Modifying cards to better read them?

Hi all,

I recently purchased a copy of the Fallen Angel Oracle Cards. I absolutely love it, except for one thing: each card has a black bar with white text showing a word or short phrase to describe the meaning of the card. Normally, this wouldn't bother me - my Lord of the Rings Tarot is much the same - but these cues have almost nothing to do with the cards' actual meanings. I much prefer the meanings assigned to the cards in the little book that came with the deck. In addition, not all the text cues are different - the word "upheaval" is used for four cards in the deck, and "honesty" for two.

Normally I would never take pen or marker to a card, but in this case, I am seriously considering blacking out the white text with a marker or pen. Because it's on a small black bar, it wouldn't be noticeable that I'd changed anything, but I am still hesitant to do it. At the same time, the text cues are actually hindering my ability to learn the cards' meanings, and thus making it harder to read the deck.

If I do modify the deck this way, I would carefully test the marker to make sure it wouldn't bleed through to the back of the card.

Thoughts? Is it bad to modify cards? Would you ever do this to a deck? I'm only considering this because I absolutely love the deck and really want to use it, but I can't learn or read the cards in their current condition.

Thanks,
Taylor

P.S. I wasn't sure whether this should go in this forum or somewhere in the Oracle Decks section, but I thought it fit better here than in there.

There are entire threads dedicated to the trimming of decks (both tarot & oracle).

I trimmed the borders and titles off of my DruidCraft. I am glad I did! So much nicer to handle now.

Pictures of Trimmed Decks thread!

I have modified some decks. Most recently, I got a Russian Victorian Romantic. I had a VR already, but it was getting so worn out that I decided to get a new one. The titles are all in Russian, and they are on the bottom. I took out my old VR and put all the cards in order, and copied the titles to the top of the Russian deck. I'm very glad that I did that -- makes it much easier to read.

You can do whatever you like to your cards. People have been marking them up since Mlle. Lenormand's time.

Okay, good to hear. I guess it's just that I'm so finicky about keeping my cards looking new that I was afraid to do something like this! But I think that like other modifications, if it's going to help me better work with the cards, it's worth it. Off to (carefully) test that marker!

-Taylor

People have trimmed, glittered, re-laminated, dipped in strong tea and recently put them through the washing machine all in the interest of personalizing their decks. Go for it!!!

I just wrote the elemental signs on the majors of my russian victorian romantic - i can never remember them, the cards are my tools so i make them as easy to use aspossible

taylorkiteling said:

Hi all,

I recently purchased a copy of the Fallen Angel Oracle Cards. I absolutely love it, except for one thing: each card has a black bar with white text showing a word or short phrase to describe the meaning of the card. Normally, this wouldn't bother me - my Lord of the Rings Tarot is much the same - but these cues have almost nothing to do with the cards' actual meanings. I much prefer the meanings assigned to the cards in the little book that came with the deck. In addition, not all the text cues are different - the word "upheaval" is used for four cards in the deck, and "honesty" for two.

Normally I would never take pen or marker to a card, but in this case, I am seriously considering blacking out the white text with a marker or pen. Because it's on a small black bar, it wouldn't be noticeable that I'd changed anything, but I am still hesitant to do it. At the same time, the text cues are actually hindering my ability to learn the cards' meanings, and thus making it harder to read the deck.

If I do modify the deck this way, I would carefully test the marker to make sure it wouldn't bleed through to the back of the card.

Thoughts? Is it bad to modify cards? Would you ever do this to a deck? I'm only considering this because I absolutely love the deck and really want to use it, but I can't learn or read the cards in their current condition.

Thanks,
Taylor

P.S. I wasn't sure whether this should go in this forum or somewhere in the Oracle Decks section, but I thought it fit better here than in there.

Click to expand...

The short answer is you feel called to do it, do it. There is no right or wrong when it comes to how to read. We all have to follow what feels best to us. If it feels better to you personally to remove those words from the deck, then do it.

It makes no difference what I personally (or anyone else) would do to a deck. Reading is what what works for you personally, and nothing more. What works best for each of us is different as we are all indivivuals. Reading is about following our intuition. And that included the methods we choose to read by, we need to feel inside what works best for us and follow it. Clearly you are being called to do it.

Then do it, and rejoice that you have found another part of your path.

Would I do it? Even though its completley irrelevant to what you should do. for me personally no. I love keywords. But that is my path, likely not yours when it comes to this deck in particular.

Is it "bad" to do it? Please get that idea out of your head that there is a good way or a bad way to do things, to read. There isn't. It's just a matter or finding the right way for you. And your post says to me you have found it but are questioning your feelings on it. Don't. Follow your feelings in Tarot and do what feels right.

I always call learning to read and inner voyage. It's a path to finding yourself. You find your feelings on what works best more and more and have to follow that path wherever it leads. No one else can be inside you, so no one else can know what is best for you. It can only be felt from the inside. And once you feel it, which I believe you do in this case....just respect it and follow where it leads.

Babs

I've read of people drawing pants on naked people on their cards... covering up some unwanted keywords seems light in comparison! That said, you may find that your marker is a different shade of black, and/or shows up in certain light. This might or might not bother you of course. But if you think it might, you can test for it at the same time you test for bleed-through. Good luck!

I don't believe there is a commercial cardstock made which would allow bleed-through of sharpie ink. That said what will probably happen with sharpie ink is it isn't truly dry instantly. You'll have better luck with it not eventually rubbing off on the back of the card in front of it if you mark them and then set them out individually over night so the ink has time to cure so to speak.

You paid for them, do anything you want to them.
I found with the Kat Black golden tarot sharpie wouldn't stick I was trying to tone down the awful WHITE of the card titles which were totally at odds with the feeling of the deck. I finally off-loaded it in a Ebay lot last month