questions and raves about the Fey !!!!

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 22 Feb 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

faunabay	22 Feb 2003
I've began a new thread about the Fey because I wanted to talk about specific cards and questions! I waited to get this deck until truthsayer AND jewel both said they liked it and all I can say is WOW !!!!! I've also waited to give my opinion on it because I tend to get all excited with a new deck and alot of times it just wears off. :( But I'm very happy to say it's not happening that way with the Fey! It has become my favorite tarot deck! Anyway what are some of your favorite cards? And are there any ones you have trouble understanding? I have many favorites.....The Stars, Q of Swords, Knight and Q of Wands, The Empress, Justice - just to name a few! LOL And I love the way the 3 of Swords is depicted!!! Now I've got a couple of cards I have questions about. First of all just an art question. Has anyone else noticed that the Ace of Chalices looks as if it's been drawn with colored pencils while the rest of the deck is more saturated with color? It's slight but it's there. ???? And why is the fairy on the 8 of wands looking backward as if something's chasing her??? She almost looks fearful or at the very least watchful. And the book doesn't address this at all. It just has the normal 8 of wands meaning???? But I have to say there is NOT ONE card in this whole deck I don't like!! :) I think that's a first!! LOL Even in my favorite decks I usually have one or two cards I would change. That hasn't happened with the Fey though!!! Can you tell I like this deck? ROFL

Mimers	22 Feb 2003
Hi Funabay! You know I didn't have that wow feeling that everyone else had when I got my Fey. I loved the cards, but just could not seem to read with them. That has slowly but surely been changing and I am really starting to like this deck. I found that I had to stop looking for symbolism and start focusing on the feelings the fey were conveying. Once I did that it became much easier to read with them. Except for 2 cards. I just am not seeing what they are trying to portray. Temperance - where is the mixing and balancing here? Why the goldfish? The Devil - This devil looks like a brainless idiot. If I saw him coming my way, there would be no hesitation. I would run. The Devil is supposed to be smart and coniving, not physically destructive. He sneaks up and weaves his spell on you. He is subtle. This Devil is not. My favorites I don't think I could name them all, but my utmost favorite is the Lovers. It was seeing this card on line that made me want this deck so bad. This is my favorite Lovers card from any deck I own or have seen on line. Mara Aghem actually made me fall in love with that big rock monster. How she and Riccardo depicted the opposites here and the expressions of love on their face, even their positioning. Perfect. Just beautifully done. My other favorites are The Hanged Man, Death, 3 of Wands!!!!(my second favorite), and the Knave of Wands. I am really appreciating this deck more and more each time I use it. If anyone would like to start a thread discussing the different cards, I am all for it. Mimers

Hedera	23 Feb 2003
Yes, great idea Faunabay, let's all keep raving about this beautiful deck! :D Quote: First of all just an art question. Has anyone else noticed that the Ace of Chalices looks as if it's been drawn with colored pencils while the rest of the deck is more saturated with color? It's slight but it's there. ???? Yes, I noticed that too. According to the book, that was the first card she drew - so maybe it has something to do with being more tentative at the beginning of a project? It sort of enhanced the meaning of the card for me, so I don't mind. Quote: And why is the fairy on the 8 of wands looking backward as if something's chasing her??? She almost looks fearful or at the very least watchful. I think she is looking at the branch she is about to grab with her right hand, to make sure she doesn;t fall. She doesn't look fearful to me, just happy and out of breath, the way a child looks in the middle of a very frantic game. Mimers: Quote: Temperance - where is the mixing and balancing here? Why the goldfish? I think the goldfish are there to represent the mixing of the elements: air & water, and because of their colour maybe even fire. I'm still getting used to this card, too. I like it a lot, and I think the feeling it evokes for me is very temperance-ish, but temperance has always been one of those cards I have trouble 'getting'. You could sort of think of it a mixing elements, she is actually mixing herself, too, with the water, and sniffing up the fragrant smoke. Quote: The Devil - This devil looks like a brainless idiot. If I saw him coming my way, there would be no hesitation. I would run. The Devil is supposed to be smart and coniving, not physically destructive. He sneaks up and weaves his spell on you. He is subtle. This Devil is not. To me, he looks greedy, and hungry, trying to feed the fire that consumes him. If he would just stop and breathe for a while, the fire might calm down, but he has become too focused on eating that he doesn't think of that. There have been a few times in my life when I have had a period of eating 'binges' (since then I've mostly replaced them with healthier binges, like buying tarot deck, or books...;)), and the card portrays quite accurately how I felt in the middle of it. You're trying to convince yourself that you are enjoying what you are doing, but you don't at all, it is just a matter of trying to silence something, or to fill something. I think this Devil is about excess, and addiction, and being unable to stop what you are doing, even if it is clear it is not doing you any good. Hedera.

Hedera	23 Feb 2003
I completely forgot to mention my favourites. Erm... how long can a post be? ;) First of all, I've already mentioned in another thread that i think the 3 of swords is the most beautiful and essential and 'right' 3 of swords of all the decks I know. I love Death, too, mainly because her face reminds me of one of my favourite characters in literature: Death in the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. And then I read in the book that she had actually been an inspiration for this card! She looks quite different, physically, but her expression and 'feel' is very much the same. I love all the court cards, they're very distinctive. That poor King of Swords - he looks so sad and cold, and quite fragile inside that horrible, heavy, clumsy armour of his! Makes me just wanna peel him out of it and give him a great big hug! And that wonderful Queen of Wands, happy and mischievous and full of growing things! I've been thinking about getting a 2nd tattoo, a string of ivy wrapped around my left arm, and I think seeing her has made me decide to go through with it! Judgement, another one of those 'not quite get it' cards usually, is great here, too! I think the only card I have a teeny, tiny, very slight problemette with, is the Seer. I like the picture a lot, i'ts just that I feel that card should be more about intuitive, silent, unspoken and unwritten knowledge, not about things from books. I may try to make a slight adjustment when reading it, I don't know. And the 7 of Swords - once again, probably the best and most beautiful 7 of Swords I have ever seen! :) Hedera.

firemaiden	23 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Hedera I think the only card I have a teeny, tiny, very slight problemette with, is the Seer. I like the picture a lot, i'ts just that I feel that card should be more about intuitive, silent, unspoken and unwritten knowledge, not about things from books. I may try to make a slight adjustment when reading it, I don't know.:) Hedera. Well, the Seer is, after all, a fairy, so I guess the intuitive, silent, unspoken and unwritten part goes without saying...

Mimers	23 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Hedera To me, he looks greedy, and hungry, trying to feed the fire that consumes him. If he would just stop and breathe for a while, the fire might calm down, but he has become too focused on eating that he doesn't think of that. I think this Devil is about excess, and addiction, and being unable to stop what you are doing, even if it is clear it is not doing you any good. Hedera. Hedera, Thanks for that insight. You know, I never noticed he was on fire!?

firemaiden	23 Feb 2003
Yeah, I agree with Hedera, excess and addiction. The best thing about this card, is he is looking at you, with that guilt, you caught him in the act when you turned the card. He is not supposed to eat those trees, they belong to the virgin forest, and are strictly off-limits. He's been warned again and again, but he just can't help himself! They are soooooooo delicious. Now look, you've turned to his card, and caught him just in the middle of the juicyest bite! Poor guy! No wonder he's on fire!

lunalafey	23 Feb 2003
nice view of the gold fish, hedera. I'm also seeing it from the nature of goldfish, quite durable creatures, adapting to the conditions of the enviroment. 8 of Wands...I thought she seemed scared...perhaps in her speed she might miss the branch... This deck will be the first deck I will not use reversals because the deck has such positive approach....with the feeling like this I'm reminded of the negitive in everything. I did a polarity draw (9 fav and 9 unfav-not easy!lol)...top 5 favorites: wisest-world-hermit-Qsw-8cp

Maan	23 Feb 2003
I'm so happy that you like this deck too Faunabay Its just very very very good deck...and its about to kick the phantasmagoric deck from its number one spot on my favo deck list. Quote: Originally posted by faunabay Anyway what are some of your favorite cards? And are there any ones you have trouble understanding? Hmm my favorite cards I love judgement its just how i would have wanted here. Like a child and with empty eyes. I also really like the knight of wands. I usually see myself as the queen of wands but in this deck i'm deffinatly the knight of wands. Further more i like the stars, empress, two of wands....actually the whole deck LOL Quote: Originally posted by faunabay Now I've got a couple of cards I have questions about. First of all just an art question. Has anyone else noticed that the Ace of Chalices looks as if it's been drawn with colored pencils while the rest of the deck is more saturated with color? It's slight but it's there. ???? I see mixed art in this deck. Some watercoller i think but there are more cards done in colored pencil...look for example at the ten of chalices. Thats colored pencil too!

Hedera	23 Feb 2003
Hi Lunalafey, Quote: I did a polarity draw (9 fav and 9 unfav-not easy!lol)...top 5 favorites: wisest-world-hermit-Qsw-8cp This may be a really stupid question, but what is a polarity draw? How does it work, and what questions can it answer? Does it have 18 cards? If so, I can imagine it wasn't easy! :) Hedera.

RiccardoLS	24 Feb 2003
Hi, let's have a look at a few cards. :) By the way... my favourite cards are the Queen of Wands, the Lovers, The Queen and King of Swords, Justice, 8 of Chalices... I suppose. And Ace of Wands, I was forgetting... :) Ace of Chalices Well, that card had been the first. While there had been other cards with the same technique, in the others Mara was able to blend them and adjust them to the overall style. In the Ace of Chalices she was just questing, to find out what she was about to do. (I love the 2 of chalices as well). 8 of wands There should not be any fear in the Fey. So I guess she is looking at her shoulder for her friends or for finding an hold. I shoould ask Mara, actually :) Temperance The idea behind the Temperance was to destroy the boundaries between elements. You should not be able to tell where water finish and begins air, where fire finish and begins air... and so on. The Goldfish swinning in the air is to saY. there is nothing like water and air. They are different... they are the same. Devil When approaching the Devil we faced a big problem. Is the Devil the will to bring evil? The conscious evil, corruption, temptation? We thought that would not have been "right" into the Fey world. So we tried to concentrate on the self destructive qualities of the Devil card, as opposed to the "destruction of others" elements. So the Devil became the lack of consciousness... aka the brainless idiot. But it is not the "enemy". It is inside ourselves... everytime we consume without thinking, we act without perception or spirit. Every time we know the right thing but we act for the wrong thing... Are we "evil"? I think not so... But in the Fey deck the Devil represent that part of our "journey". Seer I don't think the Seer is really learning. She is the custodian of knowledge... symbolized by the book. It is the stone dragon that's trying to get that knowledge... is trying to cheat, but without malice. :) [she knows of course]. Well... understading is a journey... a stair. The Seer knows, but anyway we always look for shortcuts :) Best, Ric

Lee	24 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by RiccardoLS So we tried to concentrate on the self destructive qualities of the Devil card, as opposed to the "destruction of others" elements. So the Devil became the lack of consciousness... aka the brainless idiot. But it is not the "enemy". It is inside ourselves... I think this is an excellent interpretation of the Devil, and actually applies to all decks, because the evil "destruction of others" actually arises from self-destructive qualities in ourselves. -- Lee :)

firemaiden	24 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by RiccardoLS Seer I don't think the Seer is really learning. She is the custodian of knowledge... symbolized by the book. It is the stone dragon that's trying to get that knowledge... is trying to cheat, but without malice. :) [she knows of course] . Well... understading is a journey... a stair. The Seer knows, but anyway we always look for shortcuts :) Thank you Riccardo. This is great. I noticed the dragon sneaking around, didn't think about the idea of cheating, going for shortcuts. Very vivid card, and without that dark, half-insane look of some High Priestess's -- good. Knowledge should bring light, after all.

RiccardoLS	24 Feb 2003
it was really different from the Fey Devil, but to me (I agree with Paula Gibby review and actually just noticed after sha said it) one of the best pictures of the Devil is the one in the Dante Tarot. It has been the first time I really understood the complex balance between torment and tormenting. I have always seen the Devil as a "dark side" card. I think what we tryed to say is that the "subtle", Mephistophele-like devil, once stripped of his mask is just the same old mindless brute. The card in Dante is so full of anguish and sheer pain... but that would have been totally inappropriate for the Fey world. And we looked on another direction. Riccardo

lunalafey	24 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Hedera but what is a polarity draw? How does it work, and what questions can it answer? go through your deck, dividing it into two piles...cards you like...cards you don't(this was the hard part with the Fey...other decks, easier) go through the piles again until you get down to your 9 favorite....and 9 least favorite. Now put them in order face-up from the one you like(or dislike) the most on top. Now turn the 2 piles face down....ask your question, an issue that is pressing at that moment...start with the dislike pile, these are your worst fears regrding the sitution, then give time for that to soak in, get intouch with your feelings...now start with the like'em pile. These are your greatests loves regarding the sitution....it's pretty freeform.

Hedera	24 Feb 2003
Lunalafey, Thank you, that sounds like a difficult, but very interesting spread. I'm definately going to try it when I have a difficult and interesting question. Riccardo, thanks for posting here, too - it's wonderful to hear it all straight from the source! Or half the source, anyway; it sounds like Mara was also very creative and active in interpreting the cards. You did give me a very useful perspective on the Fey Seer, thank you for that! It takes away the one little thing that was less than perfect about this deck. Custodian of knowledge, I like that! :) So now that I have a perfect deck: Does that mean I will stop buying and trading tarot decks? :D :D :D Guess we all know the answer to that one...... ;) Hedera.

Hedera	24 Feb 2003
Did you just hear something wizzz past? That was a flash of insight I had! I was looking at the Seer, and I suddenly realized she was about to look up, to ask (quite sternly): "Well? What knowledge do you have? What knowledge do you want to have? Think about it carefully, for with knowledge comes not only power, but also responsibility!" I get a sense that she is the keeper of really deep, possibly dangerous (and possibly very beneficial) wisdom. Now I really feel I 'get' her! :) Hedera.

faunabay	24 Feb 2003
I've had so much fun reading what everyone is saying here!! :) It's very interesting and informative to hear everyone's explanation of different cards. I didn't have any problems with the Devil or Seer but reading what everyone has said has just expanded the way I look at both!!! I really like the explanation of the Seer! And Riccardo, I'd be interested to hear what Mara has to say about the 8 of Wands. I can understand that it was probably meant to be the fairy looking at the branch, but it still has a apprehensive feel to it. (shrug) Which isn't bad, just different!!! I actually still like the card. :) Maan, I absolutely love the Knight of Wands too!!!! It's just got such a "go for it" "I'm having sooo much fun" feel to it!! LOL OK now for a question on another card. :D Can someone help me with the 10 of Swords? Anyone have any thoughts to pass on? :)

Mimers	24 Feb 2003
Riccardo, Thank you for sharing those insights with us. My daughter is also here with me and is pestering me to tell you that your deck 'rocks' and is the only one she will read with. "Rocks" is a nine year old's highest form of complement here in America. You should feel quite honered as she is a very particular little sprite. We have also taken the Fey cards at bedtime and actually made a story with them as we went through the pictures of each suit. So much fun. Thanks everyone for helping to clear up the Devil and Temperence for me. I really have grown very fond of this deck and am reading more and more with it. Chao! Mimi

RiccardoLS	26 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by faunabay Can someone help me with the 10 of Swords? Anyone have any thoughts to pass on? :) Mara hated to draw that card. In the end she finished it well after all the other swords were completed. We wanted to capture a feeling of disgregation, of losing control of oneself, of utter vulnerability... and yet to maintain the warrior, indomitable axpects of the swords. What do you see on the card? And why do you ask? :))) Riccardo p.s. Mara subscribed on the Forum. I don't know how often she will came here looking, but sooner or later she will.

faunabay	26 Feb 2003
Riccardo, I've actually been working with this card since I posted my question and I think I've come to a better understanding with it! :) I was getting a complete lack of hope with it! An almost "why try" feeling. And with the fairy falling to dust I felt an absolute hopelessness, but her face just looked surprised and frightened but not resigned or hopeless. And that seeming contradiction confused me. I realize I'm not explaining myself well, but what I really mean is I just didn't "get it" when I looked at the 10 of swords! With the other cards I "see" things and meanings quite easily but with this card I was getting a "HUH?" feeling!! :D Although after reading your explanation in the book again and studying the card, what you said about fairys not ever truely dying kind of clicked with me and the expression on her face became clear. Of course she's surprised and frightened because fairy's don't usually end up in this situation. And yes it is that bad right now, but some part of her will live on forever. The card still isn't completely clear to me, but I have a much better understanding of it now. Whether I understand what you and Mara meant it to be is another question all together though!!!! ROFL But also I do see and understand what you mean about the vulnerability and the warrior attitude. Almost a feeling of pushing and pushing, not giving up on something even when you should - and having everything fall to pieces becaused you tried to force it. hmmmmmm..... Maybe that's something I personally need to work on, since I was having trouble seeing it in this card???? :D LOL :D

The questions and raves about the Fey !!!! thread was originally posted on 22 Feb 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.