roots of asia!

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 25 Feb 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

temperlyne	25 Feb 2003
I finally recieved a copy of the tarot roots of asia deck. It took a few months to be delivered but is was very much worth the wait. I just can't stop browsing through the cards. They are SO pretty. It is hard to describe but somehow the cards feel friendly and familiar, as if I'm reunited with an old friend. I can recomment this deck to anyone, if you love colors and symbols and dreamlike art you will love this deck. I know I did!

jema	25 Feb 2003
hello temperlyne i agree with you and infact have had something of a "roots-of-asia-campaign" in my LiveJournal for the last few weeks or so. (and i do believe it is paying off since jenny-li just ordered it) i have used it in my daily draw for some time now and i am very happy with the result. a good "daily-deck" should speak to your imagination and have enough details that will set off questions that you can relate to your own life, at least that is how i do it) and the roots of asia has a lot of energy! yet it is a calm deck. balanced. it is a new favorite! the LWB is more then a little vague though. for some of the cards it is totally useless. but i do like the spiritual messages in the LWB so i do keep it handy. my fav cards: 6 of swords and death to just mention two. it is really difficult to pick out just a few though.

temperlyne	25 Feb 2003
I really really love the moon, it is so very simple yet so effective. The feeling is just right. I have to say that I love the majors, the cups and the swords, but like the wands and the pentacles a bit less. They seem more messy, wild and less pure. I find this a very easy deck to read with but I occasionally have problems with defining the meaning of all the elephants in the pentacles suit. I'm sure it is just a matter of getting used to. This deck is as close as I ever got to finding the PERFECT DECK!

Astraea	01 Mar 2003
I got this deck a few months ago and was disappointed to find that the cards were very poorly reproduced -- the printing registration is bad and the images are so blurry on some of the cards that my eyes can't even focus on them. It's not due to the complexity of the pictures, but the actual photographic process used to manufacture the cards. I'm so bummed, because this is one of the most beautiful decks I've ever seen. I don't think it could be a problem with just this one copy, because the whole print run would have been affected by a registration problem. Is anyone else bugged by this?

wavebreaker	01 Mar 2003
Astraea: have you tried contacting the publisher? I've had problems with two decks in the past, from different publishers (blurred cards in my Robin Wood deck and missing cards from my Tarot Nova) and in both cases the publisher immediately sent me new copies of the blurred/missing cards. So it's definitely worth a try!

Astraea	01 Mar 2003
I did not contact the publisher because it's AG Mueller (sp?) in Switzerland -- do you think they would send me a new deck all the way from there? There are only a few cards that aren't blurry, the whole deck except for the Star is a mess. Edited to say that I found an e-mail address for the US distributor and have written to them. Thank you for your suggestion.

firemaiden	01 Mar 2003
Hi, my copy is not blurry at all. I think they would send you a new copy. It is a long way to walk, but it is a short plane ride. (I mean, compared to walking). I love this deck, my favorite cards are the two of cups, the Moon and the Stars.

Cerulean	01 Mar 2003
I do sympathize with the recipient of the blurred deck or in asking about missing cards. My best luck was to go to a small storefront and sometimes make certain they have more than one deck so I can get a replacement right away. Roots of Asia might take longer, as it doesn't seem to be distributed on a large scale. A few attempts that I've had with publishers to replace missing or defective cards--nice initial response. Mostly, I've been helped quickly. Unfortunately in two cases, one just couldn't do anything about the defect and in the other case, the contact just never was able to help despite a few requests. The defect was actually the puzzle piece that I noted in the Tarot Puzzle by Buffalo Games. In terms of the Roots of Asia, I noticed many AGMueller decks have this great meditational feel and work best when I want to be in peaceable, reflective ideas. Have you felt this is specific only to your Roots of Asia deck? Is there a personal experience or reflection that you would care to share? I took Roots of Asia on an Xmas visit and during the share time, I thought that this would be the 'most requested' for readings. But my art friends thought of it as a good theme deck, lovely ideas and was more curious about the Fey. I use it sometimes and wonder if it's kind of like the Hudes---it takes time and space to work through. Kind of like a nice aunt or uncle that you like for comfort or an Asian deck whose flavor soothes you when you want curry and tea.... I think it reminded me of the Buddhist temple that one of my cousins got married in... Mari H.

jema	01 Mar 2003
i find my roots of asia very nice to work with. but of course you have to give it the time. the cards need to sink in a minute or two. i have used it both in short readings for others and for myself and for daily draws for some time now. i notice that maybe three cards are a bit blurred but while that drove me nuts with the vision quest i am not bothered at all with this deck - for some strange reason. i haven't used it for meditation yet. i prefer to meditate while using more traditional decks (golden down, rider-waite, thoth) but i do like to leave the daily card leaning against my computer monitor and i do try to write a bit about the cards each day, sometimes in my on-line journal, sometimes in my paper journal. the process of contemplating a card and writing about it is in a way meditative. esp since i always try to connect the card in some way to my own life and my current situation by making up questions for myself to answer during the day. the roots of asia has worked really way for all of these things.

RedWood	01 Mar 2003
This deck is definately on my wish list...So far i seem to click with asia decks. I love the colors and just the feeling of it all. Someday..it will come my way.

Astraea	01 Mar 2003
Firemaiden, if your deck is not blurry at all then I really need to get another one. I was on a waiting list and it took about six months to obtain the deck, and then to find I couldn't even look at it without crossing my eyes...major disappointment! If I don't have success with the US distributor, I will contact the place I bought it from again and see if they will exchange decks; if not, I will contact AGMueller directly. Thank you very much for the feedback about your deck, especially since I wasn't sure if they were all that way. Mari_Hoshizaki, yes, I do find that AGMueller cards tend to be meditative and unusually beautiful. Roots of Asia is one of my all-time favorite decks, especially since it is wonderful for both meditation and reading. I thought it was going to be THE deck, but it drives me crazy not to be able to see the lovely images clearly. Jema, thank you for your feedback. Roots of Asia really is a wonderful reading deck and I will be interested to learn what you think of it for meditation, if you decide to meditate with it. To me, it is both subtle and direct -- an intriguing combination. I think I understand why you are not put off by the few blurred cards in your deck -- the images, themselves, are dreamlike and so a little "fuzziness" is acceptable, perhaps even helpful. My deck, on the other hand, is maddening in its blurriness, you can even see where the color separations are not matched up and only the Star is clear. Thank you all very much for this helpful input and suggestions. :)

Cerulean	01 Mar 2003
...what a funny, intricate message from the 'writing muse.' The Star is what you hope for, guidance and inspiration until things become more evident, more visible and physically available. "The story of my winter," she writes, "is that after a six-month wait for an art deck, it arrives. And then, every picture in it makes my eyes cross, except for one. "Which one?" Her friends all ask, "which one is clear to you?" "Why only the Star," was the answer. And that was all she wrote for many a day, until... Anyway, here's wishing upon your clear Star...maybe you can use the blurred cards for color guides or collage art once your real deck arrives. Best wishes, Mari_Hoshizaki

Astraea	01 Mar 2003
Mari_Hoshizaki, that is funny! Thanks for your good wishes about getting a new deck, you are very kind. :)

The roots of asia! thread was originally posted on 25 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.