Does anybody like the Connolly?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 20 Aug 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kyrielle	20 Aug 2002
Every so often I hear someone gripe about the Connolly Tarot. The faces are bland, it's a goody-goody deck, the people are static, etc. But I actually like the Connolly for when I'm in certain moods -- the colors are bright, the lines are soft, and there's sort of a soothing, clear quality to the images. I also like all the roses. Am I alone, or does anyone else like this deck?? -- Kyrielle

Liliana	20 Aug 2002
I like the colors and looks in general but i hate its all positive white light approach, I need more balance than that, and tho i dont really mind too much the new names, i really hate what they did to the symbology of judgement :THP

Starfish	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Liliana i really hate what they did to the symbology of judgement I've never seen the deck in person... What did they do to Judgment (I'm intrigued)? Is there a scan online of the Judgment card? :TFOOL Starfish

Liliana	20 Aug 2002
Judgemnt isnt the final Judgement scene, its just like a woman standing there scowling at a man. Thats jsut one little aspect of Judgement. This card and some others i dont like are at http://www.wicce.com/connolly.jpg It has a picture of Materialsm, which i like but yet its only a small aspect of the Devil, and Transition, with its person walking out onto a road in the sun from a dark house, which is actually pretty good imagery but i dont like it much :THP

Jewel	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Starfish I've never seen the deck in person... What did they do to Judgment (I'm intrigued)? Is there a scan online of the Judgment card? I really like the colors in this deck, but I think that it is the Christian emphasis, and some of the Major Arcana decptions (Star and Judgement for expample) that draws me away from using it. I bought it as a substitute for the Raider Waite but ended up shelving the deck rather quickly. The Judegement card really bothered me too, it just seemed too simplistic of an interpretation and too mundane to be a Major Arcana card. The card looks as though a couple has had a fight or something and a cherub is watching and leaving through the doorway ... am I missing something here? You can find a copy of this card at www.wicce.com

Starfish	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jewel You can find a copy of this card at www.wicce.com Thank you guys for posting the links. I see exactly what you mean about the Judgment card. (I'm not sure about the Devil card, personally) :TFOOL Starfish

Jewel	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Starfish I'm not sure about the Devil card, personally I find the Materialsim card also to be something to wonder about. If you notice, the guy has chains on wrists and ankles, and each chain has a different "suit" attached to it. A rainbow and woman are behind him. So ... does this card mean that this person is chained by emotions, intuition/creativity, intellect AND material things? I am not sure why ALL of the elements are represented in this card ... that is what has always confused me.

Kaz	20 Aug 2002
based on the scans from the link above here, this is definately not a deck for me. way too sweet, in colors and in pictures. kaz

Keslynn	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jewel I find the Materialsim card also to be something to wonder about. If you notice, the guy has chains on wrists and ankles, and each chain has a different "suit" attached to it. A rainbow and woman are behind him. So ... does this card mean that this person is chained by emotions, intuition/creativity, intellect AND material things? I am not sure why ALL of the elements are represented in this card ... that is what has always confused me. I saw it as the man being chained solely to the material world as represented by all the suits. This makes sense if the minors are taken as the more mundane activities of daily life. That would make the rainbow and the woman the majors, it would seem. If he would look toward that, he would be able to transcend the limitations of everyday living to find spiritual fulfillment? I kinda like the implications of that card. But the rest... I don't know. I think I could possibly work with this deck, but I don't know if I want to. It's not so much the "sweetness and light." The pictures just strike me as odd and as someone (I forget who exactly) mentioned, she does tend to make some of the majors mundane. The whole deck can be viewed at www.tarot.com in the Browse Decks section. :) Kes

HOLMES	20 Aug 2002
ME LOVED IT nuff said

catlin	21 Aug 2002
I have the Mini-Connolly in my collection, got the standard one in a trade but was not too happy with the too Christian layout so I traded it away. I prefer more balanced decks or even the darker ones.

cjtarot	21 Aug 2002
Hi all, Here is my 2 cents...I didn't like the Christian aspect, especially the Devil card...THEN I HAD A READING.. It's weird how when you work with a deck it grows on you or your wow'd by it...had a reading done with it..and was WOW'd every card fell in place and the devil did come up.. I would see if you can see the deck in action before making your final judgment. Blessings, Cj

Jewel	21 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Keslynn I saw it as the man being chained solely to the material world as represented by all the suits. This makes sense if the minors are taken as the more mundane activities of daily life. That would make the rainbow and the woman the majors, it would seem. If he would look toward that, he would be able to transcend the limitations of everyday living to find spiritual fulfillment? I kinda like the implications of that card. Kes thanks for your insight! I guess I simply associate "materialism" with "material" things not all "mundane" things. I love the way this card is portrayed in the Robin Wood deck, which carries the materialism concept.

Maan	22 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by catlin I have the Mini-Connolly in my collection, got the standard one in a trade but was not too happy with the too Christian layout so I traded it away. I prefer more balanced decks or even the darker ones. I traded mine away too ;) Just too quite....and i even like the hanson roberts so i can handle quite ;)

midnightmerry	22 Aug 2002
I posted about this deck a while back on another thread and I'm glad it was brought up again. What I liked about the deck was the coloring- I find that really appealing. The Christian influence doesn't bother me, just as Pagan influences don't bother me either. I like the Medieval look of the people in the deck. But this deck has been sitting unused on my bookshelf for months because I couldn't relate some of the imagery to traditional meanings and also, the Majors were messed with, which I find jarring. However, lately, I was thinking of pulling this deck out again and tyring to work with it. I don't think I ever gave it a real chance.

Pollux	22 Aug 2002
Connolly for me is just like Tarot Erotica. Exactly the same thing. I even doubt I could ever *dare* touch one of the cards... *LOL*

Lee	22 Aug 2002
Dear Pollux, please excuse my slow brain, but could you please explain exactly how the Connolly deck is just like the Tarot Erotica??? :confused: -- Lee :)

Kath	22 Aug 2002
I don't have this deck, and I don't think I'll ever get it. The colours are nice, and I like the style of the drawings. The Christian theme doesn't bother me either. I just don't like what they've done to some of the majors like Death, Devil and Judgement. I guess that the Devil (or Materialism) is something I could get used to, but I don't think I could come to love their Transition, or the Judgement card. Also, does anyone esle dislike the Star? I look at that card and I feel that it is very sad, like the guy has had to leave home, he is on the outside of the wall, and very lonely. I always see the Star as hope, but I can't find any hope in this picture. Cheers Kath

DarkElectric	22 Aug 2002
This was my very first deck. I got it in a small shop in New Hampshire, before there was a large selection of decks available around here (1995). I sort of liked it, but was so unfamiliar with tarot, I couldn't make any sense of it at all. I picked up a universal Waite, did better with that, discovered the Spiral deck and the rest, so they say, is history. I put my Connolly deck away in a box with other decks I have that I have as 'collectables' but not serious reading decks. In response to this thread, I just took it out again and looked at it. The last time I did this was about 5 years ago. I didn't like it then. For some reason, I do now. I feel that I could use it in certain situations, maybe reading for people who might have more of a Christian leaning, or would possibly be frightened by darker imagery. The colours are a little too much on the pink side, but, in spite of everything, I like it.

fairyhedgehog	21 Apr 2003
I bought a Mini Connolly recently - well, in fact my husband gave it to my for my birthday, but it was because I asked him to :) Anyway, I love the size (at last a deck small enough to go anywhere) and I love the colours. But I struggle with some of the symbolism as has been discussed by others in this and other threads. Does anyone have any suggestions how to work with the unusual and rather Christian symbolism? Or for another deck the same size that is easier to work with?

Astraea	21 Apr 2003
There is a RWS deck as small as the mini-Connolly, and an even tinier Universal Waite deck (affixed to a keychain and called, appropriately, the "Tiny Tarot"). There is a also a Thoth deck that might be just a tad larger than the mini-RWS (but smaller than playing cards). I can usually find something to appreciate in every tarot deck, because I try to get into the mind of the author and artist and understand the points they are attempting to make, using iconography drawn from the literally bottomless well of symbols -- and the Connolly is no exception. This deck works well for people who fear the tarot and/or learning the answers to specific questions, and for people who feel comfortable with Christian symbolism. It is an attractive-looking deck, though the colors can seem cloying. There are times, and situations, when a non-threatening deck is the best choice (during a serious illness, for example). A lot of people have written this deck off, but it does have a legitimate place -- however limited -- in the tarot world.

Rusty Neon	21 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Liliana Judgemnt isnt the final Judgement scene, its just like a woman standing there scowling at a man. Thats jsut one little aspect of Judgement. I find that the art in this deck is difficult to work with. I find that it's very hard to intuit what significance the Connollys attach to many a given card and the people and pictorial elements without reading the LWB! I was curious about this card too, so I just looked up Judgement in the deck's LWB. From my reading of the LWB it seems that this card has nothing to do with people judging other people. The LWB says that the woman here represents the unconscious and "has recognized the new fertile world of life". "The conscious level is the man in the process of reality. Before him is the book of life, his life. He is in the process of self-judgement, self-analysis. It has been his greatest battle. The keyword is SELF-ANALYSIS."

Rusty Neon	21 Apr 2003
I never liked the art in this deck, before or after I bought it. I acquired it so that I would have a deck to use with people who would be turned off by the RWS versions of the Death and Devil cards, and minor arcana such as the 10 of Swords. Personally, though, these RWS versions don't trouble me. Because of the unexpressiveness, or misexpressiveness, of the art it is difficult to figure out divinatory meanings by looking at the cards. In fact, I just looked at the cards now. They are so different from RWS images (and TdM major arcana) and the art is so unexpressive of meaning, that my head just got dizzy. If I had a squeamish qurerent and wanted to use RWS divinatory meanings, I would find the TdM easier to use than the Connolly. I find it interesting how the various 'bad' cards have been sanitized. Ironically, the 5 of Cups (which is a relatively mild 'bad' card in the RWS) hasn't been changed that much in the Connolly, so that the Connolly 5 of Cups would, to the uninitiated, appear in relative terms to be one of the more unlucky cards in the deck. :)

fairyhedgehog	22 Apr 2003
I have the Tiny Tarot (the one with the key chain) but I find it too small to really use. Maybe a Thoth is the next one to go for - I've got a Universal Waite so I don't need any more RWS decks atm. I'm glad I'm not the only one to struggle with the imagery. The reasoning behind the Judgement card is convoluted to say the least. But I shall keep it in my handbag. It is the only deck I have that is small enough for that, although who I think I'll read for I don't know. But it was nice to be able to look through the cards when I was at Kew Gardens last week and waiting for my husband to wake up from a nap :)

anjocoxo	23 Apr 2003
I don't have any kind of problem reading with this deck. I bought mini connolly and simply loved it, the colours, the draws, everything. Although I'm not christan, I really like, and it works wonders for me... Anjo

Two of Wands	23 Apr 2003
I have just looked through this Deck on tarot.com. I think you're all mean! :) It's actually a very nice deck, and I think the Christian imagery has every right to be there. The colours are great - especially in the suit of cups. I think, on the whole, the Major Arcana is very good - and the Devil is particularly thought provoking. I agree however that the Judgement card is a big let down and not a good choice. I don't quite know why they've done that. I think the greatest problem lies with the Minors. They are all exceptionally good until it comes to a card taht may be a slight problem, like the Nine of Swords, The three of Swords or The five of Swords. It is at this stage that the Deck bottles it and does not give any clear meaning in the image. I admit that this must make the deck rather difficult to work with, and I understand people's critism of this. All in all, I thnk the imagery and colour is good - and even some of the ideology would be interesting to explore. It's a deck that I'd love to be given but not buy.

Lee	23 Apr 2003
I agree that the symbology on this deck would be interesting to explore. I just wish Eileen Connolly had chosen to enlighten us about her decisions! She's written a few books using the cards as illustrations, but she says not a word about how the picture is supposed to illustrate her meanings. I like mystery, but this is deck is a little too mysterious. :D It's a shame, because I love the art and the mood it evokes. -- Lee

The Does anybody like the Connolly? thread was originally posted on 20 Aug 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.