Sacred Circle

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 24 Nov 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

craghopper	24 Nov 2003
Hi everyone... Monday morning back in the office.... :o( Anyway, I was reading the companion book last night to the Sacred Circle Tarot and was shocked at the commentary for the Nine of Swords. I mean I know that it is not the friendliest card in the deck but to speak of it in terms of 'suicide' I thought was a bit much. Putting me off the deck almost - especially if other descriptions are so harsh. There may be a Sacred Circle Tarot for trade soon. One kind owner, never used out of the box for a week only ;o))) Thoughts anyone?

Marion	24 Nov 2003
I never did buy the deck. Looked at it quite a few times in stores but I don't like the images. However I believe it is quite a widely used and liked deck, if I remember from my deck-list compilation days.

Lee	24 Nov 2003
If you like the deck, you can just work with the deck and ignore the book. Just because the author reads the cards that way, doesn't mean you have to. After all, I doubt that there are very many people who read the Rider-Waite-Smith deck the same way that A.E. Waite did. If you like the style of the deck but want something more gentle and self-empowering, you may want to check out the Tarot of Timeless Truth, which was discussed in a recent thread. -- Lee

CastleRock	25 Nov 2003
I've read many times that people can't read well with this deck. What is it about this deck that makes it so difficult to read? I agree about the book though, I don't particularly like the explanations. Most don't really make sense to me. However, I love the deck itself, therefore, I could never trade it.

cjtarot	25 Nov 2003
Hi, I read with this deck by what I see in the cards..what stands out the most or first...and for the most part it doesnt always go with the cards "original" meaning..verry strange.. I did (do) read with this book. The book to me was a wonderful learning tool for symbolic explinations. For instance, the 9 of swords is in front of "wild nettles which will sting anyone who tries to retrieve the weapons". This helps me understand that when the first thing I notice on the card is the bush behind the swords that there is danger behind the danger.. Since I read by what I see the divinatory meanings are not important. Yes I read them, but don't use them. I go by what I see. To me the expressions on the characters faces change, certain items on the card are brighter than others..and so onnnn.. Its all about what YOU feel/see when you read, not what someone else sees or feels. Blessings and good reading. CJ

Bean Feasa	25 Nov 2003
The book of the Sacred Circle is one of the books sitting on my Tarot bookshelf, waiting for me to read them, others being Rachel Pollack's book on the Haindl deck, and the Eakins book on Tarot of the Spirit. Funny though, with the latter two decks I never touch the cards - don't intend to until I start to read the books, but with the Sacred Circle deck I pull a card now and then, in 'meditative' rather than 'reading' mode. Not all of these cards work for me, artwise, but many are beautiful and I love the overall atmosphere. I have, on occasion, glanced at the book for enlightenment on whatever card I've pulled, but generally I have preferred my own impressions - this is pretty much an intuitive deck, I think. Still, as soon as time allows (sigh, if ever!) I'm going to dig into the book as well, since the deck was obviously put together with care and attention, so I think the authors deserve to have their say about it. Blessings, Kate.

Nitegoddess	24 Feb 2004
WOW, I am looking into this deck .. It had struck me about a year ago and I cant seem to get it out of me head. All the talk about the book being harsh is scary though. I am not a harsh person and I try not to put negative out into the atmosphere.. This has taken me to a different level now. I must meditate on this now.

Jewel-ry	24 Feb 2004
Nitegoddess, I think that if you are drawn to this deck you should get it. I have it, and have had good readings form it in the past. I dont read from it all that much at the moment but I know I will come back to it sometime. I agree that some of the cards have unconventional titles but its not a problem for me. Only last night I had the High Priestess card out for a little meditative work. She calms me. Go with your gut feeling. J :)

Star Spirit	24 Feb 2004
If you're drawn to the deck, go for it. That's the most important thing. If you're not as drawn to the book, big deal. Who needs books anyway? :D Tarot is in the soul. But I can see how in extreme circumstances the 9 of Swords could stand for suicide, as it is often interpreted as nightmares, over-contemplation, blowing things out of proportion, and basically just letting everything (even the small things) get to us, which is typical behavior of a suicidal person. But that doesn't mean it needs to be taken as a general meaning... Just my two cents.

crystal cove	24 Feb 2004
Wow. I do have this deck but haven't used it in some time. However, I don't remember the suicide reference. Guess I wasn't paying attention. Even so, I used books in the beginning as a guideline and now I just read them to see what interesting tid-bits I can pick up. If you enjoy the cards, use them. Don't worry about the book. I'm sure you have your own interpretation of the card.

Nitegoddess	24 Feb 2004
Thank you Jewel-ry, Dead Star, twenty~one I have meditated about this and I am going to buy the deck. I cant help it ... I see the movement in them so I think that they are going to be for me. I feel them .. I myself use the Queen of Cups to represent myself and I just get an overwhelming feeling when I look into that card. It is as if I feel .. not only see. Thanks again for your words of encouragement. :)

Phoenyx*	24 Feb 2004
I love the deck, its so beautiful, I haven't even touched the book yet though.

Cocobird55	24 Feb 2004
I have the deck, and it's not a particular favorite. However -- and I would like some feedback from you on this idea --- If I believe that the tarot is based on archtypes that represent everything that can happen to a person, why shouldn't suicide be included? I know someone who has committed suicide, and most of the people I know also know someone who has. If that person's history is part of the past in a specific reading, then why shouldn't there be a card in the tarot to point that out? I think, if I look at it that way, rather than thinking that the card predicts suicide, it makes more sense. Sue

Nitegoddess	24 Feb 2004
Sue, you are absolutely right. And after really thinking about it I said to myself..."this deck is for me and has been since I first seen it, just because other people are turned off to it doesn't mean anything to me" I too have several people close to me commit suicide and I said if that is their destiny so be it. They all taught me something or touched my life in some way prior to their death. I dont remember them only because of how they died .. I remember them for how they lived.

Phoenyx*	24 Feb 2004
First, I'd like to say this...when my little cousin killed himself, I honestly thought that if I spread the story, and it saves at least one life, then it was worth it, all the pain, all the grief, was worth it, if his death could save someone else's family from it. Second of all, suicide can mean other things than physically ending life, very much as the Death card does not automatically mean physical death. Another definition of suicide is "The destruction or ruin of one's own interests." I'll post more on it in a sec.

Phoenyx*	24 Feb 2004
Alright, the thread that I opened can be found here. The only thing I can say is that the 9/Swords is not a happy card no matter which deck you look at.

The Sacred Circle thread was originally posted on 24 Nov 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.