Bosch and Enchanted Tarots

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 24 Nov 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Imagineer	24 Nov 2002
So I'm pathetic and only have two decks: The Crowley-Thoth and The Universal Tarot. I'm looking at two more, namely the Enchanted and the Bosch. Kissa wrote a lovely review of the Enchanted and I noticed, while flipping through here that: 1) Lots of you own the Bosch deck 2) Lots of you vehemently dislike the Bosch deck. Interesting disparity. Would you mind sharing why you were attracted to the Bosch deck, what some of your experiences have been like with that deck, and why you may happen, if you do, to dislike it so much. I'm attracted to both of the above for the artwork. I'm just starting to delve into the useability aspect for divination and such. Currently, I use my decks for more meditative purposes. I like the ones I have but something about them both (Thoth and Universal) fails to ultimately draw me in for further usage. I feel a very strong connection already with the Bosch and especially the Enchanted decks. So any thoughts on any of this would interest me greatly. Thanks!

Keslynn	24 Nov 2002
I don't have the Bosch so take my advice with a grain of salt. That advice is: if you are fairly new to tarot and are trying to build a collection of decks you can actually read with, then don't pick the Bosch. The Enchanted, while not completely the same, is closer to standard meanings. The main complaint that I've heard about the Bosch is that it's an "art" deck. This basically means that the artist did not specifically make a deck. Later on, in this century, someone took that artist's work and superimposed it on the tarot format. Often, such projects have terrible results. In some cases, it's because the right sort of images for 78 cards can't be found. In other cases, the person in charge of the project seems to have no clue about tarot meanings. Sometimes it's a combination of both. So... if you like Bosch's artwork, then by all means get the deck for looks. But I seriously doubt that you'll be able to read with it. Another thing people might have problems with is that Bosch's artwork is often outright disturbing. He was a strange, strange guy. :) Kes

RiccardoLS	25 Nov 2002
Hello, what Enchanted Tarot are You referring to? Regarding the Bosch, I think that in order to enter sinthony with that deck, one needs to work a lot with it. And working with that deck may not be that pleasant. I - sorry to say - don't like that deck very much, so I can speak for its downside, but you should find someone that likes it, to show you the other side. Riccardo

finn	25 Nov 2002
I tend to prefer decks that I can actually read with. Although I'd say the artwork is beautiful for the Enchanted Deck, I'd also say that it's not really "readable" in my own opinion. When I was a fresh newbie, I tended to go for the beautiful artwork rather than the symbology, which was a BIG BIG mistake, 'coz now I'm back on step 1 - traditional deck. You would not believe the amount of $$$ I spent on art decks...

Imagineer	25 Nov 2002
Yay! Keep up the helpful comments. I wanna hear as much as possible from you all.

Scorpion	26 Nov 2002
Hi, Imagineer! Don't have the Enchanted I'm afraid so I can't comment on the pros and cons there. But the Bosch - yes, I do have it and I love it. I think it's just fantastic and that the artist has done a really good job of "getting under" Bosch's "skin". It goes out with me for readings and I haven't had any difficulty with it. The LWB contains short "proverbs" which adequately cover the meaning of the cards and are extremely useful. That said, I know a lot of people are put off by the artwork.

Cerulean	27 Nov 2002
If you were talking about Gaudanzi's renamed deck, it was called Enchanted/Golden Dawn/Hidden Folk and it has a Thoth-based structure, published by Lo Scarabeo. You might want to search Aeclectic's database with some of the keywords above. If you were talking about Farber's (and another person--the artist is his wife) Enchanted Tarot, I know the hardcover book-deck set was lovely, but it wasn't a keeper for me. Intricate art and much information for people to explore...is this the one that you are talking about? Her tapestry work is interesting. The Bosch simply didn't interest me, even if I read a little about his art and his life. For me, regional schools of art such as Durer and Mantegna hold stories that I can learn from, just my view. If you find deeper insights or good things from this style of art, I'll keep an eye on this thread.

Pollux	28 Nov 2002
MH... I am a Bosch supporter too. And don't have the other. I just wanted the deck for its artwork, in particular after seeing the Empress (i don't know why, but that card in its obscurity and her sadness really speaks to me a lot). After getting the deck, I was just compelled by the other artworks, even though i was aware of the figurative distance it maintained from traditional decks. Personally, I have been trying for a while to give readings with it, and it's taking me a while to get utterly comfortable with it cos there's few people who accept a reading with "those cards". Atanassov's work is just neat, and after all Bosch's original piece are marvellous (I have seen them "live" after loving them on paper and since then I loved them even more, I'll never stop saying this *LOL*). I have never had difficulties in understanding the "man" and its art - I'm a weirdo and an anti-comformist myself, you know, ask some other pals of the boards ;) *LOL* But I must admit that the deck is just hard to tune in with because of the simple images, providing few visual clues and little ground for intuitive inputs. And basically this is due to the similarity of the cards of the suit - the cups sometimes blow me away completely *LOL* However, using the Majors alone makes sense to me, since they are pretty close to standard imagery and supply with plenty of stimuli. If I love the deck, it is primarily for the eerie and disturbing artwork. I just cant help but love it! Maybe having pregressed knowledge of the art/ist may help to lessen the repulsion one feels - a more rational approach. It also is a good divinating tool, even though it may certainly get better in my case - and thanks to LouiQ for typing away all the LWB for me! :* *LOL* I don't know what the best choice would be if you intend to use it for divination, but I read you feel connected to it already - therefore I gather you are not put off by the art and the "unothodox" situations in it. In this light, I think it would be a good choice on account the fact it clicks with you already, and because using this deck for meditative tasks seems to make sense - the majors and the courts (not much the pips/scenes) never fail to provoke responces, and there's always something you'll find yourself focused on - be it the weird expression of a face, the strange colours of a landscape, the intruguing but off-setting shapes of some elements in the cards...

RingTheory	28 Nov 2002
So, for you, it's between the Bosch and the Enchanted,eh? Now that's eclectic taste. I had both of these decks at one point in time. I gave the Enchanted(Ferber's) away to a teenage girl who often babysat for us. She'd loved the deck, and I wish it'd been around when Iwas that age. As for the Bosch, I can read with it, althiough it took a long time to charge it up. To me, it is rather light on symbolism. making it more of an art deck. I got over the weirdness, but there's really nothing light and playful about it... I'd alway like Bosch, anyways. He was way ahead of his time. If you like his art, you'll like this deck. People whose astrologically have heavy Taurus or Libran influences tend to gravitate towards these kind of decks, I guess...

temperlyne	29 Nov 2002
I fell in love with the art work of Bosch the first time I saw it. That might also have a bit to do with the fact that I'm very familliar with the artists home town and feel somehowe closer to him for that reason, but that doesnt make the art less brilliant. When I came across a deck based on his work I just had to have it. The major arcane a just wonderfull and I can't stop gazing at them. But the minor are a bit chaotic. The colors of the minor aren't as bright as the original artworks and the scenes are so deffrent from what I was used to that is is very difficult to read with this deck. I'd never get rid of it though! I keep it just so that the majors can inspire me in my own creative processes. So If you are looking for a deck that is easy to work with...I sugest you get another. But if you are looking for a fresh look on the majors and dont mind very weird minors it may even become your favourite deck.

Imagineer	30 Nov 2002
Quote: Originally posted by RingTheory So, for you, it's between the Bosch and the Enchanted,eh? Now that's eclectic taste. As for the Bosch, I can read with it, although it took a long time to charge it up. To me, it is rather light on symbolism. making it more of an art deck. I got over the weirdness, but there's really nothing light and playful about it... I'd alway like Bosch, anyways. He was way ahead of his time. If you like his art, you'll like this deck. People whose astrologically have heavy Taurus or Libran influences tend to gravitate towards these kind of decks, I guess... Not so much *one* or the other.....hopefully, one of these days: both. I do have pretty ecclectic tastes and I'm a painter myself. My first loves were the Northern Renaissance Netherlandish artists. And now I'm starting to look closely at textile designs. What I like about The Farber Enchanted Tarot, from what I've seen, are the patternings that run through the images as a result of the use of textile collage. These patterns tend to enrich the symbolism for me on an intuitive level. Also, it reminds me of Central Asian Mongol-influenced folk art....The Emperor card especially looks like a cross between a Persian miniature painting and a Russian flk painting. Meanwhile, I went back to the Met and found myself looking at the St. Godelieve altarpiece and the Flemish tapestries and WOW! I ran home and broke open the book I have with Bosch repros. I remember when I first saw images of the Bosch deck online and I recognized the three I saw (which were the unlabelled Chariot, Empress, and Fool) instantly. So I'm confident about being able to actually use either or both decks because as long as I connect to the deck intuitively, I can find the symbolism in the images. I have a *strongly* associative brain organization. So yeah. And you were right about the astrological stuff. Ascendant in Taurus, Venus in Libra.

Cerulean	01 Dec 2002
The Enchanted with the tapestries sound perfect for you. I've read where some people found the large cards incredibly gorgeous as art. If it's the set that comes with the original book, it is just as lovely because it has color pictures. I actually think it is called the Enchanted Tarot and Book set...although there's also a similar set by the same authors called the Instant Tarot Reader with the same cards...? Best wishes, Mari H.

The Bosch and Enchanted Tarots thread was originally posted on 24 Nov 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.