The Quest Tarot - Now in 2nd Printing

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 29 Jan 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

JosephMartin	29 Jan 2003
Hello Tarot Friends: The Quest Tarot has just been released this Jan. and is out and shipping. www.questtarot.com The website is still in progress as I am working on it while earning a living, (day job), among other things. Let me know your thoughts. I'd love to hear from you. Joseph Martin

DollChica	29 Jan 2003
Hi! Got it Monday of last week. It's another deck that kind of jumped up and said "buy me!" Only one other deck has done that so far. I 'm still in the process of familiarizing myself with it but after reviewing each card I like it very much. DollChica

magpie9	29 Jan 2003
I got it last week, and like it very much. There is so much there! I'm feeling like a rare breed because I actually do read the books that come in the sets....and i like the book tremendously. I especially apreciate the direct voice you write in. Obviously you know your stuff, but you don't seem to need to try and convey it by being lofty and obscure. It's like a breath of fresh air ! I like your nice sane layouts, and look forward to trying them all and working with both the deck and book for a long time to come! Thank you so much for all your hard work and wisdom. Your new fan, Magpie9..\\>^..^

Lee	29 Jan 2003
Welcome, Joseph! We're always delighted and honored to have a deck author/artist visit us. -- Lee :)

Kiama	29 Jan 2003
I think I've seen this deck in a previous thread, and can remember praising it very highly... So, here I go again! WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW! This deck is now top of my wishlist... The art is so different, yet it really works. Kiama

Cerulean	29 Jan 2003
On the Llewellyn worldwide site, you have to find the 'fun and free' button at the top to get to the free tarot readings: http://www.llewellyn.com/free/tarot.php I liked the writeups coupled with the design. Thanks.

JosephMartin	29 Jan 2003
Llewellyn Publishing is featuring the Quest Tarot in February! (2003) - of course If you order the deck from Llewellyn directly you'll get a FREE Tarot Bag valued at $12.95... their link is: http://www.llewellyn.com/bookstore/book.php?pn=J195 ______________ Also, if you were to order from the Quest Tarot site: www.questtarot.com ...you will receive a book signed by the author, a FREE reference guide to help with readings, and (while supplies last) a large proof print from the original card designs before publication. In any event, Llewelyn has been wonderful and you can see the many amazing projects they publish at their site. yours in the cards, Joseph

Phoenix	29 Jan 2003
Is thisn deck being published as a deck only, or a deck and book set??

Lee	29 Jan 2003
I believe it's a deck/book set, deck not available separately. -- Lee

JosephMartin	29 Jan 2003
Just a few minutes ago I finished a radio interview for WPBN. That's the Wicca Pagan Broadcast Network. We talked all about the Quest Tarot! There website is at: http://www.tekneek.com/wpbn/ You will be able to hear the full interview there soon and they will be broadcasting it all during February. Hawk was great. She is friendly and skilled with a genuine interest in Tarot. Maybe we can get her to poster her Tarot ideas here. Some are very interesting. I loved talking with her. We talked about the new features of the deck and how it was created. But time was short so we couldn't talk about ALL the features. Too bad, I think I could have talked for an hour. Can you tell I was excited? yours in the cards, Joseph

scheherazade	29 Jan 2003
...*blinks* I hadn't been aware that Joseph Martin was in this forum. I wonder which other tarot authors/artists have lurked around here! As for the Quest Tarot, I was breathtaken. Apparent from my tarot selection (Sacred Circle and Fairy Ring, by Anna Franklin and Paul Mason) I have a love for photomontage art, and this deck satisfied my expectations for vivid beauty. I'm looking forward to more reviews on the Quest Tarot (specifically on this site) and will hopefully be able to order soon.

Jewel	30 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by scheherazade ...*blinks* I hadn't been aware that Joseph Martin was in this forum. I wonder which other tarot authors/artists have lurked around here! Glad to hear you like the Quest! I am finding it an interesting study too! As for published author/artists that come visit this site, well there are quite a few that come by at least on occassion that I can recall off the top of my head: - Joseph Martin - Quest Tarot - Riccardo Minetti - Fey Tarot and some other LoScarabeo titles - J. Phillip Thomas - Tarot de Paris - Traci Darin - Portal Tarot - Clive Barret - Ancient Egyptian Tarot - Sarah Ovenall - Victoria Regina It is trully wonderful to have the opportunity to talk about their decks with them. I consider myself lucky and privilaged to have that opportunity! :)

Jewel	30 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by JosephMartin We talked about the new features of the deck and how it was created. But time was short so we couldn't talk about ALL the features. Too bad, I think I could have talked for an hour. Can you tell I was excited? Congrats Joseph! Glad it was such a positive experience. You know you have an audience here to share all you want about the Quest :D

Kyrielle	30 Jan 2003
I saw the Quest Tarot in a local shop the other day. It's on my wish list now... I was intrigued by the yes/no feature. Any time for a quick explanation of how that works? -- Kyrielle

JosephMartin	30 Jan 2003
The Yes/No feature was added to make to deck more easily and quickly usable. It is similar to a Quija Board in that respect. Here's how it works... On the Court Cards there are special small dagger symbols. You seperate the Court Cards from the deck. Shuffle and ask your question. You then turn over the top card and look to that special symbol. If the daggers point up the answer is Yes If the daggers point down the answer is No If the daggers point to the right the answer lies in the future If the daggers point to the left the answer lies in the past If one dagger points up and one dagger points down the answer is maybe Yes/maybe No Very quick to grasp and understand. You can use the cards right away. Of course the best readings come from doing a spread but this is a way you can have a little fun with the deck. Sometimes you can see lots of Yes(s) in a reading and that gives the overall reading a deeper reference. Thanks for the question! yours in the cards, Joseph

faunabay	30 Jan 2003
hmmmmmm...... I wasn't aware there was a yes/no function. The Quest has been on my wishlist for a while now. (It's actually second behind the Fey) So it won't be long before I get it!! *LOL* And that makes me want it even more. :D

scheherazade	30 Jan 2003
Someone may have asked this, but I noticed that there were runes and planetary symbols on the cards. How are these used? Can they be read in context with a spread or are they used seperately, like the yes/no feature? I was sort of looking for zodiac symbols, but perhaps that's asking too much. :)

Lee	30 Jan 2003
I believe the deck has all the standard Golden Dawn astrological symbols. The pip cards each have a planet and a zodiac symbol (one of the two symbols is smaller than the other, so it may be hard to see on the card scans at Joseph's site), and the Majors each have either a planet or a zodiac symbol, as in the Golden Dawn system. -- Lee

Cerulean	30 Jan 2003
Thanks for the information...I'm interested in learning more about decanates or subdivisions of the Zodiac, and some of my early peeks into this seem to correlate with some Golden Dawn based decks. Best, Mari H.

Khatruman	30 Jan 2003
Let me first say that I am quite drawn to this deck before I become the devil's advocate. :D The artwork appeals to me greatly and I see a lot to explore in it. However, I think it is always important to look at things from all sides, and this thread is all skewed towards the positive. One of my concerns with the Quest is if it attempts to do too much, to become the Swiss Army Knife of the tarot (always wondered what the Swiss Army needed with a corkscrew out on the battlefield, then again, just chillin out in those Alps, a soldier can get very thirsty for a good Bordeaux). All these components sound nifty, but does it then become "Jack of all trades, but master of none?" (Or should that be Page of all trades, and King of none? :)) In any case, components like the yes/no feature seem to make me wonder if the philosophy behind the cards is to market all the New Agey crowd looking for the next self help breakthrough. Which brings me to my second concern, marketing. Looking at the Quest site, I get the sense of polished marketing. The site looks pristine and polished down to the lovely family portraits, and I get a sense of ticklishness and uncomfortability I get with seeing an Anthony Robbins infomercial. This deck hits on every mystical area it seems to want to get its hands on. Is that from a true scholarly insight, or a wish to market all us magicky type folks? I hope I am not sounding too harsh, but I wouldn't mind these concerns being tabled... Peace!

Jewel	31 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Khatruman However, I think it is always important to look at things from all sides, and this thread is all skewed towards the positive. One of my concerns with the Quest is if it attempts to do too much. Khatruman, there is another thread on this deck as well that is addressing some of the concerns and/or other questions. You might want to check it out. I am waiting for some additional clarification on a couple of questions there so the discussion is there. I share your concern about the deck trying to do too much. In my initial reactions to the deck (other thread) I did elude to that and in the end did not recommend the deck for a beginner based on that premis.

Kyrielle	31 Jan 2003
Here's another question... What animal is standing on top of the stone in the Ace of Stones? I can't quite make it out on my screen. It looks like a unicorn, maybe, but I can't tell if it has a horn or if there's a speck that just makes it look that way. -- Kyrielle

Cerulean	31 Jan 2003
I don't have any of the design questions that you all have yet. Perhaps if you have the Quest book, an additional bibliography or appendix would help answer the questions. Mary Greer, Rachel Pollack and Liz Greene have done so much work on combining tarot with other systems and comparing the different types of decks. I think they have explained their choices based on the time they started tarot studies and the various works they've done. It's true they go for somewhat intense depth in some of their books, or a brief survey description based on the focus of the book... I believe BOTA and BOTA-trained students actually look at musical notes, scents, seasonal and astrology references based on their training. I've only stumbled and looked on glimpses here and there of astrology, history, art, poetry, scents, colors and other systems being combined with tarot archetypes---so I believe it is possible to be able to compile this information in tables and have some good citations for further study. But that is my hope, of course. Maybe it didn't make it into the book because of publishing limitations and the website is an attempt to help other students glean more. Best wishes as this thread progresses, Mari H.

JosephMartin	31 Jan 2003
Thanks for your comments! I know the site looks polished.. at least I hope it does. I've been a professional Art Director/Graphic Designer since 1986 when I received my degree from California State University, Chico. Since then I've received over 63 design awards and been published in both books and magazines. The reason it may have that look is that I do everything myself. The family picture is actually me, my sister and my beautiful little neice. It was taken at Easter. I have to get a "real" portrait done soon becaused I have changed a lot in the last year and a half and don't have any current photos. The other photo was taken with a digital camera here in my living room, so I would have a picture for the other area of the website. I used to weigh 328 pounds before a surgery I had. I've now lost 136 pounds (so far) the doctor wants me to lose 30 more. Because of this physical change I have been waiting to have a professional picture taken. As far as the reason for the deck, it came about as a personal self expression of what I wanted to create. You see, I've wanted to design a deck for a long time. One that incorporated detailed images with other systems. The other features of the deck are downplayed by being in the border. If you want to use them you can but they don't get in the way of the major images of the cards. If you don't want to use them you can easily concentrate on the central image. I never intended this deck to be used on all levels at the same time. My goodness, when would you able to release into your own intuition. When I use the Quest Tarot, my intuitive side does most of the work while I drift into the cards. As I feel it applies to the reading, I'll use the other features. Sometimes one or two or sometimes just the psychic information I get from the major image. It would be my dream that Llewellyn would seriously get behind this deck release with all their marketing power but the truth is that they have hundreds of authors and projects and the Quest Tarot has been mainly left up to me and my grassroots efforts. Actually any suggestions you have on how I can better get the word out about this deck would be greatly appreciated! The years I spent alone working on the artwork were joyously spent because I had hoped that one day I would be able to share that vision with you. And now that chance has finally come. Thanks again for all your kind attention. yours in the cards, Joseph

Cerulean	31 Jan 2003
Hi Joseph, I'm going to try to be at Pantheon myself...maybe others from the local Bay Area community will be there. I've graduated from a California university myself and had to work all the way through to finish...Chico State has wonderful design programs. I know about struggles, as my art studies have been off and on as I make a living...and my husband and I have tried to keep thinner through kayaking and healthy living. Part of self-growth and acceptance for me came from tarot and art studies. So thanks for the background and if you're giving a seminar on Sat or Sunday, I'll try to be around...paid day work is hard for some people to find in the Bay Area, so we count our blessings that we can have a regular paycheck. Blessings on your continued success, Mari Hoshizaki I'm very glad for the good news, as trying to keep true to the art and writing that one wants to make sometimes takes years

Phoenix	31 Jan 2003
You know, I saw this one at the Store today, but I forgot my gift certificates!! If I had them, I would have bought it! I am so kicking myself now.

JosephMartin	01 Feb 2003
Hello All: I was surprised that they ( the Wiccan Pagan Broadcast Network) had the interview up on their website so soon. You can hear the Quest Tarot interview at: http://www.tekneek.com/wpbn/ Go to the interviews section and click on the February 2003 show. You will need to have the "Real Player" installed for your browser. The interview starts at about 1:22 of the two hour show. Hawk was wonderful!! She is a very talented individual and interviewer. A special thanks to her for making the experience so enjoyable. yours in the cards, Joseph

scheherazade	02 Feb 2003
Joseph - I know that we can order the deck online from llewellyn, but since I don't have an online credit account, it would be easier for me to send a check by mail to the address you have on your site. I just wanted to make sure that it's still possible to order the deck/book set this way, even if there's a way to order it online.

JosephMartin	03 Feb 2003
You can order by sending a check. The information is at my website: www.questtarot.com Just go to the ORDER area. I don't have "ecommerce" set-up yet because of the high cost and monthly fees, but I am currently looking into different ways to make the ordering process electronic. So for now, use the "old fashioned" way of the U.S. Mail. yours in the cards, Joseph

JosephMartin	03 Feb 2003
The website "Illuminated Tarot" has just posted a review of the Book/Deck set. You can see it at: http://illuminationtarot.com/insights/quest_tarot.html ...Thanks Nellie for the great review. yours in the cards, Joseph

purplelady	03 Feb 2003
JosephMartin, I know Hawk, IRL! My boyfriend helped her set up Tekneek and they work at the same day job! It's a small world. I LOVE the Quest tarot, it's been on the top of my wish list since I first saw it online. And I love your "polished" website! I've always liked the way I can just run the mouse over the thumbnails and bring up all the pictures of the cards. I also noticed a stone coraspondance on each card that looks intriguing. Your deck is getting some criticism, but to each his or her own. That's why there is a large variety of decks out there for different tastes. But I don't yet have the Quest Tarot. I only order from amazon online and I'm waiting for them to have it on sale! I'm cheap! ..............However, I probably will break down and get the deck one way or the other. By the way, I clicked on the radio interview link and went to the site, but when realplayer starts, all I am getting is pagan music, no interview. Perhaps I am not using it right or not locating the interview correctly on my real player? When I go to time 1:22 it loads to 50% and then just sits there. Will have to work on figuring out or adjusting realplayer. As for deck marketing, just being published by Llewellyn ought to be a big plus I would think. And being talked about here on aeclectic ought to be another! There Are many competing decks out there, aren't there?! The rest just takes a little time.

Khatruman	03 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by purplelady I love your "polished" website! I've always liked the way I can just run the mouse over the thumbnails and bring up all the pictures of the cards... Your deck is getting some criticism, but to each his or her own. That's why there is a large variety of decks out there for different tastes. I just want to emphasize that my point was not to put down or criticize the deck at all, but I think it is important to raise questions and not just jump in and say awww, how nifty..WOOO HOOOO... I wanted to raise these questions because I am a product also of the "Operators are standing by.." generation. So many wonderful looking products are sold in polished boxes that look so neat, yet one gets them and feels cheated. I just happened to see some of the marketing conventions that advertisers use to lure us in, and I didn't want it to happen to a good group of tarotists like ourselves. Besides, I am highly drawn to this deck, and I can't afford my impulse to send out for something with great joy, only to be disappointed and feel that I have been manipulated in the end, and some bucks poorer. The more I look and read about this deck, the more I find it is an intelligent and thoughtful, and honest product. I am not one who takes much stock in "fortune telling" and timelines for future, astrology or even hair, eye, skin color predictions, but there is enough runic, i-ching, and kabbalah reference to make this a good learning tool. I felt the questions I raised were a healthy part of the process of validating a product, and I am sorry if people saw it as criticism. I meant it in a helpful light. Peace!

purplelady	04 Feb 2003
Khatruman, you are entitled to your opinion. After all , that's what this forum is all about. Obviously, not everyone loves every single tarot deck there is! I apologize if the word "criticism" sounds negative or harsh. It's just the wording I used. Peace

HOLMES	04 Feb 2003
first of all the pictures on the aeclectic site rated by solandia is 4.5 stars (DMAN THAT IS PRETTY GOOD JOESEPH MARTIN) :O) i would like to address the comment designed to work with an ouija board. in many ways many tarot cards if you use it upright yes, and reversals no ,, you can sit there and get clarification after clarification on questions to get a detailed answer. (for some reasons i felt compelled to do it that way last night first time really ) then i read your little dagger reading aspect of the cards.. is there no letters,? for it to truly work like a oujia board , there must be letters ? and if so how would that work ? shuffle out brunch fo cards flip them over to see their letters ? is there a sun and a dark moon on the cards ? WHAT ABOUT THE PROTECTION ASPECT ? the necessary grounding, and protection before using oujia board like procedures ? as a tarot deck it looks quite excellence i like the view on the fool card. but the ouja aspects give me some concern. can you tell me how 1. you came up with the procedure. 2. what aspects you didn't want of the oujia board 3. is it postively charged like the psychic circle ?

purplelady	04 Feb 2003
I Love the way the cards LOOK, and will use them the way I read any other deck. I don't plan to use the yes-no function of the daggers, or any ougia board thing. When I do read the book , I suppose I will take that sort-of thing with a grain of salt- and then read the cards the way I want!

Mimers	04 Feb 2003
I would like to throw in my 2 cents here. I'll start by saying that I probably won't purchase this deck only because it's not my style. I like illustrated pips and the, I don't know, "high teck look" is not what I prefer. That is just me. I would like to also say ( and I hope Mr. Martin and other tarot author/artists read this) Thank you so much for having the hutzba to show your whole deck on line so people can see what they are buying. I appreciate not only the effort, but the thoughtfullness behind that more than you can imagine. I would also like to let Mr Martin know that the Fool card is the most well done Fool I have seen so far. Not just in beauty in the card, but in the way it speaks. There were others I admired also, like the Lovers and Strength. There are also some I don't like. Death for instance, he looks like he is charging out to get me. I also did not click with the way you portray the Empress. Why is she in the dark? Also, why the stars? She seems more like the High Priestess to me.(By the way I loved that card also) With growth and birth and femininity, I see sunshine. I would be interested to know your reasons for depicting her the way you did. Mimers

JosephMartin	04 Feb 2003
The way to get a Yes/No answer has been expanded in the Quest Tarot. Certain Cards in the deck, see page 19 in the book, show how to get these types of answers: Yes, No, The Answer Lies in the Future, The Answer Lies in the Past, and Maybe. There are little "dagger" symbols on the Court Cards. Each symbol depending on their orientation, gives one of the answers. For instance if both daggers are pointing up the answer is Yes. Both daggers pointing down mean No. (etc.) There is also a reference card available for this feature to make it as easy as possible. The cards have a "Quija" like feature. Certain cards in the deck have roman letters. The book explains how to use this feature on page 81. Some cards are "wildcards" and can be any letter. This allows words or phrases to be spelled out for any roman letter based language. There is an easy to use formula for determing the number of cards to use. You'll need a pencil and paper and maybe a dictionary. These features are not the primary focus of the deck but instead an "added" feature to enhance your Tarot experience. I've found with the readings that I have peformed, that these indicators sometimes jump out from the cards to add to the message. You may find that too.... or something else. After all it is really about our personal experience with the cards. yours in the cards, Joseph

scheherazade	05 Feb 2003
I know we're pounding you with questions, but does this deck use colors?

Lee	05 Feb 2003
Hi scheherazade, I was a little confused by your question... do you mean, does the deck use colors as a symbol set, for example red means one thing and blue means something else? Lee :)

scheherazade	05 Feb 2003
Yes... I meant colors as symbols, like auras, something of the like.

Summerdream	06 Feb 2003
I ordered this deck directly from Joseph Martin. I'm real anxious to get it now. I emailed him which print I was interested in getting and he said he'd save it for me until my check arrives. Thanks Joseph!! Momof3girls

JosephMartin	07 Feb 2003
In the borders of the cards there are four different colors. Red for Wands, Blue for Cups, White for Swords, and Yellow for Stones. And the Multiverse Card has a rainbow border. Each color represents the influence of the suit onto the card. Different Major Arcana cards have different colors in their border assigned by their predominant influence. Chakras: There are (8) Eight different colors to represent Chakra points. Yes, eight. Many healers and psychics I have been working with have been seeing the emergence of this additional point in the body. Not on everyone and not all the time. I talked with a healer from South America who saw this new point appearing near the left shoulder, but some see it in different places. In the Quest Tarot, when Chakra symbols are present there are always eight. No matter when a "new" concept or idea is introduced it is almost always met with adversity. It takes years for the concept to become part of "tradition" and then to be considered common sense. We know the earth revolves around the sun (common sense). But even that was once considered heresy. Some of the new features in this deck will seem to "pre-date" their widespread acceptance but I believe that those reading this will one day remember their introduction into the Tarot. At least I hope so. You guys are great! yours in the cards, Joseph

scheherazade	07 Feb 2003
Eight chakras. I'm glad. I'm a Scorpio - I think in fours. Just right.

scheherazade	13 Feb 2003
Joseph - another question. I was looking at your site, and at the reference guides page. There were many guides included there that were listed on the card keys page that hasn't been created yet - does this mean that all systems that are included on the guides are included in the deck itself? The guides make it easy and fun to use the deck. No more thumbing through the book to remind yourself of the different features. That's what the page said, and I got the idea that magical and theban alphabet was included on the cards, but while I was looking through the images, I didn't see any of these. Just wondering...

truthsayer	13 Feb 2003
i've had more time to study this deck and i must admit i'm liking it more all the time. i'm starting to agree that this deck would be good for beginners b/c it spoonfeeds a bunch of different things often used in tarot but explains everything in simple to understand terminology. i think my mother would love it for the yes/no feature. i liked the system for figuring out dates. i've seen other systems for figuring out dates but i lack confidence in my math skills. i think i could probably manage this one. i'm looking forward to studying this deck more. in fact, i plan to use the book to help me understand symbol systems in other decks. i may even manage to get a grasp on the kabalah! ;)

Summerdream	15 Feb 2003
I just received the Quest Tarot in the mail today which I ordered direct from Joseph Martin. When I opened it up and looked at the cards I thought they were breathtaking. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous. Since I just received them, I haven't had a chance to read the book or do a spread with them yet but visually they are stunning! By ordering thru him I also got an autographed copy of the book, a laminated I ching reference guide, and an origional proof of the moon card. I think I will frame it! He sent a brief letter stating what I was getting by ordering direct and it says that some of the proofs are no longer valid and the card designs may have changed before the final print run. So, if you have one of those hang onto it. It also states that the deck is already expected to be reprinted again this year. Hmmm....I wonder why? Anyway, if you feel drawn to this deck I think you should give it a try. I am anxious to start reading the book and working with these wonderful cards now. Blessings, Momof3girls

scheherazade	16 Feb 2003
Momof3girls - How long did it take for your order to come through the mail? Just wondering how long I should expect to wait for my deck to come. It's hard to be patient, especially considering that I could buy the deck with cash just by strolling over to Barnes & Noble.

Xarokys	17 Feb 2003
But it won't be on there for long. :) I like being able to see all the cards on the website. It's sometimes hard to tell if you'll like a deck just from a few cards. I think I'll be sending Mr. Martin a check as soon as I get paid.

Summerdream	17 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by scheherazade Momof3girls - How long did it take for your order to come through the mail? Just wondering how long I should expect to wait for my deck to come. It's hard to be patient, especially considering that I could buy the deck with cash just by strolling over to Barnes & Noble. Hi Scheherazade! The deck took 12 days total from when I mailed him the check. It was sent media mail and came very well packaged in a Llewellyn box. The proof card was in an envelope. It came quickly from shipping the package from California to Maine! Blessings, Momof3girls

cheekyminx	17 Feb 2003
I must say "job well done" I like the effect of these cards, nice to see originality. Very futuristic! Good luck with your site!

heartsdesire	18 Feb 2003
Oh - I just got this deck last friday and I love it! The arkwork is stunning - so vibrant. i have done one reading with it so far and I am amazed at the accuracy - usually I'm looking back and forth between a book and the cards. This deck I could "see" exactly the story it was telling - I think it is now my most favorite. I just need to make the perfect bag for it. thank you so much Mr. Martin for not giving up on your dream.....................

JosephMartin	19 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by scheherazade Joseph - another question. I was looking at your site, and at the reference guides page. There were many guides included there that were listed on the card keys page that hasn't been created yet - does this mean that all systems that are included on the guides are included in the deck itself? Great question. Right before the Pantheacon Conference in San Jose I got the idea to create guides to try to make it easier for someone (like me) to get started with the deck. Sometimes it can feel a little daunting having to thumb through the book or constantly look in the table of contents for the page you want. The guides have small (green) page number references so you can jump right to the answer in the book. With the exception of "Tarot Poker", all the guides contain condensed versions of the book explanations. The guides are "quick" reminder cards but not meant to replace the book. There are four more guides that I am currently working on and as soon as they are done they'll be up at the website. Over half the people who purchased The Quest Tarot at Panteacon also got the reference guide set. This amazed me because I thought that I was one of a few who liked having quick guides. You don't need the guides however. You can use index tabs to attach to the book to make it easier to find sections or pages. I also use these tabs and bought mine from "Office Max" here in Oakland. Of course, people at Pantheacon also received some extra goodies for buying the deck at the conference. And I want to thank them for all their support and positive comments/feedback. If you have any ideas for other guides that you think would help with the deck please drop me a line. I feel it's my job to make the deck as accessible as possible so that more people can experience the wonders of working with the Tarot (which I love). yours in the cards, Joseph

JosephMartin	19 Feb 2003
Yes, you are right. The website is still not completely finished. I have a number of pages that I am working on to provide more FREE stuff or information about the deck. Some pages have the dreaded "Under Construction" note on them. I plan to have some of the references there so people can see (in color) some of the most popular features of the deck. I appologize for, what must seem like, a lengthy delay but I'm dancing as fast as I can. Between all the time it takes still working on the facets of letting people know about the deck, having to have a day job (other Tarotists know what I mean) and starting a new Tarot project (don't tell anyone it's a secret). My time is fairly spread out. But do not fret. I will get more pages posted soon. You have no idea how it warms my heart to hear from all of you. Thank you so much. yours in the cards, Joseph

scheherazade	19 Feb 2003
*perks ears* A new Tarot project? *awaits eagerly*

JosephMartin	22 Feb 2003
I have had an idea for a new project for some time since finishing the artwork for the Quest Tarot. Not only waiting for computer software to catch up with my vision for this new creation but for the time to have completely finished putting the final touches to everything needed for the Quest Tarot. Now that "some" time has opened up I'll be creating the beginnings of this new project and working with getting a contract with one of the Publishers, hopefully Llewellyn. Once that is secure I'll be revealing the progress of this new project on its own website and making the announcement here also. Please forgive me for being a bit of an unintentional tease. But I really can't reveal much until more things are in place. Needless to say I am very excited about this new possibility. Stay posted for more later. yours in the cards, Joseph

Summerdream	23 Feb 2003
Hello Joseph! I just did a new deck spread with the Quest Tarot and I think it came out wonderful. I have posted it in the "your readings" section if you want to take a peek. Feel free to comment on it. I feel really connected to this deck and look forward to any more decks you create in the future. Blessings, Momof3girls

scheherazade	23 Feb 2003
It's a good kind of tease. ;) I'm really kind of wondering what else you could possibly integrate into a new deck, however - you seem to have used every divinatory system I know of. I suppose I'll see... good luck with getting Llewellyn.

New River	25 Feb 2003
Hello JosephMartin! i knew i was needing a new deck. i looked at over 100 decks trying to connect with them. i am not a collector like so many of us here, but i know when i need a new deck! when i came across the Quest deck my search came to a screeching halt. these are the cards for me! i found them at a Borders bookstore in Mishawaka, IN over the weekend. they only had one set there. waiting for me no doubt. i couldn't claim them fast enough. when i got them home and was holding them to connect with them they were so powerful for me that i almost passed out from the energy being exchanged between the deck and myself. i love all the different reading aspects they bring to the table. sometimes in a reading there is clarification needed. these cards bring that with them. the art is beautiful. i also like the multiverse card. great idea for the new energy we are going to be dealing with from now on. the idea that we are all connected, no duality. when i close my eyes and scan the cards before pulling them out to lay, i see pink and silver lightning. never seen those colors in connection with a deck before. it was beautiful. i am entirely happy with them. i'm taking them to a party this saturday night to read for others. can't wait to see how others respond to them. thank you so much for Quest. love and blessings, New River

sunflowr	27 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by New River i am entirely happy with them. i'm taking them to a party this saturday night to read for others. can't wait to see how others respond to them. Let us know how the readings go, ok? :)

sunflowr	27 Feb 2003
I just created a study group for the Quest Tarot, over in "study groups - general". Please stop by if you are interested in discussing/learning the deck as I am. Maybe we can make this a new official study group. :)

JosephMartin	27 Feb 2003
I'll be there. There is so much in the deck that a study group is a great idea. yours in the cards, Joseph

raeanne	27 Feb 2003
Hi all, I am now the proud owner of the Quest Tarot! From what I have seen so far, I am very impressed with this deck. I can't promise I will be very active in the Study Group (my final semester for my Masters degree begins on Monday), but I will certainly try to peek in on the discussions as often as possible. I look forward to learning more about this deck.

JosephMartin	03 Mar 2003
Hello Friends: I've just finished posting some FREE downloads at the Quest Tarot site. www.questtarot.com go to the "Free Downloads" area. There are 4 PDFs of some of the reference cards and 2 Desktops for your computer. I hope you enjoy these small tokens of my appreciation for all your wonderful comments, suggestions, and input. yours in the cards, Joseph

New River	03 Mar 2003
Hi All, just wanted to check back and say that the readings i did with the new Quest deck at the last party went so well, i think it was my best night ever with the cards! i was so thrilled. people seemed to respond so positively to the cards, wanting to reach out and pick them up to look at some of them closer. i allowed this as i think the artwork should be appreciated by all. i am loving the connection i feel with them and feel blessed that they came along right when i needed them. yay! thanks joseph martin! love and blessings, New River

Summerdream	04 Mar 2003
Hi Joseph, Thanks so much for posting the free downloads on your website. I downloaded them all last night and have the fool card now as my wallpaper on the computer! I should tell you that I've been posting all my daily draws with the Quest tarot since I've received it. I usually try to rotate my decks but haven't been able to do that yet! I really, really like this deck. I will try to post in the Quest study group from time to time but I'm definately looking forward to reading all the postings. Blessings, Momof3girls

HOLMES	04 Mar 2003
to joseph. . while i do like the fool card , i have troulbe with the death card for example. and the oujia systme you have on the deck. i request that you offer two readings, on the reading exchange, with you using of course your own deck. (only has to be two but you can offer more if you like :O) 1. using just the tarot. 2. using your oujia system. that way . 1.us people who want to try it ,, but having troubles can see the value of your deck. (i live up in an isolated reserve so i never got a chance to hear your radio spot) 2. and my favourite part in the forest of souls is where rachael pollack talks about her wisdom readings done with her deck. so since you know your own deck, it will be so cool 3. be good publicity, and proof that it works :O) so how about it ?

JosephMartin	12 Mar 2003
I've got the Card Keys area now half done. The main pages I'm still working on but the card key page is interactive and working. Take a look if you like. http://www.questtarot.com go to the: see the cards area then to the card keys area. yours in the cards, Joseph

magpie9	13 Mar 2003
Joseph Martin, I absolutely second the motion made by Holmes!! This is in no way to try and put you on the spot, but your deck is a very complex creation, aside from the great artwork. Even with the book to help us, a demo by you--THE Authority--on how to use some of these features would be super! I know you must be terribly busy of course, and it's probably not really good manners to ask, but if you could find the time/energy/etc., it would be great. I've only done a couple of readings so far with the deck, & not tried any of the new features yet. The readings have been very clear and accurate. One of the things I really like about this deck is the sense of Joy and Possibility in the artwork.It just opens up..wow... It's really amazing. :)

JosephMartin	19 Mar 2003
Having roman letters on the cards is a very new concept for the Tarot. So far I have included one way to use this feature but have been hearing from others on how they use it. The intent of the letters is to make it easier to create or discern words or phrases in the deck. Here's one way to use this feature: Shuffle the cards and concentrate on your question. Be specific. Form your question into a solid sentence. When you feel the cards are mixed enough stop. Take one card for each word in the sentence of the question. Let's say, for example, the question is: "What is the name of my soulmate?" Let's say you get the letters K, J, P, N, S, and two wildcards. Now you would start to create names using all or some of the letters in your group. Have a pencil and paper ready so you can write down all the names you can think of. So far, some people have said that they have received "partial" names or words that make sense. This could work at bit like the letters or initials work for psychic John Edward. Where he gets a name impression. I find, for me, that I get initials and partial names more than full names. When you use this for a question like: "Where should I move to?" You can see that there would be cities to which you could move that have more letters then 5. (like San Francisco) So the letters that come up may only give initials or partial words. Since this is a new feature, I look forward to people sharing with me how they use it and how they find it effective. When the book reprints I hope to be able to add some new info on how to use this feature. Try it out and let me know how it works for you. yours in the cards, Joseph

sunflowr	20 Mar 2003
Quote: Originally posted by JosephMartin Having roman letters on the cards is a very new concept for the Tarot. ........ Since this is a new feature, I look forward to people sharing with me how they use it and how they find it effective. When the book reprints I hope to be able to add some new info on how to use this feature. Try it out and let me know how it works for you. yours in the cards, Joseph I'm trying it also to see if I can get spelled (or particially spelled out) messages from angels, guides, spirits of those I know who have passed on.. I think it might work better, rather than pulling for how many words in the question, to just have a set number of cards to pull. Maybe 4 or 5 or 6 even. Not more than that. Only pull another if you reach a total blank.

JosephMartin	01 Apr 2003
I'll be doing a workshop called "Secrets, Symbols and Spreads" on Saturday April 26th in Fresno, California at "The Brass Unicorn". Leah Samul, author of the book, "Wisdom in the Cards", (which is the companion book to the Hudes Tarot), will be co-presenting with me. The workshop will be four hours long and cover a variety of Tarot topics, including the Quest Tarot. If you are interested in attending you can call the Brass Unicorn at 559-441-7107 for more information. Both Leah and I are really excited about this event and this is the first time we have are going to do a workshop together. Leah is great and was one of the presenters at the Pantheacon Conference in San Jose. If you are interested in a Tarot workshop email me with the topics you would like to see presented. We are creating a number of workshop and presentations for this year and truly welcome any suggestions you may have. Go to my website and click on the workshop link once you enter... for more information. yours in the cards, Joseph

JosephMartin	02 Apr 2003
For those who want to see me "live"... I'll be at many of the Psychic and Healing Arts Fairs on the West Coast. go to: http://www.psychicfairs.net and you can see their schedule. Dean Price who runs and owns Sacrend Productions is a great guy and the fairs are very well attended. yours in the cards, Joseph

JosephMartin	02 Apr 2003
I'll be "live" at the Conspiracy Con Conference in San Jose on May 24-25. If you are in the area you must attend. Richard Hoagland will be here presenting. He has not been on the west coast for over 3 years. He is really worth the trip. People from all over the United States will be attending. for more info go to: http://www.conspiracycon.com It's an amazing conference. I'll be giving readings and have the book/deck sets available with all the reference cards and prints. yours in the cards, Joseph

sunflowr	02 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by JosephMartin For those who want to see me "live"... I'll be at many of the Psychic and Healing Arts Fairs on the West Coast. go to: http://www.psychicfairs.net and you can see their schedule. Dean Price who runs and owns Sacrend Productions is a great guy and the fairs are very well attended. yours in the cards, Joseph I could go to the Escondido or Costa Mesa ones (or Ventura later on). Will you be at any of those? Hope so! :) And why won't there be one in the Los Angeles area??

HOLMES	02 Apr 2003
still no answer to my request to see you in action with the quest tarot on the reading exchange. (would of alleviated some doubts and validated how the ouja system worked when put into use by the creator of the quest tarot) as a result i passed over the 50 dollars plus deck this weekend. (this is a little bit of burn but all i seen so far was you talking about your deck, and sharing nothing with us on other topics or general tarot principles. this it made me leery and i am speaking honestly it is after all good publicity for you i thought as well to give a good reading for us to see and to see your symbolism in action. (rachael pollack of the shining woman now the shining tribe article, explains her deck awesomely in her forest of souls when she used it for wisdom readings. ) i know it isn't fair to compare you to her, (but if she came to the tarot forum i would ask to see a reading in action to see how she thinks, and to ask some for pointers and such ).

JosephMartin	04 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by HOLMES still no answer to my request to see you in action with the quest tarot on the reading exchange. ... ...and still not yet.... As you may imagine, I've been very busy lately. Between trying to finish/update the Quest Tarot Website, Creating a new Workshop with author Leah Samul, setting up book signings, booking Psychic Fairs (over 12 coming up so far that I'll be able to be reading at, and having a day job..... It's been crazy. The reason there are many Tarot decks is that many different people have many different tastes in decks. Which is great because then there are many choices for all of us to enjoy. On top of all this I am working on my next publishing project (very hard). Be patient. I'm swimming as fast as I can. When things get a bit calmer I'll be glad to share a reading with the board. Even though the focus of the board is for people who are getting started in doing readings. I'm unable to satisfy every demand or request. There simply isn't enough time. But I will do my best and look forward to coming by as often as possible to this wonderful Tarot forum. In the meantime, maybe someone who already has the Quest Tarot might share a reading with you. I love hearing from people who are using the deck. Their inspirational ways of attaching to the magic in the deck help keep my spirits high even when times get tough. As always, I'm glad to hear from everyone.... no matter what they have to say. yours in the cards, Joseph P.S. You may have missed the posts I've made in other areas that include, The Yes/No System, The Multiverse Card, The "Quija" Roman Letter System, etc. There is some good information there.

Molly	04 Apr 2003
Hey Holmes, I just bought the Quest Tarot this past weekend! I was going to order it from the author's website, but I went into a local New Age bookstore and saw that they had it and completely forgot about waiting! (they are good little shop so it is just as well that I support them too, hee). I actually "discovered" the deck last week here at aeclectic. I was going through the deck list and checking out all the decks that had the highest star rating. That's how I personally stumbled upon the Quest tarot. Then I did a search in the forum and found several threads for it. There was a concern, here I believe, possibly by you Holmes, that the deck was trying to incorporate too many "trendy" New Age concepts if you will, perhaps only for the sake of being marketable to the New Age crowd.. and that perhaps the effect was the creation of a "glossy" or "fast food" deck for the publishers solely to make money with... and I have to say that I honestly feel this is an incorrect perception. I have looked through the book and read the posts of the author here on aeclectic, as well as read reviews and explored his website. I think that a lot of time and energy went into this deck and the accompanying book. To me, it is obvious how the project has been a labor of love by the author. The book is well laid out, HOLMES, and a good tarot foundation is quite apparent. I am also very impressed at how the myriad correspondances explored by Mr. Martin are incorporated into the border of the cards in a very unobtrusive manner. This allows you to use them, or to just as easily ignore them. I personally don't feel I am capable of doing readings in a psychic manner, but I would definitely feel more comfortable learning and reaching for that on this deck than with any other I own. It is true that different decks appeal to all different kinds of people. Someone said that they personally don't like computer-generated graphics; such decks leaves them cold. But I just loved this deck the moment I saw it. I am a technology girl and grew up loving sci-fi - I love feeling like I am the part of a big interesting planet which is a part of a big interesting universe. The images were what grabbed me. The correspondences worked into the border of the cards are just cherry on the cake. I will be happy to share the next spread I do with the deck in the readings section. But Holmes, as to my opinion, I would definitely recommend it. I would just like to see an expanded edition of the book on the next print run ;-)

Khatruman	04 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Molly There was a concern, here I believe, possibly by you Holmes, that the deck was trying to incorporate too many "trendy" New Age concepts if you will, perhaps only for the sake of being marketable to the New Age crowd.. and that perhaps the effect was the creation of a "glossy" or "fast food" deck for the publishers solely to make money with... I have to attest to the fact that I also was one to voice this concern in the earlier posts when the deck was initially coming out. I think I referred to it as kind of a Swiss Army knife of New Age trends, and voiced a concern for the heavy use of Marketing Speak on the web site, as well as in many of Mr. Martin's posts. Nevertheless, I did purchase the deck since the artwork intrigued me. I think there is a lot of depth in the pictures, but so far I haven't found it elucidated in the book. I must confess that I have generally abandoned the book, as I am abandoning most all books in this stage of my tarot studies to develop my own intuitive abilities, so it would be unfair for me to say Mr. Martin didn't go deeply philosophic. I also read his explanations for not including some material as being related to a book length limit set by the publisher, Llewellyn. However, as I am one who tends to look for depth of quality in any product, I stay a little suspicious. I remember the Emerson stereos for sale when I was growing up. They had more features than the Pioneer systems for the SAME price. I was astounded by that, and thought, well here's an easy choice. Then when I got it home and the sound was chintzy, things started breaking, etc. etc. I realized that they were able to put more stuff in it because they used inferior quality for these miriad items. From then on, I realized that I would rather have a stereo with one or two superior features, than a dozen inferior ones. That is where my leariness remains regarding the Quest. Is Mr. Martin being a jack of all trades, and master of none? Or is there a depth he hasn't given us? My one experience with the book that disappointed me was with the Two of Swords. I love the image of the card, and it came up in a reading, so I wanted some insight into the choice of swords (falchions, i believe) and the significance of the blue depths, that crystal blue Caribbean-esque water on the card and what his inspiration was. But I got no such insight from the book. Well, Haindl wrote no such in-depth book to his Tarot, so perhaps another writer, such as Pollack did for Haindl, could write one for the Quest. In the meantime, I will probe my own intuitive understandings and interpretation of symbology. I would suggest to Mr. Martin that he might consider offering the Quest as a deck only option. That might generate further sales since the $35 price is on the steep side for us tarotholics..*s* And there are many of us here who do not look to tarot for the hair color and eye color of the tall dark stranger who will appear in our future, as well as what month and what letters are in his/her name. I hope you understand, Molly, and I felt I needed to chime in and not let HOLMES hang out alone to dry on this one. There are many here at these forums raving about this deck, and getting perturbed at others who won't simply kneel at the feet of Mr. Martin, oggle and smile and tell him how wonderful he is for being here. He seems to me an honest man. I think those of us, like HOLMES and myself, would love to probe the depths of his mind and find more depth in this beautiful deck. Peace

HOLMES	04 Apr 2003
... that is ok for you have responded and i am happy :O). i suppose the only quest i have that brothered me all this time until i realized it. the question is having a bad function with the ouja board earlier in my life. 1. does the function remian dormant when cards are in used. 2. is protective symbols in the cards as to postively polizared the deck so it works with postive spirits (like the much heard about by me but never explored by me pyschic circle) (i am not refering to tarot aspects but the ouja function ) 3. can it be that when using the tarot the hidden ouja function might open up a person to the spirit world basically when is what i am asking about. 4. even if the symbols remain dormant, with them on them , could it be that this deck would work a person psychic energy more then a "normal tarot " what i think of the numbers. 1. if the function doesn't remain dormant what does this mean to the person energy field who is trying to work the eneries, and can by mistake open one self up to the energies. (i guess as with any spiritual work one should use light protection techiques eh ?) 2. i dont' know about the symbols, but i like to believe in my heart that a tarot is created out of love (like i am sure yours is ) so a tarot is postively charged. 3. one might convievly open up a spirit world using any spiritual tool, yet here you not only have the tarot but the ouja as well to take in account. 4. this would be cool if the symbols have something energy wise to offer. i am trying to answer my last doubt about the ouja function (notice in both my request it was focus halfway on the ouja function) for every tarot has it own energy, i would be interested in it as a tarot. since the quest fool intrigues me. yet i have to be sure of everything involving the ouja function. while it would of been cool to see yourself in action, especially where it concerns the ouja function (perhaps you could make that allowance for me so i can see the results from the feedback of a person , then again it would be using an ouja function and would such a reading be in the reading exchange ?) one can understand the necessity of time where it pertains to the work :O).

Kiama	05 Apr 2003
I received this deck yesterday, and will be reviewing it this week. I love the images... I feel like I can leap into them, and my friends and I have agreed that the deck would be perfect for pathworking. HOWEVER... I have a problem with the extra features tagged onto the cards, esp. the Timeline feature and Yes/No feature, mainly because they do not fit into my personal life philosophy or philosophy of how Tarot works, and my philosophy of the future. Yoda once said, 'Always in motion is the future', and this is true, since the future is entirely dependent on the present, and in the present, there are many different ways we can go. Thus, there are many possible futures. The Tarot just tells us which future is most likely, if we continue going down the path we are currently on in the present. Thus, with the Tarot, whilst it can predict things, those things aren't necessarily going to happen, because we have the option to try and avoid them and basicaly change our future for the better. In this way, Tarot is a life-expanding tool. I feel the Timeline feature, and of course the skin/eye/hair colour feature, take away this idea. They are too specific, and since the future is always in motion, how can we foretell specifics? If we think we 'know' the exact date that something will happen, there is a chance that we avoid having something better happen, simply because we are waiting for that date to do anything, instead of doing anything before hand which may lead to us having a much better life. If we are told 'This person will have green eyes, red hair, and white skin,' there is the danger of the querent paying no attention to anybody with brown eyes, black hair, etc, thus passing up soe amazing opportunities. If the future is always in motion, how can we predict such specifics? And would we really want to? Personally, I don't want to know what colour hair somebody's gonna have (And what about people who dye their hair BTW?). I don't wanna know when something exactly is gonna happen, because if I want something to happen, I'll get our there and make it happen ASAP, off my own back, not wait for Fate to pass me by. The Yes/No feature is nice, but I can answer yes/no questions very effectively with a traditional deck of Tarot cards. Just by looking at the few cards in the spread, I can guess if my answer is yes/no, but on top of all that, I can see WHY it is yes/no, by looking at the meanings of the cards deeper. For instance, if I were to ask, 'Will this workshop go okay?' and I deal the Queen of Wands, 10 of Cups, and 9 of Cups, I say 'my answer is yes' but can also see the surrounding circumstances, such as 'I'll be very social, confident, and just be myself with no worries. Peopel will really listen to me, they will appreciate what I'm saying, and afterwards we will all go down the pub and have a good drinking sesion.' ;) Anyway, that's what I think of the extra features. The images I LOVE (Though the Majors more than the Minors) and I really think the Courts in this deck are a success. :D I coudl very easily read with this deck, and after all, it isn't essential that I use teh extra features so I can leave them out if I don't like them. Kiama

Molly	05 Apr 2003
Khatruman, LOL! AAAaaaw. I would never string HOLMES up - hee. ;-) But I agree, I would like to see a more in-depth book (as I previously stated)... that is the one thing I am more interested in than anything else when reading a tarot book actually - not the authors interpretation as much as a description of what the symbols used actually mean to the author and why they were chosen for that particular card... even though there is a description of all the different Runes and I-Chings and etc, there is no description of how they lend to the energy of the card they are on... which would take a followup companion book because I imagine that would be quite in-depth. HOLMES, I was quite interested in your explanation of your specific concern with the ouja feature. I have always avoided ouja boards myself for the reasons you stated, as well as the reasons Kiama stated as well. I don't use tarot for prediction or timelines. I barely notice the letters on the cards, HOLMES. I suppose you could do a grounding ritual before using the cards. In fact, if you got the deck, I would recommend it, because otherwise that might weigh on your mind so much you wouldn't be able to concentrate. There are suggestions in the book to using the cards for play... I think I would enjoy using the letters that way - as a game. It would be fun to use my tarot deck more often and for fun things instead of just readings. I would like to explain briefly one reason why I agree with Kiama. My mother-in-law goes to a reader. She was told by this person that her son and me would have three children, all boys. The MIL is very partial to boys. So when I had my ultrasound for our second child and was told it was a girl, she was just like, it could be wrong. Then we told he the name we picked, she would refer to the baby with the male version of the name. Of course, I had a girl. Some people may be comfortable doing predictive/descriptive readings with information about time-lines and what people in the future will look like. But since I have never experienced that personally (at least being correct, that is), I will continue to be skeptical. And I do know that people like that would consider themselves psychic even without the use of tarot cards. My point? Hmmmm.... maybe being psychic can be learned, fine-tuned... but is it something I want to do? No. Do I have to try while using these particular cards, because of the symbols on them? I certainly don't think so. Since I have no system that I use, IF I wanted to, would these cards provide a system? Yes. Should we be skeptical of the system developed for this deck? No more so than any other predictive system. Should you believe a psychic when they predict the sex of a child for a family member? Probably not. Why? Because most REAL psychics wouldn't do that - it's just rude. Will Buffy and Spike ever get back together again? Excuse me, I have to consult my cards....

Lee	05 Apr 2003
Personally I wouldn't use the more predictive features of the deck, and actually with any deck I tend to ignore any astrological, etc. symbols on the cards and work solely with the image. However, I'd like to point out a few things, in fairness to Joseph. First of all, I doubt very much that Joseph has any control at all over the decision of whether to publish the deck by itself or as a set or both. Usually it's the publisher alone who makes these decisions. The only two Llewellyn decks that I can think of that were published as deck-only were the Robin Wood and the Tarot of the Witches. So I think it's unlikely that they'll publish the Quest deck as a deck-only, and it's kind of unfair to hold Joseph responsible for that. Secondly, just because Joseph included several symbol systems on the cards doesn't necessarily mean that he's using them in a superficial or commercialized way. I mean, he could be, but I don't know exactly how one would determine his motivations, and I'm not sure it really matters. I'm sure that commercial considerations may have played a part in several of the most popular decks. But what's really important is whether it works for you or not. The good thing about this deck, as Kiama and Molly have pointed out, is that the symbols are unobtrusive and easily ignored if you don't want to use them. I'd also like to point out that at least two of the symbol systems on the cards (the astrological and the I Ching) follow traditions set by other decks. The astrological symbols follow in the Golden Dawn tradition, and those symbols have been used for plenty of decks from the Crowley Thoth forward. The I Ching symbols were created by Hermann Haindl for his deck, and I like the fact that a new tradition has been created by the use of them for Quest (although I wish credit for this had been given to Haindl in the book). So if we're going to say that the Quest is commercialized because it uses several different symbol systems, then it seems to me the Crowley and Haindl decks (two very popular decks, I might add) are open to the same criticism. Just as Joseph shouldn't be criticized for Llewellyn's decisions on whether to publish the deck separately, we also have to be aware of the publishing realities which probably make it unlikely that a second, more in-depth book will ever be published. I should say, unlikely but still possible; several publishers have released "workbooks" for decks which already have a book, and I believe the Osho Zen is having an entirely new book being published this year. However, I don't think Llewellyn has ever done this. And I think Joseph has already stated that he couldn't include material discussing the Minor imagery because of space constraints. Finally, regarding the Ouija-like use of letters on the cards, the method of using them described in the book isn't really predictive. It basically uses letters on the cards to come up with a series of words which utilize those letters, and then the querent (if I remember this correctly) is encouraged to do a sort of stream-of-consciousness process to come up with sentences utilizing the words. So I think it's more of an inkblot, free-association sort of thing than a predictive thing. The hair-skin-eye-color and yes-no features, on the other hand, are certainly predictive. Frankly, as I say, if I were to use this deck I would only use the pictures. But I'm not bothered by the inclusion of other things, as long as they don't intrude on the pictures, which they don't in this deck. -- Lee

SherryZoned	05 Apr 2003
Not to mention with this deck..You dont have to use everything..It is there ..as a tool..You choose to use it or not. I personally am giong to try out the timeline feature..if it pops up in a spread..What can it hurt? its fun to try out new things. SOmeone asked me to find otu the gender of their baby..Well heck..I can try..i know this person well and will explain the situation..There is no harm in trying. (holmes--contact me sometime..and we can do a spread or something and see how it works out!)

Kiama	05 Apr 2003
Oooh, just had to say that I LOVE the Tarot games in the book... I will be trying some of them at a later stage, with my little sisters when I go home I think, and see how they go. I love the way they mix fun with deepening an understanding of the cards! Kiama

Khatruman	05 Apr 2003
Folks, I agree with everyone's assertions regarding this deck and its use, and I do really like the deck. There is so much in the pictures that I can use for my own symbology, to explore and gain meaning from. Also, I am a student of both i-ching and runes, so it was the addition of those two features that attracted me to the deck also. Is there a problem with posing the questions and concerns that I had though? I am hearing feedback that indicates people think my intentions are to criticize and blame. In fact, I was working more on the idea of constructive criticism. I believe I did state that the features I am not keen on were kept inconspicuous enough that I can adequately ignore them. Also, my suggestion regarding selling it as a deck only was just that, a suggestion, not blame. I realize that Mr. Martin may not have a voice in that issue of marketing, but it was offered as a suggestion for those of us here who haven't gotten the deck because of the relatively larger cost of the deck/book set. I remember a while ago that a member voiced strong displeasure that more decks weren't offered alone, but forced the buyer to purchase the book too. In addition, for those who really love the deck and find it wearing after continual use, wouldn't it be nice to offer them the chance to buy a replacement deck without having to buy again a book they already own? If that's Llewellyn's decision, then I put it before them. Also, I voiced concerns about superficiality in the deck. If I felt that these were simply derogatory comments, I wouldn't have stated them. I asked them thinking, if I was wrong, Mr. Martin (and I refer to him respectfully always as Mr. Martin, since he isn't an intimate acquaintance.. and yes, I have corresponded with him as I know others have) wouldn't be offended, and, in fact, might drop by to explain deeper aspects in the deck. On the other hand, if Mr. Martin were embarrassed and offended because he really didn't have anything deeper behind all this, then I felt I would be doing this community a service in not feeding money to someone who is just trying to milk us. In either case, I was not trying to be a crank, but to look out for the best interests of the community. Another suggestion I put forth was a more in depth book, and I realize that this is probably not going to happen by the publisher. Well, what about the study group on the deck plunging into the deeper aspects of the art, and maybe Mr. Martin chiming in when he can as to whether we are close to his intentions? WE write the book! :D I have found (and others have said they see this too) that there are a substantial number of people who visit these boards and just want to agree with everything, buy into everything and get upset if someone brings up questions that require debate. I also find that people often misunderstand my intentions when I post a contrary point. As a teacher, I know that true learning comes from true discussion, not someone saying something and others agreeing. I am hardly an expert, but I am learning all the time. To do so, I would like to question what I see.

darwinia	05 Apr 2003
It was Ophiel who questioned why publishers did not offer the decks without the book. I believe U.S. Games is good about offering a choice between the deck, the book, or the deck and book set. Llewellyn seems to have a different policy regarding this. I'm sure it costs them sales, it's rather an impractical marketing position when you think about it. I prefer the option to buy decks without books, not only for consideration of cost, but because I want to foster my own intuitive reading of the cards for storytelling purposes rather than straight readings. I enjoy hearing about the artistic impetus of creating a deck, which is why I liked the books that came with the Fey and Victoria Regina tarots, plus the historical information with the V-R was important to me. Several books that come with decks are simply canned meanings expanded somewhat from a conventional LWB, and it's difficult to not resent having to buy them to get the deck.

Lee	05 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Khatruman I have found (and others have said they see this too) that there are a substantial number of people who visit these boards and just want to agree with everything, buy into everything and get upset if someone brings up questions that require debate. I also find that people often misunderstand my intentions when I post a contrary point. As a teacher, I know that true learning comes from true discussion, not someone saying something and others agreeing. I am hardly an expert, but I am learning all the time. To do so, I would like to question what I see. Hi Khatruman, when I read your post, it seems to be saying that it's a good thing when you post something contrary to what someone has said, but if someone posts something contrary to what you said, then that's a bad thing. Surely that's not what you mean! :) When I read back what I wrote, it does seem that I'm assuming that you had an intention to criticize, and so I apologize for making assumptions about your intentions. However, surely you'll agree that by questioning whether Joseph is intending to "milk" us, you're doing the same sort of thing, i.e. making assumptions about people's intentions (I hope he doesn't mind that I refer to him as Joseph, hopefully he'll tell me if he does mind). I don't think there's anything wrong going on here, I think it's fine for all of us to debate things with each other, after all that's one of the reasons we're all here, to discuss and learn from each other. Personally, I've been quite contrary at times (just ask Umbrae! :)) I really did not mean to suggest that you shouldn't have brought up the issues you mentioned, in fact my belief, as stated above, is entirely the opposite, and again, I apologize if my post suggested otherwise. -- Lee

sunflowr	05 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Lee I really did not mean to suggest that you shouldn't have brought up the issues you mentioned, in fact my belief, as stated above, is entirely the opposite, and again, I apologize if my post suggested otherwise. -- Lee Lee, you troublemaker! Can't take you anywhere!! ;) hehehehe.. just kidding, by the way! (ducking). Peace on Earth and Good Will towards Quest Tarot Users! ;)

Khatruman	05 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Lee Hi Khatruman, when I read your post, it seems to be saying that it's a good thing when you post something contrary to what someone has said, but if someone posts something contrary to what you said, then that's a bad thing. OMG, NO NO NO NO.. it is NOT a bad thing at ALLLLL, I DON'T want everyone to agree with me!!! Also, it's not a matter of my posting something contrary. That would imply that I want to argue. I am attempting to bring in another point of looking at things. Let me try to say this as clear as I can: I VALUE differing opinions. I am very uncomfortable in a homogenous situation. If you were ever in my classroom, you would see me trying constantly to get students to give me an opinion. When I get ones that wish to take another side, I do everything I can to encourage that. I believe the best way to come to a reasonable opinion is to look at the issue critically from all angles, and by critically, I mean in the truest sense of the word, not with its negative connotative meaning. Wow, if I at all gave the impression that I want ANYONE to think like me, that was a miscommunication. I love hearing different sides, and many times I am able to see things much more clearly because someone has shown me something in a way I had not seen before. But how am I to get that new viewpoint unless I ask for it? Quote: However, surely you'll agree that by questioning whether Joseph is intending to "milk" us, you're doing the same sort of thing, i.e. making assumptions about people's intentions Lee, please look back at my original post. There was a part of that "if" situation I set up that said, "if I was wrong, Mr. Martin ...wouldn't be offended, and, in fact, might drop by to explain deeper aspects in the deck." I'm afraid that you took only the second part of that hypothesis. Also, the key word was "if". I wasn't assuming. The point I was making is that I brought up my doubts so that, rather than assume, I could bring it out in the open so that Mr. Martin had the opportunity to address them. It was also part of an explanation as to why I didn't believe I was being mean spirited in bringing up the superficiality issue. By questioning someone, you are not assuming, you are trying to find out their side, rather than having to assume it. I do apologize if my points fell to seemingly being an attack. I am concerned that I sent you the wrong message. Some of the best teachers I have had on here are the ones who held vastly different beliefs. I have grown, and continue to grow in knowledge and understanding, and I thank those who have helped me in that cause, and hope that they too gained something from it. Peace

Khatruman	18 Apr 2003
I was doing a card match between the Haindl and the Quest, and WOW, Joseph Martin basically did a wholesale reworking of that deck. There are quite a few majors that, if they are not similar in many ways, they at least have the Haindl elements. If you compare images of the Hanged Man from both decks, they are virtually the same, except that Martin's tree is on the right, and the two birds in the distance are on the opposite side. Other than that, they are basically the same, down to the snake wrapped around the Hanged Man's ankle. Martin did take from the Waite tradition in other places though, such as the Magician. Also, all the Rune designations are the same, the i-ching designations are the same, and nearly all of the keywords on the minors are the same. The only drastic change he made was in the Courts, which are personalities rather than the mythical figures that Haindl used, though he even used the same Father/Mother/Son Daughter designation and renaming the Pentacles suit to Stones. I can understand now more clearly how he was able to devise so many systems on these cards. I was stunned that on tarot deck creator could correlate so many esoteric systems on his own, a feat in itself, then also devise his own letter system, hair/skin/eye color system and yes/no system. I am excited at this finding in that I can now use Pollack's Haindl Tarot books to read with the Quest deck, and not be frustrated at The Compass's lack of deeper discussion.

Cascade_Jon	18 Apr 2003
Hmm, so this deck is based on the earlier Haindl deck? Well that's just as well in my book. I already have the Universal Waite, Thoth, and Osho decks, and the Haindl seems to be another very popular choice (but to tell you the truth I didn't at all care for the artwork on Haindl from everything that I've seen - I get a negative impression from every card in the deck). I'll pick up this deck instead... and that should pretty much complete my collection for the time being. Also, reading through this thread I don't know why a couple of people made such a big deal about the 7 of Stones and the 8 of Cups both having the keyword Failure. It doesn't strike me that there's much overlap between the two at all - Material Failure (Stones) and Emotional Failure (Cups) are two very, very different animals. Perhaps Mr. Martin could have used "Misery" or "Broken Dreams" or some other more illustrative keyword on the 8 of Cups, but that would have limited the range of interpretations needlessly. Failure in both cases has broad enough implications to cover the whole range of possible material and emotional disappointments. Overall, my impression on the deck as a whole is quite positive, though I too admit that I wish the Court cards could be made to more closely resemble human beings. But that's a minor quibble. I already placed my order for this one - it looks like a keeper. Of course I will have to throw out the Multiverse card and blank card and stick with the traditional 78 - I'm not convinced that the meaning of the Multiverse can't be incorporated into the traditional World/Universe card. All in all, I think this deck does look promising... and the 3D computer art is a natural fit for the science fiction fans amongst us.

JosephMartin	18 Apr 2003
I've posted this on another thread but also wanted it to appear here. ____________ Since I've been working on some new material lately I've noticed how much people love to debate new ideas in the Tarot. Here are some thoughts to ponder... 1. For instance, there is no consensus among the most popular tarot decks as to the order of the court cards. Though the idea of the cards being in the order of King, Queen, Knight and Page changed dramatically with the era of the Golden Dawn in 1887. The simple change to King, Queen Prince and Princess caused nothing but havoc with most modern interpretations of the Tarot (Golden Dawns) and (specifically) Mathers complex symbolism. -----from an article by David Allen Hulse Why to bring this up? All new ideas or concepts are often "first" received with angry debate. Or people may simply imply all sorts of motives or misgivings to the author of a new or different system. In the Quest Tarot, I've included elements from other decks that I have loved and elements that have never (to my knowledge) been included in a deck before. Of course you will see influences from others because none of us live in a "vacuum". And because I've tried to further my concept of the way things are going in the world as I see it, with my deck and book. I give special thanks to ALL the card creators and authors that have influenced my work. Some that I have been lucky enough to talk with in person have been so wonderful that I wonder what all the fuss is about that I sometimes read on the boards. Instead of ripping and tearing into something.... why not instead create your own vision and share it with the world. We have enough people who rip and tear at things, how about becoming the person that creates from their heart with love and compassion so that we are all enriched. In any event, you may notice that I will address any question that comes from an earnest place and will always be available to do so. You don't have to wonder... just ask. All questions will be answered. But all diatribes will not be addressed.... after all who has that kind of time. I watched Oprah talking about all the things the Tabloids are saying about her that are so untrue. Someone asked her why she doesn't fight them. Her response was that she was too busy trying to produce a good show and a good magazine to have her time taken away by those who would try to spin lies about her. Isn't it true that all of us have so little time and that we would serve the world best by continuing to do our best rather than sling mud with those whose intent is simply to create a fuss? (?) As I can.... being as busy as I am, I'll do my best to help those who are seeking to further their path toward something wonderful. And maybe if I'm lucky they'll help me along the way too. With love to all and harm to none, yours in the cards, Joseph

Cascade_Jon	18 Apr 2003
Well I personally think it's amazing that you take the time and put the effort into defending your work... the dedication is admirable. Then again, having put the amount of months (years?) you put into researching and designing all 78 cards (plus 1) it's understandable that you'd feel compelled to defend your hard work against criticism. I, for one, and plenty of people in this forum besides me, see a lot of merit in the cards you've designed. Certainly your vision will help enrich the whole field of Tarot design... we should all keep in mind how very recent the explosion in new Tarot designs has been, how only a decade or two ago there were only a relative handful of options. As more and more people design decks with new and different elements, it'll be easier for people to find their "perfect" deck, whose symbolism speaks directly to them. Some people need bright colors and computer generated 3D images, other people need subtle water color shades. Symbolism and beauty are in the eyes of the beholder. We should all try to remember that before we denounce one deck or another as artistically and/or symbolically invalid.

HOLMES	18 Apr 2003
quote quote Instead of ripping and tearing into something.... why not instead create your own vision and share it with the world. We have enough people who rip and tear at things, how about becoming the person that creates from their heart with love and compassion so that we are all enriched. In any event, you may notice that I will address any question that comes from an earnest place and will always be available to do so. You don't have to wonder... just ask. All questions will be answered. But all diatribes will not be addressed.... after all who has that kind of time. I watched Oprah talking about all the things the Tabloids are saying about her that are so untrue. Someone asked her why she doesn't fight them. Her response was that she was too busy trying to produce a good show and a good magazine to have her time taken away by those who would try to spin lies about her. Isn't it true that all of us have so little time and that we would serve the world best by continuing to do our best rather than sling mud with those whose intent is simply to create a fuss? (?) quote quote my questions come from an earnest place, some of them reflected what some others and i have wondered, the other i wondered solely myself. the last ouja question is the most important to me , especially since the haindil connection was made. (it is a good deck i like the haindil deck, and the books written by rachael pollack for them ) my quote """ suppose the only quest i have that brothered me all this time until i realized it. the question is having a bad function with the ouja board earlier in my life. 1. does the function remian dormant when cards are in used. 2. is protective symbols in the cards as to postively polizared the deck so it works with postive spirits (like the much heard about by me but never explored by me pyschic circle) (i am not refering to tarot aspects but the ouja function ) 3. can it be that when using the tarot the hidden ouja function might open up a person to the spirit world basically when is what i am asking about. 4. even if the symbols remain dormant, with them on them , could it be that this deck would work a person psychic energy more then a "normal tarot " what i think of the numbers. 1. if the function doesn't remain dormant what does this mean to the person energy field who is trying to work the eneries, and can by mistake open one self up to the energies. (i guess as with any spiritual work one should use light protection techiques eh ?) 2. i dont' know about the symbols, but i like to believe in my heart that a tarot is created out of love (like i am sure yours is ) so a tarot is postively charged. 3. one might convievly open up a spirit world using any spiritual tool, yet here you not only have the tarot but the ouja as well to take in account. 4. this would be cool if the symbols have something energy wise to offer. i am trying to answer my last doubt about the ouja function (notice in both my request it was focus halfway on the ouja function) for every tarot has it own energy, i would be interested in it as a tarot. since the quest fool intrigues me. yet i have to be sure of everything involving the ouja function. while it would of been cool to see yourself in action, especially where it concerns the ouja function (perhaps you could make that allowance for me so i can see the results from the feedback of a person , then again it would be using an ouja function and would such a reading be in the reading exchange ?) one can understand the necessity of time where it pertains to the work :O)."""" my last questions, havne't been answered they are are in earnest not a diatribe or a slander, or a tabeloid remark. but a very deep thoughtful last few important to me, which were questions about the ouja feature before i invest in it. (this is due to bad ouja experiences before so please understand that ) to clairify why it is so important to me i suppose i must share so you will understand there is no slander meant but a reply to qualm my last fears before seeking out the deck. when i was 15 to 16 i got an ouja board in order to try it. we had some fun with it at parties on the reserve among the teens. then i went to winnipeg. 1. there someone moved by itself on the way to winnipeg, a sheet of paper towel came out of the towel container by itself, just before i touched it. 2. when i came back i was told the medicine man i didn't know about had to take a spirit out of a person who came in to see what we were doing and touched it. 3. i had a summer of bad thoughts which were like "burn down the house, kill, and such " til i went into postive spirituality from psychic exploration. that is why i want to absolutly sure about the ouja features on it. the other stuff is no big deal (i mean it is important to those who use it , as some tarot has astrology, kabbalah, numerology installed into by designers so runes and iching dont' detract but add) (the reasons why i asked you to read here was to see how you read,, and how you interpated the deck as i told you before example rachael pollack explaining her wisdom readins in forest of souls which i am sure you read ) especially the ouja sentaces feature, example you ask a question, the sentance feature answers, i was so wanting to see that, :O( if my pleas, fell on deaf ears please tell me,

Kiama	19 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by JosephMartin Instead of ripping and tearing into something.... why not instead create your own vision and share it with the world. We have enough people who rip and tear at things, how about becoming the person that creates from their heart with love and compassion so that we are all enriched. Dear Joseph, With all due respect, sometimes 'ripping and tearing into things' is necessary. Progress would never be made if nobody criticised. I am a philosopher and writer... Every single day I end up in a steep debate where people openly 'rip and tear' views and beliefs to pieces... Well, not all the time... People will always rip and tear, but consider it a test: If what you have created is good, it will remain resilient throughout the 'ripping and tearing'. It's a Tower card experience: The Tower card tests out beliefs and convictions, and if they are false, they are washed away. If they are true, they are kept. Sadly, many of us hold more false beliefs than true ones, so the Tower experience is very painful: We lose so much that we once considered important, and are left with very little... But what happens afterwards? We are left with only true convitions and beliefs, so we can start again, building the Tower properly, on firm, strong, true foundations, instead of false ones... Herein lies the importance and necessity of criticism and 'ripping and tearing'... It in itself is a process by which we create better things, more useful things, etc... It's actually constructive criticism, though it doesn't seem so at the time. You need to expect your work to be criticised at some point in time, esp. if you have just had it published by a major company, and your work has literally been thrown into the Tarot world, as have you, quite unexpectedly... Every insgle person who has ever created something for mass public consumption will know that somebody somewhere will criticise it... It's just the inevitable! As human beings we feel the need to voice our opinions of things we see, buy, and use... It's called feedback usually. People often accept the good feedback, but as soon as there is one glimmer of negative feedback, no matter how courteously it is displayed, they run away screaming... A normal reaction, but one that will be of no use. You say we should create and so on and so forth instead of ripping and tearing. I say, peopel are gonna rip and tear no matter what happens: So, why not create from that? Listen to the ripping and tearing, answer it, perhaps take in what they are saying. Learn from it, notch it up to experience, and become wiser for it. Create. From something you view as negative, I ask you to see the positive potential within it... 'Ripping and tearing', in my experience, whilst being painful, is valuable and a necessary part of the creative process. :D Kiama

baba-prague	21 Apr 2003
Just to say I agree with Kiama. But I also understand how terribly upsetting it can be when you get what feels like negative feedback about your work. However, if you ask for comments, you will get both good and bad - and I honestly think most of it here on Aeclectic is genuinely meant to be helpful. Our experience: When we first put up sample cards of our deck here many people said they did not like the way we had used photographs of real people (some liked it, but more did not). At first we were a little upset - of course. But you know, when we thought about it, we realised they were right. We took off the photos and used more of the old symbols and imagery of Prague instead. All the redesign has taken months, but the deck is now totally different - SO much stronger and better. Maybe we would have seen this for ourselves without asking opinion here - but maybe not? Anyway, what initially seemed a bit like negative criticism worked out very positively for us. I know it's different once a deck is published, you can't respond to the feedback in this way, but in a different way I think it does teach a lot. Please don't take it negatively, I don't get the impression that's how it's meant. I haven't seen your deck (it will probably get to Prague in five years!) but I have huge admiration for anyone who completes a thoughtful deck - it's a huge task. Best wishes, Karen ps - a few of our new cards up at www.baba-prague.com/tarot while we wait for the real website to go live - if you want to see the difference feedback helped to make!

Cascade_Jon	21 Apr 2003
Hmm, usually I don't like the idea of "themed" Tarots that try to limit the imagery of the cards to a single place or time. The Tarot is of course supposed to contain universal, archetypal symbolism. But I have to say that those pictures you posted for the Tarot of Prague look grandiose - truly magnificent. The 2 of Cups is so serene, and you can almost feel the heat of passion off the 3 of Wands. It looks like you're making excellenet progress indeed! Good luck with your deck... and good luck to Mr. Martin with his own unique and wonderful vision. I think I'm sold on both decks at this point!

Haniel	01 Jul 2003
W.O.W., Joseph! :T9C

krysia322	13 Jul 2003
Hi Joseph (et al :)), I've just ordered your deck set from your website, and I am itching to start working with them! They can't get to my house soon enough. Your deck, and Marie's "Mary-El Tarot", have both reached out to me, through the monitor, and grabbed my hands... "BUY ME; I'm a MUST HAVE", LOL! :D It's been years since a deck has affected me like that. Personally, I think it's only a good thing that there are so many decks to choose from. That way there's a deck for everyone, for every occasion. I've been asked "what's your favorite" deck, and I honestly don't really have one (until I get yours and Marie's in hand ;) LOL!)... I choose a deck according to mood and type of question. So I keep several, though I rarely use a few of them. A good example is the Quest deck and the Mary-El deck. IMO, they are polar opposites, at least imagery-wise. I want both for different reasons; they invoke/evoke different emotions, and no doubt, I'll use them and expect different results. Which is good. It's good to get all the slopes in order to gauge the shape of something. :) I love the idea behind your court cards, and I'm looking forward to reading the book... When will it get here? How much longer? I neeeeeeeeeed it! LOL! ;) I admit I haven't read through this entire thread, so I don't really know what's going on in here. All I know is that I love your deck. Must have it. Bought it. Waiting very impatiently for it. ;) (I'm an Aries. Can't help the impatience. :) It's astrologenetic.)

mingbop	28 Aug 2003
is anybidy using the quest cards ? tell me how you find them to be, please..

JosephMartin	29 Aug 2003
I just finished the artwork for the Los Angeles Tarot Symposium's new identity. You can be the FIRST to see it at: http://www.questtarot.com I've done two pieces of art for Barbara Rapp, who runs the conference. One is their new logo and the other is their conference theme art. Anyway, if you go to LATS you'll see all the new work or you can go to the link above, enter, then click on the button for LATS. yours in the cards, Joseph

JosephMartin	29 Aug 2003
I'll be in San Mateo, California on September 6-7 for Body, Mind, Spirit Expo. This year I'll be a featured speaker talking about the Tarot and have even appeared on their promotional cover for the event. You can see a full list of appearance dates at: http://www.questtarot.com ...click on the "Appearances" button on the left once you enter. Come by if you can and say hello. I love to meet the people from the different forums. yours in the cards, Joseph

JosephMartin	29 Aug 2003
I've decided to start a new thread about the Quest Tarot.... You can imagine how I was bowled over when Llewellyn Publishing called me to let me know that the first printing has SOLD OUT! in just 6 1/2 months ...and that they had already reprinted a second run. That means the Quest Tarot has 15,000 copies in print as we speak. As you may know, it takes awhile to get a product like this on the shelves. Finally, I was at a Barnes and Noble and there it was... on the shelf available to all the world. What a feeling. Because of this amazing response to the book/deck I've decided to try to create a forum here that may help those who have a deck or are interested in the Quest Tarot. There are so many new and different features to this deck that sometimes using the deck may seem unclear. But I will do my best to drop in my "two cents" worth with explanations and help. Thank you all for your support and encouragement. yours in the cards, Joseph

HOLMES	29 Aug 2003
yay :O)

JosephMartin	29 Aug 2003
I've been completely absorbed with a new publishing project idea. Currently I'm working with two other authors on a new deck idea and assisting with the book(s) that go with this new deck. Until the contract is signed with the publisher (which is currently in progress) I can't say much more but I just wanted you to understand why I've been a bit absent. The first few cards are going well but are really labor intensive. As soon as I can release a "sneak peek" the people here will have the first chance to see the new designs. I'll do my best to check here often with updates and info. yours in the cards, Joseph

krysia322	29 Aug 2003
And also for hooking me up with my gorgeous deck so quickly. I've been busy working on starting my eBook publishing business so I've been MIA on the tarot tip. But had to pop in to say again how much I love this deck. Thank you!

krysia322	29 Aug 2003
That is marvelous news! And great thread idea! :) Thank you.

lunalafey	29 Aug 2003
I am wanting this deck ever since I was first aware of it. I promise you Joseph, that one day I will support you and get this deck. I like the "ouija" nature that you intigrated into the deck. Your next Tarot evet is being held in my home town (right down the street from where I lived even), I would so love to attend but work keeps me here. Now, if there is ever something about 4 to 6 hours North of the Bay Area......:D For many years I have dreamed of creating a deck, I'm envious!

Kiama	30 Aug 2003
Are there any differences in the second printing compared to the first one? Kiama

Rhiannon	30 Aug 2003
Wow! You must be so proud of your baby! That's incredible! I think a study group is a great idea. I'm really looking forward to that sneak peak of your new project. Make it soon, please! Good luck! R :)

mingbop	08 Sep 2003
i just got the quest cards, thank you I like them. I'm Mary in Scotland and I wanted these cards to do more medium-type work. That's why they appealed to me, they take you that little bit farther....you can only do so much with an ordinary tarot deck. It always takes courage to do anything new---you tend to get shot down in flames !! But these cards are perfect for me, and the way I work. I'm very pleased with them, thank you.

truthsayer	10 Sep 2003
below are links for other threads on the quest tarot. i think overall reviews have been favorable. http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?threadid=11111 http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17106

JosephMartin	10 Sep 2003
My hosting provicer "WestHost" has been moving to a new server so my website is down.... Sorry for the inconvenience. You can "temporarily" still see my site for the Quest Tarot at: http://www.gentlesleeper.com As soon as they fix their server problem the original web address will work again. thanks for understanding, Joseph

JosephMartin	10 Sep 2003
It seems amazing but already in 6 1/2 months the Quest has sold out of it's first printing. That means there are 15,000 in print, as we speak. The deck is available just about everywhere and I finally, actually, saw it on a shelf at Barnes and Noble. You can go to my website and see some of the reviews for yourself as I have many of them posted there. Because of hosting problems with my web provider the "temporarly" address is: http://www.gentlesleeper.com But soon the "old" original address will be working again. I hope this helps you. yours Joseph

JosephMartin	10 Sep 2003
I have family in Chico, CA which is about 3 hours north of San Francisco and a dear friend in Yreka. You'll have to drop me a line and I'll let you know when I'm in the area. In the meantime... Because of hosting provider problems with the webhosting company I'm using... you can "temporarily" see my appearance schedule at: http://www.gentlesleeper.com But hopefully soon my original web name link will be up and running again. Don't ya just love technology? yours in the cards, Joseph

JosephMartin	10 Sep 2003
Great Question! When Llewellyn decided to reprint they did not notify me. I have some minor "corections" to the original book including some word changes to try to make things clearer. If the gods will have it... in the next reprint I'll be able to change, add and rewrite some of the book to include all the wonderful new thoughts and ideas that people have been sharing with me about how they use the deck. Currently, though, everythings the same. Thanks for our support. yours Joseph

JosephMartin	10 Sep 2003
This weekend I'll have a booth at the The Bay Area UFO conference. September 13/14, 2003 For more information about the conference go to: http://www.thebayareaufoexpo.com and you can see all that's happening. The Expo is in San Mateo, California this year. Hope to see you there! yours Joseph

JosephMartin	11 Sep 2003
Good News! ...the website link is once again fixed. The problem was that they assigned a new IP address without letting me know. I've made the fix and it should be in effect sometime tomorrow This web address should now be working. http://www.questtarot.com Thanks for your patience. yours Joseph

JosephMartin	11 Sep 2003
Good News! ...the website link is once again fixed. The problem was that they assigned a new IP address without letting me know. I've made the fix and it should be in effect sometime tomorrow This web address should now be working. http://www.questtarot.com Thanks for your patience. yours Joseph

krysia322	11 Sep 2003
YAY! :) Great deck, great site... What more could anyone ask for? :D

krysia322	11 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by JosephMartin Great Question! When Llewellyn decided to reprint they did not notify me. I have some minor "corections" to the original book including some word changes to try to make things clearer. If the gods will have it... in the next reprint I'll be able to change, add and rewrite some of the book to include all the wonderful new thoughts and ideas that people have been sharing with me about how they use the deck. Currently, though, everythings the same. Thanks for our support. yours Joseph Will the book be available separately (for those who already have the set, but would like the revised edition of the book)? Thank you, Joseph! :D

Khatruman	12 Sep 2003
Another question for you, Joseph: Is there a possibility that Llewellyn might publish the deck separately for those who would like a second deck, without the expense of buying the book twice?

Marie	12 Sep 2003
Congratulations Joseph!!!!!!!!!!!!

mingbop	14 Sep 2003
ooooh i have a whine !!!I'm bad !!! I cannot stand the daughter of wands--she looks half-witted !!Apart from that, the deck is lovely and it worked the first day I got it, thats unusual.. Im not mad on the artwork but that's not important to me. I love the long detailed descriptions of the court cards...they turn a personality inside out ! I love them and will use them a lot--and I cant say that of many decks, up till now I only found 2 other decks I can say that of.

JosephMartin	16 Sep 2003
One of my strongest suggestions to Llewellyn is that they offer the book and deck seperately. My thoughts are that some people are very versed in Tarot or only collect decks. And what happens if you lose either the deck or book and want to replace the single item. Currently they say that they only offer the kit set. My hope is that they will change that as more Quest Tarot sets are in circulation. They do respond to customer input..... so write or email them with that request and it will speed up the process. They really read their emails. Until then I will also continue to encourage them to sell both the book and deck seperately. yours in the cards, Joseph

JosephMartin	16 Sep 2003
I just returned from the Bay Area UFO Expo held in Santa Clara, CA. What a wonderful conference. So many great speakers and new insights. You might not believe it but there were 5 other readers there besides myself offering Psychic, Astrology, Tarot and other types of readings. The highlights from the readers group would be Dr. Turi who has been on Television many times, and really does a great job reading. Also Micheal (pardon the spelling) Tasarion who just finished a wonderful book and has a refined talent in his psychic abilities. Both of these men I have worked with before and am always glad to see at an event. Saturday of the Expo there were so many speakers that I wanted to see that I actually was not at my booth that much.... (I just could not resist listening to some of these UFO researchers that attended this year) but on Sunday, the minute I sat down I was reading continuously all day until the close of the vendor hall. I've worked a large number of psychic fairs over the years and the group of people that attend the UFO Expo are truly a wonderful bunch. So many sincere and open minded individuals came to see me... so it was a pleasure to be able to read for them. Sometimes at "classic" psychic fairs some of the people are there for entertainment purposes and seem to want a "fun" reading... but at this fair everyone I read for seemed to really be knowledgable and intelligent. I had a great time and look forward to next years event. If you are in the area next year you might consider coming by and see what all this is about. If you do come by and say hello. yours in the cards, Joseph

scheherazade	19 Sep 2003
The Daughter of Wands does look a bit too happy. The facial expression combined with her shiny goldness did not play out too well. But I think the deck is lovely as well. I'm a fan of digital art, and the Quest Tarot is a beautiful example of it.

Scorpion	07 Oct 2003
Just got the deck this morning. My only quibble so far is that none of my court cards show the two swords pointing to the left - ie indicating that the roots of the question lie in the past. Anybody else notice this? I know it can be rectified by using reversals but I don't tend to get them in my throws.

sunflowr	08 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by mingbop ooooh i have a whine !!!I'm bad !!! I cannot stand the daughter of wands--she looks half-witted !!Apart from that, the deck is lovely and it worked the first day I got it, thats unusual.. Im not mad on the artwork but that's not important to me. I love the long detailed descriptions of the court cards...they turn a personality inside out ! I love them and will use them a lot--and I cant say that of many decks, up till now I only found 2 other decks I can say that of. I think she looks the perfect picture of "luxury". :)

sunflowr	08 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by mingbop i just got the quest cards, thank you I like them. I'm Mary in Scotland and I wanted these cards to do more medium-type work. That's why they appealed to me, they take you that little bit farther....you can only do so much with an ordinary tarot deck. It always takes courage to do anything new---you tend to get shot down in flames !! But these cards are perfect for me, and the way I work. I'm very pleased with them, thank you. How do you do "medium-type" work with the cards? Sounds really interesting and I'd like to know more about it.

JosephMartin	13 Oct 2003
Hello Everyone! I just came back from two fairs: San Jose and Palo Alto. I've been reading around 50 people a week for the last 8 weeks straight using the Quest Tarot. You can imagine how much use the cards have had. Amazing they have held up quite well. Llewellyn had them printed by Carta Mundi. For those in the know, you know that Carta Mundi is the best playing card printer in the United States and Europe. They use a "secret" method and custom milled paper to create the decks. If you really use this deck it will stand up to a lot of use and abuse. A fellow psychic reader, who uses my deck, works a lot of the fairs with me. She is great and giving me lots of insights in how she uses the deck. I have to say that the "Blank Card" is a real asset in the deck. It comes up in so many powerful ways of communicating a 'blank' meaning. Now I can't imagine a deck without one. If you have tried reading with a blank card... give it a try. I think you'll soon fall in love with it. yours in the cards, Joseph

JosephMartin	13 Oct 2003
The San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium is this Saturday, October 18th. I'll be there with a booth giving readings and am lucky enough this year to be one of the featured speakers. I'll be introducing the Deck/Book, for the first time, to the Bay Area audience. If you can make it, each person who comes to the presentation will receive a FREE Large Blank card from the deck that you can customize and use with your readings. Also I'll be giving out a Celtic Cross readings sheet and a Quest Tarot Readings Sheet. These sheets are incredible ways to keep records of your readings for future reference. I have used them for years and with great success with my clients. I'll also be giving away a Large Framed Print from the deck to one lucky person. You can link to BATS from my site. I hope you all can make it this year. yours in the cards, Joseph

Marie	13 Oct 2003
I will see you there! Looking forward to it, Marie

JosephMartin	11 Nov 2003
The Bay Area Tarot Symposium was a wonderful event. I spoke fairly early in the day and those who attended my workshop received a FREE proof print from the original designs from the Quest Tarot, plus a Celtic Cross reading/record sheet, plus a large full-color Blank Card, plus a Quest Tarot reading/record sheet. The room was full of interested tarot enthusiasts. Even Lon Milo DuQuette (Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot) came by the workshop to see what was up. The main topic was the introduction of the Quest Tarot since it has only come out this year. The "after" authors party was also quite wonderful with many of the different speakers 'holding court" in different parts of the hotel suite. Pizza and fun was has by all. A special thanks to Thalassa and her crew (Patricia, Monica, Thena and others) for creating and putting on this event each year. If you have the chance to come to this event... do so. You'll be so very glad you did. yours Joseph

JosephMartin	11 Nov 2003
In an email sent to me from Jeanne... she writes..... I am a little baffled by the hanged mans face. There would appear to be two distintive faces. One upside down, and one right side up. I did not notice this at first and when my friend pointed out that his face was rightside up I told her she was nuts . Then on closer examination, I see that he has two distinct faces. When I look at the card in the reverse postion, his face appears (to me) youthful and almost feminine. But when I look at him in the upright position his face appears much older and I cannot quite pin point the expression on his face, perhaps almost angry? Can you tell me was this by design? Since you are the creator of this beautiful deck, I come to you. I would think that perhaps their expressions would be in reverse order (if it was by design). Or maybe myself and my friends are the only ones that see these dual faces and that is the reason that I only received one response. ( My friend that noticed that his face was rightside up also thinks he is a woman in reverse and thinks she shee breasts, I do not see this). Please shed some light on this for me. Gratefully yours Jeanne -- (Majecot on AT )_ ________________________________ Jeanne: The Hanged Man card is one of my favorites in the deck. It has a joyous feel as the man is made of crystal hanging by a rope from a tree and yet connected to the earth by his hair. His hair is meant to look a bit like flowing water. There are also two birds with him as well as a snake slowing climbing down the rope. His face, as with many of the "artifacts" in the cards was created to be less specific and more anamorphic in nature. You are meant to be able to see different things from the cards at different times. Shadow, Light and form were used so that sometimes things would appear one way and different at others. Example: I have a "hair color feature" on the court cards. In one reading just this week I saw the hair turn into brushed metal. I said to the gentleman who I was reading that I say metal surrounding him. I tried to look deeper to see what that meant but the illusion of metal was persistent. At the end of the reading he told me that he was not only a mechanic but also looking to work in the prison system. His wife then added that he was doing body work on their car and sanding down the paint to bare metal. Which she felt explained the brushed metal I was seeing. As you can see if I had simply held to the "hair color feature" and ignored what I was seeing I would have lost part of the reading. What you can do: When the face changes in a reading... go with it. Try not to judge it but rather see what it will tell you. Another Card that does that with me alot is the High Priestess. Her face was also designed to change and morph. You may notice that her pressence is not clear on the card but rather a bit foggy. I hope this has helped you a bit. You have sharp eyes to see the subtle details that are in the cards. Thanks so much for your question. yours Joseph

Majecot	11 Nov 2003
Joseph, Thank you so much for your answer. It does help to have the artists view point. I was surprised to find a response here. I kept checking my email. ;) I would forever sit and wonder what was in your mind when you designed it. Different perspectives are always helpful, and I love to hear other's opinions, so I show the card ( which is currently my favorite ) to everyone I know. It is exciting to see the look on their faces when they discover the hidden images, ( some need a little nudge). I think that as I journey with this deck, that I will be in for some unexpected pleasures. Thank you for sharing your creation with us. Jeanne

JosephMartin	11 Nov 2003
I've had a schedule change for the fairs that I'm doing. Only one more fair on Saturday Nov. 15 and then a Workshop on Nov 16. You can check my website for details. http://www.questtarot.com My next years schedule will be posted soon, once confirmed. yours in the cards, Joseph

JosephMartin	16 Dec 2003
I've just posted my most complete schedule for next year at my site. ...and "Oh my God!" there is a lot of traveling. The good news is that I'll be giving a new mini workshop at all Sacred Production Fairs for FREE! Here's how it works. Mention "Llewellyn" when you you come to the gate of any fair that I am at and you will get in FREE to the fair. (for everyone else its $5.00) I'll be there with my booth, plus I'll be giving a FREE mini workshop. I've also decided that each fair I present at I'll be giving away a special prize to a lucky person who attends. You can see my Fair Schedule at my site under "Appearances" and you can also print out the coupon on paper if you'd like instead of using the Llewellyn name to get in. I hope to you some of you at one of the fairs. yours Joseph

Kimber	17 Dec 2003
Hi Joseph! After reading this thread, I went to grab my Quest set, but...my cabinet runneth over! Every time I pull out a deck, it's (literally) like a house of cards. I was looking for our correspondence about the "yellow raincoat", which came into play for you when you were on your way to do a reading a few days later. If you don't have the correspondence handy, let me know, and I will brave my cabinet again. I thought it might be an interesting story to share about your deck!

Phoenix Rising	10 Feb 2004
Hey I'm new to the tarot, I live in Hamilton New Zealand, I bought the quest tarot a few weeks ago. I am so impressed with it, I feel really connected to it, It's very modern day and is rich with symbolisms it has astological symbols, rune, I ching, hebrew letters, gemstones, yes/No feature and even letters to spell out names etc. The court cards are mother, father, son and daughter, and has the physical appearance of eye, hair, and skin colourings. the Aces have seasons and even a clock to predict month day and hour. But I have found it to be really easy to read and totally accurate and honest. I am a beginner but Joseph Martin has put his 15 years experience into the cards so that we can start straight away. Has anyone got spreads on past life? Lucille

Mimers	10 Feb 2004
Lucille, welcome! There are quite a few threads about the Quest Tarot that I am sure you will find interesting. Mr Martin is also a member of the forum, and frequently intergects in threads concerning his deck. There are also a number of threads posting great past life spreads. Just use the search feature. Look forward to seeing you around. Mimi

Majecot	11 Feb 2004
Hi Lucille, welcome to AT! I too have The Quest deck and I just love it. I don't use a lot of the extra features Joseph Martin has included, such as the I Ching and yes/no featues and such, but I love the deck. I find some of the cards quite facinating, the Hangman for example. When I first got my deck I saw two distinct face on him. I thought I was imaging it so I ended up writing to Joseph about it. ( I need to have it confirmed that I was not losing my mind). Tricky tricky, yes indeedy, there are two faces. I have learned to examine them more closely and to trust what I am seeing. Hope you enjoy the forums, looking forwoard to seeing you around.

Darla	11 Feb 2004
Hello Lucille, I also want to welcome you to AT! I'm glad that you enjoy your Quest deck so much! I've been thinking of adding it to my wishlist for quite a time now. So this thread could become dangerous for me. :)

Lady Eclipse	11 Feb 2004
Hi Lucille, I'm so glad to find you enjoying the Quest. I bought it when it first came out and it's become my favorite deck to read with (besides my own). I so enjoy looking at the amazing images. I definitely prefer the more modern looking decks and when I first saw images of the cards, I knew I HAD to have it right away and I rarely get that excited about a new tarot. I've used the yes/no method in his book and have found it to be very accurate. I ended up buying two decks just so I could keep the Courts seperated in order to easily do a yes/no without having to go through the deck and pick out the proper cards. :-) Joy to you, Maralee

Aure	11 Feb 2004
I took a look at this deck after reading this thread and I must say that now I'm considering it! It seems good for a beginner as well. Are there any sites where I could view all the cards?

Darla	11 Feb 2004
Hehe, Aeclectic is a dangerous place, isn't it? You can see all of the cards here: www.questtarot.com

Moonbow*	11 Feb 2004
I really must get my deck out and have a go with it again, its one of my favourites but I have had so many new ones lately that its got a little left behind. When I looked at the scans again it just makes you go Ooooohhhh..... all over again. I love the Hermit in this deck and....and.... right I'm gone Moonbow*

lunakasha	11 Feb 2004
OMG..........I HAVE to get this one!!!! Yes, I have been tempted in the past, many times, but somehow never followed through with getting it. Now that I have seen the entire deck, however, I am convinced more than ever....this one will be mine. The images are incredible and would be very intuitive for reading as well as meditation purposes....just amazingly beautiful!!!! here I go again....I should buy stock in amazon.com.... :P Luna

JosephMartin	20 Feb 2004
I'm so happy to know that people from all over the world have access to the Quest Tarot. It's still amazing to me to think of the work I did, in the dining room, being available accross the seas. I hope that you keep in touch and let me know how the deck is working for you. until then, Joseph

JosephMartin	20 Feb 2004
Just came back from the huge Pagan conference in Santa Clara, California. I've met so many wonderful people there. This year I didn't have a booth but instead shared some space with Thena who is working on her own Shaman deck. The artwork is finished and she is presenting it to publishers.... as we speak. I did readings on Sunday only and was busy from the time I sat down to the end of the Vendor Hall. I'm always amazed at the number of people that come and open their hearts with questions. If you haven't gone to PantheaCon before, do consider plans for next year. It is truly fun and a wonderful experience. yours in the cards, Joseph

JosephMartin	20 Feb 2004
I'd love you to email me and tell me about how you perform your mediumship with the cards. I've been doing some past-life work with the Quest Tarot, when clients have asked for it or when I see that a past life influence is present in the reading. email: joseph@questtarot.com I do a spread that asks the cards to tell a story. I've had pretty good results. Once in awhile they start talking about something else. I look forward to hearing from you. yours in the cards, Joseph

JosephMartin	06 Apr 2004
Hello: I've been so busy traveling to different cities that this has been my first chance to get back to the boards. Paul N. from the Netherlands designed an Angel Card... for the Quest Tarot. By scanning the Blank Card... and putting his own artwork into it he made a new addition to the Quest Tarot. You can see his artwork at the Quest Tarot site. http://www.questtarot.com ...enter the site and you'll see where to click. I hope you enjoy seeing what other people are doing with the deck. yours in the cards, Joseph

Tarot Sparrow	06 Apr 2004
Interesting card...isn't that angel in the Black Tarot? Coincidentally I just saw the picture of it a few minutes ago.

OakDragon	06 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Dead Star Interesting card...isn't that angel in the Black Tarot? Coincidentally I just saw the picture of it a few minutes ago. That does seem to be taken from the Hermit card in Luis Royo's Black Tarot. You can see a sample of the card if you do a search for it on the Tarot Garden website.

Khatruman	07 Apr 2004
Wow, that certainly is the same card. Unfortunately, it seems that this was an unscrupulous stealing of a card image. Of course, it isn't Mr. Martin's fault, since Paul N. represented the image as his own and JM can't be expected to have researched all decks. Sorry to see that he was duped like this.

JosephMartin	07 Apr 2004
Wow! I was duped. Paul Van Hummel... from the Netherlands supplied me with what he represented as original artwork. I want to thank all of you for pointing this out and I have removed to offending card from my site. The Black Tarot is a beautiful piece of work and I have just reviewed it on the web. The card artwork that was sent to me was of the Hermit Card. And I must admit, one of the sexiest Hermits I've ever seen. What Paul did was insert the art by Spanish artist Luis Royo, into my card frame. Luis Royo is a wonderful artist and I recommend everyone to see his work. Thanks again to everyone for your help and emails. yours in the cards, Joseph

Emily	08 Apr 2004
I've been having some really interesting experiences with my Quest tarot, its awakened my interest in the I Ching and Runes again - things I've studied in the past but got over took with my tarot studies - its refreshing to be able to see and use them in conjunction with my tarot. i thought the cards being so busy would make them harder to read but it doesn't, the artwork is excellent and the keywords do match the cards. The only one thing I don't do is the flipping of the cards as recommended in the book - it took me a long time to get over the habit of flipping and reversing my cards, its not something i would ever start to do again. My cards forgave me :D

sunflowr	08 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Emily - it took me a long time to get over the habit of flipping and reversing my cards, its not something i would ever start to do again. My cards forgave me :D So, you don't do any reversed readings with the Quest? I always feel like I "should", when I use this deck. Am interested in hearing from those who don't do that with this deck and just use the upright meanings.

Centaur	08 Apr 2004
I don't use reversals with this deck either. I feel that there is so much going on in these cards, that using reversals with them just muddles me. LOL. This is a lovely deck though. When I first received it, I went through a phase of deciding whether or not I actually liked it. I am glad that I did not put it up for trade!

Summerdream	08 Apr 2004
Have any of you used the other features of the deck like i-ching, hair/eye colors, spelling words, etc? I haven't but I sure do love this deck. Momof3girls:)

JosephMartin	08 Apr 2004
Because of the large amounts of appearances I do, plus the Fairs, etc. I find that most people ask three questions... Love, Money, Health. The reason I love reading reversals is this.... You have 80 cards in the Quest. If you read reversals you now have 160 possible meanings. When you multiply that out with the number of positions in the Celtic Cross (for instance) you'll get over a million possible answer combinations. This helps make each reading unique. Though I will say in all my years of reading for people that I've found that each reading is unique anyway. Try reading reversals first, then adding the other features of the deck later. I think you'll find that it's not as hard as you think. yours in the cards, Joseph

Centaur	08 Apr 2004
I am of the view that I use reversals if I feel that I need to. However, sometimes I prefer to use the spread of the cards to determine any possible reversed meanings, or negativity in the reading. For me, I prefer these cards upright. Maybe it is because the deck is still fairly new to me, and I am not as familiar with the images as I am with some of my other decks. Lovely images!

JosephMartin	16 Apr 2004
Coming up this month is San Francisco is the enourmous "New Living Expo". If you get a chance to be at this event... take it! It is a wonderful experience and there are many amazing speakers to see and booths to visit. This year Cynthia Sue Larson, author of "Aura Advantage" and myself are going to be there in our own booth and will be speaking on Sunday. You can see one of Cynthia's Aura Drawings at my site. Her book is very fun to read and shows her light hearted spirit. There ara many great speakers at this event, including: Dannion Brinkley, Geneen Roth, Kevin Ryerson, Mariel Hemingway, John Gray, Shakti Gawain and others. You can go to there website at: http://www.newlivingexpo.com If you can make it to the event... stop by and say hello. I'm going to have the complete set of Tarot References Guides available as well as other Quest Tarot items. yours in the cards, Joseph

Emily	16 Apr 2004
Hi Sunflowr, Yes I do use reversals with the Quest, its the only deck I do read reversed. When I first had it, I checked all the cards to make sure they were all there and ok then I put the deck on my dining room table. The next day I shuffled and looked through them, thinking to myself whether to use this deck reversed or not - I lay a couple of cards out, not really bothering with a question and the cards were reversed. I can't remember which cards they were, I was a little taken back that they would be reversed when I hadn't reversed any of them. Anyway to cut a long story short, I now reverse cards when I shuffle and I get some good readings from this deck. I've been having fun with the yes/no/maybe daggers - the first question I asked was about something I needed for the house, something my hubby should have picked up for me. I wanted to use the daggers but the card that came out was 5 Cups - which has the keyword 'Disappointment' lol - so I took some cards out with the daggers on and tried with those - the first shuffle I got a daggers down which means no. My hubby forgot to get my something for the house and I was disappointed lol. I've just spent Easter away with this deck, a whole week - its been giving me some lovely readings, very honest and clear - I wasn't sure about this deck at first because its so busy but its a good practical deck and not hard to read with. :)

closrapexa	18 Apr 2004
Does anyone know where I can get it in Israel?

lunakasha	18 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by closrapexa Does anyone know where I can get it in Israel? There is one available for trade here: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25062 :) Luna

JosephMartin	25 May 2004
Hello Friends: Just got back and wanted to mention that I've posted over 140 new photos from the various fairs I've been traveling to over the past 6 months or so. It's a work in progress so I will have some corrections etc but I'm giving this new area a try to see what kind of response I get. If positive I plan to make a regular part of the website. Take a look... the link is on the main page once you enter the site... look for the picture of me with Lon DuQuette. yours in the cards, Joseph

Cerulean	28 May 2004
also to the Crystal Cave. LATs looks like fun and I hope to celebrate it with my sis later this year. Take care, Cerulean Mari

prk001	30 May 2004
Hi All, We are discussing the meanings or thoughts and feelings that pop up when you look at the individual cards in this deck. This discussion is going on at the General forum under the study groups. Everyone are welcome to post their views and the meanings that resonates with them for each of the cards in this deck. This will help us all in learning more about tarot and this deck in particular. RK

lunakasha	30 May 2004
Thanks prk001!!! I just went to the General Study forum and noticed your thread summarizing what has been covered so far with the Quest deck... nice work!!! :D I have recently acquired this deck and look forward to discussing it with you and others...it is very beautiful and the imagery really speaks to me... :D Luna

prk001	31 May 2004
Thank Luna. This is my favorite deck and I do most of my readings online & offline only with this deck. No other deck has attracted me as much as this did & still does. Its a great deck & its great to have nice people like you to share and discuss about this deck. I am looking forward to your discussions about this deck. RK

sunflowr	01 Jun 2004
lunakasha.. hey! :) This is a deck I like working with too! :)

prk001	01 Jun 2004
sunflowr, long time, no see @ the Quest study group. hope everything is fine... maybe too busy with so many decks to study... :D looking forward to hearing your great views on the cards of this deck in the discussion group. :) RK

lunakasha	01 Jun 2004
Quote: Originally posted by sunflowr lunakasha.. hey! :) This is a deck I like working with too! :) HEY sunflowr!!! :D Yes....the Quest is a very recent addition for me....and I am really enjoying it!!! The first reading I did was AMAZING....these cards were very easy for me to connect with even the first time! Now....when am I going to see you again at the OTHER study group, hmmmm???? :D})hehehe :) Luna

sunflowr	01 Jun 2004
hehe! ;D I've been so busy these last several days. Also those cards are creeping me out! ;p Too many negative/weird cards.. giving me paranoia. I needed to put them down for a few days. Ooops, wrong thread. I'll see ya at the other one. ;)

JosephMartin	15 Jun 2004
I've just come back from LA doing the Ventura and Santa Barbara Wisdom Festival. It was so beautiful down there and I really enjoyed my time with the many people that came to the event(s). If you go to my website you can click on the photo area as I have posted over 140 photos from Fairs over the past year. In about two weeks I'll have the new photos posted and you can see a bit of Ventura / Santa Barbara for yourself. Many people snatched up the Quest Tarot... and of course, I gave them some great free stuff to help them with learning the deck. I'll come back to the boards in a few days to share more about the events. yours in the cards, Joseph

Sillanza	22 Jun 2004
I just ordered the Quest deck/book set today. This is the only deck that has "found" me. I was aimlessly looking at the study group subjects, thought, "Quest -- what's that," had a look at the cards -- and that's all she wrote. Never have I had such a stong reaction to a deck before! Now, I must resume my pacing by the mailbox ...

tao51	22 Jun 2004
It shows tremenduous effort. I hope this exquisite deck helps more find their way to the Tarot cards. --Tao

Neville Surrell	28 Oct 2004
I was lucky enough to obtain the Quest Deck and its corresponding Compass Guide a little earlier this year. The ammount of work that went into producing the Deck is evident throughout the work. I did draw parralels between this and the Haindle Deck most notably in the titles on the cards themselves. I have found the mediumistic approach of the Ouiga very fresh and interesting though sadly in my case not very fruitful. Overall though a stunning and vivid Deck with almost limitless possibilities. It is by far the most involved deck I personally have ever come accross and well worthy of the credit and adulation it has recieved and continues to recieve. All the best Neville

Scion	15 Nov 2004
Love the Quest. Actually, I fell in love with it slowly over the course of the summer. It WAS a little overwhelming at first, it was readable right out of the box and continues to grow more accessible, Though this deck isn't my primary reading deck, it does have a way of climbing into my hands when it wants to be read. For some reason I find it really useful for professional/career questions... that true of anyone else?

Etteilla	15 Nov 2004
[quote=JosephMartin]I'll be doing a workshop called "Secrets, Symbols and Spreads" on Saturday April 26th in Fresno, California at "The Brass Unicorn". If you are interested in a Tarot workshop email me with the topics you would like to see presented. We are creating a number of workshop and presentations for this year and truly welcome any suggestions you may have. Will you be holding any workshops in the Bay Area-SF, Oakland, or Marin anytime soon?

The The Quest Tarot - Now in 2nd Printing thread was originally posted on 29 Jan 2003 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.