Mage Tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 15 Jun 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

KMagefyre	15 Jun 2003
Hey guys, thought I'd start a thread on the "bad boy" of the tarot decks... the Mage: The Ascension deck that White Wolf put out. I think that people don't give this deck enough credit; the biggest reason is that most people have never played Mage or any other World of Darkness games. The deck combines imagery from both the original Rider-Waite and the series of games in the World of Darkness universe. It's really interesting to see how the images are combined. The best card I've seen has to be the Death card. It differs from the original card greatly, but alot of the imagery remains, if a bit skewed (and definitely darker). In the original card, a black flag with a white rose was prominent. This incarnation retains the banner, but now it is a curtain, and the rose is red. Also in the original card, the sun could be seen rising in the distance, whereas in this one, only a violent storm can be seen, reflecting the uncertainty of the future in the World of Darkness. This card is also representative of the Vampire series, if it wasn't totally obvious by the pale, tortured creatures in the forefront. The card retains it's meaning of change and transformation, but twisted, like the Embrace one goes through to become a Kindred. It might not be the best deck for a reading, but it is an excellent piece of art and creativity. I would love to hear some other interpretations of the deck, so please respond! ~Chris

Shade	16 Jun 2003
Mage The Ascension is one of my favorite tarot decks and I feel that the Fradella deck has a similar (if more upbeat) feel. The deck had some very insightful cards and its 2 of wands is my favorite version of may favorite card in any deck. The darker feel didn't always hinder the cards but there were some that were a challenge. The page of cups being a corrupted womb image bothered me. I didn't like the fact that the book that accompanies the deck claims that it should not be used for fortune telling and was only intended for in-game purposes. I haven't played any of the white wolf games but I still use the deck. I thought it was a little random that the Mage Tarot was used as the tarot on the tv show Felicity. When Felicity's roomate turns ut to be a witch the scenes were broken up by images fro the deck and a title for the next scene.

Umbrae	16 Jun 2003
I rather like the deck, I like the art, and I like the feel. I have not yet had the chance to use it in readings...but soon...

Jewel	16 Jun 2003
I am so glad to hear this deck discussed. Although I do not play RPGs, I am an avid reader of the White Wolf fantasy novels (particularly those related to Vampire). Personally I really like this deck a lot. I have not had the time to do an indepth study of it, which I really want to because the imagery is great. I think that it is incredibly helpful to be familiar to have insight into the Wold of Darkness, as the deck is trully rendered with that concept and the execution is superb IMHO. The characters (vampires, mages, werewolves, etc) in the World of Darkness embody very deep traits that play into the meanings of the cards. Understanding what those beings represent aid in fuller interpretation of the meaning of the cards. In addition the suits are based on Mage Traditions and knowing what these are will also give you insight into the symbolism of each suit. I actually use the Mage players guide as an assist in understanding the deck, and would recommend that to others that seriously want to explore its potential. For those who have trouble with certain cards as only being positive, this is a great deck to contrast your deck with to see the other side of the coin.

Shade	16 Jun 2003
I think that with any theme deck you get some cards that are absoultely amazing and help you see a new side to the card you haven't encountered before and then there are some cards that make you think "Hmm they put a boat on te 6 of swords... how novel." I really liked the suits being named Questing (wands), Primordialism (cups), Dynamism (swords), and Pattern (pentacles/discs), I thought taht helped me to understand the elemental system a little bit better at the time. Of he "dark" decks I felt that this is the one of the few That works for reading for others, I've used it that way many times. There is a balance between the macabre and the upbeat rather than an entirely terrifying deck like the Giger or Lovecraft.

The Mage Tarot thread was originally posted on 15 Jun 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.