buckland romani

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 19 May 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

truthsayer	19 May 2002
i can't say this deck calls to me but images i've seen of it and reviews are good. the problem is that it reminds me of the witches tarot by ellen cannon reed. i definitely didn't mesh w/ that deck. since i have tarot-holics disease, i have this irresistible curiosity toward any deck that i don't own. ;) unfortunately, curiosity like this can lead one to bankruptcy! what do you guys think about this one?

Lee	19 May 2002
I like the art on these cards but I can't really read with it. Buckland takes a very vague, non-specific approach in the accompanying book, and that's reflected in the art on many of the cards, so that on many cards, especially court cards, there's really hardly anything to hang an interpretation on. Buckland also confusingly provides "traditional" interpretations which often don't relate to his "intuitional" meanings and don't relate to the images on the cards either. I'm glad I have the deck for the art, but if you're looking for something specifically to read with, in my opinion it presents difficulties. -- Lee

truthsayer	19 May 2002
i don't mind vagueness if i love the art. maybe i'm picking up on the issues you mention, lee. i think the one thing that draws me to this deck is the female magician card. i really like her a lot but one card isn't worth $35. is there any place i can see scans of the whole deck?

cricket	19 May 2002
truthsayer - if you're willing to do so, I'll send you my set for either cost of shipping or a future favor. The book is a little worse for wear and the box is missing (thanks to the kids), but I'll send the bag along that I've been using for it. The deck is in near perfect condition. It's been shuffled a few times and that's it.

Kaz	19 May 2002
thruthsayer, i am in the middle of moving some stuff to another webby, and the buckland is the first i transferred, you can see the whole deck there, if you want to have a look please do. and would you be so kind to let me know any trouble you come across with clicking the links? and if the loading speed of images is ok? you would do me a favor here....... hmmm, some trouble there, i will post again when i have sorted it out. kaz

destinyawaitsme	19 May 2002
I own this deck...I really like it, but I don't read with it a lot. I simply love the art work. I have read with it before and got great results..I don't know why I really didn't stick with it. But since, I enjoy the artwork so much, I use it a lot with candle rituals to give me something to meditate on.

Scorpion	19 May 2002
Hi, Truth! Yep - I've got this one, but haven't been inspired to use it. I can't really pin down why. I think it's because I was disappointed with the artwork and colouring of the cards. It probably doesn't help that I bought it the day that I worked through the night and I managed to read the book in one go (great, isn't it - get double-time from my employers to read up on my favourite pastime!). Wonderful offer from Cricket there and since you're already thinking about it it's probably "fated"! As you say, you're a collector and you'd probably get it one day anyway....... I look forward to seeing whether you succumb!

Kaz	19 May 2002
truthsayer, everything should be working now. http://kaz.fateback.com kaz

truthsayer	19 May 2002
thanks kaz! it works well. it doesn't look like what i anticipated. i do like the cups and majors. cricket-you've got mail. :)

truthsayer	29 May 2002
i have a funny story to share about what happened when i arrived home w/ the pkg from cricket containing the buckland romani. i opened another pkg first and my cat ignored what i was doing. however, when i opened the BR she went bonkers! she started meowing excitedly, purring loudly and licking my hands. the only times she acts like this is when i sing her one of her favorite songs. (yes, my cat enjoys being sung to but only the songs that she likes. if i sing one she dislikes, she leaves the room-music critic! LOL) she only quit when i put the deck up. i wrote cricket and asked her if she put catnip on the cards. she said angel might have liked the hand lotion she was using when she fixed the pkg but no catnip. angel has never paid any attention to any of my decks unless she plans to sleep on top of them or lie on them while i'm trying to do a reading. synchronicity? i decided that this deck must be special or angel would have ignored them as usual. she seems to be a pretty good judge about things. ;) i thought the experience was interesting and am looking forward to further adventures w/ the buckland romani. :) thank-you again, cricket!

Scorpion	04 Jun 2002
"bump"

catlin	05 Jun 2002
I still have Buckland Romani on my wishlist but after my recent adventure with Mrs Cannon Reed's deck I am a bit sceptic about ordering this one. Besides, Mr Buckland claims a bit too oftne and too much to be in this and that and this tradition.

truthsayer	05 Jun 2002
actually, i don't blame you, catlin. ellen cannon reed's deck promises much but is such a disppointment. the majors are good but the courts repetiveness is such a turn off. then there's those strange looking muscle men in spandex-YUCK!!!!!! i don't think i ever would have bought the BR. i only have it due to cricket's generosity.

Rhiannon	05 Jun 2002
Thanks guys. I trundled on over to look at the cards that Kaz had posted on that link and I really like them. This will probably be the deck I get. Eventually anyway. I have to agree with you guys on Ellen Cannon Reed's Witches Tarot. I bought it at a used book store and every time I opened the box I got a headache. Not sure if it was because it was used or what. But even after I saged them they felt "icky" to me. Rhiannon :)

catboxer	06 Jun 2002
I'm having a hard time understanding why Buckland's King of Wheels is a portrait of the 19th-century Kansas lawman Bat Masterson. The picture is lifted directly from a famous photograph of the polite and nattily-dressed legendary gunslinger. Was Masterson some sort of occult adept that I didn't know about? (catboxer)

Zhritza	07 Jun 2002
I thought that looked familiar... It makes sense to me that Raymond Buckland would want to draw parallels between the Gypsies and frontierspeople, if only to try to make Gypsies more imaginable to Americans.

Maan	15 Jun 2002
I'm plannig on getting this deck soon. But i was wondering how does it read? Is it easy to shuffel ? etc. And Truthsayer how is the deck working out for you? and your cat ofcourse ;) Love and Light Maan

Jewel	17 Jun 2002
Maan, I have not read with mine but it is standard size and shuffles easy.

Maan	19 Jun 2002
Thank you Jewel :) I got it!!!! So far i'm liking it very much!

Kellinator	19 Jun 2002
Thanks Kaz! I'm especially grateful because I haven't been able to see a sample. I don't know how I feel about the Buckland Romani. Some of the images are totally gorgeous. I especially like the women, especially the Magician. I had a very visceral reaction to the Death card -- actually, it totally upset me, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Some of the Minors seemed a little on the bland side. I really like the colors in the deck. I might want to get it eventually, but right now I lust much more for some other decks (luckily, since I'm broke anyway ;) ).

Jewel	19 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Kellinator I might want to get it eventually, but right now I lust much more for some other decks (luckily, since I'm broke anyway ;) ). Now Kellinator, you know you cannot make a statement like that without telling us which decks *LOL* ... inquiring minds want to know ... ;)

Kellinator	19 Jun 2002
Ya got me, Jewel! Right now I'm longing for the Victoria Regina (saw it in person for the first time over the weekend, and I'm in love!) and the World Spirit. And oh, the Osho-Zen has also tickled my fancy. So many decks, so little money... ;)

Jewel	19 Jun 2002
Ohhh Truthsayer can talk you into the VRT in a heart beat *LOL* ... I traded mine to her, we did not connect. I absolutly love my Osho-Zen, the colors and art are beautiful, and I love the way it gives me the same messages as my other decks but from a different point of view, really helps me think the readings through. The world spirit is also a nice choice, good multicultural deck. I hope you able to add these soon to your collection!

truthsayer	19 Jun 2002
kellinator, i love the VRT!!!!!! it is so beautiful and unusual that i didn't even notice that it's black and white. interesting that you had a strong negative reaction to the death card in the BR. i do agree that some of the minors are bland. i had a strong reaction to the 10 of pentacles in the world spirit. other than that i liked most of the deck. after undergoing tarot counseling at the aeclectic center for tarot relations here, i've feeling much more comfortable w/ world spirit. i probably would have traded it if it weren't for that discussion here. so my advice is if you decide to buy the BR discuss your negative feelings here w/ us. i've done this w/ at least a couple of decks now and it really helps resolve feelings that otherwise would prevent me from using a deck.

Kellinator	20 Jun 2002
Truthsayer, I read about your experience with the 10 of Pentacles! I'm glad it is going better for you. What really gets me about Death in the Buckland Romani is the way it's presented. Usually the Death card is about a natural process, something to be accepted rather than feared. (Think of the Transition card in the Gendron.) Death on a battlefield, like in the Rider-Waite -- that's expected, though of course it's not welcome. But there's nothing natural about death by fire. The horrible image of the wagon (which appears in so many of the cards) on fire just fills me with dread and sorrow thinking of the family inside, probably with children. I wish the card had been a Romani funeral -- that would have given me more insight into their culture. This just reminds me of every horrible news story I've ever heard about a house fire. Also, I may be more upset than usual because my senior year in college, my high school guidance counselor (of whom I was very fond) died when her house caught on fire. Well, the autopsy revealed that she had actually died of a gunshot to the head. Her son was convicted. Bad memories. Kellinator

truthsayer	20 Jun 2002
kelly, i'm looking at BR's death card and i can certainly empathize w/ your feelings. particularly considering the negative memories you have about fire. a murder involving fire would negate my feelings about this card and this deck if i went thru what you went thru. since there are no ppl fleeing the wagon and the door is open, it went over my head that someone might be trapped inside. when i see fire i think transformation or the wands suit. the wagon burning-transformation as a journey to another place. but that explanation doesn't deal w/ why death is poised to strike over the wagon. evidently, fire to a wagon was a terrible thing to happen to a romani family in ways other than loss of life. they lost their means of transportation, livelihood, all their belongings and their home in one fell swoop. loses like that are transforming and require the persons involved to change if they survive the fire. it requires finding ways to overcome the "death" of a way of life. maybe i'm stretching but thoughts like these helped me w/ the world spirit. i don't think this is a particularly strong card b/c of the direct images of death versus the less menacing ones in other decks. the more i look at this card, the more uncomfortable i feel. it's like the grim reaper is poised to take lives w/ the scythe as someone tries to leave the wagon. i just checked my book and it appears i was on the right track w/ my explanation. you also got your wish about the card being that of a romany funeral. i guess they didn't believe in burials b/c they traveled constantly and it was best to permanently get rid of the deceased person's body via cremation. if you look at the world spirit deck, it shows a woman burning on a bier. if you have WS, look at that card and ask yourself how that card makes you feel. it's the same difference-only you see the body in one card and don't in the other. in the past, when someone died all his/her things were placed in the wagon along w/ the deceased and burned. this was their way of wiping the slate clean and starting over. the deceased was never mentioned again. i can give you more info from the book if that would be helpful to you. i think what's going on is that this card is triggering unpleasant memories for you that you haven't finished dealing w/. if you were able to let go of those feelings then the card would pose little threat. at least that was the case b/t me of the WS 9 of pentacles. don't consider this a push to face something you don't feel ready to look at. this is only an observation of what i think is going on. do death cards in general bother you or particularly this one? explore your feelings when and if you ever feel ready. hope these thoughts help you.

wigwag	23 Jun 2002
Hi I own this deck. I fell in love with it when I saw it as you did. The artwork is really lovely. However I have to say when I actually received it, I was not able to interpret it as easily as I thought I would. Although the book explains the history regarding the pictures on the cards, I found the gypsy names hard going and not easy to remember. I would say it is a lovely deck and worth the effort if you like it but it is one of the more expensive decks, and i have to admit, some of the cheaper decks have given me more pleasure.

Kellinator	24 Jun 2002
Thanks, Truthsayer. The information from the book helped a little. For the most part, I'm okay with Death cards. In fact, I really like the World Spirit Death card, with the phoenix. It was just this one... Maybe one day I will feel like working with it. No rush -- there are lots of other decks out there! :D

The buckland romani thread was originally posted on 19 May 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.