templar tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 16 May 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Logiatrix	16 May 2002
greetings, tarot-kindred! i just got this deck a coupla weeks ago, and LOVE IT! it has even ousted my visconti deck out of the "main deck" category for me! anybody else try this deck? love it? hate it? for example, i'm interested in what you might think of the seventy-ninth "extra" card. actually, any insight offered would be greatly appreciated. i am strongly compelled to use these cards, in fact already started last night!

Kaz	16 May 2002
metaz, i know meewah has it as well. jewel and me do this deck in the 78DW studygroup, we both have it and like it, and it's great the go through the cards like that. i leave the extra card out, but i do that with all decks that have extra's. stunning artwork, great deck :) all ppl who are curious now and wanna know how the cards look: http://home.hccnet.nl/k.van.rijn/images/TemplarTarot/ kaz

Jewel	17 May 2002
Hi Metaz! Kaz and I have really enjoyed studying this deck and will continue to do so in the 78 DW Study Group. I will not be giving up my Cosmic Tribe for it, but I really do enjoy studying it. As for the extra card, it has not been an issue for me because I am only using the deck in the study group, have not done any spreads with it. The deck is beautiful, I know I will never be trading mine!

MeeWah	17 May 2002
Metaz: I "bumped up" the other thread on this deck for you. Am glad you like the deck. It is very intense! I am treating the 79th card as a sort of Major, representative of the Higher Self. Kaz & Jewel: I would love to participate in your study group(s); not able to right now. Toomuchtodotoolittletime.

truthsayer	03 Jul 2002
i just got my templar this week. i really like it. i even like the music he listened to while he painted it. when i look at it i am reminded of the historical times in which the knights templar lived--the crusades. the knights were supposed to help protect pilgrims to the holy lands. the times were violent. death from disease was prevalent and ppl were very aware of their mortality. i not certain of the dates but this may have also been during the time of the black death-the bubonic plague where a great deal of the population of europe was wiped out in a few years. considering the times, the skeletons would fit right in w/ the scenery. i'm reminded of the art of this spanish artist-goya who drew a lot of macabre scenes of death. i remember his drawings fascinated me as a teen. do i even need to mention i've long been an edgar allen poe fan? he wrote stories like the fall of the house of usher, the tale tell heart and the epic poem the raven. "quoth the raven-Nevermore!" another thought is that i'm reminded of my fav shakespearian play-hamlet. anyone remember in hamlet where they are digging ophelia's grave and hamlet and horatio??? come across a skull. hamlet picks it up and goes off on this soliloquey,"oh, yorick! i knew him well!" then he goes on to talk about death and the grave, etc. i know it's pretty macabre and depressing stuff. when i was in college i did a research paper on the death imagery in hamlet. templar reminds me of (believe it or not) happy times when i was an English major in college. i know! only i could come w/ happy thoughts about a deck that has lots of shadowy imagery! :D LOL i think templar and i will get along just fine. i am well acquainted w/ my shadow. we are old buddies. ;)

MystiqueMoonlight	03 Jul 2002
I;ve done an interview with this artist and sent it to Solandia. She will be posting it soon for you all to read. It's quite interesting.

Maan	03 Jul 2002
Oooo i can't wait to receive my copy of this deck :) And i can't wait to read the artist interview! I hope he is nice couse i won't enjoy the deck much if i knew the artist was a .... Ectually looking at the pic's i don't see it as a dark or macabre deck. What's that say about me LOL Love and light Maan

MeeWah	03 Jul 2002
Truthsayer: I read your post with great interest & have to state: ditto on all points! Methinks our birthdate could explain some of the commonalities of our interests & views :D I only need to think of the Templar Tarot & my hands get warm. BTW: How do you see the extra card?

MeeWah	03 Jul 2002
Mystique: Yes, we owe you many thanks for arranging the interview. I am looking forward to reading it. Do you know where in Aeclectic it will be posted?

MeeWah	03 Jul 2002
Maan: Actually, I do not find it "dark" in the full sense of the term. Its swirls of colours are very bright; even psychedelic! They suggest energy patterns. There is a medieval tone to the images which fits with the setting of the deck. "Intense" is a term that aptly describes the deck in general. Hope you enjoy it!

truthsayer	04 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by MeeWah Truthsayer: I read your post with great interest & have to state: ditto on all points! Methinks our birthdate could explain some of the commonalities of our interests & views :D I only need to think of the Templar Tarot & my hands get warm. BTW: How do you see the extra card? the extra card-the magic flute-i love that card! i believe mozart did an opera called the magic flute. i see her as an earth angel who has broken the chains w/ earth and is at last able to fly free and play her flute. perhaps the magic of the flute helped break her chains. have you ever had dreams where one minute you were feeling the heavy limitations of your body and the next you're light as a feather and flying all over the place? that's the magic flute. do you have something creative you lose yourself while doing and totally forget everything but the pleasure of creating? for those moments you lost yourself is like the creative power of the magic flute. do i need to add that i'm keeping the extra card in to enhance readings? i absolutely agree about the exuberance of the colors of the templar. the colors is what brings the light to any shadows of the deck. w/o those life celebrating colors this would be a dark deck. to me this decks dips into the dark history of our past and recasts it into a new modern light. imho, this is one of the more balanced decks i've seen b/t light and shadow. it's like the very same qualities in me that are my strengths are the same qualities re-interpreted as weaknesses. no one can see the strength w/o the weakness and vice versa. does this make sense? i think allen chester is a genius. i think the high priestess as mary magdalene is my fav HP of any deck. why? shrug...it just speaks to me! :)

MeeWah	04 Jul 2002
Truthsayer: I keep the extra card in the deck also. Thus far, I see it as representing the Higher Self, or as a means of connecting with same. "The Magic Flute" is a classical composition by Mozart. The use of the phrase to the extra card may be a reference to music being a bridge to a higher consciousness. In terms of vibratory effects, classical music is of the highest vibration. Without the interplay of light & shadow, there are no contrasts to serve as a value system or as points of reference. I have some exciting news: I have been invited to meet Allen Chester & his publisher soon!!

truthsayer	04 Jul 2002
OH WOW THAT IS EXCITING NEWS!!!!!! that's just great, meewah! WHEN? LOL please keep us posted on how it goes. i'm really interested in how it goes. try to get your deck autographed so i can be envous. ;) :D

Jimilyn	04 Jul 2002
I have just gotten this deck...it's my newest acquisition. :) I saw it at our Wellness Expo and fell in love with it. The colors are rich and vibrant. I feel as if I'm engulfed by the illustrations because they are borderless. Each time I'd seen this deck online, I had clicked on by without noticing a thing. But when I saw it in person, it reached out and grabbed me. My Gendron did the same thing. I never would have thought I'd buy either one...but one look, one opportunity to flip through the deck, one whisper... Well, let's say I didn't really have a choice but to get either deck. Jimilyn

Kyrielle	04 Jul 2002
I love all the winged people -- they don't strike me as angels so much as mortals with their spirits showing--and all those colors. And I know the power of music, so I can really identify with the Magic Flute card (it's also my favorite opera). I'm getting this deck! One thing: does anyone know of a book other than the LWB for this deck? As far as I know it's only available as a solo deck, not a set. --Kyrielle

truthsayer	04 Jul 2002
i'm pretty sure there's not a deck/book set but if you go to the creator's website there is lots of books for sell and other free info on the knights templar. i like the idea of the "angels" being mortals w/ their spirits showing. very intriguing idea.

MeeWah	04 Jul 2002
Truthsayer: The meeting is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, July 14. After I get off work. Thanks for the autograph idea! I did not think of that. I shall need to remember to bring the deck with me. I have carried it to work with me to look at during my breaks.

MeeWah	04 Jul 2002
Jimilyn: As soon as I found out about the deck I checked the website & was intrigued first by the story behind the deck, then the deck itself. I have chosen decks based on a few cards online, without seeing them in person & been pleased. I have bought decks after seeing them in person & liking them, but liking them has not meant they will serve as reading decks. I prefer to be able to use them in some way, so if I am unable to at least use them for study or meditative purposes, they end up as trading decks. Let us know how the deck works for you. It would be interesting to share experiences with it.

MeeWah	04 Jul 2002
Kyrielle: The angel-like figures do not strike me as angels per se either which is why I mention in my review of the deck that this is "not an angel deck". I like how you describe them. I think of them as representative of "us", we who strayed from the Source long ago. We were endowed with free will & we "experimented". I think a regular book is planned for Templar.

Daria	05 Jul 2002
Hi all. If you think the cards are beautiful you should see the actual paintings. They're stunning. I like the High Priestess/Mary Magdalene one the best. It's a huge painting in a golden frame. Anyway, I'm the person the artist contacted to write the LWB so if you have any questions about it just ask. But, don't ask about the Flute card. I had to swear an oath not to discuss that one.

MeeWah	05 Jul 2002
Daria: Welcome!! Glad to have you. Ok, no questions from me about the Flute card. Considering that the images on the cards convey an unusual vibrancy & intensity, I can imagine that viewing the actual paintings would be an experience magnified many times over!! I like the way the LWB was conceived: from its discussion of the origins of Tarot to the glossary; also the inclusion of reversed meanings. Were the meanings attributed to each card a collaborative effort, such as based on the artist's view & on your own understanding of the Templar cards? I think I read on the website that a book is planned. Will you be writing the book? Some of us are looking forward to such a publication. I like The High Priestess, too. It iseems fitting that it is the card that graces the front of the box the deck is in.

Daria	05 Jul 2002
Hi MeeWah, Yes, the meanings were collaborative. The artist sent me the pictures of the cards and I wrote up what I THOUGHT they should mean and then he reviewed them to see if they agreed with what he thought. It was pretty easy since we saw eye to eye on almost everything. He only made a few minor adjustments. It was the publisher who had the idea of adding the histories and glossary. I told them I loved the idea of the tabs too, since with most LWB's you have to flip back and forth looking for the suits. They did ask me to write the more expanded book and I'm doing that now. It's taking time because I'm trying to double-check each 'fact' before I use it. The plan is to have the history behind the person or subject named for each card and then explain the tie to the Templars.

MeeWah	05 Jul 2002
Daria: Funny you mention the tabs, as I was looking at them. I have used those wee post-it notes like book marks on some books to make it easier to locate certain information. It beats frantically paging through a book looking for that one bit of info. I try to use them judiciously as too many get in the way. (Also did it at work on a couple of manuals related to the job.) The plan for the book sounds great! It would enhance the historical aspect of the theme. The deck is such that ignorance of the deck's background does not seem to hinder its use.

Daria	06 Jul 2002
No, not knowing the history doesn't take away from the deck at all. I think that sometimes having too much info can push you into a corner about what the cards mean. We want to provide the history for anybody who's interested. Did Cathy tell you about the strange way they found me to write the LWB? It makes you believe in an orderly universe.

MeeWah	06 Jul 2002
Daria: No, but this sounds intriguing...Please do tell!

Daria	06 Jul 2002
Well, it was like this. Cathy contacted the printer that I work part-time for to ask some questions and I happened to be working that day. I told my boss that I read tarot cards and would be happy to talk to the caller. Cathy and I hit it off right away and learning that I was a writer, she asked if I'd be interested in writing the booklet. I said why didn't I write up a couple of the cards and if they liked my style I'd be happy to write the booklet. The really weird surprise came when she told me that name of the deck. She asked what I knew about the Knights Templar. I laughed like a maniac because I had just had a book published for teens about the Templars. So what are the chances that Cathy happened to call that particular printer with an employee who read cards and also had a million books on the Templars?

truthsayer	06 Jul 2002
you are right! a perfect example of synchronicity. that's too strange not to be true. the chances of that happening randomly has to be astronomical.

Daria	07 Jul 2002
That's what I said! It creeps me out a bit, though.

Starfish	07 Jul 2002
Thanks for the links. I love the High Priestess card too. Hmmm.... another deck to put on my "I-want-it-list". :TAW Starfish

MeeWah	07 Jul 2002
Daria: That is an awesome example of synchronicity!! It is a (jaw-dropping) confirmation of cosmic forces at work bringing together all the elements needed towards the creation of Templar, & blessing its creation. Thanks for sharing the experience.

Kyrielle	11 Jul 2002
Where is that study group for the Templar Tarot? I'd like to join if it's still on. I haven't been inspired to look into a deck this much in a long time. -- Kyrielle

Jewel	12 Jul 2002
The discussions on the Templar are in the 78 Degrees of Wisdom study group. Kaz and I studied a bit of the deck in terms of this book. Both of us really learned a lot! I think we need to revive this discussion ... what do you think Kaz?

truthsayer	12 Jul 2002
i have to agree that i'd be most interested in a study group w/ this deck. it's just so awe inspiring. i really want to read w/ it eventually.

Kyrielle	12 Jul 2002
I'm up for it. How do we start? And when? -- Kyrielle

Jewel	15 Jul 2002
Have people interested to agree to be a part of the group, establish your approach to the study (i.e. comparitive, card by card, following a book, etc). Then go to the study groups general forum and if you would like you can post the general guidelines on how the group will run and come to consensus on it. Then start according to what ever plan of action you come up with. Just take a look around the Study Groups forum and you will see how various groups have done it. Its a lot of fun.

Jimilyn	15 Jul 2002
Study group possibility? Hmmmm...keep me in mind if you start one up. Jimilyn

Kyrielle	19 Jul 2002
I posted an invitation in the General Study Groups Forum to collect all of you who want to be a part of a study group. Feel free to suggest organization, approaches, and whatever else there. -- Kyrielle

Maan	21 Jul 2002
When i got home today there was a parcel waiting....my own copy of the templar tarot!!!! :) I really love it there is soo much depth in the cards!!! The seem almost alive I will be spending alot of time with this deck

The templar tarot thread was originally posted on 16 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.