com/Witches-Tarot-Card-Ellen-Cannon/dp/0875426697), which does have a reputation for overly pretty and sexual people cards, but it's worked well for me so I generally fall back on it.

Using a round deck is always a bit of a challenge for me (getting back to Daughters of the Moon) but it does give some insightful readings if you (or, at least, I) pay attention.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Colouring your own deck - how cool.

does have a reputation for overly pretty and sexual people cards

And what could possibly be wrong with that...?

I find that I'm clumsy with the round cards, and that bothers me. Maybe it shouldn't.

[star-momma.livejournal.com]

I've used that deck. (hmmmmm...it's up on my bookcase, need to pull it down and use it once in a while.) Mine is the old one, that you could color in.

That's very cool! Nice being able to customize your own cards. Mine's pre-colored, and it was a gift from my mom quite a few years back.

Using a round deck is always a bit of a challenge for me (getting back to Daughters of the Moon) but it does give some insightful readings if you (or, at least, I) pay attention.

You're quite right on that - you definitely have to be in the mood to really focus, which isn't always practical. heh

[gypsylady.livejournal.com]

This deck is SO VERY WRONG! I must get it. It's even worse than this one. (http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/hello-kitty/)

Okay, it's not worse. It's on par. And at least Gummy Bears don't scare me like Hello Kitty does.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness. I think my brain hurts now. I have a special fascination now with the picture for the Hello Kitty VIII of Swords. )Bondage Kitty? Mummy Kitty? Target practice Kitty?)

The longer I live, the more this universe surprises me.

[star-momma.livejournal.com]

rofl I almost want it just because it's so horrible.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It simply should not exist.

But it does.