tarot of the old path

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 13 Jun 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Sulis	13 Jun 2002
Hi Everyone I`m thinking of getting the tarot of the old path and was wonering if anyone had it and what you lot think of it. Also does anyone know of any websites where all of the cards can be seen? I`ve looked for previous threads about this deck and can`t find any, apologies if it`s been covered before. Brightest Blessings Crystalmynx xx )O(

Jewel	13 Jun 2002
This is one of those decks that is very close to my heart. In the past the decks I always worked with were this deck and Robin Wood. I always got great readings with the deck. The Moon card is called Illusion in this deck, and I believe it is the Judgement card that is called Karma. The suit of cups is Cauldrons in this deck. Four of my favorite cards are the High Priestess, Death, Karma and Illusion. Strength is VIII and Justice is XI. Wands are fire, swords are air. I believe the court cards look very the same or very similar in all suits, with a change in coloring (blue cauldrons, green pentacles, orange wands, yellow swors). The only card I don't care for very much is the Universe card, and that is a card that has kept some people from getting this deck, just thought you might like to know. Personally I would never even consider trading mine, I love the artwork, the feel of the deck, and the pagan symbolism. This is one of my all time favorite decks. Although Raider Waite based it is not a clone, the Major Arcana are definetly the best part of the deck. You can see illustrations of this deck in the deck section here at Aeclectic, and you can view images and read reviews at both www.wicce.com and www.tarotpassages.com (not sure if there is a review here at Aeclectic on this deck yet, there probably is).

Maan	13 Jun 2002
He crystalmynx I have the deck but don't really like it. It is a good deck and give's clear readings but i don't like the al the white on the cards. And most people look so mad, angry and grumpy. But well that ofcourse is my opinion and i now many people how love this deck!

truthsayer	13 Jun 2002
the majors of this deck are incredible! but even tho i liked the majors, i didn't like the minors or the bare white background. i might have kept it but someone had something i wanted and i had something s/he had so we struck a deal. i really wanted this to be a deck i could use but we just couldn't work together for whatever reason. the break-up was amicable and we parted friends. ;)

jmd	13 Jun 2002
This deck is, in my opinion, the most beautiful Pagan-Wiccan Rider-Waite influenced deck with multi-racial features around. I have had it from the time it was released (around ten years ago), and would definitely suggest it as a deck worth having. I had personally never noticed the 'grumpiness' of many characters until I re-looked at it following this thread, and can see how the ambiguity of the 'serious smile' could be taken this way. To my mind, the facial features 'speak' according to the reading at hand, and one could see the expression as one of grumpiness (focussing on the forehead), seriousness (the mouth) or joy (nasal region). Also, the 'white' of the sky section of the background of the minors, whilst obviously affecting those who have posted above, never has me.

mooncat2	14 Jun 2002
I love it. Bought on an impulse - the only card visible was the Magician. My favourite deck to read with - I think those who created it put a spell on it and it sure works for me. Be prepared to be a bit disappointed with minors as compared to the majors - I found the white of the background offputting at first but once I got used to it, now I don't even notice. I don't think you'll be sorry if you buy it!

jmd	14 Jun 2002
Just thought I would add the Aeclectic links here: Aeclectic review by Gyspsy, and Aeclectic view of the cards.

Kiama	14 Jun 2002
I think I would agree with the majority that the Majors are stunning, but the Minors quite disappointing... The Minors look pretty 70's in colour and style, and are pretty 'opewn', with lots of white space... The characters in the Minors are also more medieval Briton than the Majors, which seem more Pagan/Celt... One question I have about this deck is about Temperence... What is going on in that card???!!!! There a guys, holding what looks like the body of a woman, and there's teh Goddesss and God watching it al... What's happening??!!! Kiama

Jewel	14 Jun 2002
JMD, first of all I am glad to see that I am not alone in the appreciation of this deck. Like you, until this thread I had not noticed any such "grumpiness". Your breakdown of forehead, mouth, nasal region makes perfect sense, and now that I think about it it is perhaps one of the things that make the deck powerful to me, because like the Mona Lisa (not exactly but closest thing I could relate this to) they change depending on how you look at them. The white backgrounds do not bother me either, to a point I find them to outline and enhance the actual picture. Kiama, the Temperance card in this deck is about balance. To me the God and Goddess represent the spiritual side and that they are with us always watching over us. The man and the woman in the card are very interesting in deed, unfortunately I do not have the card at hand so I am going to have work from memory here (I entered this card) ... I view this is as tempering of human relationships from extacy to pain ... finding the balance to better deal with these. If I recall the man, like the angel is part in water and part out as well, again tying man to the angel who is in turn tied to the God and Goddess ... recognition of divinity within. In looking at the woman in his arms, I guess you could assume she is dead if you wish, but I see her as flowing with the water and absorbing feelings and sensations. The reason I feel this way is because when I enetered this card I came in as her and I learned and the empathic feelings within her were amazing ... I learned how I made others feel at the time to learn to temper my behavior. The God and Goddess were there to support me in the process, the man to forgive me (temper his pain) to work it out and the angel was a reminder ... the water washed away the pain and mother nature to nurture me. Hope this helps and that I did not confuse you furhter *LOL*.

Lee	14 Jun 2002
I wish I could tell you what the book that comes in the set says about Temperance, but unfortunately the authors don't choose to describe what's happening in that card (it was the first thing I tried to look up in the book -- very frustrating). -- Lee

WolfSpirit	14 Jun 2002
This is a deck I wanted when I saw it here at Aeclectic, the review convinced me even more. Seems very much like a deck I'd want. But... I searched for it but it seems to be out of print and hard to get. Well I haven't searched desperately for it yet... I placed an order at Amazon and they give you some date in the future when they expect to have the deck. But this may prove to be science fiction, on line shops try to sell things they don't have }). Does anyone know where you can get this deck straight away ? Well I'm not really in a hurry now, thanks to a trade with kaz (:)) I now have the arthurian coming my way and I may concentrate on that first.

Kaz	14 Jun 2002
this is a deck i have on my wishlist as well, some time in the future. if you want to get it secondhand, there are enough options to check out who has it and can deliver. like for instance www.allbookstores.com , www.addall.com kaz

Jewel	14 Jun 2002
I have not heard about it going OOP, but I can tell you that my experiences with Amazon have been great! They have always come through for me.

WolfSpirit	14 Jun 2002
*frantically searching my notes* can't remember why I thought it was oop, I thought I tried another bookshop first and they said it was or something... I can't find it back in my notes though. I ordered at Amazon exactly one month and one day ago, and they expect to be able to despatch somewhere between now and July 1st, which is quite a long time. But it's possible I guess, if you just order at a time they have no stock left. BTW I'm glad there are shops like Amazon and they usually work very well, but they're a big company and it's always possible they made a mistake (if they're still working with humans, that is ;)

Lee	14 Jun 2002
Here's a very interesting review by Tom Tadfor Little of this deck. This deck can still be ordered directly from the publisher. Go to "Tarot Decks" and look under "Classics and Bestsellers" (you have to go through a few screens to find it). -- Lee

Jewel	14 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by WolfSpirit BTW I'm glad there are shops like Amazon and they usually work very well, but they're a big company and it's always possible they made a mistake (if they're still working with humans, that is ;) Don't even jest about that (the mistakes part)! as much as I depend on them that could cause me a heart attack! *LOL* Interesting review, but my experience with the deck has been completly positive (I have had and used this deck for over 5 years), and I enjoyed the book. The only complaint I have is that the deck only box is real flimsy ... mine is all taped up everywhere, I love the plastic casing the set comes in.

StormCloud	14 Jun 2002
I love this deck - my very first one. It actually fell off the bookshelf in front of me at the store. I like the white - the pics seem much more open. I get shivers each time I look at the majors. The minors are OK, but not the same as the majors. Here's a link to all the pics - http://www.poker168.com/Tarot/TAROT5_m.htm

purplelady	14 Jun 2002
Another one for the wish list! Stormcloud,What a great site to veiw all the cards of Many decks! thanx! I always love finding sites like this. I won't even venture a guess at what language it's in though! (russian? hmm............it looks more like html than any language ??!) Anyhow, I found it's homepage with all the decks available for veiwing: http://www.poker168.com/pokexs_tl.htm .

Sulis	14 Jun 2002
Thanks for all the opinions and the links, I must admit that the style of the minors is putting me off a little. After reading the review which Lee linked to I`m now seriously tempted by the Wheel of Change Tarrot which looks gorgeous. You`ve all been a great help. Brightest Blessings Crystalmynx xx

truthsayer	14 Jun 2002
i have the wheel of change and i love it. the artwork is multicultural and beautiful. take a look at the 10 of swords-that's a perfect example of what the rest of this deck is like. i usually dislike the 10 of swords but it's my fav card in this deck. it's not pagan style like the old path tho. check out the pix.alexandra gianetti has a website but i can't find it in my list of links at the moment.

aeonx	15 Jun 2002
I've also considered getting the Tarot of the Old Path, but it's a bit down on my wish-list. There are so many decks to get!! :D I, as many of you, especially love the Majors. They are quite interesting. I like the decks where you can study the images and find new things over and over again. :) ~aeonx~

Starfish	15 Jun 2002
Yep - another one for the wishlist. I love the majors (especially The Star - my favorite card). :TQS Starfish

catlin	17 Jun 2002
I've got the Old Path but I think the lot of white on the cards rather annoying. I think it would look much better if the cards were without such a huge blank space on them.

The tarot of the old path thread was originally posted on 13 Jun 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.