The Chinese Tarot Deck (US Games)

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 18 Jul 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

cricket	18 Jul 2002
I picked up this deck for about $5 the other day (the LWB is missing) and have looked through it. The images are truly beautiful. They speak clearly (for a new deck, and having just flipped through it) and I'm hoping to use them for readings fairly soon. Does anybody else have and/or use this deck? What can you tell me about it?

Faerie Lin	18 Jul 2002
I have this deck! Love it!! I actually lost the LWB to it and bought my oldest sister the deck so I could copy the LWB. I have it in a doc. file... would you like me to email it to you? Lin

cricket	18 Jul 2002
That would be great!! My email on here -should- work. Thanks bundles!

Faerie Lin	18 Jul 2002
hmmm I don't think it shows the email, just allows to send... Can you PM me your email right quick, then the lwb file will be on its way. Lin

Faerie Lin	18 Jul 2002
Okay its sent!!!!! I'm so excited for you heheh! I really like this deck. This is one of the few decks that I think the "backing" has just GOT to be talked about. BEAUTIFUL! Happy Learning also! Loads of Chinese History and all with the LWB. Lin

MeeWah	19 Jul 2002
Cricket: This deck has been one of my primary reading decks. I use it mostly for personal Tarotwork; occasionally am moved to read for others with it. I love the artwork!! The LWB is a bit better than most in that it gives background information on the cards based on traditional mores & folk tales. & thanks for posting this thread!

MeeWah	19 Jul 2002
Faerie Lin: I am glad to meet another fan of this deck. There are too few of us!

aqua9air	12 Jun 2003
hmm... i owned the chinese tarot for few month now it gives accurate readings and the images are stunning, i loved it very much however, the LWB only explain background stories on few of the cards. Although i could guess some of the stories, for example the queen of the sword must be the only chinese female emperor - wu zhe tian in tang-dynasty, and Ace of staves must be - tao yuan ming - one of the most famous poet in chinese history and so on i find it frustrating when it is very hard to tell what the cards are potraying - for example 3 of staves, 6 of staves, 6 of swords... there seem a story behind it, but i couldn't tell i searched and searched see if any more informatin come up, but couldn't find any :( just wondering if there's any information at all, for example, author's interview or anything about this deck and may be anyone can give me some more insight :) thanks

Diana	12 Jun 2003
Very nice 10 of Swords. Does anyone have a good link where one can see lots of cards?

aqua9air	12 Jun 2003
chinese tarot? :) i think tarot.com shows the whole deck here's the link http://www.tarot.com/about-tarot/decks/browsedecks.php?newdeck=50

Diana	12 Jun 2003
Thanks for the link. Most interesting deck indeed..... Pity that Justice is not VIII, and Strength not XI. But I think I'll put this one on my Christmas list all the same.

aqua9air	12 Jun 2003
you r welcome :P

Astraea	12 Jun 2003
I just got this deck -- the artwork is exquisite. The delicacy of the renderings combines with strong symbolism to make this a very intuitive deck, IMO. The Hanged Ghost is wonderful!

Demonesse	12 Jun 2003
Urgggh. Bring the Hanged Ghost into the house of a more-traditional minded Chinese and they'll probably throw you out. :eek: I'd say the Hanged Ghost is contrary to the meaning of the Hanged Man from a Chinese perspective. :)

Astraea	12 Jun 2003
I think you're right, Demonesse, I just meant that I like the artwork in the card. All the majors, especially, are just lovely.

aqua9air	13 Jun 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Demonesse Urgggh. Bring the Hanged Ghost into the house of a more-traditional minded Chinese and they'll probably throw you out. :eek: I'd say the Hanged Ghost is contrary to the meaning of the Hanged Man from a Chinese perspective. :) Why it is contrary though? :P

Demonesse	13 Jun 2003
I quote from Thirteen's Tarot Basics: The Hanged Man, in similar fashion, is a card about suspension, not life or death. This is a time of trial or meditation, selflessness, sacrifice, prophecy. The Querent stops resisting; instead he makes himself vulnerable, sacrifices his position or opposition, and in doing so, gains illumination. Answers that eluded him come clear, solutions to problems are found. He sees the world differently, has almost mystical insights. This card can also imply a time when everything just stands still, a time of rest and reflection before moving on. Things will continue on in a moment, but for now, they float, timeless. ------- The deck's HM would appear to portray a suicide. And the Chinese perception of that and ghosts in general is definitely contrary to the meaning above, or perhaps I should say from a Chinese perspective it has nothing to do with the meaning given above at all. After all, Chinese do not like any mention of death, especially with all of the inbuilt cultural superstitions. Personally, it brings to mind images of the movie "A Chinese Ghost Story". Definitely not something to show the folks on Chinese New Year... I suppose it would elicit shouts of "Choi!" (If you speak Cantonese, that is.) :)

aqua9air	13 Jun 2003
;) thanks demonesse what i thought was the hanging ghost is already dead, it is "ghost" now. since chinese believe that if a person suicided, it is might not be the right time they suppose to die, so the ghost are in this gap after death and before they can be reborned. if they still attached to their former life, they couldn't move on, they might remain in ghost stage for hundreds of years. that's why i thought it is not really opposite to what hanged man ususally means

Demonesse	13 Jun 2003
That could be one way of interpreting it, that's very insightful. I also considered that the 'Hanged Ghost', since it suffered a painful and non-natural death, would have become a "naughty ghost" - this also seems to be suggested by the haunted, shadowed look of the card. After all, Chinese ghosts can be terribly vicious...what I meant to say that from a typical Chinese point of view, it might not suggest the traditional Tarot meaning of the Hanged Man. I guess it depends really on whether the Ghost went on to Hell straightaway, is in the mischief-making mode or is trying to make head or tail of its former life, but I suspect we are going offtopic. })

aqua9air	13 Jun 2003
thanks for ur insight that's very helpful ;) probably we should start a topic on the chinese hanging ghosts, ha ha jkd :P

The The Chinese Tarot Deck (US Games) thread was originally posted on 18 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.