william blake tarot of the creative imagination

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 03 Jun 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Ruby7	03 Jun 2003
I saw Ed Buryn's " William Blake Tarot of the Creative Imagination" on E-Bay for $69.95 U.S. and advertised as very rare. This deck is available from Ed Buryn himself (signed) for $39.95 U.S. I ordered one a couple of months ago at www.abebooks.com (which forwards the order to Ed) I received it within a week of ordering and I live in Canada. Ruby7

Rusty Neon	03 Jun 2003
hi ruby ... I just searched on abebooks.com and it seems that the only books that Ed Buryn now has listed on abe are the William Blake Tarot Triumphs for $19.95 U.S. and the Genetti's Wheel of Change tarot.

darwinia	04 Jun 2003
Another example of how the gullible can be sucked in at eBay. I too live in Canada and bought this directly from Ed. Did you get stiffed at the border for GST and the "Administrative Fee" Ruby? I did, but it was worth it as the William Blake is an incredible deck. I notice a lot of decks advertised as "rare" at eBay can be ordered or purchased at a local bookstore. They are regular US Games, Lo Scarabeo, and Llewellyn publications that are still in print and are not rare at all. I am continually amazed at the number of poor souls who fall for this and spend way more than the retail price. It's a good idea to check a deck that's up for sale at eBay with an online bookstore Amazon.com to see if it's in print and what the retail price is before you bid.

Khatruman	04 Jun 2003
I hope that you are enjoying the deck, and I am glad to see you pointing out that the deck is still available from Mr. Burynn himself. It is a wonderful deck, the deck that brought be back to tarot. It is a wonderful deck for stimulating the creative spirit. I think there are still a few of us here who have enough interest in the Blake deck that we would love to start a study group. Well, we will see how it goes. In the meantime, enjoy the deck.

Ruby7	04 Jun 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Rusty Neon hi ruby ... I just searched on abebooks.com and it seems that the only books that Ed Buryn now has listed on abe are the William Blake Tarot Triumphs for $19.95 U.S. and the Genetti's Wheel of Change tarot. Hi Rusty, that's weird, because I checked the website again just before I posted last night. I did a search and the William Blake Tarot of the Creative imagination was still available for $39.95 U.S. I hope it wasn't the last one!! I'm going to check right now. I just checked abebooks and a store named Book Beat has the deck listed for $115.00 U.S. but you are right, Ed Buryns does not have it listed at the moment. You could try contacting Ed Buryns (he was very quick to respond by e-mail when I contacted him with a question about the deck before I bought it) Ed Buryn Books P.O. Box 720 Nevada City, C.A. 95959 Phone: 530-265-8646 Fax: 530-265-8646 e-mail: edburynbooks@sbcglobal.net Good luck! Hopefully he still has sets and for some reason they are just not listed. Let me know, Ruby7

Ruby7	04 Jun 2003
Yes Freesiaskye, I did have to pay an extra $10.00 when I went to pick up the deck at the post office. It is the most I have ever paid for a deck. Khatruman, I haven't had the time to explore this deck yet. I'm preparing for an exam and my mind has to be focused on that. After my exam (end of June) I will be delving into this deck (looking forward to that) and a study group sounds great!! Ruby7

Melvis	04 Jun 2003
Hi, all! When I search on AbeBooks there are two sets of the Blake Tarot Triumphs, one for $19.95 and one for $39.95. The one for $39.95 is called a "Limited Edition" because I think it has a silk cloth with it, etc. But both of them are for the Triumphs only -- 22 cards plus 2 extra cards. :( Being the Tarotholic that I am, of course I want this deck badly now that it's so hard to find. Oh well. I guess I'll have to live vicariously through you guys if you get a study group going like Khatruman suggests! ;) Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

falconwing	04 Jun 2003
Weird...I just ordered the whole deck for $ 39 some hours ago via Abebooks.com. Until now I havn't received any information that the deck is not available, but got a confirmation of the Trade from Burynns Book Store....hm...maybe I got the last one, but somehow I can't imagine... Good luck anyhow! I am really excited about this deck! Falconwing

Melvis	11 Jun 2003
I emailed the artist about not being able to see a listing for the whole deck on AbeBooks and he emailed back that he fixed it so it should be up there now. Then he added that I could buy it from him directly using PayPal. Needless to say, I now have the deck in my hot little hands! :D Yay! It is soooo cool! I just love it! I didn't know much about Blake before, and that's another reason I love the tarot. It introduces my to literature and philosophy using a system that I already know very well! Sooo...whenever you are ready to start a Study Group, Khat, I'll be in it too! Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

Khatruman	11 Jun 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Melvis Sooo...whenever you are ready to start a Study Group, Khat, I'll be in it too! Woo hooo..study group.. study group. Mr. Buryn seems to be a very gentlemanly fellow and I am glad to hear that you have gotten the deck. As far as a study group, I am a little fuzzy on what's involved in starting one. I know that you can start one in the general forum of the Study Group section, and from what I believe, if it takes off well, it may become its own forum in that section, as I see the Fey Tarot has become. Quite frankly, it may have to wait until summer for me to become a major force in beginning the study group. My plate is still quite full with school and personal matters at the present time. But please know that my interest is there.

Melvis	11 Jun 2003
I think you're right about waiting for a while before starting it. I believe Ruby7 was also busy through June with studies. So maybe July? Until then we can exert our considerable Tarotholic powers and persuade others to buy this deck. "The nice hobbitssess must get the preciousss Blake deckssess! They mussssst!!!" Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

Ruby7	11 Jun 2003
woo hoo, this is exciting!! Summer is perfect for me. I have done a couple of small readings with the deck and felt very connected with it. I have had to restrain myself from spending any more time with it (due to previously mentioned BIG exam). July is perfect timing. Glad that you got the deck Melvis, I didn't know much about William Blake before, I had read a part of a poem that I loved and that led me to the deck. Ruby7

Melvis	11 Jun 2003
I've added a page to my website for the William Blake Tarot where I put up the diagram that Ed Buryn includes with the deck if you order directly from him. This diagram shows all the cards and how they relate to each other. It's very helpful. I also put up a link to an article on Tarot Garden taken from a paper presented by Mr. Buryn at a Melbourne Tarot conference several years ago. Another useful resource for this deck! Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

Ruby7	11 Jun 2003
First I was mad then I had to laugh at the stupidity of this!!!!!! I was on E-Bay a few minutes ago and again saw the William Blake Tarot of the Creative Imagination being advertised as rare with the bid starting at $89.95 U.S. ,( more than double the going price )you can buy this deck from the author Ed Buryn for $39.95 U.S. and have the deck signed by him. The person falsely advertising this deck has the audacity ( and stupidity) to advertise it as rare and then list 15---yes that's right---FIFTEEN other "rare" William Blake decks in a row!!!! Please people be very careful about buying decks on E-Bay, Ruby7

falconwing	12 Jun 2003
...it's so exciting reading all of your comments on the deck...mine is on its' way but at the moment international shipping takes sooo damn long!!! *aarrgghh Needless to say I am glad you guys are waiting with the start of the studygroup..it's always kind of frustrating to jump in later ;) FW

Brammetje	29 Jun 2003
so where is the study group!!!!! I will have my William Blake early next week I think ! I have always felt a deep connection with the work and poetry of William Blake. - Bram http://www.geocities.com/bramschakenbos

Khatruman	30 Jun 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Brammetje so where is the study group!!!!! I will have my William Blake early next week I think ! Great to hear that your deck is on the way. Well, I am not sure yet where the study group is. I guess some industrious soul needs to take on the task of getting it started. Let us know when it arrives. I am really looking forward to concentrating on this deck. Peace!

Melvis	30 Jun 2003
Well, I'm working my way through the book and making some notes, but I wouldn't count on me to lead a Study Group. Unfortunately, I'm hopeless when it comes to follow through. :rolleyes: I'll be gone this week, but I'm hoping to finish up with the book the following week. Maybe we could start easy with a "Favorite Card" thread or something, so everyone has a chance to actually get their decks and look them over a bit before we get into any heavier stuff? So that's my thoughts. Whatever you decide over the next week and a half is fine with me, that is, if you guys decide to go ahead with something before then. I'll just catch up when I get back. Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

Ruby7	01 Jul 2003
I have started reading the book also. It seems that we all want the study group to happen but are all reluctant or unsure about starting it. I am probably the least experienced in this area, but I do want the study group to happen. So I propose that we all take a week or two to read the book and take it from there. We could start with favourite cards (as Melvis suggested) before we get into more complicated matters. More ideas about ways to study will come out as we read the book (hopefully). Anyway let's have fun with this, Ruby7

Khatruman	01 Jul 2003
All these suggestions sound great. Might be better if we all begin un-ambitiously, and suprise ourselves, rather than setting up something that many of us do not have the time for. So, we read for a week or two, then we start by impressions of favorite cards, and see where the discussion leads. How's that? PS: Ohh, and I must put a plug in for cjtarot. I asked her to make me a tarot bag for the deck and the book, and she made me this beautiful bag with a pouch inside for the deck and where the book fits perfectly. Look her up and I know she has the pattern to do this, and at a wonderful price!

Ruby7	01 Jul 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Khatruman All these suggestions sound great. Might be better if we all begin un-ambitiously, and suprise ourselves, rather than setting up something that many of us do not have the time for. So, we read for a week or two, then we start by impressions of favorite cards, and see where the discussion leads. Sounds good Khatruman. I like the idea of beginning un-ambitiously and hopefully surprising ourselves. Ruby7

Brammetje	02 Jul 2003
Great - it seems that we all have just started to read or buy the deck..... I haven't got it yet but I expect it to be here in a week..... I will be happy to participate in that ''un-ambitiously'' dicussion you guys and gals are referring to and take it from there..... Love, Brammie

Brammetje	08 Jul 2003
hm?

Melvis	16 Jul 2003
Hi, all! I started a thread on Your Favorite Triumph card in the Study Groups section. I finished that part of the book and I got antsy to discuss! :D I also found this link to an Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia of some of Blake's works. Included are the "Book of Job" illustrations, from which the deck's Triumphs' borders are taken. When you get to the site, click on the illustration in the middle of the page, then click on "View Works of Art" on the left-side menu. I also found this page of links on William Blake materials on the internet. I haven't looked at all of them...I got as far as the Gallery Exhibition and that's kept me busy for a while! ;) I hope everyone has their copy by now and is enjoying them as much as I am! See you in the Study Group! :) (By the way, I don't mean to take charge or anything. Actually, I don't want to take charge...as I said before, follow-through is not my strong suit. But I thought I'd get a thread started, then I figured if anyone else comes up with a discussion topic, they can start another thread in the Study Group area. Would that work out alright?) Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

Ruby7	16 Jul 2003
So happy that you have started this Melvis. I have been lazy and this is giving me somewhere to start. Thanks, Ruby7

SongDeva	20 Aug 2003
I just purchased the deck on eBay (ironic, considering the start of this forum). I'm now thinking based on the picture that I may have purchased the Triumphs deck, I'm just not sure. Would anyone be willing to look at the picture on eBay? It's item #2945802934 at ebay.com (if you throw the number in a search field it should come up). Thanks in advance! Lara

Gerbear	20 Aug 2003
VioletLotus, you got it correct, this is the William Blake deck, consisting of 79 cards. The William Blake Tarot Triumphs is a majors only deck with no box and much larger cards.

SongDeva	20 Aug 2003
I was so excited to see others interested, and a possible study group starting, then started to wonder if I had the right deck. I've been interested in this one from afar for years. I actually heard back from Ed Buryn today too on this question! lol He confirmed that it was the 80 card deck, and congratulated me on getting such a good price! It was meant to be: There were two on eBay today, with two different sellers. One was already up to $50, or a little over. I found this one still at $9.99. I watched it for the last hour, and the bidding started to rise with about 3 minutes to go. So at about 54 seconds, I entered a max bid of like $26, and got the deck and book set for $25.39. Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm a singer so I'd thought to use this deck for myself and music and other arts. What drew you other fans to it?

Ruby7	20 Aug 2003
Congratulations on your win Violetlotus!! I saw the decks on e-bay and was hoping that someone at Aeclectic was bidding. Hope you enjoy it. Ruby7

SongDeva	20 Aug 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Ruby7 Congratulations on your win Violetlotus!! I saw the decks on e-bay and was hoping that someone at Aeclectic was bidding. Hope you enjoy it. Ruby7 Thanks so much Ruby7. :)) I can't wait. Maybe we should call it a discussion group,if that's less intimidating to those who are afraid to commit. hehehehe :))

SongDeva	28 Aug 2003
My copy arrived yesterday. It's in gorgeous condition, book and cards. The box shows some wear and tear, and I think a smoker owned it, so it needs some fresh air (very subtle scent, maybe only I could pick this up. ;) ) I looked through it all on my deck under the trees on a beautiful day yesterday. It seems to touch a certain part of my soul. It's flirtatious. Does that particular comment make sense to anyone?

bighairymonster	02 Sep 2003
I got my deck for US$50 from Ed, inclusive of shipping to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, he forgot to sign the book... ^-^

Ruby7	02 Sep 2003
Hey congratulations Bighairymonster---too bad about the not signing part. What do you think of the deck so far? Ruby7

Rusty Neon	06 Feb 2005
My _William Blake Tarot of the Creative Imagination_ arrived in this week's mail from Ed Buryn via my order through abebooks.com. I'm happy with the deck and book, although I've only perused the book here and there so far. The book seems quite detailed as to Blake's cosmology and worldviews. While the Blake deck's keywords are quite close to RWS/Thoth keywords thereby facilitating use, nonetheless the changed imagery does require study. Luckily the book seems comprehensive enough to get quite a bit out of the deck. This is good because the deck and the Blakean cosmology / worldviews outlined in the book are interesting but I don't have the time or energy to become an expert on Blakean studies. :) It definitely looks like Buryn put a lot of energy and time into the deck's development. My only gripe so far is that Ed stuck the deck/book set box into one of those plastic-coated U.S. Postal Service envelopes without any protective packaging materials. One end of the box got crushed. :( Fortunately, the other end wasn't crushed, so if I stick put the box together the other way, I won't see the crushed end when the set is laying on my bookshelf.

Ruby7	07 Feb 2005
Hi Rusty, My box arrived quite crushed also to the point that it wont stay closed properly. I don't think I would ever trade or sell this deck (it's a keeper) but it still bothered me at first. After I bent the cover of the book by mistake it didn't seem so important after all :). Hope you enjoy it. Maybe we can start the study group that never really got started after all! Ruby7

Rusty Neon	07 Feb 2005
Ruby7 wrote: My box arrived quite crushed also to the point that it wont stay closed properly. I don't think I would ever trade or sell this deck (it's a keeper) but it still bothered me at first. After I bent the cover of the book by mistake it didn't seem so important after all :). Ruby7, Sadly it can be said that Ed Buryn is at least consistent in packaging. :( Quote: Hope you enjoy it. Maybe we can start the study group that never really got started after all! We'll see where my time and enthusiasm takes me. :)

Calliope	09 Feb 2005
I forget how he packaged mine... Luckily, it came undamaged. I'd have been tempted to send it back (I'm anal in that respect :) ). Speaking of the Blake Tarot, I need to did that puppy out of my cabinet and let it breathe.

Waterdancer	11 Feb 2005
I just got my deck from Ed and it was nicely protected in bubble wrap.

Rusty Neon	11 Feb 2005
Waterdancer wrote: I just got my deck from Ed and it was nicely protected in bubble wrap. Lucky! :)

Rusty Neon	13 Feb 2005
It's nuts on eBay. An auction that closed yesterday (Feb. 11) for a sealed William Blake Tarot of the Creative Imagination deck/book set saw a winning bid of $120.00 USD. I presume that the bidders in the bidding war didn't know they could get it for appreciably less through Ed Buryn for 39 bucks. :)

Calliope	13 Feb 2005
Rusty Neon wrote: It's nuts on eBay. An auction that closed yesterday (Feb. 11) for a sealed William Blake Tarot of the Creative Imagination deck/book set saw a winning bid of $120.00 USD. I presume that the bidders in the bidding war didn't know they could get it for appreciably less through Ed Buryn for 39 bucks. :) Damn. That's really tempting, ain't it? ;)

The william blake tarot of the creative imagination thread was originally posted on 03 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.