Star Never Walks Around;New Deck/site

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 02 Sep 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Cerulean	02 Sep 2002
http://www.tarotstar.net/cards.html Amazon.com had this listing and it's getting ready for publication. The artist is doing a Native American round deck from the Plains tradition of stories. There are so few round decks, I thought people might want to take a look. The shots are so distant that I really cannot see details. If it is done in a naive style on light, textured stock, I could see some collectors wanting something different. I think this is one of those that I want to see up close before I buy. Mari_Hoshizaki

truthsayer	02 Sep 2002
what she says about the cards is good but i'm not sure i like the cards themself. the colors look kind of muddy to me. if i like the system when i can see it better i'd probably get it. i love native american spirituality. i wonder what the creator's background w/ NA spirituality is. if she is NA as jamie sams of the medicine cards is, the deck will score more point w/ me. thanks for letting us know!

Jewel	03 Sep 2002
Thanks for sharing. I don't know ... I doubt I'll be lusting over this deck. I do not care for how 1/2 the picture is the title of the card and 1/2 the picture ... would have preferred more picture, but hey! that is a personal preference.

Violet Gargoyle	03 Sep 2002
Thanks for the link. I was looking for a Tribe-based Tarot deck, actually a few of them to see the cultural interpretations. I actually like the deck, the shape, the layout, and the drawings. I would be interested in getting this with maybe the Santa Fe deck to compare.

juice	04 Sep 2002
Looks like it will be a keeper to me. And, I'm not usually that fond of decks that spend too much of "my" space on the words and borders. It's the only round one I've liked so far. Looks like it is home computer printed on coaster stock. That may just be the look of the pre-print originals for all we know. The system looks clean and well rounded... no pun... I do like comparing the cultural bent brought to each deck. Sometimes it makes the meaning for "that" card it any deck more fleshed out for me.

truthsayer	11 Sep 2002
i saw this deck at a local bookstore a few days ago. i considered getting it but i didn't feel drawn to it at all. the colors looked somewhat muddied but this was the box not the cards themselves. it was either $30 or $35. too much for a deck i felt iffy about. i have been wrong about decks tho. i'm very interested in hearing what any of you think after purchasing it.

Kiama	17 Apr 2003
Hmmm.... I like the fact that it's a round deck (I have a thing for round Tarot decks! They're great for a collection) But I don't understand Native American spirituality very much at all, and when I looked at some of the cards I just found them very shallow, especially the Magician and High Priestess... The High Priestess is just standing there, on a crescent moon... Methinks that's taking the associations of the moon with this card a little for granted. If I had more money and if I had enough money to be able to buy many many decks, I would probably get this one, but seeing as I have very little money, and can only afford to buy a small amount o decks, I don't think I'd be buying this deck instead of some others on my wishlist. But I wouldn't pass it up IF I had enough money to get the other decks on my wishlist AND this one! }) Kiama

divinerguy	17 Apr 2003
Is it just me, or are the round decks fixated with primitive artwork? Motherpeace Daughters of the Moon Songs For The Journey Home Except for Tarot of the Cloisters. A good concept that sacrificed detail in the cards for the stained glass theme. We need round decks that have some symbolic substance to them. They can enhance your readings by allowing you to ascribe a strength level to each card's attributes.

raeanne	17 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by divinerguy Is it just me, or are the round decks fixated with primitive artwork? Divinerguy, Thank you for saying what I have been feeling! I love the feeling of round decks but I have a problem with the primitive artwork. I can understand and appreciate good primitive art but my preference leans more toward realism. Maybe someday.

Myriantha	22 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by divinerguy Is it just me, or are the round decks fixated with primitive artwork? Motherpeace Daughters of the Moon Songs For The Journey Home I'm not so sure it's a case of round decks having primitive artwork. The three decks you mention fit into the feminist/woman-identified/goddess-oriented category. Often, these decks feature artwork that can be politely described as primitive, especially those from the 70s & 80s. (Note that I cannot draw worth diddly-squat & am therefore not casting stones. On the other hand, I'm not publishing anything I draw, either.) For instance, consider the artwork of: Amazon T. / New Amazon T. Book of Aradia T. Pendragon T. Mother's Deck A Poet's T. Shekhinah's T. Thea's T. I would tend to argue that round cards appeal to at least some of these creators simply on an ideological basis: "breaking down the either/or, male/female, rational/intuitive, etc/etc dualities imposed by patriarchy" or something. :laugh: If one were gung-ho enough about the topic, I suppose one could argue that rectangular cards are more phallic & round ones more "yonic". (Is that a word? You know what I mean, though.)

Aerin	24 Apr 2003
I've just purchased this deck. My first impressions are: The book is lovely, it has some good general sections on Tarot and would be good for a beginner It is good, for once, to have the designer and artist the same person. The cards are drawn with great heart and love, I would say, and the energy they give off is very calming. I find it important to read the book to get at the stories behind the cards. The drawings are primitive but have power, they seem less stylised than e.g. Motherpeace or Shining Tribe. It's just the way the author draws, she isn't trying to make any sort of statement by it. (by the way, the author does have Native American blood, she mentions not only her grandmother but also her extended family, and her tribal connections) Aerin

Wildchild	26 Apr 2003
This deck arrived today. I wanted this deck for most of the reasons why most people here didn't want it. I wanted something simple and plain...and round. :D I like the simple imagery of this deck. The book was wonderful and very insightful. The one big disappointment is that the edges were not cut properly and had little paper slubs all around. I ended up taking my sharp sewing scissors and trimming the slubs off. Some of the cards looked like they tried to cut it twice...like the cutter didn't go through the cardboard and there was an imprint of the first cut on the cards. To be honest, if I had seen this on a sample deck, I would not have purchased it...no matter how much I like the cards. For a deck that pricey, I really expected better. This is the first time I ordered a deck through the mail & I think it will be the last time.

The Star Never Walks Around;New Deck/site thread was originally posted on 02 Sep 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.