Dance of Life Tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 02 Apr 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Talisman	02 Apr 2002
'Lo all, The "Dance of Life Tarot" is by Audrey Savage and Paula Scott Frantz. I have never seen a thread posted about this striking deck. Once I suggested it to Solandia, and she said she was intrigued, and if she could obtain it, she would review it. I sure hope so. In my newest incarnation as a truthsayer-named-fundamentalist, I'm not sure I'd even consider this tarot, but it sure is somethin'. No, I won't acquire it. But, I'd sure love to hear about it. Does anyone use this deck? Anyone? Please, share your thoughts. Really curious. Talisman :TSUN :TWHEE :TMAGE (I'm a 19-10-1 personality/soul card guy, and just love Kayne's creation. In fact, his is my very favorite new deck.)

truthsayer	02 Apr 2002
talisman, you are a 19-10-1 personality/soul combo, too? how interesting! since you can't get the dance of life tarot b/c of your fundie leanings, i suppose that means i'll have to check it out b/c i'm the liberal. ;)

Jenny-Li	03 Apr 2002
Hey Talisman - first the World Spirit, now this..?? My, we seem to share taste in decks! I haven't got it (impossible to get decks in this godforsaken country, and shipping makes the imported ones SO much more expensive... *sigh* How I hate to be limited by the worldly petitesses...!), but I have spent time drewling over it here on the Internet, though. I agree with you, it may not be tarot, but it's something, alright...! Light! Jenny :D

truthsayer	05 Apr 2002
i've checked this one out and ordered it from amazon. it looks like a deck i'll really enjoy plus it's gorgeous! i think that it's meant more for self-discovery and would prob work well w/ "tarot for yourself". i think what sold me is that according to diane wilkes at tarot passages, it's reminescent of the transformational tarot by arnell arnot. i really want that one badly so if this is the next best thing...i'll let y'all know! btw, talisman, i think it would be permissable for you to have this deck since i think it's more of a personal deck rather than a reading for querent deck. just think about it.

Kiama	05 Apr 2002
WOWOWOWOWOOWOWOWO! I went to Hotbot and did a search for this deck, and found this site:http://www.danceoflife.org/index.html I can't believe how beautiful this deck is! I'm just gonna have to go and buy it! Kiama

Talisman	06 Apr 2002
truthsayer, Kiama, and maybe even Jenny-Li, Well, hurry up, will ya? Just couldn't understand how a deck I consider so striking could be so overlooked. I know most of my taste may be in my mouth, but gosh. This is like ordering something you really, really want, and then waiting for a slow, slow postman. And then, soonest you get it, please, please share! I'd get it, just out of curiousity, but, as I attempted to explain in a truthsayer thread on the Wheel of Change, I already got a collector's deck. I'm a bachelor guy, with a tiny, bachelor guy's apartment, and I just ain't got room for lazy, do-nuthin' decks 'round here. After years of use, they can go into semi-retirement with grace and dignity. But, 'fore that, they gotta earn their keep. We already got one lazy guy 'round here -- me. I'm depending on you guys. Talisman :TSUN :TWHEE :TMAGE

truthsayer	06 Apr 2002
amazon's proposed shipping date is 4/6 so hopefully i'll have it in my hot little hands next week. very slick of you, btw, talisman, getting us to buy the deck you like! you know incurable addicts like us like take the bait like fish to a lure!! LOL i will duly report as soon as there is something to be said. i promise.

MystiqueMoonlight	08 Apr 2002
Ok ok this deck is kinda new in respect to the approach it takes. But if you get a set of these cards I would love to hear your thoughts on them and the result of any reading you do with them. I'm a Haindl/Thoth user. I also have the Osho Zen and to me the Dance of Life Deck seem to be following almost similar tunes to the Osho Zen (although maybe not quite Zen based) Looking forward to hearing more about this deck. On my wish list too.

Jewel	09 Apr 2002
~puts the deck on her Amazon wishlist~ lets see how long I can resist ordering it. Truthsayer I am looking forward to your comments, I am sure they will push me over the edge and I'll bite down on the lure ... its hopless *LOL*

truthsayer	09 Apr 2002
sorry to say my initial few hours with dance of life have been disappointing. while there are some cards where the art is quite appealing, others simply don't do it for me. there's a yellowish tint to many of the cards that throws off their appeal to me. the cards w/o the yellow tint look ok. i thought well, a good book always makes up for a disappointing deck. well, i don't really like the book either. however, i am going to give this deck a chance b/c i was so strongly attracted to it before i had it in my hands. i may scan the cards i like and those i don't to post here so y'all can get a fairer idea of what i'm saying. as for DOL being like the osho zen, nope, the osho zen is 100x better. i'm saying this knowing fully that i don't like osho zen as a "tarot" system but the book and card art are fantastic! the review i read on DOL at tarot passages really gave me a different idea of what it was about. i will at least do a reading later and provide more feedback. i want to be fair. afterall, i did just find MY DECK, the world's most perfect deck--the wheel of change and all other decks fall miles short of it! LOL it's really strange how advertizing can make or break a deck. i got the wild spirit today, too and it is everything it's advertized to be and more!! i think i'll get along great w/ this deck. i'll post more about WS in the thread dedicated to it.

Lee	09 Apr 2002
Hi, truthsayer -- I'm real curious about the gender balance in this deck. The review on Tarot Passages doesn't mention anything out of the ordinary, but out of all the card scans I've seen, the majority seem to be women. Perhaps that's just a coincidence, but could you take a look and see if it strikes you as balanced or not? Thanks! :) -- Lee

truthsayer	09 Apr 2002
lee, my impression is that the deck is pretty gender balanced. the images aren't male oriented like arcus arcanum. yet while the male-female ratio is pretty balanced,the images seem to be more feminine. however, it's not as matriarchal as say the wheel of change is. there are some androgynous figures but the deck seems to be more heterosexual. there is one card called sexuality that that shows a woman naked from the waist down and strongly hints at barely covered female genitalia. i can't think of any cards that show males likewise. does this help answer your question?

truthsayer	10 Apr 2002
okay, i have decided i owe this deck a major apology. i tried my first reading w/ this deck and got more info than i can possibly process in one night. possibly i'll be spending several days pondering this spread. this is an extremely serious deck for the person who is ready to face his/her inner demons. my readings w/ other decks over the past several weeks have repeatedly said--time to face your shadow self. well, now i have the perfect tool to face that daunting mission. even a 3 card spread is so complex w/ this deck. W/ each card you are supposed to draw up to an addition 13 cards to answer questions in the book that go w/ the interpretation of the first drawn card. this deck is not for the easily intimidated. you have to be willing to take a look at your true self--warts and all. once i got into the reading, the art began to grow on me. after you get into the book, you can see the obvious influence of the Voyager deck by Dr. James Wanless. in fact, the author heavily studied this deck prior to creating this deck. if you are a voyager fan, then DOL is for you. tomorrow in the readings section, i will post a part of this reading. there's no way i can post the entire reading b/c it uses around 35+ cards. i did a 3 card past, present, future spread. i don't expect any help at trying to figure this spread out. i have too much difficulty relating the cards to ordinary tarot to try to explain all the suit or minor dance cards. majors are major dances. minor dances are--self, relationships, health and money/material world. what goes for the court cards are called: muse, dancer, lover, sage. i can't really break that down into page, knight, queen, king. the system may be advertized as a tarot but it doesn't function like any tarot or oracle that i've owned in 27 years of doing readings. DOL is really growing on me but i definitely can't recommend this one for everyone unless you are willing to do deep psychotherapy on yourself. who knows? you may confront some unresolved issues that you'll need to consult a therapist for after consulting these cards.

MystiqueMoonlight	10 Apr 2002
Thanks for that info Truthsayer. I wasn't actually saying that the DOL deck is the same as the Osho Zen, what I meant was that it seems to be spiritual and psychological just as you have already suggested, except that the DOL is not Zen based. Know what I mean? Hhhmm... I must say though your analysis of the DOL deck is intriguing and I look forward to hearing more about it from you. You seem to indicate that the deck is good for self readings... have you thought about using it to give readings for others and if not are you willing to give it a try and let us all know the outcome of that reading? I look forward to hearing more from you.... Blessed be.

Lee	10 Apr 2002
Thanks, truthsayer, your comments on gender balance were very helpful. Like MystiqueMoonlight, I also would be curious as to whether you think it's a good deck to do readings for others. -- Lee P.S. Reviews of this deck have mentioned that several cards refer to very specific things, like one card refers to allergies. What do you do with a card like that if, say, you don't have allergies? Is it difficult to relate the cards to more generalized situations?

truthsayer	10 Apr 2002
Quote: Originally posted by MystiqueMoonlight Thanks for that info Truthsayer. I wasn't actually saying that the DOL deck is the same as the Osho Zen, what I meant was that it seems to be spiritual and psychological just as you have already suggested, except that the DOL is not Zen based. Know what I mean? Hhhmm... I must say though your analysis of the DOL deck is intriguing and I look forward to hearing more about it from you. You seem to indicate that the deck is good for self readings... have you thought about using it to give readings for others and if not are you willing to give it a try and let us all know the outcome of that reading? I look forward to hearing more from you.... Blessed be. oic what you were saying about osho zen now! yes, it is more spiritual and psychological but it's more like voyager than OZ. at this point, i couldn't do a reading on someone else b/c just doing a self reading is a daunting task. there aren't any traditional tarot markers to guide me thru a querent reading. perhaps in time after i work w/ the system a while but right now it's not possible. yes, to self readings tho.

truthsayer	10 Apr 2002
P.S. Reviews of this deck have mentioned that several cards refer to very specific things, like one card refers to allergies. What do you do with a card like that if, say, you don't have allergies? Is it difficult to relate the cards to more generalized situations? [/b][/quote] lee, yes, several of the cards do refer to very specific things like allergies. it's also under the health suit. what i read between the lines is that allergies are more than physical manisfestations of allergies. even if you don't have allergies, we all live in an environment where the earth is becoming more toxic. it asks what can we do to clean up toxins from our lived in general. these are the questions that you draw more cards in order to gain more guidance into the personal significance of allergies: 1. i am stunted 2. i am in the shadow of 3. my allergies 4. my immunity 5. i am undermined by 6. toxic to me is 7. i am supported by 8. i care for myself by 9. i eliminate 10. i allow 11. i don't want 12. i do want

truthsayer	10 Apr 2002
i posted the sample reading in the your readings section. any questions or discussion is encouraged. thanks!

faunabay	10 Apr 2002
Oh Man!!!!! Thanks alot truthsayer!! Now I'm going to have to buy ANOTHER deck!! ROFL This deck just sounds way too interesting to pass up.

Jenny-Li	24 Jul 2002
...I still haven't bought this deck, but I'm still thinking of doing it. So - apart from Truthsayer's great review on this thread, does anyone else have this deck and care to share some input on what it's like to work with...? Truthsayer - any "three-months-later"-comments...? ;) And: should I get this one or the Glastonbury...? Hm...? Light and love, Jenny :)

Maan	24 Jul 2002
O i have this deck on my wishlist too! So do tell :)

Liliana	24 Jul 2002
You had to remind me to put this on my wishlist didnt you :) Cant buy any more decks right now, as Im saving to buy a couple of the TarotGarden special order and maybe one other one :) :THP

truthsayer	24 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jenny-Li So - apart from Truthsayer's great review on this thread, does anyone else have this deck and care to share some input on what it's like to work with...? Truthsayer - any "three-months-later"-comments...? ;) And: should I get this one or the Glastonbury...? Hm...? Light and love, Jenny :) i've decided that i can't look at DOL as a tarot deck--it doesn't follow traditional patterns. but it's a great plunging your inner depths deck. i've had chances to trade it but haven't b/c i think this deck has something special about it. i must admit that i don't like all the art and some of the cards don't fit precisely but it's an intense deck that should be used for pathworking. is all of life beautiful? no, so how can a deck about seeing our shadow and light sides be beautiful? i can't see doing a reading for others w/ it. it's not a deck for the faint hearted. the glastonbury? you haven't gotten that one yet???????? of course, you must have it!. it's so bright and colorful but also has good inner depth. the accompanying book is really interesting. it's a must have if you are into the king author legends at all. it has a paganish slant. i don't know if you have the legend authorian deck but LAT is more superficial than this one. LAT has a beautiful drawings and soft water color effect. glastonbury is bright and playful and the drawing isn't as good. it'll tell you the truth as it sees it.

Helruna	24 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by truthsayer i've decided that i can't look at DOL as a tarot deck--it doesn't follow traditional patterns. the glastonbury? you haven't gotten that one yet???????? of course, you must have it!. Truth, we really have to talk about posting such messages! DARN IT - now I HAVE to check them both out... oh you!!! :D The DOL you would advise as a good deck to explore yourself and deal with the more personal issues? I have been reading this thread, and it seems that your opinion on the DOL is so-so... BB, Helruna

truthsayer	24 Jul 2002
yes, if you are looking for a tarot deck it's going to be a disappointment. however, if your are looking for a self-exploration tool i think it's great. the art is intense but to me feels slightly muddied. i don't know if this was intentional, a problem w/ printing or some problem w/ the artist's skill. the book is interesting. i believe that the author is a psychotherapist who wortked extensively w/ the voyager deck. the voyager is very nontraditional and you can see the impact of voyager on this deck. you can't see any thoth or rws influence in it. there is a website but i don't have it. i said i was going to email solandia some scans months ago for a review and never got to it. maybe soon. wait! i did send her scans but no review.

Lee	24 Jul 2002
Click here for the Dance of Life Tarot website. -- Lee :)

Helruna	24 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Lee Click here for the Dance of Life Tarot website. -- Lee :) Thanks for the website. Well, to be honest, I am not sure whether to get it or not. I understand its not a Tarot per se... the cards have something that says "yes - no - yes..." Got to ponder some more. Self-exploration, that sounds interesting to me. I definitely put it on my wish list. :) Hey, the Glastonbury is a good deck? I have seen cards, and I am a bit uncertain about it, but since Truth said it's almost a "must have", in particular for Arthurian Legend fans, I am considering this one too... Oh always those decisions which deck to get....!!! BB, Helruna

Jenny-Li	25 Jul 2002
Thanks for the extra input! I ended up deciding on the Glastonbury for now, since the price was so good, I'm afraid it's going to go away...! The DOL remains on the list though, so some day...! Thanks again! Jenny :)

Melvis	25 Jul 2002
Off-topic...sorry! You know, I saw Talisman's name at the top of this thread and I got so excited! Then I realized it's about four months old! I really miss him...I hope he comes back in the Fall like he said he would. Anyway, the Dance of Life is definitely a deck I'd consider ordering. I think it would make a great deck to use with some of the "Entering a Card" exercises in Mary Greer's "Tarot for Yourself." Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

Jewel	25 Jul 2002
~Giggles~ Well Truthsayer I see you are holding up to your position as president of Taro-holics really well *LOL*. I just want you to know that I have resisted the DOL so far. It has been almost 4 months, that is a record for me for sure *LOL*. And now that I see that it has been connected to the voyager I think I will definetly be in no rush to get it. The Glastonbury is great and I will second Turthsayers recommendation on that one (then again I believe it was I that caused the stampede into amazon to buy it a few months back *LOL*). If you like vivid colors, a pagan slant and the whole arthurian thing then this is definetly a deck you will want to check out. And for some wierd reason the more you work with the deck the better the art seems to get ... this deck definetly grows on you (well at least for me).

truthsayer	25 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jewel ~Giggles~ Well Truthsayer I see you are holding up to your position as president of Taro-holics really well *LOL*. I just want you to know that I have resisted the DOL so far. It has been almost 4 months, that is a record for me for sure *LOL*. The Glastonbury is great and I will second Truthsayers recommendation on that one (then again I believe it was I that caused the stampede into amazon to buy it a few months back *LOL*). hey! madame vice-president! ppl who live in glass houses shouldn't throw the rock art tarot!! ;) but i must admit you are showing remarkable restraint. 4 monthes has to be some kind of record. sure you don't want me to take your place as the devil at the tarot counter and dangle decks over you and faunabay for a change? :D i was going to say i thought it was me who started the glastonbury stampede but then i remember it was YOU who had ME stampeding to amazon!! LOL

Helruna	25 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jewel The Glastonbury is great and I will second Turthsayers recommendation on that one (then again I believe it was I that caused the stampede into amazon to buy it a few months back *LOL*). If you like vivid colors, a pagan slant and the whole arthurian thing then this is definetly a deck you will want to check out. And for some wierd reason the more you work with the deck the better the art seems to get ... this deck definetly grows on you (well at least for me). Well, I made not stampede into amazon (although an interesting thought for the future), but thank you for your opinion on the Glastonbury. I was a bit hesitant, although I already put it on my wish list (you guys here are definitely responsible for my wishlist to grow exponentially!!!) BB, Helruna

The Dance of Life Tarot thread was originally posted on 02 Apr 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.