Anybody have the Skeleton Key to the Deva Tarot?
Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 26 Aug 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.
| fyreflye |
26 Aug 2004 |
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As a fan of, collector of, and nonbeliever in the philosophies of, occult tarots I just purchased a Deva Tarot on eBay. I love it, but I can't figure out the source of the occult system on which it's built.
Googling for key terms like the names of the creators, the fifth suit TRIAX and the Hierophant substitute ANTAR has brought up nothing apparently related to the cards. The lwb is the usual that-card-means-this stuff with no clue to the system behind the deck. It's a squat, three-inch thick Piatnik deck that's impossible to shuffle, with an Empress in glitterpants on a lounger and musclebound guys in jockstraps bounding about.
Does anyone have any idea where I might find the origins of this intriguing set? Does anyone actually read with it?
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| Kiama |
27 Aug 2004 |
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I have a soft spot for this deck... Have done since I got it in a trade from catlin here on Aeclectic a couple of years ago.
The deck itself I believe is based largely on the Thoth Tarot- its imagery, symbolism, and the system of the Court Cards. So you will find a lot of answers by studying the Thoth deck (I recommend DuQuette's book Understanding the Thoth Tarot in conjunction with, of course, a Thoth deck and the Book of Thoth by Crowley himself.)
The fifth suit, TRIAX is simply there as the 'fifth element' to go with the Fire, Air, Water, and Earth of the four traditional suits. Apparantly the creators of the Deva Tarot did not think the Major Arcana were the fifth element. (Spirit.)
The deck is almost impossible to shuffle, true, but isn't the card stock wonderful? The way t's not all plasticky and sticky, but soft and thick... :D
The deck also kind of reminds me of a Carnival, or Mardi Gras festival or circus because of the colour in it.
Enjoy!
Kiama
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| fyreflye |
27 Aug 2004 |
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Thanks, Fulgour and Kiama, for your comments. I'm happy to hear from a couple of Deva fans. I wonder if you noticed the presence of the Amanita muscaria mushroom on the Empress card and the interesting resemblance of the 4th and 10th Triax cards to the flower and vine of the genus Datura? That and a few other things make me wonder if the Deva set might be a satiric takeoff on occult decks in general, conceived and created under the influence of similar herbal remedies ;). While the resemblance to the Thoth deck is obvious, notice that Justice and Strength have retained their original names while only the Aeon card is a a direct reference to the Crowley system. I do appreciate the feel of the cards, but the fact that they're laminated only on one side has already caused them to bow slightly. Piatnik doesn't publish many decks but all the ones I've seen are pretty interesting.
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| MeeWah |
27 Aug 2004 |
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I see the Deva Tarot as more of a meditation deck rather than a reading deck as it seems to deal with pure energy forms. It also strikes me as a character deck in that it also seems to depict elemental beings. I also find it hard to shuffle apparently due to the unusually heavy cardstock.
Whilst I tend to see the Majors as pertaining to spirit or the spiritual concepts, apparently the fifth suit of Triax is intended for that aspect or to refer to the etheric level. I have only used it for personal daily cards & noted the frequent appearance of the Triax cards.
For some odd reason, the deck reminds me of a 2-record LP that I found in Germany many years ago called "A Time Before This" by Julian's Treatment, manufactured by Vogue International Industries. The lyrics & music tell a story of a people of a hidden universe.
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The Anybody have the Skeleton Key to the Deva Tarot? thread was originally posted on 26 Aug 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.
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