modern tarot rant

This post may not make sense to everyone, but I'm looking at all the available tarot decks out there, and I don't see many decks that have a really authentic-mysterious-mystical-occult feel to them. I want a deck that looks like it *might* have been used in depression era carnivals. want a deck that feels like the cards might come alive and be different on different viewings...


I don't see this deck out there. What I see are (mostly) really lousy new-agey pastel smothered art with too many photoshop filters and not enough artistry. What I see are collage decks- and for the life of me, if you are going to do collage, can't you pick out better pieces of art than that? I see Japanimation influenced decks- no offense, but it looks like a cartoon- not like a mystical, powerful object. I see photorealistic decks with pictures of people who are all too real, and thus impossible to view as teh archetype they are supposed to represent. All these are fine for what they are, but they aren't filling my need.

Doesn't anyone want a tarot that doesn't have a cute Furby theme, or force fit themes from everyday life- do we really need a "Tarot of Household Appliances"? Why does a tarot deck need a *theme* anyway? Isn't "tarot" theme enough? Doesn't anyone else want a deck that looks like it might have fallen out of a Ray Bradbury story? Something that an old crone might pull from the hidden drawer of her crystal ball display table.... Doesn't anyone eles desire a deck that isn't completely filled with dragons and fairies and saints and misplaced dieties from misunderstood cultures and (oh my God) puppies!?

All of these things have their place, but for crying out loud- who is making tarot the way they probably never really did, but *should* have done "back in the day".

the rant has ended..... for now.

Two decks which come to mind off hand are The Rider, and The Thoth, both creates in the early-mid 1900s. Prior to that you had the Golden Dawn and one or two others. You may want to look at these and see if they are what your looking for.

-Fenier

Make one yourself.

Hmmm. Sounds like you need.... one of the old Tarots, before Crowley, Waite Golden Dawn and RWS. Have you tried any of the Tarot de Marseilles or old Italian decks?

thinbuddha said:

I want a deck that looks like it *might* have been used in depression era carnivals. want a deck that feels like the cards might come alive and be different on different viewings...


Doesn't anyone else want a deck that looks like it might have fallen out of a Ray Bradbury story? Something that an old crone might pull from the hidden drawer of her crystal ball display table....

Click to expand...

Yes....I think I know what you are getting at, and I would LOVE to find such a deck! Not that I have a passionate dislike for other decks but....to me, this is a genre that is sadly lacking in tarot decks.

Maybe this thread will lead us toward such a deck, if it exists???

Luna

Soprafino, aka DellaRocca, aka Ancient Italian.

Marion said:

Make one yourself.

Click to expand...

Heh Heh- Yeah, I've thought of that. Unfortunately, my artistic skills are lacking in the illustration department. I doubt I could do better than many of the decks I'm disillusioned with. I am planning on making my own deck anyway- we'll see how it goes- a BIG project like that could take years, and I'm not sure I have it in me.

Umbrae said:

Soprafino, aka DellaRocca, aka Ancient Italian.

Click to expand...

Yes, That would seem to fit the bill.
Also the Swiss 1JJ deck (preferably w. French language inscriptions) should be recommended. It was often used as a prop in TV shows and movies.

I'd like to mention one more deck that is a great quality deck, but difficult to shuffle, and a little fragile because the cards aren't coated in any way:

La Corte dei Tarocchi
http://www.tarotpassages.com/filipas1.htm


Links of other decks mentioned in this thread so far:

The Soprafino is Beautiful:
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/soprafino/

I guess my rant is really that *nobody* seems to be creating any decks with this sort of feel any more. It would be nice to have a deck of this feel/quality with pips that were a little more illustrated- if not fully illustrated.

JJ Swiss almost fits the bill:
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/1jj-swiss/

Thoth is my reading deck of choice, for the moment. It is beautiful, and mysterious- but feels a little too "new" to really address my real desire:
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/aleister-crowley-thoth/

The RWS is a nicely done deck, but is a bit too cartoony to be what I am really seeking:
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/original-rider-waite/index.shtml

Marseilles and "Old Italian decks" are too numerous to post many links, but here are a couple:
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/marseilles.shtml
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/ancient-lombardy/ (French, I think)
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/ancient-minchiate-etruria/
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/book-of-thoth-etteilla/

this is exactly the type of deck Im looking for. Something Iconic and mysterious, with a deep sense of danger, foreboding, but also happiness. It seems the dark decks try to hard to be dark, and the light decks are just happy. But, one deck that I seem to get this sort of feeling with (with the exception of some cards) is the Aquarian. Im really liking this deck! Try it out, its very iconic and the faces are mysterious and actually turned me off at first, because they look like nightmare faces.