Tarot of Prague

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 28 Oct 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

lawguy51	28 Oct 2003
Just had the deck/book set delivered to my office. Oh...my...[insert deity here] ! Stunning. And this is coming from a confirmed Thoth user. Sure hope it becomes a reading deck for me. So, what we need is a poll. For those of you who own the deck, which Death card do you use? Lawguy51

Ruby Red Slippers	28 Oct 2003
Aw Lawguy...you picked the horribly bleak one???? Tell me "How" did you pick this one?? RRS

Mimers	28 Oct 2003
I use the not so horribly bleak one, well, because, I can't find the other one. I know I didn't throw it away. Seriously I did seem to misplace it, but I am sure it will turn up. I have two copies so I can always pull the other one out of my other deck. If that one dissapears, then I'll be quite suspicious. Mimi

truthsayer	28 Oct 2003
i can't answer your poll b/c you haven't allowed the 3rd possibility of using both. ;) well, i happen to like the death card! if i used it in a reading for someone other than myself, i'd pick the one that's the least frightening. can't remember what they look like... :D

lawguy51	28 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Ruby Red Slippers Aw Lawguy...you picked the horribly bleak one???? Tell me "How" did you pick this one?? RRS I saw it first! It comes up first when you first look through the deck. I saw and thought, cool, then I moved to the next one and remembered about the two death cards. But I had already thought, 'cool' to the first one. Really, it just looks more like a Death card to me. Lawguy51 p.s. I haven't actually used the deck yet, only shuffled it, and I just realized I haven't pulled the 'other' Death card out of the deck yet. Hmmm, what does that mean? :)

lark	29 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by lawguy51 [b] Just had the deck/book set delivered to my office. Oh...my... [insert deity here] ! This is off the question but, what exactly is it about the deck that makes you feel that way? I've read all the treads about it, and looked at the cards on the web. Just would like to hear your fresh out of the box observations. Nameste

Le_Corsair	29 Oct 2003
I picked the "Momento Mori" Death card, and I hate to say this, but the card amuses me for the following reason: Look at the card (see attachment) In the foreground is what I suppose is Death the Archer, as described in the companion book. The manner in which Death is reclining while looking at the images above him, while simultaneously holding his "arrow" in the position shown, makes me think that Death is taking a strange pleasure in what he sees, and will certainly need a towel in the near future. I laugh every time I see this card. I don't know if this is what Karen and Alex intended, but that is what I get out of this card. :laugh: Hey, I'm a strange fellow. I still think it's funny. :joke: Bob :THERM

baba-prague	29 Oct 2003
Bob - you are a strange fellow indeed ;-) But I do think that Momento Mori were sometimes intended to be a little bit funny. The attitude shown in Momento Mori images seems to me to sometimes be one of "look the one fact we all know is that we will eventually die and we can't predict when, so let's live life well and enjoy it and not be afraid to laugh". However, doing sinful things was definitely NOT recommended! LOL

firemaiden	29 Oct 2003
I don't know which one is bleak, but I thought them both a little funny. The one with the horse that looks like a goat is hilarious, especially with all those eerie faces peering out from the rock. Love it! Lawguy51, we'll make an addict out of you yet!

lawguy51	29 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by lark This is off the question but, what exactly is it about the deck that makes you feel that way? I've read all the treads about it, and looked at the cards on the web. Just would like to hear your fresh out of the box observations. Nameste Well first off, you realize there is something special in your hands as soon as you take the box out of the mailing envelope. It reminds me of this fabulous resort in southern Pennsylavania. Why, you might ask? Well, let me tell you....this resort is a one-of-a-kind gem, in large part because it is independently owned by a gazillionaire lumber magnate who has poured his heart and soul (and money) into the place. It doesn't have that institutional chain feel to it. And this deck doesn't have that mainstream publisher feel to it but has oodles of TLC and attention to detail all over it. Anyway, then you open the box and well, I shouldn't ruin it for you, but the quality and craftsmanship of the book and card case are something to be experienced. And I haven't even gotten to the deck yet. Which has a unique kind of dry feel to it. The cards are not too big and not too small. The edges are a bit rough which I like. And the cards...well, you've seen them. I like that they do not follow a standard graphic formula. But for me, it always comes down to the court cards. They've got to hit me or the deck is a bust for me as far as being a reading deck (hence my problem with the Haindl deck and love of Thoth, for example). I really like the court cards and love a few. I think I have a crush on the Queen of Cups! All that and so far I've only shuffled the deck. Haven't even done a new deck spread. So I hope that answers your question. Oh, and Firemaiden, I kinda purposely left the poll question open-ended, as bleakness, I suppose, is in the eye of the beholder. But I have chosen the horseman, and that was the bleaker of the two imho. Actually, as I shuffled the deck, I had forgotten to extract one so I decided that the first one that came up I would choose and it was still the horseman. Oh, and Baba-Prague, I've already ordered another deck to put away! Lawguy51

zagone	29 Oct 2003
I have not picked one yet. I have a habit of studying decks and their books for a long while before starting to read with a given deck. This is half the fun after all! -- Zagone

lark	29 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by lawguy51 Well first off, you realize there is something special in your hands as soon as you take the box out of the mailing envelope. It reminds me of this fabulous resort in southern Pennsylavania. Why, you might ask? Well, let me tell you....this resort is a one-of-a-kind gem, in large part because it is independently owned by a gazillionaire lumber magnate who has poured his heart and soul (and money) into the place. It doesn't have that institutional chain feel to it. And this deck doesn't have that mainstream publisher feel to it but has oodles of TLC and attention to detail all over it. Anyway, then you open the box and well, I shouldn't ruin it for you, but the quality and craftsmanship of the book and card case are something to be experienced. And I haven't even gotten to the deck yet. Which has a unique kind of dry feel to it. The cards are not too big and not too small. The edges are a bit rough which I like. And the cards...well, you've seen them. I like that they do not follow a standard graphic formula. But for me, it always comes down to the court cards. They've got to hit me or the deck is a bust for me as far as being a reading deck (hence my problem with the Haindl deck and love of Thoth, for example). I really like the court cards and love a few. I think I have a crush on the Queen of Cups! All that and so far I've only shuffled the deck. Haven't even done a new deck spread. So I hope that answers your question. Wow! I think you really like it. As Emily Lettella would have said "Never mind."

contrascarpe	31 Oct 2003
Well, I received my set on Wednesday and my reaction was similar to Lawguy's. The packaging is extraordinary. Feeling like a kid at Christmas, I went right for the cards. The binder they are held in is very appealing - a nice change from the standard cardboard box. The first thing I noticed regarding the cards was the stock they were printed on. My initial reaction was that the stock was not as durable as the standard fair which is both a positive and a negative. On the upside, I like the feeling more than the typical and it really brings out the color and beauty of the cards. On the downside, I know the typical American today can be careless and in their haste of shuffling may easily damage the card. I took care of this problem by ordering a second deck last night :) The other thing that stood out for me was the book with the deck. I have many books on the Tarot. I still consider myself a "beginner who has a clue" in that I have been exposed to the Tarot all my life but have only recently become serious. I found the book to be intelligently written and very informative. One of my passions is European history and the insight into the city of Prague was very welcome. All in all, this is already my favorite deck. Oh, and the cards themselves are magnificant - a nice blend of art and architecture. Dan PS - I voted for the darker of the two cards - I don't find it that much darker than the other, however.

lawguy51	31 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by contrascarpe96 I know the typical American today can be careless and in their haste of shuffling may easily damage the card. I took care of this problem by ordering a second deck last night :) As a typical Canadian, I ordered a second deck as well!

zagone	01 Nov 2003
Okay, I spent a considerable amount of time studying these two Death cards and the book tonight... Rather appropriate on Samhain after all... I like both of them... For now I'm going to use the "less bleak" option. Usually I see this card as signaling the end of a period of time or an endeavor. As such, the concrete arrival of the horseman gives a more purposeful feel to the card. The Momento Mori message of the more bleak card that you should make the best use of your life is a great lesson, but I don't see the Death card arriving very often as merely a warning to live better. I want the horseman arriving and saying clearly "Now...". For me, the sea of people all awaiting Death to strike in its various poses without warning at any time evokes a sort of fearful anticipation and paranoid looking over the shoulder. This is not the mood or message I want the card to convey in a reading. On a much lesser note, I usually look for a small token sign of the new beginning to come. In at least two decks I have, this is accomplished by the placement of a butterfly. In this deck, the Sun by the sundial might be performing the task. The less bleak horseman card has a slightly bigger Sun. Like Bob, my sick male mind also spotted the strategic placement of the arrow on the skeleton. I had this horrible vision of everyone giggling at me while I gave a serious-minded speech on the artist exploring the links between sex and death, the various clinging couples in the crowd and what they might mean in relaton to the skeleton enjoying himself, etc. I shuddered and decided NOT to go there... Until Bob brought it up. ;-) -- Zagone

Le_Corsair	01 Nov 2003
Quote: Originally posted by zagone Like Bob, my sick male mind also spotted the strategic placement of the arrow on the skeleton. I had this horrible vision of everyone giggling at me while I gave a serious-minded speech on the artist exploring the links between sex and death, the various clinging couples in the crowd and what they might mean in relaton to the skeleton enjoying himself, etc. I shuddered and decided NOT to go there... Until Bob brought it up. ;-) -- Zagone :joke: Hee, Hee, I may just have to switch to "Death on a Horsie" if I do readings for other people, I don't know if I'd be able to look at "Death plays with his arrow" with a straight face! :laugh: If I ruined the interpretation of this card for anyone, I do apologize. :( Bob :THERM

lawguy51	01 Nov 2003
Now this is interesting. When I posted the poll, I purposely did not ask you to choose between the horseman and the Momento Mori card, and I can now see that "bleakness" is a subjective thing, because some of you have designated the Momento Mori card as the bleak card, while I intended the bleak card to be the horseman. Bleak as in, "gloomy and somber". It seems that bleakness, like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Lawguy51

Le_Corsair	01 Nov 2003
Quote: Originally posted by lawguy51 Now this is interesting. When I posted the poll, I purposely did not ask you to choose between the horseman and the Momento Mori card, and I can now see that "bleakness" is a subjective thing, because some of you have designated the Momento Mori card as the bleak card, while I intended the bleak card to be the horseman. Bleak as in, "gloomy and somber". It seems that bleakness, like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Lawguy51 True, but I was going by the comments of the co-creator of the Tarot of Prague, Karen Mahony. She is on record, in the companion book and elsewhere, as believing the "Momento Mori" card to be more frightening. For myself, "Death on Horsie" is more chilling. Another case of De gustibus non est disputandum. Thanks for the poll! Bob :THERM

baba-prague	01 Nov 2003
Yes, it;s true, personally I find the "Horse" a bit too Gothic to be really scary - sort of so over the top that it can't truly frighten. However... having said that we have been to Wallenstein Palace a few times over the last six months and on a gloomy afternoon in October, that wall (the "grotto" that is the background of this card) is really quite threatening. I am realising that more and more - and how many pictures of death and violence are around that garden. It IS a disturbing - if beautiful - place. So maybe the "Horse" card will be more bleak to some people partly because they are picking up on that. I'm starting to find anything that involves a reference to Wallenstein more and more powerful. Such a strange man. Now - the skeleton with the arrow. Did it ever occur to us to see it as Le-Cor does? Good grief, of course not (she said with large grin!) Actually, there are a few things in the cards that can be read different ways - most of them not quite like this though. I sort of think that was in the original painting too - as I keep saying, we are wrong if we think that older painters did not sometimes have a wicked sense of humour. But these layers of meaning are not just humourous, they do add possibilities to the way we interpret too. I hope :-)

zagone	02 Nov 2003
The arrow business aside, these are two excellent cards, and I may well use both although I favor the horse card. Baba_Prague -- Wow, I can imagine that is some palace!! Did anyone else see the energies of the "sea of people" card as being consistent with, or disruptive to, the usual interpretations of the Death card? (See my 1st few paragraphs in my last post). -- Zagone

The Tarot of Prague thread was originally posted on 28 Oct 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.