Crystal Tarot and Grand Esoterico

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 11 Apr 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Myrrha	11 Apr 2004
It is a strange thing but some of the minor cards in the Crystal Tarot seem to be based on the Grand Esoterico. Here is a link to the Esoterico http://www.Tarot.com/about-tarot/decks/browsedecks.php?newdeck=8 Look at the butterfly in Ace of Cups, egg in Three of Cups, eagle in Four of Cups, sword pointing to or piercing crab in Ace of Swords, floating leaves and dead fish in Three of Swords, chess board in Page of Swords, moons in King and Queen of Swords... Does anyone have the English language LWB for the Esoterico? How does the author of the deck explain his decision to make swords the water suite? Did the author intend swords to be read as the suite about emotions and relationships? In spite of the water the images for the swords suite still feel more mental to me, or about the solitary experience of emotions in the mind rather than about relationships. The cups suite still seems to be the one about relationships and sanguine emotions. --Myrrha

lionette	12 Apr 2004
Hi Myrrha ... I've got the Esoterico (and the Crystal!), but haven't taken it from the box yet. But certainly will sooon, in a few weeks after I've finished my new degree in hand! In looking over the LWB, there's no discussion of the rationale. It's a terrible LWB, by the way, so you're not missing a thing by having a language other than english :) I glanced over the DMs given for both suits and you'd never know that the elements were switched. The typical RWS card meanings are given. Interesting to hear that Crystal has similarity to Esoterico -- I'd been wondering where the inspiration for that deck had come from!

Jewel-ry	12 Apr 2004
Hi there, Well spotted Myrrha! I have the Crystal and I don't have any trouble with the swords and the water suit mostly because Elisabetta Trevisan still associates them with 'the realm of the mind'. I agree, there are some astounding similarities between these two decks though. All of those that you mention, plus many more. It would be interesting to understand the rational for some of the symbolism in this deck. It is only the minors though isn't it? The majors are totally different. J :)

lionette	12 Apr 2004
I sense the need for yet another study group! ;) My understanding is that the Esoterico is steeped in spanish symbolic tradition. I'll be interested to learn how and why this differs from the other traditions. Very much looking forward to exploring this deck.

Myrrha	14 Apr 2004
I don't have the Esoterico, wavering on whether or not to get it. I *love* the minors and maybe it could be used as a minors-only deck. It is really clear that the creator of the deck had some thoughts in his mind when he made the deck and wasn't just creating pretty pictures, and this gives the deck a certain intensity. It is also interesting that some of the majors in the Esoterico are based on the Etteilla deck (you can see this at tarot.com) and the Hermit seems to be based on the Minchiate! Maybe I would like the very strange Wheel of Fortune and Hanged man cards better if I understood why the creator had created them this way. Jewel-ry, I am enjoying the swords with water symbolism in the Crystal. I am not seeing it as simply "the realm of the mind" as if it were any other deck that had airy symbolism. I see the swords in Crystal tarot as the melancholic humor, which can give rise to deep, brooding thoughts, emotional thoughts. The Cups seem to fit the sanguine humor, which gives rise to rational and well-balanced emotions, airy emotions. One thing that is interesting is if you do a layout with an ordinary swords=air deck and then cover the swords cards with the Crystal Tarot swords cards, and start thinking about how our thoughts affect our emotions. The realm of the mind, yes, but the emotional mind, rather than thinking and planning. Or maybe I'm just getting all mixed up! :D Anyway, the Esoterico needs a book!! All that astrological symbolism to figure out also.... --Myrrha

The Crystal Tarot and Grand Esoterico thread was originally posted on 11 Apr 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.