Problems with the Art Nouveau

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 29 Mar 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kellinator	29 Mar 2002
Hoping to get some deck advice... I have Matt Myers' Art Nouveau Tarot and I just love it, it's so beautiful... I even have it as my personal deck that I only read for myself with and don't let anyone else touch. But the readings I get from it are often unclear and confusing. Is this a deck that anyone else has had problems with, and can I master it, or should I give up? I think it's so weird how some decks just won't work with you. Thanks!

Briarfoote	29 Mar 2002
Perhaps it is the art that distracts you... It could be that as you become more famaliar with the deck, more in tune with its unique sysmbols, it will read better for you. Then again, it just maybe a pretty boy without much to say. :) It certainly is pretty. Let us know how it goes.

Maan	29 Mar 2002
Hi Kelly I'm affraid i can't help you. I have the same problem with this deck. Just don't seem to get anything out of it. I seem to remember that someone on this forum used this deck for love readings only. Maybe that where the deck's good at?;)

truthsayer	29 Mar 2002
kelly, give the deck a little time. the fact you are attracted to it and find it beautiful indicates to me the deck has potential for you. i use it for relationship questions b/c the suits in particular seem geared for that kind of question. i find it dreamy and romantic like moon garden but more reality based than the moon garden. study it and treat it kindly. it will glow in your adoration and eventually open it's heart to you. the colors are a bit intense but the art is exceptional imho. i think of it as my "ken and barbie" deck b/c the ppl are all beautiful and physically perfect. it's the kind of deck that cares about your feelings so if you need tough questions answered you might need to try a different deck. about as tough as this one can get is the 10 of swords and it's full of regret to tell you that. imo, a true piscean deck. ;)

Kellinator	29 Mar 2002
Thanks for the feedback, anyone. I'd love to hear from anyone who works with this deck. Truthsayer, I was really happy about your response because we seem to have similar taste in decks. Any more helpful hints for this deck? I love the idea of decks having certain personalities. In fact, I think I'm going to start a thread on that. :) Have you gotten the Faery Wicca yet? I got tied up with a presentation and didn't get it in the mail as quickly as I wanted to. :( I got the Celtic deck and it's lovely! Which other decks do you work with?

truthsayer	29 Mar 2002
hi kelly! yes, i got the faery wicca today. haven't had chance to really look at it yet but haven't been feeling well this week. on a happy note, this is my 6th wedding anniversary so another reason why i haven't gotten back to you. :) we just got back from a romantic dinner. perhaps this would be a good day for me to do a reading on my marriage w/ my mmand, hhmmm? i'm glad you like the celtic deck. i just like trading decks around. ;) this is the second time i've traded to get back a deck i traded. the other was the zerner farber. i decided i wanted another crack at the FW b/c it's energy is so unique. i see the celtic deck all the time here so i feel like i can easily get another if i change my mind--yet again!! LOL so enjoy it! other decks i like working with are the mary hanson roberts and the universal, nigel jackson, rohrig, legend arthurian, sacred rose and celtic wisdom come immediately to mind. there's prob more that i can't think of right this minute. i recently ordered the wild spirit, cosmic, and hallowquest from amazon. really looking forward to them coming!! i've been looking for a copy of the hallowquest for over a year now. i really like decks based on the arthurian legends. i recently traded dajax for the avalon. looking forward to spending more time w/ it.

All Is One	02 Apr 2002
I ordered the Art Nouveau by accident as a replacement for my worn out Aquarian Tarot (which is so old it didn't occur to me to doubt my fuzzy brained idea that it was called the A. N. deck). After I realised it was a different deck I went and looked at it and read the reviews and got really excited about it. I have no doubt that if I had not bought and recieved the Gendron and the Robin Wood all within the same week, I'd be more open to the A.N. Colors are lovely and I really like the shape of the cards. The symbolism doesn't really work for me, and the Robin W really does, added to the problem is the fact that the Gendron takes my breath away. These are my first new decks in over 3 years, so another point I am reminding myself of is that every deck I ever acquired took a long time to feel really part of me, just like a new CD w/unfamiliar songs- I have to play it alot before I let it inside of me. So, considering what Truthsayer said, and since I'm home sick w/flu, I'm going to spend some time with it before trading it, or whining (I'm SUCH a good whiner) over it. I'd love more input from others on this deck. . .

Lion-O	02 Apr 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Kellinator But the readings I get from it are often unclear and confusing. Is this a deck that anyone else has had problems with, and can I master it, or should I give up? If at first you don't succeed... This may sound too cliche but does cover the issue pretty well IMO, there is more then one way to perform a reading and you might like to experiment a bit with different ways to use your deck. You could try different ways to shuffle and pick your cards, or you could try and experiment some with different spreads, and maybe even begin small (a one card/day spread) to get more used to your deck.

mermaid1622	07 Apr 2002
Can you be happy with the concept of loving something even though you haven't yet mastered it? I can remember trying to get my letter "o" to look good when I was first learning to print -- it was frustrating to be good with my other letters but not able to do anything other than a very misshapen, wiggly, falling-over "o" Didn't stop me from writing "o's" though. :) And eventually, I could write "o's" as pretty and uniform as I had wanted them to be. "Practice makes perfect" ... well, not exactly perfect but practice will help. The question is, I believe, how much do you want to practice with the Art Nouveau deck right now? Perhaps enjoying it for its art will suit you best for now? Only you can decide; you have lots of options. Blessings for you and your deck, whatever you decide to do, with whichever deck, mermaid1622

Kellinator	07 Apr 2002
Thanks for the thoughts, Mermaid (and everyone else). Since I started this thread, I've been working with the deck more and it seems to be going much better. It really is a beautiful deck, though I agree that it is harder at first than many decks! I'm still working on it and hoping that it'll get even better. Thanks, everyone! This certainly seems to be a popular deck.

The Problems with the Art Nouveau thread was originally posted on 29 Mar 2002 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.