View Full Version : Tarot Deck Creation Group - Themes
It's great to see there is so much interest!
One thing to think about when starting your own tarot deck is, "What is the theme going to be?"
You might make your theme really loose like, Images that appeal to me and combine various themes and ideas to reflect your interpretation of the cards.
However, creating your own deck is a really interesting way to not only learn about tarot but also learn more about your theme! Trying to apply the theme "Soccor ball brands of the World" to all the cards can be difficult but this sparks the most creative expressions! You might like to choose a theme that leaves room for all the interpretations...
So - theme ideas? What theme do you feel reflects your personality and interests? What would you like to base a tarot deck on? By sharing our ideas we may be able to spark new ideas for others and help you further develop your own...
Temperance413
21-03-2002, 00:08
I love nature and the balance of things in life. The tides, the moon phases, I think are all so relevant and connected. If I created a tarot deck I would use balance in nature for a theme.
So many have been done, but there are still more ideas out there.......
not sure yet...
it's hard to decide on one theme. i know that i gravitate towards the darker decks and i have been getting into the idea of a photoshopped collage deck and stuff. then again, a words deck (like mateo and i discussed in another thread) sounds kewl too... or the more expensive style: a Rubber Stamped style deck.
i've come up with lists of what i would want the minor arcana to be. Some of my suggestions are:
dragonfly = wands
pens = swords (pens are always mightier *gryn*)
lizards = cups
words = coins
but as far as an overall theme... not one for me yet. althought the thought of a powerpuff girls deck... now there's a good idea. =)
blessed be,
.dc
OOOOh, Powerpuff girls deck, can Him be the Devil? (I love Him hehe)
Boring and Stodgy as it sounds, I want to doa Christian Tarot deck. Im not pleased really with any currently available I want to associate each Major with a person, place, or event from the Bible, and the minors probably with a Bible verse. But I also want to retain a lot of Rider Waite symbolism, some of the Christian decks dont have enough symbolism for my tastes. I already have a good number of the majors associated in my head, but Im not artisitic enough to draw it :)
I would like to do a Shakespearian deck. The ones already done, I think could've been done better. Maybe also a deck that sings to you! Y'know, a song for eah card, and each card has a little switch, which you can press to hear the song. The song would be relevant to the meanings of the ard, of course!
How about a children's TV characters theme? Anyone remember 'Trapdoor'? Well, the Devil would be the loud shouting master guy down the trap door, that we never see, but who keeps Burt (?) chained to the chores all day... And the Fool would be Andy Pandy, Uncle Bulgaria from the Wombles would be the High Priest, and that camping guy from the Moomins could be the Hermit. I've just realised that hardly anyone will understand what the hell I'm going on about here...
Kiama
truthsayer
21-03-2002, 17:52
i'd like to do one on universal archetypes. tarotbear suggested i do one on my deep interest in greek mythology but i'm not sure that greek mythology quite covers everything. my brain definitely marches to the beat of a different drummer so there's no telling if anyone will understand where my ideas are coming from or going. but i will know and if i'm not looking for publication that's the important thing. i also enjoy creating my own art.
kiama, it seems like on the old forum we had a thread where someone else was talking about doing a musical deck. it's a really cool idea. i wish someone would do one. would that mean that each card represents a different note so a reading would be like a piece of music? a harmonic reading would be more positive than one would a lot of sour notes? would the fool be middle C?
i'd like to see a well-done shakespearian deck done. i know the author of the one i have put about 4 years into it but i really can't relate to some of her choices. some plays have more cards than plays i thought would have been better choices. what about the sonnets? she probably chose plays she related to most. including the globe theater somehow would be interesting.
Well I know craft stores sell little button things that play music when you press them. Often I see them sandwiched between 2 pieces of plastic canvasas an ornament, ifi had a REALLY long time I could make a plastic canvas deck with an appropriate song, probably majors only lol
Ive always wanted to see a completely holographic deck, i bet it would look cool
Also,weird person that I am, have seen all these rectangular, round, even square decks, Ive always wanted to do a a triangle shaped deck. The triangle is a powerful shape, and also the number 3 is a powerful number. I might even put 3 different images, upright, reversed, and neutral. God only knows when Id do it lol
oohers.. .a holographic that's kewl.
as far as mediums go... i thought about doing a Business Card deck. you know gathering 78 business cards from companies i know or have been apart of and assigning them to a position in the deck.
of course, that would be a HIGHLY personal deck. only one of a kind. =)
with the thought of my ex-employer as the TOWER.
blessed be,
.dc
Major Tom
22-03-2002, 05:04
Originally posted by kayne
It's great to see there is so much interest!
You might make your theme really loose like, Images that appeal to me and combine various themes and ideas to reflect your interpretation of the cards.
By sharing our ideas we may be able to spark new ideas for others and help you further develop your own...
Firstly, I want to echo Kayne - the real point behind creating your own deck - it to create something that speaks to YOU and something that teaches you about yourself. My advice here is 'don't even think about publication in the early stages'. If you create something that speaks to you - other people will be interested...
Everyone has come up with some great themes!
Temperance - The Balance of Nature is a really good theme and there's images of nature in abundance - it's just a matter of pulling them together to start your deck...
.DC - Great ideas! Why not combine your suit ideas with the rubber stamp as the medium? A Powerpuff Girls deck could be a cut & paste collage... I also like the business card idea - you could doodle additional images straight on the cards....
Liliana - I agree with you that many Christian themed decks leave something to be desired... There's so many saints cards that you might try cut & paste collage.... Christian images are very easy to come by....
Kiama - Love the idea of a musical tarot! Not sure how you'd go about it....Liliana's suggestion about the buttons might be the way to go. You could certainly start collecting tunes. :) I also agree a Shakespearian tarot is a good idea - I wonder if you could combine the two?
Truthsayer - Universal archtypes is what it's all about - I think Tarotbear's suggestion make sense - why not give it a go?
It really is great to see so much interest!
Wow - and some people think there are no original ideas left in the world! I love them all!
I think a triangular deck is a really interesting idea Liliana! As for rubber stamps, .dc, it doesn't have to be expensive. You can make really excellent designs using normal erasers and by cutting into them with lino-cutting tools. I made a fish stamp once that turned up on nearly everything I did for a while!
Great ideas all!!! Keep them coming :)
But I have always wanted to create this themed deck, especially when I was at High School (topics freshly studied!) - and, Kiama, you might like this too... and help me out! :)
In fact, since my first class of Philosophy, I have been thinking of realizing a deck based on Western Philosophy, from classic Greece to Popper to nowadays... This now sounds idiotic, I know, but I was struck at the time how much material, associations and ideas I got while I went through my classes... :)
For example, I thought of Shopenhauer's and mentally designed a card for the Popess (in brief, he gave big importance to Maia's Veil, and built with and around it his peculiar view). I thought of Eraclitus's panta rei as the Wheel. Plato's Cave Myth for the Moon and Sun... Nietsche's Uberman as the Magician... Democritus's Eros and Caos (the atomic forces) for Lovers and Devil. Spinoza's idea of Nature provided a good link for the Empress.
Freak!
But I'm sure if I studied it all back again, I would retrieve all my ideas. I used to jot down ideas also on the pages! I might find them in my old books. And, considering Kiama's Help... :)
My idea of it is similar to the Shakespeare Tarot: a picture, a scene, a representation (as stylized as possible) with a quotation (from a book, a work, whatever...) explaining the association, the meaning...
truthsayer
22-03-2002, 14:20
pollux, i think your idea sounds incredible! not idiotic at all! i would love to own a deck like that. trust your instincts. i think that you could pull it off. do it!!!!!! please! :)
truthsayer
22-03-2002, 14:23
Truthsayer - Universal archtypes is what it's all about - I think Tarotbear's suggestion make sense - why not give it a go?
It really is great to see so much interest! [/B][/QUOTE]
thanks for the encouragement, major tom. i really think that i am going to be starting as soon as i finish my last card for aeclectic. i'm going to be having more time soon and am looking for to having those ideas and images perking. very exciting!
As for rubber stamps, .dc, it doesn't have to be expensive. You can make really excellent designs using normal erasers and by cutting into them with lino-cutting tools. I made a fish stamp once that turned up on nearly everything I did for a while!
kayne,
i would love to do that. really i would. but alas, i'm a better writer than i am widdler or drawing designer. and with the way i am, i'll prolly do a mix collage-stamping thing. chaotic creativity is my speciality.
Major Tom,
Why not combine your suit ideas with the rubber stamp as the medium? A Powerpuff Girls deck could be a cut & paste collage... I also like the business card idea - you could doodle additional images straight on the cards....
ya know... i never considered the whole idea of drawing or doodling on the business cards. it makes more sense and WOULD help to draw the deck together again.
YES!!! awesome ideas... a triangle decK? would that be easier or harder to shuffle?
=)
bloessed be,
.dc
It's been a while since I've read it, but in the book The Tarot of the Bohemians, the author (Papus, I think?) gave one of three attributes to each card: Positive, Negative or Neutral. I think this meshes very well with you're idea, Liliana! I remember thinking that the cards fit very well with his groupings...it was kind of a new way of looking at the deck.
So...I bet using a triangle shaped card would bring out many new aspects of each card. I like the idea because, like some round decks, there's no one "right way" to read them, because any direction that a card turns up in can be "right."
Great idea, Liliana!
My own deck ideas tend to be more literary. In the deck I'm currently working on, I'm using quotes from various authors, philosophers, poets, etc. I'm keeping them small and subtle, though, because I know too much text in cards can get distracting. (The artwork is computer-collage of art from mostly European paintings.)
Peace,
Melvis
Originally posted by Pollux
But I have always wanted to create this themed deck, especially when I was at High School (topics freshly studied!) - and, Kiama, you might like this too... and help me out! :)
In fact, since my first class of Philosophy, I have been thinking of realizing a deck based on Western Philosophy, from classic Greece to Popper to nowadays... This now sounds idiotic, I know, but I was struck at the time how much material, associations and ideas I got while I went through my classes... :)
For example, I thought of Shopenhauer's and mentally designed a card for the Popess (in brief, he gave big importance to Maia's Veil, and built with and around it his peculiar view). I thought of Eraclitus's panta rei as the Wheel. Plato's Cave Myth for the Moon and Sun... Nietsche's Uberman as the Magician... Democritus's Eros and Caos (the atomic forces) for Lovers and Devil. Spinoza's idea of Nature provided a good link for the Empress.
Freak!
But I'm sure if I studied it all back again, I would retrieve all my ideas. I used to jot down ideas also on the pages! I might find them in my old books. And, considering Kiama's Help... :)
My idea of it is similar to the Shakespeare Tarot: a picture, a scene, a representation (as stylized as possible) with a quotation (from a book, a work, whatever...) explaining the association, the meaning...
WHY DID I NOT THINK OF THAT??!!!!!!!!!!????????!!!!!!!
Hmm.... Let me think.... Neitzsche's Superman is more of a Chariot I think. His 'Will To Power' is probably more of the Magician. Plato's Cave Analogy is more of the Moon, and the begining of Thus Spake Zarathustra, where Zarathustra comes out of the cave after a long time in there could be the Star: he comes to bring a new message, he is very aware, and he brings with him the hope that the people he speaks to need...
Socrates' saying: "All I know is that I know nothing" may be very good for the Death? Tower? although I'm not quite sure what you would picture this as. Could the Hanged Man be his execution in the court room?
What could the World be? 'Cogito ergo sum': I think, therefore I am. Definitely. I am thinking, therefore I exist. Descarte's eventual, but nearly not actual, triumph over his purposeful doubt over existence and near-madness due to this also comprises a meaning of the World card: Triumph. Victory. When he had realised this 'cogito ergo sum' philosophy, he coud start anew.
The Emperor cold be Kant's theory of Universalisation, or Mill's utilitarianism.... (Kant... Bleugh!) Or should that one be Machiavelli's 'Prince' instructions...
Our beloved father of Philosophy, Socrates should be the Hanged Man, and Plato the High Priest. (Yay for Plato and the first University!)
Something about Existentialist theory could be for the Fool.... The idea that only the here and now should be focussed upon...
Bertrand Russel should be in the deck somewhere: I think he deserves a place.... Hmmm...
Judgement and Death pose a problem, as do Strength, Justice, and Temperence... I'll think about all that later.
Kiama
Oh Pollux and Kiama - I feel so uneducated!
Learning about your tarot deck, Pollux, would be a really interesting way for me to learn more about this~!
A triangular deck definately would be harder to shuffle, thats why size will be an important issue, maybe about the size of the smaller motherpeace deck hehe, you know on ebay the other week they had a tarot deck made of aluminum, thats a hard shuffle lol
aluminium?!?!?
no kidding... wow... i had no idea a deck was made with that. and for it to appear on eBay, a rare find indeed.
makes me wonder how much it went for...
*races off to ebay to see what she can find*
blessed be,
.dc
ooh I forgot... The Fool for a Philosophical Tarot deck could be the student.... And Temperence could be Aristotle's Virtue Ethics: He believed that the truly moral being is perfectly balanced... Maybe David Hume could be Justice, cuz he always nees more proof.... Nah, only kiddin! I'm stuck on Justice. Finally worked out the Socrates bit: He is the Hanged Man, his excecution the Tower, and his philosophy: All know Is That I Know Nothing is the Death card.
The World could be the philosophical ideal, if only I knew what that ideal was!
Oh, so many ideas... Next up, the Minor Arcana!
Kiama
PS- Where's JMD? know he'd have some good thoughts on this.
It just so happens that I loved the aluminum deck so i bookmarked it, soon the page will expire i think so see it while you can, it went for $118.25, I would of payed more if ihad the money for it hehe
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1707759227
Its like Rider Waite,but some of theart is slightly different, and its only majors (could you imagine shuffling 78 aluminum cards? lol)
Morgeinne
29-03-2002, 01:43
Hmmm...themes (trying to read as much as I can before I have to leave in a few hours! Give me something to mull on while I'm gone on my trip..) I am thinking about doing something dance-related ("The Lovers" card just SCREAMS Balanchine's "Bugaku") because that's about all I can draw. Maybe something musical...I can do music notes, and I've studied piano for going on 3 years now...perhaps something having to do with runes or horses (I used to be a horse fanatic) or based solely on astrological symbols or...or...
TOO MANY IDEAS!
I'm NEVER going to be able to choose at this rate...
<3
Morgeinne
KIAMA!!! did you relly need to quote the enitre post? :(
However, I thought of a good assignment for the World: Hegel's Aufhbung (I hope the spelling is correct), the third phase, the Synthesis.
And for the Magician, I retrieved an old note I made diuring a class. I believe it was Liebniz who introduced the idea of the "Demiurg", and my prof gave a description that exactly matched the Magician...
I know you hate Kant, but I can't but think of his Moral Law (rough translation) for the Hermit, or the Temperance, or whatever...
Temperance: the ART!!! As in Thoth's!!! :)
Who was he? Was he Plato? I think so... I must DEFINITELY restudy it. I enjoyed it too much.
And I was also thinking we might find some room for Socrates's Maieutica. Queen of Pents? :)
I mean, shouldn't we really work on this deck seriously?
I am actually thinking that posting this glossy idea on this public forums was silly... ;)
And, for the designs, we might call on our superior powers, or ask for some help (there's SOEONE I know who's EAGER to help me, even though he's working on a couple decks at thye moment... at least he could help me improve my knowledge of Photoshop :p)
Originally posted by Pollux
And for the Magician, I retrieved an old note I made diuring a class. I believe it was Liebniz who introduced the idea of the "Demiurg", and my prof gave a description that exactly matched the Magician...
Leibniz stole this idea from Plato. The Demiurge I believe was his creation, or at last he was a believer in it. You're right, maybe that one would be good for the Magician, but where do we draw the line between Theology and Philosophy....?
I don't think Kant's Moral Law is a Temperence card at all. Sorry. I'm still backing Aristotle's moral theory (Virtue Ethics) for this one. Virtue ethics is all about balancing all your virtues, to become a totally moral and good being. To be honest, I can't see Kant appearing in the Majors at all! Many of the cards he could be on could easily be represented by others, in a much better way!
Tell you what, we'll email each ther about this from now on. I'll print out what we've got so far as a basis, and we'll work from there. I think I know who we could coerce into drawng for us.... ;)
Kiama
Waiting for private communications then... :)
Ive been inspired.how about a Rocky Horror Picture show deck, Brad and Janet as the Fool, The space ship taking off as the tower, the lit globe from the end as the World, hehehe :)
well...reading over these im getting the feeling of how un original my deck is! hehe.
yes, im doing a buffy tarot *boo hiss*
its unoriginal and stuff, but its something i know far too much about, and i can get a hold of pics and stuff easily.
its just a first try-y type thing, right? i can move onto something a bit more intellectual later, heh.
btw - i LOVE the idea of a powerpuff girls deck. thatd rock so much!
Instead of a regular shuffle, why not scramble them around face-down on the reading surface instead? It's actually recommended in some places that you do that instead of shuffle... it just takes a while to get them mixed up.
Malachite
09-04-2002, 18:35
I've been working on a Norse Heathenism theme deck for a couple of months now, (picking Kiama's brains along the way too ;))
...
Seeing as I *tune-in* easier to runes than Tarot, i thought It would make learning tarot easier for me if i have a deck using images and symbols that i find easier to understand....I mean, pomegranites and palms?...Give me a bronze pig and a seišr chair anyday..!
So...is this a kinda formulating discussion, then?
I really like words... and this will be hard to explain , but Id like to do a deck with words as a large part of the design element. Not like the Blake deck with a bit of a poem in a frame, and not to use the words as an intrepretation, like on the beginner decks. Perhaps using "mood" words to build the background in an almost pointalistic style behind the main figures. Its just an idea that Ive had that I havent actually put to any practical test.
Pedeka
Malachite
09-04-2002, 18:51
Pedeka:
I LIKE that idea!...
random words or scene-setting?...hmmm
scene- setting words, thematic and relevant, yet not a "book definition". Words have too much power to be tossed about...LOL
Major Tom
10-04-2002, 04:02
Malachite - Yep a formulating discussion. :) Could you use runes as symbols on the cards?
Pedeka - I like your idea too. :) Have you got any examples of the words you would use? What would you use for the Fool for example?
Malachite
10-04-2002, 05:32
Major Tom SIR!:...
I'd been pondering that...despite the fact that there are 24 runes, and only 22 Major Arcana, i think i'll match them up one-to-one, and then put 2-rune combinations on the Minors....
But working out which ones should go where is being a bit of a headache...
Pedeka and Malachite, that idea is interesting as well as challening...
In the period between the two World Wars, there was a very strong artistic movement in Italy, called Futurism. It included painters (WOW!!! You gotta have some! Carrą! Boccioni! WOWOWOW!!! :D), poets, writers, etc...
In particular, poets maintained that compositions didn't need metrics, style, register consistence or anything else related to tradition and "shape" whatsoever... Poetry didn't even need stanzas and lines! Marinetti (even though he is later to become a renegade) can be defined as the leader.
Most of their works*are written as pictures, with the letters, the onomatopeas (spelling?) and the words all conjuring up to something that is halfway between a painting or a poem.
(*I might be unprecise with this, but surely Marinetti's are)
I am telling you this because you might want to search for stuff or else. I think this might provide good reference if you intend tostart with your "Words speak Volumes" Tarot Deck. ;)
The file attached is a poem by Marinetti. I am sad! There's a really famous and clever one, but I can't find it in the Net! :(
However, I also got something in french, since Italian might not be second nature to you... ;)
http://space.tin.it/clubnet/gianervi/images/apoll1.jpg
Here's some more...
http://space.tin.it/clubnet/gianervi/immagini_apollinaire.htm
Wow Pollux! Futurism is one of my fav types of art - I didn't know it extend to poetry as well. Those poems really appeal to me (You have seen my signature on here...) and I think a tarot deck like this would be amazing!
*Kayne finds yet another reason to learn french and italian*
Sorceress_Jade
27-04-2002, 18:53
I've been thinking about that for a while now. Wondering if there were any out there, searching.
I agree with the shuffling method, thought about that quite a bit as well, I doubt you could riffle them.
So much could be done with that idea, particularly the three images thing... depending on which faced up (or down) and all. Wow, I'm so glad to learn I'm not the only one who's wanted to create my own deck.
However, I never considered a Theme beyond getting the images in there that represented the cards more specifically than the decks I've seen. I'm desperately searching for a specific deck, and I don't even know what I'm searching for. It's crazy. Creation seemes the only way.
Right on you guys.
Fantastic Sorceress Jade!
I think many of us are on the search for the *perfect* deck... I think the only way to get the pefect deck for you is to make it yourself! :D Glad you are on the path towards it with us all :)
Violet Gargoyle
06-05-2002, 21:28
I am just getting around to starting the creation process out of the "good idea/bad idea stage".
I would like to work on a personal deck based from gargoyles and statuary. I have the symbolism down, but I am just starting on concentrating on the set up. The running theme would concentrate on created gargoyles. There just isn't enough gargoyle decks for a stone collector like myself
In images where people would serve better, I would like to work them in as statues. (A Marble Queen on a Gargoyle Throne of Fountains for the Queen of Cups for instance)
My problem right now is that I want the cards to be mystical, not creepy, more like a walk in a large garden on a moonlit night.
Originally posted by Violet Gargoyle
My problem right now is that I want the cards to be mystical, not creepy, more like a walk in a large garden on a moonlit night. What a beautiful image. Perhaps you could get this feeling with lighting and include plants and flowers etc, like the gargoyle/statue is in it's environment.
How are you at sculpture? Wouldn't original sculptures photographed make an interesting deck! Go for it!
Violet Gargoyle
08-05-2002, 18:44
I wish I could do sculpture. Unfortunately, I think that if I had to reply on my own talents all I would get would be a "stick figure" tarot with smiley faces. Not a half bad idea really.....