I have been interested in Tarot now for about half of my lifetime. I got my first deck when I was about sixteen, a standard Rider Waite deck, but felt no connection with it and gave it away to one of my oldest friends.
Later, more specifically, in the last year, my interest in Tarot has grown even more.
I'm been growing with the Orisha spiritual tradition, but not Lukumi, in the tradition of Trinidad & Tobago. For the record, 'Shango/Spirutal Baptists' are mostly Christian, and there is another more grounded in the Yoruba system tradition alive in Trinidad that is simply called Orisha.
My interest in Tarot was piqued again when I read about the Tarot of The Orishas. For more than a year now I've been trying to acquire a deck without success. In Trinidad, it simply cannot be found, although I did get a copy of the book eventually after much deliberation.
I went so far as to order it from two book stores and a local botanica, all three turned up nothing.
In that time I had gone on to read more about the Tarot of the Orishas, and am gathering that it is a general disappointment withing the Orisha community, because it uses symbolism not in keeping with that generally accepted within the community, as well as being strongly pulled towards a Candoumble variety of the ancient Yoruba tradition.
Within the last three months, I have left Trinidad to live in England, and I am now here, surviving the onset of the coldest weather I've ever experienced, and in this place there hardly seems to be much Orisha community to draw on or connect with.
Again I renewed my search for the Tarot of The Orishas, and again only having much success even finding the deck book combination on line, and for sums I could hardly afford.
So in the last several weeks, I've come to understand maybe there is a reason why I could not find this deck, and now cannot afford it.
So as I began to look for information on the Tarot of the Orishas, I came across information about the Tarot Lukumi.
It was like a PING went off in my head. My mind zoned in like a radar and I have been combing the net for information on it, of which there is precious little, two reviews and a few threads in this forum.
The few pictures I have seen online have only whetted my appetite for the deck, and despite a lack of a companion book to go along with it, I believe this is the deck for me.
I have a few other decks. The hideous Marseilles deck which I absolutely could not read at all, and felt leaden and dead in my hand.
A Rider-Waite/Marseilles clone, that has been redrawn and is a talking deck. I've used this in readings for myself and other people, and I get very accurate, very helpful information from them. I really like this deck alot because it's simple and uses many primary colours and bold lines, making it easy to read.
I have some African divination cards that again, I don't really feel any connection with. They are black and white and the art is simplistic as to look like cartoon cut outs and they do not resemble any know tarot system I've seen and the book was simplistic as well. I've never even read with them.
Then there is the Bosch deck I acquired shortly before I left Trinidad. Every few days during the three months prior to my leaving the island, I went into the store and stared at the box, and wanted, wanted, wanted to get it.
I do not know why, but I was strongly pulled to this deck. Maybe it's because my mother had a book with Bosch's paintings when I was child, and I would sit poring over the pages, intensely curious about the weird creatures Bosch painted.
I told the TT$150 out of my travel money fund, and bought this deck, and it is as beautifully weird as I expected, but it's not the deck I read the most with.
The Tarot Lukumi, and my reaction to it, seems to be similar to my feeling prior to getting the Bosch deck. It is an intense feeling like I must have this deck, and I suspect only Orisa knows why.
So, I ordered the deck from Alidastore, and it was shipped to me today, expected in England next week.
I am very excited. I am very eager to see if this deck with speak to me, will work with me and my world view.
I'd like to thank those who've kept this thread going, because it has been an interesting read so far.
I would like to find out which of those yahoo online discussion groups, mentioned the Tarot Lukumi. I'm a member of a number Orisa/Santeria groups on Yahoo, and I've been searching through them without any mention of Tarot Lukumi turning up.
Also, one of the links to the older Tarot Lukumi discussion, leads back to this one, and I am a little confused.
So I just wanted to add my two cents or two hundred, to the discussion.
When I get the deck I will post some more on it.
Also, I <a href="http://sungoddess.journalspace.com/">wrote in my blog</a> about the experience of searching for both the Tarot of The Orishas, and the Tarot Lukumi, most recently as a few days ago. Anonymous users can post, so feel free to do so.
Blessings and Good Things,
Big Mami