Bosch Tarot with others

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 19 Feb 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

BlueLotus	19 Feb 2004
As much as I love the images on this deck, I get really frustrated trying to decipher them and/or get anything out of the LWB. For example my card for the day was the Sun, in the LWB, the interpretation goes like this "The reality which we dedicate to others illuminates our path. Vigil ??? So, my question is what does anyone do when they want to read with decks that they love but unable to get much literature on hand to support these readings ? Do you go by your instincts, read other books, or other?

lunakasha	20 Feb 2004
Good question, Feebie! While I am not familiar with the Bosch (though I do love the artwork), I can answer your question based on how I work with decks in general. First of all, I am a book junkie...more specifically, a TAROT book junkie. I have many books on tarot, love to use them as reference material, and I always buy the companion book for a deck if there is one available, because they provide so much more information and insight into the deck than the LWB does. Having said that, I am learning to rely more on my intuition than on the book definitions...right now it is probably about 60/40 % intuition vs. books :D Because, after all, I have so much to learn, and I don't trust my intuition enough (yet) to give me ALL of the information....I spend a few minutes looking at the card, and jot down anything that pops into my head. When I feel that I've gotten what I could, I look up the card in the book. If there is a companion book specifically for that deck, that is the one I use. If not, I use a "general" book--my two favorites are Tarot Unveiled by Laura Clarson, and Joan Bunning's Learning the Tarot. What I try to do when using the book, is to skim through and pull out only words/phrases that "fit" with my initial interpretation of the card. This system is working for me so far.... Hope this is helpful...of course, only you can determine what works best for you. Good luck and have fun with the process! :) Luna

Macavity	20 Feb 2004
I think the Bosh tarot is a curiousity in this respect. I think it's been translated fairly literally from Italian(?). I'm not being critical here - You should hear my Italian... NOT! It's just a little quaint from a native Anglo Saxon perspective? Thoroughly amusing (in a nice way) though! Funnily enough I did one START to try to read with it. It's a bit like the proverbial ugly duckling one comes to like. But I just used the images to recall the keywords. I think their curious nature made tham bizarrely memorable? :) Six of Swords (The Hunted One): Whenever one is submitting to a lashing whip and pain one runs as far as possible. Very ZEN like... But would that really be "submitting"? :P Macavity

contrascarpe	20 Feb 2004
I just picked up the Bosch yesterday after searching for quite awhile. I have to preface my response with the fact that I was always drawn to Bosch's artwork. Although not very artistic myself, I have been surrounded by it most of my life (my Uncle is an artist) and have always been drawn to Art Museums when I visit various cities. I have to say, however, that my initial reaction to this deck was a bit of a disappointment. I still enjoy the macabre images on the cards, but not sure if this will ever be a reading deck for me. I probably would be less disappointed had I not bought the Bruegel deck first. Although the artwork on this deck is not actually from Bruegel (it is inspired by his work), Bruegel was a student of Bosch's and I just find the images on that deck easier to interpret intuitively. However, over time I am sure the Bosch will grow on me. Won't be the first time I had an initial negative reaction to a deck and then suddenly find it to be one of my favorites.

BlueLotus	20 Feb 2004
Thanks for your inputs. :) I had my eye for a while on the Bruegel Tarot, but I was not sure if the LWB had enough interpretations of those beautiful images that I admire so much.....!

The Bosch Tarot with others thread was originally posted on 19 Feb 2004 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.