Golden Tarot (Kat Black) appreciation thread

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 14 Mar 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Hedera	14 Mar 2004
Ever since I received my Golden Tarot, I have been gushing about it to everyone who would stand still long enough..... The original thread is getting rather long and seems to mostly focus on the adventures of the deck in getting to people, so I thought it might be a good idea to start a new thread, where people can share their impressions. :) If any of you have been using it for readings already, I would love to hear your experiences! I’m not going to do a favourite/least favourite cards-list myself; the first row would be 78 cards long....;) The deck incorporates every element I find important in an RWS-style deck, and manages to add even more layers! To quote a post from the other Golden thread: Quote: Originally posted by contrascarpe96 Kat - You did the RWS style deck even better than RWS! Dan Just some random things to start off with: I love the size of the cards, and the finish. It’s smooth, but not slick. I also love the backs, the gold edges of course, and the fact that the borders aren’t white; this brown/golden colour fits the deck very well. The fact that there are so many animals in the cards is great; not only does it work well symbolically, it also enhances the fairy-tale feel this deck has. All the colours. This is such a sumptuous deck, like a big box of excellent chocolates! - The Empress: I love her cheerful face, the livelyness all around her. The fact that her crown is made out of wheat is brilliant I think! She seems very comfortable, in control but in a very loving way. Reminds me of the hight of summer, when all the fruit is ripe and sweet and the earth is warm and fertile. - 10 of Wands; reminds me of my trip to Australia. I had just started my English language studies and I was determined to keep up while I was there, so in addition of my heavy backpack (I can travel small but never light; I always have a pile of books with me) I was carrying a big shopping bag filled with dictionaries and study books. I had sworn I wouldn’t buy a didgeridoo, but when the chance came along to make one myself I couldn’t resist... Thinking I would just send it home. But at the post office they told me it was too long, so I ended up carrying that around the country too! The look of that man (or woman? Many of the figures are wonderfully ambiguous!) as he is standing there, carrying his big load of wands and seeing those huge, heavy bags he is supposed to carry as well, is priceless! - 3 of Cups; So cheerful! Gorgeous, soft colours, those sweet maidens celebrating (bit of a ‘girl’s night out/in’ feeling) and the musicians who just happened to pass and are playing for them. I adore the lush greenery here, as in many cards of the deck. - The Chariot; it’s my soul- as well as personality card, so it’s often a bit disappointing to see it depicted by a bearded man, or a guy with a Village People moustache. This charioteer is a young woman, with rosy cheeks and a great attitude! She’s calm, in control and moving forward, looking for adventures. I love the fact that she is pulled by two swans; they are animals that always seem to be slightly outside of normal reality. Although they are quite common here, I still feel thrilled to see them every time - it’s a bit like an encounter with a mythic animal.

felicityk	14 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Hedera - 3 of Cups; So cheerful! Gorgeous, soft colours, those sweet maidens celebrating (bit of a ‘girl’s night out/in’ feeling) and the musicians who just happened to pass and are playing for them. I adore the lush greenery here, as in many cards of the deck. I was just thinking that the 3 of Cups might be the most beautiful card I have ever seen, in any deck. I'm so glad to finally have it in my collection. Bravo, Kat! Felicity

contrascarpe	14 Mar 2004
Well, I gushed over on the other thread so I may as well gush here. This is a beautiful deck. I am a fan of the artwork in this time period so that adds to my enjoyment but the presentation of the cards themselves is top-notch. Question - does anyone think the gilded edges will fade over time through use? I got a second deck to keep as a backup (it was by accident actually) but decided to give it to my brother because I knew he would love this deck as much as I do. This deck was worth the wait - it is still early in the year but this is my frontrunner to vote for deck of the year. Dan

Hedera	14 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by contrascarpe96 Question - does anyone think the gilded edges will fade over time through use? I got a second deck to keep as a backup (it was by accident actually) but decided to give it to my brother because I knew he would love this deck as much as I do. Dan I think they probably will; the edges of decks tend to scuff because of the shuffling. But even with the gilding worn off a bit, I still think it will look lovely. It won't be such a uniform gold stack anymore (I can use it now to reflect the sunlight with!) but it will look rather 'authentic' probably. Still, I'm planning to buy a backup copy, just in case...;)

Cerulean	14 Mar 2004
but the deck is new. I don't know what the luster will do over time, but I have old books with gilded ink edges and while they seem to go bronze, they look richer than not being gilded. I appreciate the deck, her replies and also the great delivery service after I ordered it from Tarotgarden.com long ago. Mari

Pagan X	15 Mar 2004
I am gibbering and drooling with astonishment. I have an art gallery in my purse. Some of the cards appear to be the fulfillment of what Pixie Smith was attempting to capture, were she to have access to the technology Kat has clearly mastered. Every card is an intimate window into mediaeval life and thinking, the varied expressions on the faces challenges my thinking of all the Saints and Maries and Jesu and angels as being all sober, without emotion. Can I say I love the Devil? Yet I do; the Devil that herds naked sinners en mass into Hellmouths here is a personal Devil. Beautiful and terrible.

contrascarpe	15 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Pagan X Can I say I love the Devil? Yet I do; the Devil that herds naked sinners en mass into Hellmouths here is a personal Devil. Beautiful and terrible. I have to say I love the Devil card as well. I like the face image on the belly of the beast. This deck continues to wow me. Dan

Aure	23 Mar 2004
I'm simply happy beyond words for getting my deck finally... :* :) I haven't done any spreads yet, haven't even dared to try shuffling but I will!!! Although the deck feels precious and the gilt edges look amazing it still feels like a good working deck. I believe it will age with dignity and become one of those decks you treasure for decades even when the signs of wear start to show. If only I had a bag large enough to fit the box!! It is such a lovely package I don't want to replace it. Funny though, the book looked just like I thought it would although I had never seen it! I have to get back to this thread when I have gotten more used to the deck and can stop staring at it in awe...

Kissa	31 Mar 2004
The suit of Cups is my favourite in this deck. The cards offer really great details, so much to look at! Is it the only suit where you can find the astrological sign represented in the court cards (page, queen and king). I only looked at the big little blue book with it, but it seems to me that this is the only suit where Kat mentions that "this represents pisces/scorpion/cancer". Am i wrong? Does anyone else have some spots on the Magician's sleeves? Is it a misprint on my deck? on all decks? No need to mention how wonderful the whole package is, how fascinating it is to have Kat's autograph on the Artist's Card, how thankful I am to Tarot Garden's Jeannette and Dan for their high quality and friendly service, etc etc, this has been said a thousand of times already :) This deck definitely stands apart for many many reasons. IMHO, it has great chances to be voted Best Deck of the Year 2004, I can hardly see how another one would beat Kat's Golden Tarot. It was sooooooooooooo worth waiting ;) Fantastic job, Kat!

Dark Inquisitor	31 Mar 2004
I love the deck too, but I do have one annoyance. A few of the cards are obviously Jesus or his mother, which I am trying hard to ignore. For example, on the Judgement card it is Jesus rising up . Which sort of makes tarot stop for me and then a whole other Christian religious system comes into play - the card stops being about the general archetypal theme of rebirth which might be applied to all people and instead becomes about the Jesus rising from the dead deal. For those of you not oppressively and lengthily schooled in Christianity, Jesus probably does not have the same impact - maybe he is just another miscellaneous spiritual icon, or someone you actually are into.( And many of you interpret the tarot as a Christian object. )But for me , though he is a nice guy, he drags along a couple of thousands of years of horrible pagan / goddess / woman persecuting baggage which I could do without and would rather not be reminded of when reading tarot. Had I looked more closely at all of the images before purchasing, I might have thought twice. Or I might have bought it anyway, I don't know. Angels , on the other hand , are common to many cultures and religions and so do not have the same stigma. I love that the deck has so many magnificent angels. Tarotphelia

retrokat	31 Mar 2004
Hi Tarotphelia, I'm sorry the Christian imagery puts you off. Ah, well you can't make all the people happy all the time! I'm not a Christian personally, although fascinated by it as well as other religions - but I don't share the Christian belief in an omnipotent God and all that stuff. Tarot and Christianity are so interlinked - in older Renaissance decks as well as Rider-Waite, and Golden isn't meant to be a revisionist New-Age-Goddess-worship type deck, it's meant to be a RWS style deck with Renaissance imagery. So, I know it's not for a lot of people. In fact, I've been surprised that any Pagans at all like it. I comment on my site about the fact that the artwork from which my collages were done is pretty much ALL Christian, and predominantly of a religious theme. To avoid clearly religious imagery would have been impossible, although as I mention in the LBB (little blue book), Christianity at the time of this artwork was not the Christianity of today - it was the time of the Inquisition. Some of the artwork from the period graphically shows people being skinned alive, having their intensines slowly extracted, etc. My Devil card is about the only time I've let that very dark side of the era show through. I suggest that anyone who's thinking about buying the deck DOES look at all the images first before buying it. They're on my site, as is a considerable amount of explanation about the deck, the artwork, etc. Then if there's anything that doesn't feel right, you can save yourself 25 bucks :) In fact, perhaps I should remind people of that on the main Golden Tarot thread?

Dark Inquisitor	01 Apr 2004
[quote]Originally posted by retrokat [b] ***I'm sorry the Christian imagery puts you off. __You don't have anything to apologise for - it's your deck and you are entitled to do as you want with it. ***Tarot and Christianity are so interlinked __There are references, such as the Hierophant- which to me is a more a general symbol , not necessarily an endorsement or a personalization of Christianity. For example, were I to create a deck and use George Bush as the "politician card" people might see a personal endorsement of the American Republican party in it - and depending on their feelings be thrilled or outraged. When in fact I might just be using him to represent any kind of politician because he was the current icon of the time. Long after I was dead and gone, people who wished to might insist the deck was "Republican based" , even though there was no such intention and the Republican party might have ,( for purposes of this comparison), condemned the entire notion of such a thing. ****- in older Renaissance decks as well as Rider-Waite, and Golden isn't meant to be a revisionist New-Age-Goddess-worship type deck, it's meant to be a RWS style deck with Renaissance imagery. __I realize that , and I do not exclusively seek out new age goddess worship decks for tarot - I have a range from the Marseilles to the modern . Somehow the traditional tarots and the RW have avoided a blatant Jesus card or a Mother Mary card , and so their imagery is more universal, so to speak. (And one might wonder why there was not such overt representation, since they were such figures of paramount significance.) I am sure a lot of the people in the deck are taken from Christian art, which as you say is unavoidable since so much of it was made during that time. For example, Temperance- I don't know who she was really supposed to represent - as long as she isn't really recognizable to me , she's any woman. But put a boy baby in her arms and halos on them , and it all shifts . But please don't take it as me saying it is a bad deck- it is not , and I do enjoy using it . Most of the cards are not blatantly Christian even though they may have been taken from Christian works of art. Tarotphelia

Kissa	03 Apr 2004
I did my first reading with the Golden yesterday, that is my traditional new deck reading... This deck reads like an angel ;) Softly, clearly, perfect. I'm very impressed and happy. The cardback is just the same colour as our kitchen table (which was clean for once) so i didn't use any spreadcloth and i think it is the way it will always be with the Golden. This deck wants to stand out of the mass... ;) Regarding the Christian imagery, i must say i'm not baptised, i'm strongly hostile to the Church positions on many subjects nowadays and in the past. Nevertheless, one cannot deny that our western society and values have been shaped according to the christian values, which are still and mainly those of love. My point is, i am definitely not christian and i still use the Golden tarot. It is not multicultural, it's not its purpose, but i still think it covers the emotions, troubles, values, fears etc. common to all humans. My two cents... Kissa

Astraea	03 Apr 2004
Wow -- I found this deck at Hastings yesterday and it is one of the most beautiful decks I've ever seen. Like some others here, my plan is to buy a second copy for backup because the gilding does "shed." The colours, the imagery, the symbolism work so well together -- just a wonderful deck.

firemaiden	03 Apr 2004
I adore this deck and it is on my way to me. I grew up in an utter absense of religion - a vaccuum actually, so to me, Christ and Jesus, and all that stuff is simply Art -- and that is what this deck is -- a European Art deck -- it would be strangely incomplete without the Christian iconography, because a visit to medieval and renaissance sections of art museums won't let you get away from it...

Astraea	03 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by firemaiden ...it would be strangely incomplete without the Christian iconography, because a visit to medieval and renaissance sections of art museums won't let you get away from it... That's what I was thinking, too, Firemaiden. Since the deck utilizes images from Old World artwork, it is representative of a particular historical milieu and psychological orientation toward universal archetypes like the Great Mother, the Divine Child, etc. I forgot to mention how wonderful the packaging is, not only beautiful but durable. Enjoy your deck, hope it comes to you soon!

contrascarpe	03 Apr 2004
Well, I grew up hardcore Catholic (which means I strayed from the Church over the years, hehe) and I actually hesitated buying a deck the other day (Templar) because I had a feeling it was "too" Christian. Luckily I remembered the role of the Knights Templar which the deck was based on and I bought the deck ..... it is not too Christian. In the Golden's case, I see this as less of a religious deck and more of an art deck. Remember that the only art during the time it was based on was commissioned by royalty or the Church, and the theme had to be religious based. To me that does not take away from the beauty of this deck. If you ever visit a museum based around the works of this time, you will be bombarded by religious images (the two I have visited are the Cluny in Paris and the Cloisters in NYC). Another deck that comes to mind in fitting with the progression of this theme is the Bruegel (and to a lesser extent, the Bosch). In the commentary in the LWB, there is a discussion regarding the social aspects of religion on art during that time. Since the Protestant religions were now gaining a foothold in Western Europe, art became a device to show more of the everyday activities of humankind and less a showcase for religion. The Bruegel deck is a celebration of the mundane activities in life.

WolfyJames	08 Apr 2004
I finally got my Golden Tarot. I knew the deck was beautiful, but I was not prepared to how much that beautiful. It's so... magnificent! I have Kat's autograph, which is something I'm very proud. :) The package in itself is a beauty, the book as well, and as for the cards, I would frame them and never touch them again. They are so precious that I fear someone might steal them from me. Actually, someone did tried to steal them from me, the box came here and it was partly opened. The Canadian Post Office put the box in a plastic bag saying that they were sorry about my battered box. I was quite worried, but when I checked in the box, the deck was fine, all wrapped in bubbles and newspapers. I almost fainted. As usual, Jeannette (TarotGarden) took good care to protect the deck. Thank you for doing such a nice job!!! My deck came fine because of you. ;)

The Golden Tarot (Kat Black) appreciation thread thread was originally posted on 14 Mar 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.