Buckland Gypsy Fortune Telling

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 02 Apr 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

wolfen045	02 Apr 2003
I have had this deck and the companion book, Secrets of Gypsy Fortune Telling for a while now, but i have never used it. I am intriged by it , but also intimidated! It is very different from all of my other tarot decks. Instead of the traditional major arcana designations and symbols, this deck uses pictures of Gypsy wagons and camp life. ( Sorry, I don't have a scanner to send pictures!) the court cards are like those of playing cards, being reveresable. I think they are called King, Queen, Knight and Princess. The pip cards are pretty much standard playing cards. The book talks about all kinds of Gyspy methods of fortune telling(dice, palm and tea leaf reading,etc.) The section on card reading is slim although it features a lot of spreads. I just wish Mr. Buckland had talked more about this deck. I would like to try using it, but I don't know enough about Gypsy Traditions to jump right in with it. I noticed that there are some other Buckland/ Rom related decks pictured on Aecletic one of which is on my wish list, but this particular deck doesn't seem to be listed. Do any of you have it?If so, have you used it? iAgain, if so, how do you like it? Also I was wondering : if any one who might know about Rom traditions, could give me some help? Thanks in advance and blessings on all, wolfen( sorry this is so dense to read and unparagraphed but I don't yet have a word processing program on my computer!)

Astraea	02 Apr 2003
OOPS, my apologies, Wolfen! Edited to say that I read your thread title too fast and didn't realize that you and I were talking about different decks -- I couldn't delete my reply without removing your entire thread (since this was the first post), so please disregard what follows and excuse me! --------------------------------------------------- Hi, wolfen! I understand your hesitation to "jump right in" with this unusual deck -- but one of the points that Buckland stresses in the book which accompanies his Romani Tarot deck is that we need to use our own intuitions about what the cards mean, regardless of how well they jibe with those belonging to other systems, including his own. So the book asks questions about each card, instead of delineating it in a hard-and-fast way, in order to encourage self-exploration. If you're used to RWS meanings and try to apply them to the Romani deck, I think it could get confusing -- there are many points of similarity, but significant differences, as well. I really admire this deck's "personality," warmth, bright colors, striking artwork (in some of the cards, at any rate), bold and original designs and concepts, size and cardstock. I haven't read for others with it yet, but personal daily draws have often been right "on the money," sometimes literally describing situations in my life. I seem to relate to this deck best when I am in a relaxed frame of mind, without any particular investment in whether or not I can read with it. You might try typing "Buckland Romani Tarot Deck" into the search window on this forum, as I know several people have the deck and there are probably threads or posts about it. If you feel drawn to this deck, don't let unfamiliarity with the traditions it describes deter you -- handle it, shuffle it, look at it a lot, let it speak to your feelings, and you might experience a level of bonding with it that you hadn't expected. :)

TarotDancer	03 Apr 2003
Hi - I use the Buckland sometimes for phone readings - you don't need to know anything about Romanies at all (like you don't need to know anything about mediaeval culture, unless you want to, with R-W) - just let your intuition guide you! I find the Magician (represented here as a woman wielding a knife!) often shows up when we're dealing with a woman scorned (or another type of irate woman - a Bobbitt job seems imminent!) - not the typical Magician meaning, but it works (I guess it's like the miserable Queen of Swords in R-W, who in Buckland is a beautiful woman bending over a sword). While I don't go along with the "never read a book, just let your intuition flow" idea (that's only okay if you're very, very intuitive or creative), sometimes we should take authors' ideas and laws about what the cards "mean" with a pinch of salt, use them for inspiration but ultimately rely on ourselves (after all, the cards are having an intimate talk with us when we use them, not the author!). Good luck, chill out and let the cards connect with you (unless you're not resonating with them, in which case they'll remain forever silent!).

Aerin	04 Apr 2003
I think I may have seen the Secrtes of Gypsy Fortune Telling deck on R Somerville? I was thinking of getting it for curiosity value rather than anything else. Aerin

TarotDancer	04 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Aerin I think I may have seen the Secrtes of Gypsy Fortune Telling deck on R Somerville? I was thinking of getting it for curiosity value rather than anything else. Aerin Be aware that there are several Gypsy Fortune Telling decks - some date from many years ago - Buckland is not the only one with a gypsy/Romany theme. Search for Buckland Romany and you should get the right one! It usually comes in a pack with a guidebook.

KelarSkye	04 Apr 2003
Wolfen...I know a tiny bit about Romany traditions and the like. But I would say that with the old gypsy fortune tellers, the cards had a more general meaning than a specific deck meaning. Fortune telling many times was something one didn't do with specific accoutrements, but with whatever was at hand. So a more general meaning to the cards and intuition was probably a larger influence than the specifics nuances of the deck. This might be why there is less guidance with this deck. I haven't seen the deck you are talking about, but I will try and hunt and search. I recently discovered I like Romany decks, even though I don't have one, and can't wait til I get the Buckland Romany. My great-grandmother has been noted as being 'gypsy', but as she was born in Wales it is hard to prove other than my dad's side of the family has some definite Romany coloring traits. Anyway :-) Hope you get in tune with the deck. Sounds like if you used it, it would be unique. Kelar

Alissa	04 Apr 2003
I have seen this very deck! Held it in my own two hands. And, I hated it. But I found the book enjoyable enough to give the once-over. Although done by the same person, this Gypsy Fortune Telling deck is NOT the Buckland Romany deck. This is a different deck, largely playing card-style pips and illustrated court cards and majors. It's also not listed, that I know of (?), on the images area of AT when I last checked.

wolfen045	04 Apr 2003
Alissa, I can understand why you hated this deck. It is not a tarot deck in any traditional in any sense of the term. It say it is a fortune telling deck. I see a difference there. Like many people on Aeclectic, I use my decks for meditation and spiritual growth, as much if not more than divination. this deck would not be useful for that. I would like to use it as it is meant for at least once or twice, but the pictures on the major arcana cards don't really seem to speak to me on any level**sigh**. Blessings, wolfen

The Buckland Gypsy Fortune Telling thread was originally posted on 02 Apr 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.