View Full Version : Soul Radiance Tarot - again! :)
Hi everybody!
Haven't been around for a while. Hope you are all well. Recently I've started to recreate my Soul Radiance Tarot deck, so I would appreciate your feedback. The cards can be found at the following links:
The Fool - http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/12825190/
The Hermit - http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/12830543/
Death - http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/12862111/
The Lovers - http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/12905359/
The Star - http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/12911634/
The Sun - http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/12931735/
Justice - http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13114369/
The Hanged Man - http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/12861022/
Ace of Air - http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/12830984/
Some cards follow the old ideas (for those of you who can still remember them) and some have taken up the new ones.
Tell me what you think!
These are BEAUTIFUL!!!
Keep up the good work.
These are BEAUTIFUL!!!
Keep up the good work.
Thnx a lot! I am so glad you like them! :)
blue_fusion
13-12-2004, 08:38
heya! glad you're back. i was wondering what happened to yer deck. good thing you still decided to pursue it. nicely done! :)
Good to see you back again, spunch! I'm a member of Deviant Art myself. These cards are a continuation of the beautiful, evocative work we've already seen in the Soul Radiance Tarot.
souljourney
13-12-2004, 10:03
Very Cool! Beautiful art.
Do you plan on a 78 card deck?
So, is that your natal chart on the Star card?
Good to see you back again, spunch! I'm a member of Deviant Art myself. These cards are a continuation of the beautiful, evocative work we've already seen in the Soul Radiance Tarot.
Hi there! Hope this time everything is going to be OK with the cards. Can you give me your username in DevArt so I can pay you a visit? You can leave it on my DevArt page. :)
What a suitable name for your deck ! These images just GLOW. I like them very much. Please keep us posted about your progress. :)
These are gorgeous! They really are luminescent :)
Very Cool! Beautiful art.
Do you plan on a 78 card deck?
So, is that your natal chart on the Star card?
Hi there! Glad you like it. Yes, I am planning to do the whole deck. I actually started year or two ago with the whole project, but the whole of the Major Arcana got deleted from my computer. I couldn't find the strength and the motivation to continue. But, as it is always witht the tarot that it calls you back over and over again, I felt the strength to continue with the project.
The natal chart is not mine. It's Dalai Lama's. :)
baba-prague
13-12-2004, 19:36
Good to see you back! I'm so glad you decided to continue. They're lovely cards, look forward to seeing more.
Go and have a look. Hope you like it! :)
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13133579/
Hi Spunch! It's lovely to see you here again. I think these cards are stunning -- as quiet as the depths of space, elegant and stately, leading one into the heart of the card's meaning (which is to say, the viewer's own symbolic center). I so hope that you will publish this deck. And I, too, think that the title is perfect.
Good to see you back! I'm so glad you decided to continue. They're lovely cards, look forward to seeing more.
Hi there! Thnx very much for a welcome back note! :) Glad you like the cards so far.
Hi Spunch! It's lovely to see you here again. I think these cards are stunning -- as quiet as the depths of space, elegant and stately, leading one into the heart of the card's meaning (which is to say, the viewer's own symbolic center). I so hope that you will publish this deck. And I, too, think that the title is perfect.
Hi there, my beloved Astraea! It's good to be back. Thank you very much for complimenting on my cards (but, anyway, you were always the one who did so!). Hope you find the future images interesting as well (and of course, I hope that they will be easy to read to a future deck owner. :))
Hope you like it! :)
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13135931/
"The Best Devil Award"
This Devil card was a surprise.
I wish I had half your talent!
baba-prague
14-12-2004, 04:54
Hi there! Thnx very much for a welcome back note! :) Glad you like the cards so far.
I haven't managed to see all of them so far (we have a slow link) but from what I've seen, I'll be honest and say I think they are stronger this time than your original cards. So although I know it must have felt dreadful when they were destroyed on your hard drive, perhaps it's all worked out quite well? I really do think this current work is more, I don't know, focused or distinctive or something - it's coming out really well :-)
But this time, please keep backups!!!!
Major Tom
14-12-2004, 17:12
Hi Spunch,
It's great to see you back. :)
I agree with Karen these cards are much stronger than your earlier efforts.
Do remember to keep a back-up!
Hi Spunch,
It's great to see you back. :)
I agree with Karen these cards are much stronger than your earlier efforts.
Do remember to keep a back-up!
Hi Major Tom!
Don't you worry, I've learned my lesson. I'm backing them up as I go along. And, of course, it's good to be back. As for the cards, I also think they are much stronger, much deeper. But if I decided to create another deck in two years' time, that one probably would be even stronger. We live and learn. The only problem is, no one (or only a few people) gave really honest criticism as how to improve the old cards. And suddenly, the new cards are much more mature and greater somehow. I hope this will improve this time! :) So, people, criticize! Let us make this deck great! :)
CreativeFire
14-12-2004, 18:09
hi spunch - I have just been looking through your cards and firstly I do like your choice of name for the deck - as the cards do eminate a radiance of their own from the images.
I particularly liked your Fool card with the mass of swirling butterflies and the colours are wonderful. Also your Justice was a very interesting take and effective :)
I have to be honest, but I did not quite 'get' the Death card image, even though the image is beautifully done and very dramatic looking. I would be interested to know your thoughts behind creating this image to help me understand where you were coming from with this one.
The images of the Star and Moon cards are definitely my favourites so far. :)
I am really looking forward to seeing more of your cards as you progress - beautiful work!
CreativeFire
I have to be honest, but I did not quite 'get' the Death card image, even though the image is beautifully done and very dramatic looking. I would be interested to know your thoughts behind creating this image to help me understand where you were coming from with this one.
CreativeFire
Hi there! Thnx for your feedback. Glad you like the cards. As for your question about Death card image, I will quote one of my previous posts that is now in the archive ( http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=12886&page=7&pp=10 ):
"The Death is calm. This is the stage of your final performance. Or maybe, it could be a beginning of your new acting tour. It's hard to say whether this card is the beginning or the end. Or maybe it is both. You have to end something at one point in your life in order to outgrow yourself. The scene is serene, like the one in the morgue. It's calm. Peaceful. No energy, no music, no people, just the drapes and some flowers. This is the place to ponder over the next step in your life. You died. Your old beliefs died. You, the way you existed, are no longer that person. And this, for me, is extremely good card. How can I build something new on the old grounds of ruin? How can I put myself into the situation to finally look up, where the star is? Everything has to come down. I (The Fool, the querent, whoever) need a place to think. To rest, to calm down. I have to digest all the information I collected so far, make a selection, change my clothes, my skin, deduce relevant from irrelevant so I can go further."
Hope this makes sense! :)
when I saw your death card, what came to mind for me was My Way (http://www.lyricsfreak.com/f/frank-sinatra/56378.html) -
And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, I’ll say it clear,
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain.
I’ve lived a life that’s full.
I’ve traveled each and ev’ry highway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.....
Oh - I really liked this card, by the way :)
CreativeFire
14-12-2004, 20:19
"The Death is calm. This is the stage of your final performance. Or maybe, it could be a beginning of your new acting tour. It's hard to say whether this card is the beginning or the end. Or maybe it is both. You have to end something at one point in your life in order to outgrow yourself. The scene is serene, like the one in the morgue. It's calm. Peaceful. No energy, no music, no people, just the drapes and some flowers. This is the place to ponder over the next step in your life. You died. Your old beliefs died. You, the way you existed, are no longer that person. And this, for me, is extremely good card. How can I build something new on the old grounds of ruin? How can I put myself into the situation to finally look up, where the star is? Everything has to come down. I (The Fool, the querent, whoever) need a place to think. To rest, to calm down. I have to digest all the information I collected so far, make a selection, change my clothes, my skin, deduce relevant from irrelevant so I can go further."
Hope this makes sense! :)
Yes it definitely makes sense, spunch - thankyou for posting the your inspiration/thoughts for this image. :)
CreativeFire
I hope you like it! Tell me what you think. :)
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13296114/
It's glorious, Spunch. What a sensitivity you have to the inner side of imagery. And your newest works shows a confidence in your own inner vision that makes the cards even more effective and revelatory. Just lovely.
It's glorious, Spunch. What a sensitivity you have to the inner side of imagery. And your newest works shows a confidence in your own inner vision that makes the cards even more effective and revelatory. Just lovely.
Thank you very very much. I am glad you like the image.
Tell me what you think. Don't be shy! ;)
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13306359/
I really like the way you are letting the principles speak for themselves, archetypally, without human representation. This card is very effective.
Thnx so much for responding! I am glad you like my representations of the cards. To create a deck without human figures was my aim from the start. The Majors are easy, although they are probably not done to everybody's liking. But when I start to think how on earth am I going to make and present the courts archetypally, I immediatelly start to sweat. I think I will do them last. :)
I really like the way you are letting the principles speak for themselves, archetypally, without human representation. This card is very effective.
Hi spunch,
I think your cards are really capturing the 'essence' of each particular archetype. You seem to have taken the lack of a human presence, and turned it into a positive, accessible and pure. Needless to say, I like these cards, and can hardly wait for the rest to appear.
To create a deck without human figures was my aim from the start. The Majors are easy...but when I start to think how on earth am I going to make and present the courts archetypally, I immediatelly start to sweat.
Spunch, not to worry! Many, many decks have pips illustrated with only the requisite numbered items of their suits -- ten cups, six swords, etc. You might also consider making this a majors-only deck. I have complete confidence that whatever you do will be authentic, creative, and a joy to behold.
OK. I am really serious about this deck. I want to get it published (one day) and I want it to be perfect :) I keep messing with the cards, adding a shade, here, removing a thing there. But I have a question regarding The Hermit
(http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/12830543/)
Would the card be better without the pink flower tree in it? I wanted the icey landscape to present the idea of aloneness, some place where one doesn't go willingly but has to go in order to purify him/herself, a place where everything is clear, devoid of feelings and emotions, place where one's thoughts can be made as clear as the ice in the card. The tree was supposed to be the actual Hermit. Somebody who blooms despite of the coldness and someone who will, by glowing and being beautiful and attractive and strong (because, it takes strength to grow in such landscape) summon people to join him/her in seeking for deeper answers. (This is just a brief idea depicted by the card)
But, is the tree too much?
baba-prague
20-12-2004, 20:34
As you've said that you really want constructive feedback, I'll be honest and say that in this card, I like very much the idea of the tree and the way in which you are using it, but I don't think that its style fits with the background very comfortably. I understand that you want it to shine out, which it does, but somehow it makes the background look a little grey and sad, so that I'm not sure that the overall tone of the card is exactly right as yet.
However, it's a lovely image - I love the delicacy of it.
I've had another look at your Hermit . . . and I think the tree is absolutely right. Without it, there would be a feeling of bleakness in the card and no light at all. The pink blossoms are a particularly nice touch, evoking the GENTLENESS of the Hermit whilst the tree in itself evokes the Hermit's STRENGTH.
Just my money's worth but : DON'T CHANGE IT !
love and blessings,
rosyelf
I like the card very much, from a visual standpoint -- though I do think that the stark contrast between the icy background and the tree might limit the card's range of meanings. The tree is quite beautiful and a wonderful representation of the Hermit. The background might be a bit intimidating, suggesting polarization, stark contrasts and a bleak condition that (for me) the Hermit usually mediates, moreso than stands against. But that's just my take on this archetype, and I do see where you are coming from in your description of the card -- you must follow your inner vision, and if this image expresses your understanding of the Hermit, then it is exactly what it needs to be.
(Edited to say that I think this would make a lovely 8 of Cups -- it has the feeling of that card to me, moreso than the Hermit.)
baba-prague
20-12-2004, 22:56
(Edited to say that I think this would make a lovely 8 of Cups -- it has the feeling of that card to me, moreso than the Hermit.)
I would agree with that. It's the slight sense of sadness in the background - that I still feel - that would make this work so well as an Eight of Cups.
But that's only an opinion - ignore it if it doesn't feel right to you. It's your deck.
Love the tree, but somehow pink doesn't do it for me. Perhaps shades of gold instead, to echo the light of the lantern, or icy blue at the base shading up to gold? The background is wonderful, and the single contrast of the tree works for me as the Hermit.
More comments - I've been backtracking the thread, since I haven't been around for a while. I love both the Empress and the Emperor as individual pieces, but I had trouble thinking of them as a pair in a deck, simply because they are so very, very different in style.
I'm assuming the contrast was intentional, but I'd looked at the Empress first and was holding my breath to see how you'd put the Emperor into the same type of scenario, and --- whiplash is a good description of my reaction to the Emperor. I could get used to it, probably very easily, but my initial reaction was "huh? what?"
Here they are:
The Magician http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13821399/
The High Priestess http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13821443/
The Hierophant http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13821253/
Wheel of Fortune http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13821292/
Judgment http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13821355/
The Hanged Man http://www.deviantart.com/view/12861022/
The Lovers http://www.deviantart.com/view/12905359/
Hope you like them!
To everybody who are interested in this thread and are helping with their comments, a huge thnx. I've read and observed all your comments very carefully. Keep writing. Give me some positive energy boost! :)
Spunch, I just love these cards. The Magician is glorious, and the Wheel of Fortune is eloquent as can be. You manage to convey so much truth and insight through your choice of symbols -- they are so pertinent, so relevant, that clutter is avoided and the symbols are allowed to speak for themselves, resonating with their counterparts within the viewer. This is really inspired work.
Spunch, I liked your first cards very much. . .and I like these even more ! They are so luminous and. . . interesting. I really love the High Priestess-the oceanic blue, the book of wisdom, the way moon energies and sun energies are in equilibrium and expressed by flowers. I am excited about Soul Radiance. I wish you all the best as you continue. :)
love
rosyelf
More comments - I've been backtracking the thread, since I haven't been around for a while. I love both the Empress and the Emperor as individual pieces, but I had trouble thinking of them as a pair in a deck, simply because they are so very, very different in style.
I'm assuming the contrast was intentional, but I'd looked at the Empress first and was holding my breath to see how you'd put the Emperor into the same type of scenario, and --- whiplash is a good description of my reaction to the Emperor. I could get used to it, probably very easily, but my initial reaction was "huh? what?"
Hi there and thank you very much for your comment and observations. I think your inital reaction ("huh?", "what?" :)) was a good one. The only obvious pair (in style) I wanted to make were The Sun and The Moon. The Emperor had to be diferent. It had to be everything that The Empress is not. And that meant the change in style of art as well. To be honest, maybe, somewhere deep in my subconsciousness, I wanted to present those two cards the way I see my parents, and when I think of them, the cards that I make just show that difference. When I was thinking of the Emperor, I had in mind certain symbols that will help me to stress that difference (quotes from my journal on the cards):
CHESS (PIECES) - rules, strategy. Symbol of battle of two opposing parties. In INDIA - regarded as a symbol of cosmic reason and order. Indian chess represents the Indian ideal of government, the preservation of norms and the caste society. CHINESE chess divides space into hierarchies; it is non-dynamic, the wordl is conceived of as a closed universe; the player, the ruler who organizes the wordl, lies in the center Time and space dynamic.
TOWER - symbol of power, also a phallus symbol. In early Christian times a tower often symbolized the entire 'holy city'.
HORSE - a symbol of strength harnessed by reason. MASCULINE. Joy, victory, strength, sexuality.
SQUARE - static, non-dynamic symbol, often used as a foundation of temples, altars, cities. JUNG - symbol of matter, of the flesh and of earthly reality.
CROWN - ennobles the person who wears it. High position, power.
STONE - despite their hardness, though, stones are not often seen as something rigid and dead, but rather as life-giving. Many stones, especially meteorites, were thought to grant fertility and to bring rain; for example, they were touched by infertile women who wished to be blessed with children.
FRAME - boundaries, set of rules one must not break / cross
Probably there is more to the symbolism, but, of the top of my head, that's that.
I wanted a person who is interested in my card to ponder over them and to think about the difference made between the Empress and the Emperor. I think I am not going to change the card since I now like it very much.
And also, It's a good thing you said you could get used to it! :)
Spunch, I just love these cards. The Magician is glorious, and the Wheel of Fortune is eloquent as can be. You manage to convey so much truth and insight through your choice of symbols -- they are so pertinent, so relevant, that clutter is avoided and the symbols are allowed to speak for themselves, resonating with their counterparts within the viewer. This is really inspired work.
:) :) :) :) :) Thank you ever so much for your great choice of words! :)
Spunch, I liked your first cards very much. . .and I like these even more ! They are so luminous and. . . interesting. I really love the High Priestess-the oceanic blue, the book of wisdom, the way moon energies and sun energies are in equilibrium and expressed by flowers. I am excited about Soul Radiance. I wish you all the best as you continue. :)
love
rosyelf
Thank you very very much for your comment. I am really glad you like the cards. I hope I will not dissapoint you in the future! :)
Congratulations on creating such a realized, lucid, and beautiful set of tarot cards! I love decks that are vivid and straightforward, that get to the essence of the tarot archetypes, and that transcend a particular time and culture. These cards do all these things, and they really are radiant. They communicate clearly. I love the effect and newness of cards without human or animal figures - in thinking about what kind of deck I would create, I too have thought of cards simply showing landscapes and/or objects. One card I have in my head is the Six of Cups as an image of an empty swingset, with one swing mid-motion (but empty). It's an image that really resonates with me (it should, since it came from my own mind :laugh: ), and these resonate in the same way. I would definitely buy and use this deck if it were published. Thanks for sharing these!
Take a bow, then take a standing ovation. Truely masterful, pared down to the Essence and made beautiful in their simplicity. I especially liked Death. I call it transformation and your card evoked all that plus the reality of Death.The only card I was a tad unsure about was The Sun, but after reviewing and reviewing it, The Sun these days does have a hard edge to it, for us Humans. It would be wonderful to be able to purchase your deck, one day. I think the Hermit is perfect -very Zen and refreshingly- has a feminine side. Regards Rosanne
Two comments. These designs are so perfect it makes me want to nitpick a bit.
First, I love the Hermit's ideas and visual elements, the ice and the radiant pink flower, life juxtaposed against solitude, but something seems a little off-balance visually in the composition of the card.
Second, I love the image of the Wheel of Fortune card, but I'm having trouble gleaning its perspective on the theme and archetype. Could you elaborate on how you see this card in relation to its meaning?
Two comments. These designs are so perfect it makes me want to nitpick a bit.
First, I love the Hermit's ideas and visual elements, the ice and the radiant pink flower, life juxtaposed against solitude, but something seems a little off-balance visually in the composition of the card.
Second, I love the image of the Wheel of Fortune card, but I'm having trouble gleaning its perspective on the theme and archetype. Could you elaborate on how you see this card in relation to its meaning?
Hi there! Thnx for your great comments. As for the Hermit, I like it very much, I grew fond of it but I still have to think about it for a while. The more I look at it, the harder it gets to change anything.
As for the Wheel of Fortune, here are some quotes from my journal on the card. It might help to develop your own ideas about the card:
SAND - Because of the innumerability of its grains, it's a symbol of INFINITY
FEET / FOOT - the organ of locomotion, of 'stepping out'. As early as Roman times, getting up or entering a house with one's righ foot was thought to bring good fortune, whereas doing this with one's left foot was thought to augur bad fortune (see the wheel on my card - left foot is entering the wheel - bad fortune; right foot is exiting the wheel and entering the palmtree - good fortune).
Bare feet sometimes can play an important role in rituals of fertility and maturity (foot is often attributed phallic significance, shoes being a symbol of the vulva - PSYCHOANALYSIS)
PALM TREE - date palm, tree more than 20 metres high that has a supple trunk that the wind cannot break; it can live to be more than 300 years old. Among Babylonians - divine tree. In antiquity, branches of the palm tree were victory symbols at public games. Palm BRANCHES are a widespread symbol of victory, joy and peace. The evergreen leaves of the palm tree are also a symbol of eternal life and resurrection. JUNG sees the shape of the palm tree as a symbol of the mind.
SPIRAL - cyclic development, the phases of the moon and their influence to water (female body / principle). Evolution in the entire cosmos - recurrance, renewal - NATURE - spring, but also summer, autumn and winter.
OCEAN - a symbol of inexhaustible vitality. According to psychoanalysis, then, it is related to the two-faced character of the Great Mother who gives and takes, permits and punishes. It is also a symbol of the unconscious. As an immesurably large surface, it is a symbol of infinity. It is also a symbol of union with God.
Basically, yingish-yangish approach to it - the bottom part with the cracks is, very generally speaking, bad fortune, whereas the ocean and the palm trees represent good fortune.
Also, I like your idea about the creation of your own cards, also about the swing. Think it would make a perfect card!
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13947673/
I hope you like it! :)
Spunch, I think that Temperance is wonderful. Your choice of symbols and imagery, and their combination (including elements which are seen, and those which are present by implication, as here, with the dew from heaven filling the terrestrial cup from the Greater Fullness) are so clear and eloquent that they act as true gateways to the energies behind them.
If the Hermit feels right to you and says what you want it to say, then don't change a thing! This deck has to be, above all, a reflection of you, which will imbue it with unassailable integrity.
Moongold
10-01-2005, 01:22
Spunch ~
Your XIV Temperance is profound and elegant.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13962641/
Again, hope you like it! :)
Oh, yes! That is strength!
As for the Wheel of Fortune, here are some quotes from my journal on the card. It might help to develop your own ideas about the card:
This information was fantastic! Really keyed me to some elements of the card I hadn't thought of before. Thank you!
I also really like the two new cards. I'm really excited to watch the development of the entire deck! Thanks for sharing this with us.
Ivy Rhiannon
10-01-2005, 16:42
I LOVE your deck spunch! :P The lovers are magnificent! The puzzle pieces make so much sense! And the stregth card is wonderous! And the...oh...oh, I love 'em all! I adore that there are no people, just a reflection of self! Each card I felt as if it were a piece of me! I WANT THIS DECK!
Well, in short, tried to combine together the fool butterflies, resurrected and refreshed, together with the zoomed-in keyhole of the magician (presented in the world card as an omega letter) blueness of the high priestess and the shiness of the new world. I wanted this card to be surreal, almost difficult to look at. Have I succeeded? Aren't your curious? So, what are you waiting for?! Take a peek! :)
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13998427/
I love it, Spunch. It reminds me of a compassion meditation in which one imagines a doorway or gateway to the universe, and through that gateway one exhales personal fears, anxieties, problems, etc.; when those personal difficulties enter the atmosphere on the other side of the gateway, they are transformed into universal compassion, available to all.
I've used this word before to describe your work, and will say again: it is noble.
Ivy Rhiannon
11-01-2005, 12:08
Would the card be better without the pink flower tree in it? I wanted the icey landscape to present the idea of aloneness, some place where one doesn't go willingly but has to go in order to purify him/herself, a place where everything is clear, devoid of feelings and emotions, place where one's thoughts can be made as clear as the ice in the card. The tree was supposed to be the actual Hermit. Somebody who blooms despite of the coldness and someone who will, by glowing and being beautiful and attractive and strong (because, it takes strength to grow in such landscape) summon people to join him/her in seeking for deeper answers. (This is just a brief idea depicted by the card)
But, is the tree too much?
NO NOT AT ALL! I got what you discribed here from the card...and I love it.
I love it, Spunch. It reminds me of a compassion meditation in which one imagines a doorway or gateway to the universe, and through that gateway one exhales personal fears, anxieties, problems, etc.; when those personal difficulties enter the atmosphere on the other side of the gateway, they are transformed into universal compassion, available to all.
I've used this word before to describe your work, and will say again: it is noble.
My intention exactly! This is the beauty of tarot - no matter how one imagines a particular card and the meaning beyond the symbols, somebody always can see more. This is why I love the process of creating the cards - once they are given the life, they start living on their own. They grow and expand and become more mature.
Thank you very much for your comment (all your comments, to be precise). They mean a lot to me!
p.s. I added some flowers to the card. I just wanted to fill the empty space at the bottom of the card.
...I love the process of creating the cards - once they are given the life, they start living on their own. They grow and expand and become more mature.
Yes, indeed -- that seed of life contains worlds.
I like the flowers you've added to the World card -- flowers, creatures of earth, seem to morph into butterflies, creatures of the air (and beyond that, the cosmos). Wonderful.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14015024/
I do hope you like it! :)
Wow, that's great! How inspired, to use a "bug zapper" for the lightning bolt -- with moths circling, unsuspecting. Ominous and powerful, Spunch.
closrapexa
12-01-2005, 20:58
*speechless*
*speechless*
Is that good or bad? :)
I've decided to do the aces today. I felt an enormous urge to do that, so I've been busy the whole day. You will notice a change in style. I still don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I wanted to put my work up for you to see and comment on it. This just came out of me and although I think the artwork is pretty good (I'm being really modest here :)) I still don't know if these four images can be interpreted as Tarot aces. I even don't know why I put those particular images on the cards (maybe I should have given it more thought). Anyway, for better or for worse, I hope you will like the cards.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14056946/
Spunch, I really like them and they make perfect sense as Aces. I like the fact that the artistic style is a bit different from that of the Trumps -- they still carry your artistic stamp and sensibility, and at the same time herald the fact that Aces, as embodiments of their suits, are different from other cards.
closrapexa
13-01-2005, 15:55
Your deck, its, its... AMAZING!!! I can't believe I stumbled onto this thread only yesterday. It is as though this deck was made for me. I, I don't know what to say.
*speechless (with many exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!!)*
Your deck, its, its... AMAZING!!! I can't believe I stumbled onto this thread only yesterday. It is as though this deck was made for me. I, I don't know what to say.
*speechless (with many exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!!)*
Thnx a lot. I am glad you like it. And, who knows, maybe one day you will have this deck in your posession. Keep your fingers crossed! :)
baba-prague
14-01-2005, 03:08
I sometimes have trouble getting into Deviantart, so I only just saw the cards. These aces are lovely - the colour is gorgeous. I really like these - they're very elegant - almost oriental.
Keep going!
Well, I've decided to change the traditional names of the minors. In my deck they are now called:
Birds (corespond to the suit of Wands)
Ships (correspond to the suit of Pentacles)
Butterflies (correspond to the suit of Swords)
Flowers (correspond to the suit of Cups)
I know there is lot to talk about why I did this, but let's just say that I can better express my ideas this way. (Astraea, thnx for helping me decide on this! :))
So here is the link for the twos:
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14125196/
Also, I've changed Aces a bit. Gave them more depth and colour. You can se them as a wallpaper at:
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14118089/
(you are free to download the wallpaper if you like it!)
Hope you like the images! :)
(still don't know what to do with The Chariot :( This is the toughest one ever!)
They're exquisite, Spunch -- all of them. Just the right amount of detail to complement the Majors. Enchanting.
As for the Chariot, let it percolate awhile -- I have no doubt that the perfect image will come to you in its own time.
I really like the new images! But I keep instinctively wanting to look at the Ships suit as representing the element Water, and Flowers as Earth. When I see images of ships, I think of the imagination, of being moved, of being emotional. When I see flowers, I think of something rooted in and growing out of the earth, something in sync with nature's rhythms.
I feel very privileged to be witnessing your creation and have loved the images. I have no issues with the names of your suits, but I agree with noby.
I do see ships as the element of water and flowers as Earth. Your cards bring to mind a Gerald Manly Hopkins poem 'Pied Beauty' Although the words are about praising God, if you take away the first and last lines the poem describes your cards. Beautiful!! Regards Rosanne
To noby and Roseanne:
First of all, thank you for your great comments. I really appreciate the time you took to write your posts - they mean a lot to me. As for the ships being Pentacles/Earth and Flowers being Cups/Water, since my way of expressing my thoughts is not so fine in English, I will now quote my dear friend Astraea (Astraea, I really do hope you won't mind, because what I felt about the Aces, you put so wonderfully into meaningful sentences):
"Now, about the Aces -- I quite agree with you that ships signify water, but only on the surface of association; beneath that (and above all, your beautiful cards are about depth, and moving inward from the surface to the deep -- into the belly of the ship, and the heart of the water) is EARTH. Trading, moving energy in practical ways, through the medium of water whose movement and support is a function of terra firma. Also, I agree that flowers make sense as a Cup entity. As you say, we maintain them through water. Human beings associate flowers with emotion and relationship of all kinds -- its birth, celebration at special moments, and loss -- emotion is the "juice" of relationship, so flowers as Cups makes perfect sense."
And this is how I feel about the Aces. :) The cards are really about looking beneath, beyond or in, rather than staying on the surface!
Love,
spunch
Astraea, I really do hope you won't mind
No, Spunch, not at all -- in fact, I almost posted something about the elemental associations when I logged on earlier today, but decided that it would be presumptuous for me to seem to speak for you on your own thread.
...it would be presumptuous for me to seem to speak for you on your own thread.
Whenever you feel like you want to say something about Soul Radiance Tarot, you are free to do so. This is not my tarot. I am just making it. :) And, as for the thread, well, that's why it is here - to talk about things!
Love
spunch
Spunch, you are a gracious steward of the tarot wisdom. I understand what you are saying about the cards coming through you, instead of belonging to you -- and I value the way in which you invite participation in this thread.
Hope you like them! :)
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14218019/
These cards really speak to me. I love them.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14223934/
Again, hope you like them, o yee few but faitfull. :) Come on, don't be shy, tell me what you think. Otherwise I will ask Major Tom to rename this thread into "dialogue between Astraea and Spunch"! :P If you go on being silent like this, I am afraid I will not make that much money with this deck. :) :) Just kidding! :joke:
(Astraea, I am glad you like the cards :*)
My favourite of the fours are four (calling!) birds. I now just have to make three french hens, two turtle doves and the partrige in a pear tree and my work is done! :joke:
spunch, as you know, I've been making my comments over at Deviant Art, since I'm a member, but this thread is strangely silent. There are plenty of views on this thread, but perhaps, most are simply awed by your work. All I can say is that I love it. Each new card is a revelation. You are establishing your very own symbology for the tarot, deep and meaningful. What more is there to say, but bring it on? My money is ready!
Love them! I'm with Gerbear -- ready, willing and eager to see this beautiful work published, and to purchase!
but this thread is strangely silent.
Interesting, isn't it. When I posted my first set of cards, the ones that got erased from my hard drive, I got tons and tons of replies. I still keep them on one floppy and read them sometimes, when I am in a need of energy boost. And now I think the new cards are much deeper, more mature, more meaningful, yet the thread gets an occassional reply. Interesting.
But I know that many people watch the thread. I know they will say something if there is something to say. And I am also glad that some people responded. Let the cards speak for themselves.
There might be yet another reason for silence. I am so engrossed in my own work that I don't have the time to praise other people's excellent creations. I also watch but don't say anything. If there is a reason for me doing that, maybe that's the same reason for some others to do the same thing. I don't know.
I'll keep on posting. And whenever you feel you need to say something, you are very welcome to do so.
Love you all!
spunch
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14242039/
Love,
spunch
Oh, those colors convey everything! They are brooding, full of portent -- eloquently disquieting matrices for the figures of the suits. They give me the feeling I used to have as a child when the sky turned yellow and all sound ceased just before a tornado.
After the clouds of the Fives comes the sunshine of the sixes:
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14254395/
My favourite - The Six of Butterflies.
Enjoy!
Beautiful, Spunch. I think 6 of Butterflies is my favorite, too.
Beautiful, Spunch. I think 6 of Butterflies is my favorite, too.
Thnx a lot. I guess if one wanted to make a proper Tarot deck, each card in it should be his/her favourite. But I don't think it's possible. :)
As I said on Deviant, I am being hyperproductive and I simply cannot help it. I honestly do hope that the quantity is not replacing the quality. I am not doing the cards just because I want to post something, but these images just want to get out from where they have been sitting for years. I really hope they make sense to you and that one they all cards packed together and shuffled will give a nice and clear reading to someone.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14258787/
I will not even try to hide an obvious Crowley ripoff in the Seven of Ships. But I needed it. Hope this won't spoil the minors.
Love,
spunch
As I said on Deviant, I am being hyperproductive and I simply cannot help it. I honestly do hope that the quantity is not replacing the quality. I am not doing the cards just because I want to post something, but these images just want to get out from where they have been sitting for years. I really hope they make sense to you and that one they all cards packed together and shuffled will give a nice and clear reading to someone.
No, Spunch, quantity is not replacing quality in these cards -- you are experiencing the uprush of creativity, and one must seize the moment when it comes and bring forth the result. With every set of images you present, I long more and more to read with this deck as I know it is a pure and authentic oracle.
Wow, the cards are gorgeous, you can put me in line for a deck as well. I have been wanting to create a deck as well and just wanted to know are you drawing them or using a computer? Your deck is inspiring and intimidating all at the same time!
Hi there! I am glad you like the cards. Your feedback means a lot and I hope that one day we will all see the deck published.
As for your question - I rarely draw and scan things on paper. They are mostly done on the computer. Sometimes I use copyright-free clipart or fonts or illustrations from books (again, copyright-free) and sometimes I draw them in Photoshop or Corel from scratch.
And finally, if you want to start making your own deck, you should do so. The most beautiful thing is to see images awaken from your consciousness getting alive as a Tarot card. And imagine, one day, you will use the cards for readings, and they will be the best cards in the world because you will use your creations, the images produced by your inner being. And once when you create them, interesting thing is that you can add tons of meanings to them. Once created, they develop the life of their own!
All the best!
Hope you like them!
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14278059/
Really lovely. I appreciate the way you choose different kinds of birds to amplify the meanings of the numbered cards in the Bird suit, and the way you are able to convey mood and portent with color and texture. Love that 8 of Butterflies -- now, that is a picture of entrapment/enmeshment! And the 8 of Flowers, what a beautiful statement about the inner journey.
Thnx very much. I really appreciate your comments and they mean a lot to me. But you already know that. :)
Well, I do now have some ideas about the nines and tens, but then I will have to give it a rest. Courts are going to be a tough nut to crack!
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14311946/
Enjoy!
Beautiful. I love the way that each card shows fulfillment without finality -- the images whisper of new births possible on other planes, at the same time that present achievement is crowned with visible recognition. And the richness of the colors invites one to look deeply into the meanings behind each suit's culminating message -- to go into and beyond it, neither resting on one's laurels nor becoming anxious about tomorrow's uncertainties.
Such a great comment, Astraea! I am glad you like the images. You manage so wonderfully to put into words what I try to achieve by illustrating the cards. And you do even more! And that's the beauty of it - the fact that you can look beyond the obvious in my cards and that you can find your own ways to interpret what on the surface appears to be ordinary birds, ships, butterflies and flowers.
Thank you!
Love,
spunch.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14326530/
Love,
spunch
p.s. Please, all of you who read this thread but haven't yet decided to comment, do not hesitate to write what you think about the cards. They cannot be THAT bad! :)
Once again, you have succeeded in pointing toward what is (to me) the essence of the number. The hypnotic allure of the flowers, coupled with the disturbing sense that they are astral mimics; butterflies aligned tensely with the shape of the cross, impinged upon on all sides by waves of tension; ships sailing in stately autonomy, with certainty of purpose; little birds facing off unevenly, each defending its own territory. These are just lovely.
Thnx a lot! Actually when I was doing the birds I did not have in mind them defending the teritorry but I was thinking about Joan Bunning's keywords for the 9 of Wands:
persisting despite all setbacks
refusing to take "no" for an answer
seeing something through to the end
getting knocked down, then standing up
keeping your resolve
trying repeatedly
showing stamina
continuing despite fatigue
holding fast
drawing on hidden reserves
holding together through force of will
demonstrating physical strength
keeping up the pace
and was trying to show 9 little sparrows (or any kind of birds) which try to survive winter. But maybe you are right. Maybe they are defending their teritories.
Yes, I do see Bunning's ideas expressed in the card, especially since the little birds are soft and endearing, and look like songbirds. What made me identify a quality of defensiveness was the unevenness of the layout of the branches (more on one side, owing to the uneven number 9) and the fact that their tips point directly at one another like lines of force-meeting-force, with the birds aligned on each. The fact that the birds are not predators leads me to identify them with nesting, home and territory.
This is an aspect of the beauty of tarot imagery -- genuine symbols containing endless depths of meaning.
baba-prague
22-01-2005, 02:28
Spunch, I never feel I have as much as other people to say about your work. I do very much like your use of colour and light - these cards almost glow and that's lovely. But I am less sure about the way in which you repeat the use of symbols quite often - I think when the deck is seen as a whole that might make it rather "samey". But that's just my opinion, and as I don't want to sound critical I've hung back from saying much. However, I actually would like to say that I would consider reworking this last set, as they seem rather too symmetical and almost "neat" to me - I think your earlier cards had more elegance of placing - sometimes very elegant and almost oriental in feel. Somehow these latest have slightly lost that.
I hope you don't mind that thought - I know you do want honest opinion.
Edited to say. Lord - rereading this it DOES sound a bit critical! This is the problem I think with saying anything in public that isn't 100% enthusiastic - and yet I know that you need some different shades of opinion to give you something to react to and think about. So - the essence of what I'm saying is that perhaps you can experiment a bit more with both the symbols themselves and the way you arrange them? I think this might not seem to alter individual images, but will give a different feel to the deck as a whole - it will be more dynamic perhaps? I find the use of a lot of symmetry is sometimes a bit constricting. I think it's this that I'm mostly reacting to in this latest set of pictures.
It's going well though!
Hi there and thank you very very much for writing. Honest criticism and even saying you don't like what I do is much better than keeping silent, so I really appreciate everything you said in your post.
I do admit I did the whole thing in a hurry. I just had to do it, it came out of me abruptly and without me having much influence on the whole process. But maybe it was a good thing. Now the cards are out and I can step back and look at the whole picture and be more critical about what I wanted to say and how I said it.
I could maybe call the whole process 'writing the notes for future reference'. I don't know. I quite like the cards I made and am proud of some ideas I came up with, but if I want to publish (ever!) I have to listen to other people's opinion.
That's why I wanted people to respond and I thank you once again to do so.
Love,
spunch
Edited to ask - since I really want to hear about your ideas, could you be more specific - which cards exactly did you have in mind? If you have some time to spare I would like to hear which cards specifically you like and they speak to you, and which, according to your opinion are plain, boring, too symetrical, having the symbols overused.
baba-prague
23-01-2005, 02:18
I do admit I did the whole thing in a hurry. I just had to do it, it came out of me abruptly and without me having much influence on the whole process. But maybe it was a good thing. Now the cards are out and I can step back and look at the whole picture and be more critical about what I wanted to say and how I said it.
I know exactly what you mean. We actually have some cards done from two new decks (well, people know this, we've been talking about See of Logos for ages) but we know that they will probably end up being more like sketches for the final cards than real final cards - and it's sometimes hard to explain that to people - because in these days of computers even sketches look quite finished. I do think that "getting it out" is a good idea - once you have made some designs, you can look at them and the next step is often a big step forward.
I will try to be more specific about which cards I think work and which not, but please remember it's only my opinion. I have my own very specific preferences and sometimes what I DON'T like proves to be hugely popular and vice versa - I suppose it's a good thing that we all have different opinions!
spunch, I have been very inspired by your process and appreciate you sharing it with us. You are so talented, and have a great sense of the messages and ideas of the tarot.
However, I do not connect with your minors in the same way I connect with your Major Arcana. I agree with baba-prague that there's a 'samey-ness' to them. And the use of stylized art makes them come across as a bit sterile and mechanistic, whereas your Majors are bursting with aliveness.
I absolutely love your first attempts at the Ace of Air (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/12830984/) and Ace of Water. (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/12832182/) I think they are much, much better than your later Aces. (http://www.deviantart.com/view/14056946/) They are more alive, and show more personal vision and inspiration. As with your majors, they help me feel the meanings of the cards, whereas your other Minors come across more as systematic arrangements, an intellectual exercise.
I don't mean to dismiss your outpouring of creativity. I do like your Minors, and some are very intuitive. I think as they are, they are much better than many, if not most, tarot decks out there. I just don't think, as a whole, that they're up to par with your best work.
My view of the pips is well known :D, so I've not much more to add -- I just think that the Majors are so rich that it would almost be like adding too much sugar to a cake if the pips were all in the same vein. Also, many decks have non-scenic or semi-illustrated pips with symmetrical layouts of the suit objects -- the Marseilles styles (and other historical models), Robert Place's Angel and Saints decks, the Amber, and many others. Some decks have pips in which scenes are suggested, but not fully illustrated, and in which the suit objects are symmetrically arranged -- the lovely Japanese Ukiyoe tarot, for example. The Soul Radiance deck seems to me to be a member of those stylistic family groups.
In the end, the inner muse must have the final word, speaking through your own head, heart and hands -- if you are faithful to the impulse you receive, Spunch, that is the true measure of achievement.
Noby, I agree with you that the minors do not very much resemble the style of the majors, but I also agree with Astraea that the pips had to be somewhat different. I WANTED them different. Then, I also agree with baba-prague that some of them have to be re-arranged, just to make them more interesting, without loosing its messages.
Noby, you are talking about liking my previous aces much better. So, the Ace of Water was a simple flower floating on some water. This picture does not tell the newbee in tarot what the ace of water is supposed to be, so that person would have to 'learn' the meaning, the same way as we had to 'learn' or feel the meaning of Crowley's ace or Raider-Waite's ace or Soul Radiance ace, for that matter. Maybe you are more inclined towards the way the ace is represented graphically, but to be honest, I quite like my Ace of Flowers: the queen (ace) of flowers - the rose is blossoming nicely surrounded by the green flows of energy. The flower is rich, red is bursting out with passion and emotion and this flower is waiting to be given to someone, to put in some sort of use, to be a part in some process. And at the same time, it is transparent. It is fragile, young, undirected, immature.
I believe some more meaning can be derived from the card, the same way as we derive it from any other ace in any other deck (although, some aces present it more intuitively than the others). So, meaning is there, it's just the matter of whether you like the image itself or not.
I was thinking that maybe the cards need more symbols, something you can dwell on and ponder over - some astrology signs, some basic element's symbols, something one could use to develop a story, but then I realized that there ARE symbols on them if you are willing to open to their meaning.
Noby, you mentioned in your post that my minors are 'intellectual exercise'. Although you don't connect very well with the latest aces/minors, this is the best compliment you could have given me - what more can I expect than enjoying the fact that Sould Radiance will be one day used as a mean of intellectual exercise!
Some improvement and changes should be done. But I will probably leave the minors basically as they are. I might rearrange something to look graphically more appealing, I might add or deepen some colours, but I want to have this deck finished as is. Otherwise I might as well spend my whole life creating one deck and still it would never be perfect because throughout my course of life I will learn more things and every time I learn something, I could start the deck from the beginning.
And if every publisher in the world refuses to publish it, at least I will know I remained true to my inner vision.
I hope this post is not too harsh - that was really not my intention. I also don't want you to think that I'm crying for responses and then when I get constructive feedbac, I dissmiss each one immediatelly. I really do appriciate every comment you write because it makes me think about things and processes. Please, if you want to comment the cards as they are - the way I can improve what you can see, you are more than welcome to do so.
Thank you very very much for posting.
Love,
spunch
Hi spunch,
I really love what you wrote in your last post, about not going back to change things, otherwise you'd never be finished.
In my own deck now, I see some of my early cards, and I would change them. But I'm not going to. They're part of my deck, just the way they are. It would be a different deck if I changed them.
I love your minors, even if they are pip cards, which I'd have lots to learn for. I especially love the ten of flowers - gorgeous!!! Absolutely gorgeous!
I will be really interested in your ongoing story of your deck, as you finish it, and start the process of getting it published.
Spunch --
I have to say, I absolutely love this entire deck, everything that you've posted so far. For some reason I just found this thread today, and have fallen in love with your deck. My favorite cards so far are Death, The Hermit (The flowers are great -- don't take them out!), and The Emperor.
The only card in the entire deck that didn't resonate with me was the Tower. As I see it, there is a lantern - which immediately reminded me of the hermit - and moths/butterflies flying toward it. I hate to say this, but it immediately reminded me of a bug zapper. It seemed more like the moths(?) were flying toward the lantern and their eventual doom. I didn't get the quick changes, or sudden inspiration, that I usually get from the Tower. Maybe hearing you talk about your inspiration for it would help me understand what you were intending more.
Second, I loved the minors. They seemed simple, yet complex and beautiful all at once. (The 10 of flowers springs immediately to mind here.) A few of the minors seemed too bright when compared to the rest of the minors, and the majors. The majors seemed darker - not in mood, simply in color - and the bright colors of, for example, the six of flowers, seemed almost too bright. Especially your use of greens. I know you want your minors to be different from your majors, so it's up to you, of course, but sometimes they seemed almost garish.
Finally, I would love to see two more lovers cards: one with two male symbols and one with two female symbols. The puzzle pieces could remain exactly the same - actually, the entire cards could remain exactly the same - except for the symbols, whose gender would be flipped. I love your deck, but as a lesbian, I'd love to have a lovers card that spoke more to me than one with a man and a woman.
All in all, though, I love the deck and would deffinately buy one should it ever become available. :)
Spunch --
Finally, I would love to see two more lovers cards: one with two male symbols and one with two female symbols. The puzzle pieces could remain exactly the same - actually, the entire cards could remain exactly the same - except for the symbols, whose gender would be flipped. I love your deck, but as a lesbian, I'd love to have a lovers card that spoke more to me than one with a man and a woman.
Hi there and thank you for your lenghty and wonderfull comment. I agree with some of your statements about the colours and I am working to improve that. As I said earlier, I will alter some colours and try to make the overall picture more uniform / pleasing.
As for the tower, it represents a night lamp. A false and sudden burst of light that falsely attracts moths bringing them to a sudden change, which could be, as a result, seen in The World. Not much to say there, because I want to respond to your comment on the Lovers Card.
The two 'gender' symbols do not represent male and female sexes but rather qualities which have to be united. Everybody has to recognize and learn about their 'opposite' side - men have to come to terms with their femininity and vice versa.
Then, the puzzle pieces are about being whole again.
Inside the venus sign you can se a triangle - a masculine symbol, and inside the mars simbol, you can see a reversed triangle - a feminine symbol. These are drawn together by the puzzle pieces (I am babbling and english is not my parent tongue, but you will manage to understand, I am sure). If you want to interpret symbols as masculine-feminine gender than three things are happening on the card - together with the puzzle pieces first you have got the idea of combining big symbols (venus,mars) - heterosexuality, then you have got a feminine triangle on one side and venus sign on the other (red and red) - lesbian sexuality and then, a mars sign and masculine triangle (blue and blue) gay men sexuality. I wanted one card 'to rule them all' ;) to use Lord of the Ring's language. Basically, what I wanted to achieve is:
(from 78 degrees of wisdom)
...According to Kabbalists and Hermetic philosophers all humanity was originally hermaphrodic. Thus, on the outer level, each one of us is only half a person and only through love can we find sense of unity. We find the same idea in Plato, but with an interesting variation. One of the Platonic myths states that humans were originally double creatures, but of three kinds: MALE-FEMALE, MALE-MALE and FEMALE-FEMALE. Believing that humans posessed too much power, Zeus split them with a thunderbolt, and now each one of us is looking fo rhis or her other half. In contrast to the Jewish and Christian myths, Plato's story gives equal reality to homosexuals. The Magician and the High Priestess are mixed very subtly in each one of us. And the angel can be evoked by ANY two lovers. It is not the roles that matter, but the reality of the union.
Hope this helps and that one day you WILL buy the deck despite the fact that it will not have two additional lovers cards :)
Thank you once again for posting!
love,
spunch
Thank you for your lengthy explanation. I hadn't even seen some of the symbology you'd put in the lovers card, even though I'd looked at it for a while. I guess that means your deck is wonderfully complex, and it'd take me a while to get to know it. (Never a bad thing!) So, I can see what your saying about your Lovers card, and now appreciate it even more than I did before. I do think the puzzle piece idea is genious.
I will say that your deck is one of the ones where I think I'd have to read the LWB to see what different aspects you'd choses to emphasize, and why you'd made certain choices, because your images are so poetic and well thought out, but in a non-traditional way, that I think I'd need some explanation. And I do love decks where the artist has done something so original that I need a while to reaclimate myself and get my bearings within a deck.
Finally, of course I'd buy your deck, even without the two other lovers cards! :) It is a gorgeous deck, and very original, well thought out, and with depth that I love seeing in decks I own and read from. I can tell it would (will!) have a place in my tarot collection. I look forward to it. :)
What I was trying to get at with the term 'intellectual exercise' was how you show your process of going through Joan Bunning's meanings by rote, then taking the particular set and number of pips and arranging them to fit that meaning. It's an "air" approach, to put it in terms of the tarot's traditional four elements.
Your first two Aces, on the other hand, seem to have come from a well of feeling, subconscious visual images that capture the meaning of the card without explaining it in an overt way. Those first Aces, like so many of your Majors, communicate a felt meaning; they show the meanings whereas your pip cards tell the meanings.
You say that the Ace of Water doesn't communicate a clear meaning, but I heartily disagree - I can look at that card, and the sparkling water, and just feel the passion and emotion of it, the fount of inspiration. I actually think a 'newbie' to tarot would more clearly 'get' the meaning of your original Ace of Water than that of your Ace of Flowers (I also think a 'newbie' would get confused with the association of flowers with the element water; I'm not a newbie, and it's still a source of confusion for me.)
I don't get that intuitive, passionate communication with the pip cards. And perhaps that's not what you're going for. I don't mean for my criticisms to imply that because you haven't done things the way that communicates to me, that they don't or won't communicate to anyone. (They obviously do communicate to plenty of people!)
Honestly, watching your process with the Majors, I was convinced that this was a deck I would buy (and I don't own many decks, nor do I plan to ever own much more than what I have now). However, I no longer would buy a deck because I only connect to the Majors. Am I saying you should change it or do something different? Not at all. There are obviously folks who love your system. But I would have a hard time reading with your pip cards, because they have a 'by rote' feel to me.
As you point out, the main point is that you remain true to your inner vision and publish the deck that you want to publish, that reflects your vision and your way of doing things. That's one of the points of making one's own tarot deck! And of course, that vision is going to resonate with some more than others. The reason I find it worth remarking upon is how much I connect with your Majors (and original two Aces), and how much I don't connect with your Minors.
All that said, I think your Minors are beautiful, and are successful in communicating what you want them to communicate. I think you've done a fantastic job with your deck, and don't mean to imply that I no longer think it's good. I still do.
My dear noby,
First of all, nothing you said in your previous and this posts did I take as a hard criticism. I really do appreciate your point of view and all the reasons for liking / disliking / less or more liking the cards I understand. Various people will, as you said yourself, respond differently to various images and that's OK. I still don't know what to do with the minors. Maybe, after all, this IS going to be a Majors only deck. We shall see. In the meanwhile, I sincerely thank you for every word you wrote. They all mean a lot to me.
Love,
spunch
Well, according to me, the Major Arcana of Soul Radiance Tarot is finished. Thumbnails of all cards can be seen at
http://spunch.deviantart.com/
(I also have the background finished, but I did not submit it)
Larger images can be accessed by clicking on thumbnails. While you are there, you are welcome to browse through my page and have a look at other things I've done - mainly flower photomanipulations (when you go to the main page, look for the 'galery' button and click on it)
Have a pleasant stay at the gallery.
Love,
spunch
Very nice, Spunch! I like the way you've organized your enlargeable tarot thumbnails and gallery images. You are a very gifted artist.
Spunch, wow....this is great! ...pozdrav iz Slovenije! ;)
Wow Spunch. I really like the Chariot. It just looks so rich and full of emotion. I'm glad the majors are done. They really do look like an ensamble, much more than merely a sum of their parts.
I can't wait to see what you do next.
I love the Chariot. The full sail and dark seas give a sense of determination, the dragon masthead a sense of potency and aggressive power. The spotlight is very nice - emphasizes the focus on the self at the same time it emphasizes the challenge and struggle of having to take a stand and make oneself visible.
Funny, too - I just finished re-reading C.S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicle, Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Spunch, wow....this is great! ...pozdrav iz Slovenije! ;)
Hi there! Glad you like the cards! Pozdrav back u Sloveniju! :)
I love the Chariot. The full sail and dark seas give a sense of determination, the dragon masthead a sense of potency and aggressive power. The spotlight is very nice - emphasizes the focus on the self at the same time it emphasizes the challenge and struggle of having to take a stand and make oneself visible.
I am glad you like the card. I wasn't sure about it, looks a bit ordinary and calm, wanted to add more drama and struggle to it, something that will empahasise the hard control. but then, i've decided to leave it. These cards are dangerous, I'm telling you - if you look at them for a longish time and don't start re-doing them immediatelly, if you give them some time, they will not allow you to distroy them. They become alive! :)
Funny, too - I just finished re-reading C.S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicle, Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
I've never heard about this book. :( What's it about? Must be interesting because you finished re-reading it.
baba-prague
27-01-2005, 19:45
I've never heard about this book. :( What's it about? Must be interesting because you finished re-reading it.
I think I've read the whole of the Narnia chronicles more times than I would admit to - I was ADDICTED to them as a child, and still reread them from time to time. Lovely books. Do look for them - it might be best to start with the first "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". It's for quite young children, but most adults will also enjoy it, if you like good fantasy and fairy tales.