'The Beginner's Guide to Tarot'

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 20 Nov 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

craghopper	20 Nov 2003
I know I am dipping my toe in Tarot World again after a long time but didn't feel the need for anything called 'The Beginner's Guide to Tarot' - having already had plenty of experience interpreting the RW deck. However, I have just seen some images from the above deck and they are really beautiful (me thinks!). Very plain but seem to have a lot of impact. Just my thoughts... ;o)

Sulis	20 Nov 2003
There's a review of this deck HERE and another one by our very own Mari Hoshizaki HERE Love and light Sulis xx

Le_Corsair	20 Nov 2003
You should consider getting this one, the deck is a nice variant of the RWS, better art, and the images just different enough to maybe give new insights. The Wheel, for example, is much superior to any other version of that archetype I have ever seen. The cardstock isn't as silkily wonderful as some, and may be a trifle thin, but you can easily shuffle and work with it without damaging it. As for whether the deck is for beginners - - I've been working with Tarot for around thirty years, and still feel that such a book has something to teach me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There was once a martial artist who studied all he could of fighting techniques, reading all the books he could and seeking out teachers in all corners of the world. Finally, convinced by his many victories that he knew all there was to know about fighting, he settled down to teach, and bask in his mastery, for so he now considered himself. One day a young man came into the training hall and asked to train. Granted permission, he quickly began defeating even the best of the Master's students. The Master noticed, and decided to challenge the boy himself. They fought, and for the first time in years, the Master found himself on the mat, looking up at his opponent. The boy seemed as astonished at his victory as did the Master. "How is it that you were able to defeat me?" asked the Master. "I know not; I only fought as I was taught," answered the boy. The Master realized he had grown complacent and too assured of his knowledge, and had failed to realize that new techniques and innovations are always being made. He led the boy to his chair, and seated him in it. "You shall be the Master now," he said. "I find that I still have much to learn." Bob :THERM

Shade	20 Nov 2003
All I have to say is that the card backs are really an eye-sore. They are this horrible bright magenta that is not easy to look at.

Le_Corsair	21 Nov 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Shade All I have to say is that the card backs are really an eye-sore. They are this horrible bright magenta that is not easy to look at. True enough, and I can't dispute you because my own dislike of the blue plaid backs on the RWS deck is well-known. I'd like to see the Casselli deck released in a form separate from the book, so that they can use a better back and cardstock. I will say that my own color-deficient eyes are a help here, because I don't see the backs as all that bright, they often seem simply red to me. Bob :THERM

Majecot	21 Nov 2003
:laugh:... yes the backs are hard on the eye but the images are great, and the book is very beginner friendly...I just bought the set for my niece and of course had to get one for me too... :D Since I am reading the faces of the cards, the backs aren't a concern, ( and I am kinda hoping extensive shuffleing will dull the color a little :joke: ) and they are easy to shuffle.. I wish I had the set when I first started.

craghopper	23 Nov 2003
Not seen the backs yet. I think you have to see the decks first hand to make a definitive decision don't you? I recently saw the Spiral Tarot for the first time and thought that the images may not have translated too well from the artists canvas to the size of a card. Still looking though. Thanks again for your replies!

Sulis	23 Nov 2003
Craghopper, Joan Bunning's Learn Tarot site shows the backs of the cards HERE Love and light Sulis xx

HOLMES	23 Nov 2003
i got the deck after i saw the cover and said hey theis is some cool rider wiate variations. in fact it so happens this deck is sitting by my medicine by the computer i am taking right now, let me take a look at the devil card to better use that (i think if you pick one a devil or tower card then a death card, it can give you a good indication the devil shows a person sitting there with a big torch kind of tuanting(while looking bored,, like to me he has a job and he is like when will these mortals learn , he is holding his hand up and looking at you like he is sayin "how you doing ") while the humans sit there , looking defeated, but i think it is a good picture , the artwork is good i like it, now for the book that comes with it,, some of said they just cutted off the fold out back cover thingy , somehow for me the book disappeared in a week (i think christian homemaker threw it out ) so it didn't brother me that long

Myrrha	23 Nov 2003
hmmm... I know the whole art thing is subjective but I can't see why people seem to like the art in this deck so much. To me it looks very commercial and cartoonish. Many of the people are lacking in facial expression or have goofy expressions (7 swords). The artwork does not have the streamlined strength that comes from careful attention to design decisions and negative space like the Morgan Greer or Aquarian decks, nor does it have the emotional impact of a deck that carefully frames each character and focuses on their faces, like the Hanson-Roberts. I can't see any beauty in the actual marks, lines and washes as I can in the Nigel Jackson. Art-wise, this is probably the last RWS type deck I would choose. Sorry if that is being negative. --Myrrha

Bean Feasa	27 Nov 2003
This book and deck set was my first foray into Tarot. While I have a certain residual affection for it, I very quickly bought other decks and books which outstripped it. The colour of the card-backs doesn't bother me at all (actually the white stars on blue of the Morgan-Greer irritated me much more) but I didn't like the way they were packaged together so that you had to sort of cut the book free! That said, the book is very clear and concise. It devotes a page to each card, whether Major or Minor Arcana. Each page contains a black and white picture of the card and a description of how the card fits the particular suit, its place in the deck, some divinatory meanings etc. It makes an adequate jumping-off point into Tarot, but I have to say I read it with little real excitement, whereas, for example, when I went on to read Rachel Pollack's 78 Degrees of Wisdom, or Isabel Kliegman's Tarot and the Tree of Life, I was devouring those books - every page seemed to burst with insight and interest. So, I'm afraid I found Juliet Burke-Sharman's book a little bit lacklustre in comparison. All that said, the Hermit of the Sharman-Caselli deck is one of my favourite Hermits - I think it's the seascape feel of the card that grabs me. Blessings, Kate

The 'The Beginner's Guide to Tarot' thread was originally posted on 20 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.