Scenic vs Simple Pip cards

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 30 Jul 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

jmd	30 Jul 2002
In the above poll: 'scenic' refers to pips with full scene illustrations, whether or not they follow Waite/Colman-Smith designs; and 'simple' pips which, though they may contain ornamental illustrations, are basically illustrated principally with the number of appropriate implements. I thought it would be a good time to ascertain people's preferences in this area. I have tried to divide the voting into manageable groups, and realise that it has limitations.

Lee	30 Jul 2002
What if I have more then ten decks of scenic and more than ten decks of simple? :) Also, in which category would you put the Thoth deck? -- Lee

Kiama	30 Jul 2002
Lee: I assumed when JMD asked how many decks, that he meant overall... I hope I haven't got it wrong... I voted for Scenic, and with more than 10 decks, not a beginner. For me, Scenic pips are easier to read with the way I read them: I tend to read between the cards (Thanks to Umbrae for that phrase!), and so having images really helps. Although I must say I have recently been converted to an appreciation of non-scenic pips in the more historical decks... Kiama

jmd	30 Jul 2002
Your first question poses no problems - except to Taroholics not yet there :)! - as we each may have more than ten of each, but probably also each have a preference. As the the Thoth, this is one of the limitations I thought of. May I suggest that each person decides for themselves. I tend to place the Thoth more in the 'simple' pip category, but I know others do not, and , if voting, should vote accordingly.

Sorceress_Jade	30 Jul 2002
It never even occured to me until someone pointed it out on the forum here a few weeks back that Thoth was only pips. I never noticed. Because of the imagery involved they seemed 'scenic' to me. I realize now that they are pips, but they're very evocative pips and so i lupmed them w/ scenery for my decision in polling.

Jewel	30 Jul 2002
Well I believe that most of my decks are scenic though I must admit that I find myself more and more attracted to the "moody minors" (thanks for the term Lee) like the Thoth and to me the Cosmic Tribe and Ananda fall within the moody minor category as well and they are two of my favorite decks.

jema	30 Jul 2002
a lot of my fav decks have "simple" pips so i had to vote for them. thoth, gill, spirit and the cosmic tribe. i find most of them a lot more expressive then the scenic ones. for example - the arcus arcanum, almost all of the lo scarabeo decks, chinese tarot etc. scenic yes, but very hard to get a feel for. i love the term moody minors by the way :)

catboxer	30 Jul 2002
jmd: This is a terrific idea, but I couldn't get my vote to tabulate. Anybody else have this problem?

emily2otters	30 Jul 2002
i prefer scenic, but i wish the images were different. :D i went through a pip phase pretty recently (bought the ukiyoe for that purpose) and was enjoying it thoroughly, but then i fell in love with the tarot nova and haven't looked back. i have to fight against some of the images that i disagree with in a numerological/elemental sense... not being inclined to see air/swords as conflict, i found them much easier to integrate when they were just swords. for example the 9 of swords (to me) ought to symbolize understanding and a place of intellectual peace. the worry-wart image drives me nuts.

AmounrA	30 Jul 2002
I prefer simple pips, I find that scenic images seem to contain 'emotion' in one expression or another and also ground a meaning that perhaps is not really there. [using the cards qabalistically i think demands the simple numbered image system] I would certainly class the thoth in the simple class, and also a tor de force display of how to get the minors right:-)

oriel	30 Jul 2002
i voted for pips/less than 10 decks and beginner. scenic minors sometimes distract me right now.

Sulis	31 Jul 2002
I voted for scenic, less than 10 decks and I`m a beginner. I`ve been studying tarot for about a year and I`m trying to learn how to read intuitively. I find cards with images on them much easier to read this way. Don`t know how long it will take me to stop being a beginner, at the moment I feel as if I will always be a beginner (lol) Blessings Crystalmynx xx

WolfSpirit	03 Aug 2002
I prefer scenic decks, I'very bad with numbers so I have to concentrate on meanings too much if a card has just a number. Even if the scene does not properly depict the meaning I can still remember better if there is a picture. I was very disappointed about the Merlin deck which has lovely majors but the minors are just pips. And I I buy a deck I often buy it for the art work, so that's another reason to prefer scenes. I decide later if I want to use the deck for reading or not.

LeoLady	03 Aug 2002
Have to say that as a newbir, I do like the scenic pips, cos they're easier to interpret. Not sure if I'll ever get used to the non-scenic ones x

LeoLady	03 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by crystalmynx I voted for scenic, less than 10 decks and I`m a beginner. I`ve been studying tarot for about a year and I`m trying to learn how to read intuitively. I find cards with images on them much easier to read this way. Don`t know how long it will take me to stop being a beginner, at the moment I feel as if I will always be a beginner (lol) Know EXACTLY how you feel! Although have only been doing it actively for about 2 months x

The Scenic vs Simple Pip cards thread was originally posted on 30 Jul 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.