Crystal Tarot Better With a Trim

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 19 Jan 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

RedMaple	19 Jan 2005
After Cerulean mentioned on the Classics thread how beautiful the Crystal Tarot is, I remember how I was disappointed that they were not as vibrant or compelling as I'd hoped. She mentioned the overly large white borders as the problem. Sooooo....I pulled my own deck out for reconsideration, and yes, the borders were not only large, but cluttered by several languages, and interrupted on top with slivers of the card image, and on each side with "wings" which just remind me of women's products I rather not remember. The choice was easy. My trusty scissors in hand, and a couple of hours into the wee hours of the morning, and I have the beautiful, vibrant, unencumbered deck I'd imagined. The titles of the card are totally unnecessary for this deck, or for most decks, once you know your way around. It makes me wonder if there should be a new convention of having titles only on beginner's decks. I find that more and more I prefer tarot images borderless and without words. Anyone else? It's not my fault -- Imagemaker showed me her beautiful redesigned Spiral and I've never been the same since....:D

Cerulean	19 Jan 2005
And if there was a choice, the extra white space with all the border names, I'd enjoy having the card designs expanded to fill that space! Regards Cerulean

Imagemaker	19 Jan 2005
Quote: Imagemaker showed me her beautiful redesigned Spiral and I've never been the same since Ah, I love empowering people and spreading trim-independence! I've trimmed so many decks and never been sorry.

Gerbear	19 Jan 2005
Well, the image is the same size, so nothing has been gained. If enough effort is put into concentrating on the image, the borders just melt away anyway. I guess it all depends on the amount of concentration available.

Diana	20 Jan 2005
Oh, I would love to do this with my Tarocchi di Vetro. But I cannot cut straight. (It's a big problem - one which amuses people greatly, but which is a terrible nuisance when it comes to practical life.) I absolutely HATE the different languages on Lo Scarabeo decks. I find it insulting to people's intelligence. It clutters up the decks in a most annoying manner. I don't buy their decks anymore for various reasons (including historical decks), and the quadri-lingualism is one of the reasons. Also, I don't know why they translated the name of the deck into English. Tarocchi di Vetro is a beautiful name. And surely "Vetro" doesn't mean "Crystal"? It's not a Crystal Tarot at all. The name is most misleading. For me, it's the Tarocchi di Vetro. And always will be.

Rosanne	20 Jan 2005
I have never had the balls to cut any cards, tho I have wanted to. One of the reasons Morgan Greer is so good is its borderlessness. My Spiral is used mostly and somehow its use has had me ignore its silly border. The only deck I have not minded having a border is Estensi, it looks like it is appropriate. Want I want to know is- when you cut the cards, do you round the corners? Does the fabric of the card split at the edges? Do you dog ear your books? Does the sky fall on your head? Or do you just feel plain naughty with those sissors in your hand? Maybe there is a commercial card cutter I could go to?

Fudugazi	20 Jan 2005
Diana wrote: Also, I don't know why they translated the name of the deck into English. Tarocchi di Vetro is a beautiful name. And surely "Vetro" doesn't mean "Crystal"? It's not a Crystal Tarot at all. The name is most misleading. I think it means "Tarot of the Stained Glass Windows", which is rather clunky. I agree, the original name - Tarocchi di Vetro - is beautiful, a song of a name. Don't worry, Diana, I can't cut straight either :( My version is the original, so it doesn't have these horrid borders and the multi-languages, only the Italian. It's stunning! It's a Majors-only deck, though, so I might get the bordered one for the minors. I'd have to find a way of trimming it - probably ask someone to help me out.

Imagemaker	20 Jan 2005
Quote: when you cut the cards, do you round the corners? Does the fabric of the card split at the edges? Yes (with a corner cutter, available at craft stores and stationery stores, costs about $5) No, there's been no splitting on the stock of my trimmed decks. There's several threads about this, but to summarize my reasons-- trimming the cards improves the size for handling, eliminates ugly print-related borders that have no relation to the art, seems to connect me with the deck in a new way in those hours of careful attention and trimming (meditative exercise). For decks where trimming would change something I don't want changed (might take away a label I want, interferes with the image in some way), I don't trim. But it's an option that makes the deck mine in a way that just owning can't match. I absolutely refuse to let my possessions own ME. This comes from living with parents who tiptoed around every purchase, making sure it always looked like it still was on the showroom floor. I'm not a person to cover my chairs in plastic, to spend hours polishing to a shine "like new" or to be paranoid about a new car getting a scratch. I am for sensible, responsible use, but choose that a possession serves me instead of allowing it to control me. So of course I turned out to be a deck-trimmer!!

RedMaple	21 Jan 2005
Gerbear wrote: Well, the image is the same size, so nothing has been gained. If enough effort is put into concentrating on the image, the borders just melt away anyway. I guess it all depends on the amount of concentration available. Ah, so size is the only critieria, huh? :) That assumes we all perceive and process stimuli the same way, which we do not. Also, the background around an image changes it considerably. Try placing a color against white, then against black - you will instantly see what I mean. Now I can put these images on a black cloth if I want to, and the colors are completely different For some of us, visual clutter is very disturbing, physically and emotionally. It's not a matter of concentration. For me, this would have been a deck I never used, now it's a deck I want to explore. That is definitely something gained. .

RedMaple	21 Jan 2005
Rosanne wrote: I have never had the balls to cut any cards, tho I have wanted to. One of the reasons Morgan Greer is so good is its borderlessness. My Spiral is used mostly and somehow its use has had me ignore its silly border. The only deck I have not minded having a border is Estensi, it looks like it is appropriate. Want I want to know is- when you cut the cards, do you round the corners? Does the fabric of the card split at the edges? Do you dog ear your books? Does the sky fall on your head? Or do you just feel plain naughty with those sissors in your hand? Maybe there is a commercial card cutter I could go to? Have you seen the Spiral trimmed? Incredible! I don't dog-ear my books, but I do write in them from time to time, and have even argued with my old self in the margins! No, the sky did not fall on my head. There was this moment of exhiliration when I cut the first card, and it looked beautiful. Then it was just very liberating. And I agree with Imagemaker. The process is very meditative, and you get to know the cards in a new way. Good sharp scissors, or a paper cutter will do the job when you're ready. And these neat little corner punchers that people use to do scrap-booking - who knew? My grandson and I made collages out of all the little corner pieces. :)

Kissa	21 Jan 2005
LoScarabeo 4 or is it 5 language borders has nothing to do with Tarot, the artist's artwork (and being faithful/respectful to it) or helping you progressing on your path. It is purely and simply a marketing choice that enables them to reach all the markets with one deck only, not having to translate it to different audiences. This and a multi-language lwb and you have yourself a deck ready to conquer many different countries. From what i have heard and can guess, the artist doesn't have their word to say re: borders and often neither re: card size. Size does matter you know ;) But so do borders and their colour or the lack of them. I don't think it is connected to the amount of concentration available to be able or not to ignore borders. In the case of the Haindl, the borders were simply an insult to the art of Haindl. They were entrapping the beautiful colours and the movements Haindl gave them in a dull sad grey. The fact is I had never even noticed some colours before I trimmed the borders. I have always assumed I was a lousy reader but assuming that I trimmed my deck just because I can't concentrate properly on one of the main things of my life, is quite a big step. To all interested, I can only recommend to trim decks if you want to give it a try. Of course, you should try with a widely available deck :D I don't even consider it to be an insult to the artist's work, because as I said above, and you should do whatever you feel will help you use one deck and get the best out of it. Now where are my scissors now and let me see those Di Vetro borders a bit... Kissa PS: i'd be willing to trade one of my decks (see my profile) for a good quality corner cutter (Fiskars preferred), pm me..

VisionQuest	21 Jan 2005
I'm not familiar with the deck, but I too was wondering about what trimming would do to the integrity of the card. Also, as far as size goes, what size do most of you consider to be the most comfortable card size? When I first got my deck I thought actually that they were a bit on the small side for what I had imagined tarot cards would be, however when I started to use them and realized how much bigger they were than regular playing cards, it took a bit to get used to and to learn how to shuffle. Now that I'm used to them however, I'm thinking I might enjoy bigger cards for my next deck(s). So is there a preferred size for most of you, handling wise, aside from aesthetic? P.S. I didn't measure mine myself, but on Lee Bursten's review page he has them listed as being 4-7/8 by 3-3/8 inches.

Fulgour	21 Jan 2005
VisionQuest wrote: So is there a preferred size for most of you, handling wise, aside from aesthetic? P.S. I didn't measure mine myself, but on Lee Bursten's review page he has them listed as being 4-7/8 by 3-3/8 inches. Lee has written quite a few reviews, he's a devoted connoisseur, so you'd have say which Tarot deck it is you are talking about? If you're comfortable with the cards, trimming is unnecessary, and it's usually a matter of snipping off the big clunky borders.

VisionQuest	21 Jan 2005
Hi Fulgour, I'm just curious as to whether or not most people have a preferred size as far as comfortable handling goes. The deck I have is Cachet www.tarotpassages.com/cachet-lb.htm

Fulgour	21 Jan 2005
Just yesterday I saw the Cachet again at Waldenbooks. That is such a tempting deck... it has a very nice look. One of the nice things is that the borders were meant to function just the way they do, like beautiful frames. But on The Crystal Tarot there is a very busy framework that was never intended by the artist, and there's even 5 languages printed on each card. It's really unfortunate. No matter though, The Crystal Tarot is truly beautiful. If you'd like to read the review I wrote, here is the link: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/crystal-tarots/review.shtml You should start a thread on the Cachet. I'd like to hear more about it. I'll bet a lot of other people have it too.:) And as for size, it's different with each person and deck.

Cerulean	21 Jan 2005
Just fyi, I think others have also been aware of Christine Payne Tower's discussion of the El Gran Esoterico and subsequent observations that both Tarocchi di Vetro and El Gran Esoterico share observeable characteristics in the minors... El Gran Esoterico...(all cards) http://www.tarot.com/about-tarot/decks/browsedecks.php?newdeck=8 But there's no book in print detailing the minors of either deck...that I know of now. Any one have a link to the Crystals/di Vetro, all cards? Regards, Cerulean

Strange2	22 Jan 2005
Cerulean wrote: Any one have a link to the Crystals/di Vetro, all cards? The Trionfi site has scans of all the Crystal/di Vetro cards. The main museum page is at: http://trionfi.com/0/s/b/ The direct link for the Crystal/di Vetro desk is at: http://trionfi.com/s/1/d02381.htm

Fulgour	22 Jan 2005
Cerulean wrote: I think others have also been aware of Christine Payne Tower's discussion of the El Gran Esoterico and subsequent observations that both Tarocchi di Vetro and El Gran Esoterico share observeable characteristics in the minors... The "Spanish School" appears to have also rediscovered: Manuel Synthetique et Pratique du Tarot by Eudes Picard (Paris 1909) reference Post #10: Aeclectic Forum - Spanish Tarot (Marseilles) http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=28346

Cerulean	22 Jan 2005
This is wonderful and I thought someone might have found these bits before. The links are very useful! Regards, Cerulean

MeeWah	22 Jan 2005
I encountered The Crystal Tarots after FireMaiden's use of the deck & was captivated by its artwork. It is indeed a beautiful deck--the artwork stunning & inspires the imagination. Each card seems to have layers upon layers of images, yet so skillfully done that they are not garish. I prefer it by its original name of Tarocchi di Vetro & ignore the borders. Lo Scarabeo apparently uses the borders in the same fashion on all their decks--at least on the few of their decks I have. Thanks to Fulgour for the deck review. I saw it after searching for it on Aeclectic's deck database & it influenced my purchase of di Vetro.

Nevada	22 Jan 2005
Diana wrote: Oh, I would love to do this with my Tarocchi di Vetro. But I cannot cut straight. (It's a big problem - one which amuses people greatly, but which is a terrible nuisance when it comes to practical life.) No one really cuts straight, and scissors bend and warp paper. The publishers' printers blade- or die-cut cards to make them as perfectly uniform as possible, so I've always wondered how this trimming turns out for those who like to shuffle rather than fan the cards. I too have been bothered by some borders but shudder at the thought of trimming my cards in such a way that makes them unshufflable. Nevada

Kissa	22 Jan 2005
RedMaple wrote: My trusty scissors in hand, and a couple of hours into the wee hours of the morning, and I have the beautiful, vibrant, unencumbered deck I'd imagined. The titles of the card are totally unnecessary for this deck, or for most decks, once you know your way around. you tempt me, you tempt me so much, RedMaple! but looking at this deck yesterday, i wondered if you could give me more details how you managed and what exactly you cut off the cards... there are the italian titles on the top then a green line then the picture itself... moreover, the pictures are surrounded by what appears to be an egg or an oval shape on the top, the bottom and both sides. so what exactly did you cut off? would you be so nice to attach a scan of one card as an example here? thanks! kissa

Stregaverde	22 Jan 2005
Tarocchi di Vetro means "Tarot of Glass". "Tarocchi di Vetrate" would be Tarot of Stained Glass. (or Mosaico) "Tarocchi di Cristallo" would be the Crystal Tarot. Don't even get me started on how film dialogue translations are mangled and dumbed-down, on both sides of the pond.

Kissa	25 Jan 2005
Hi RedMaple, as explained in my previous message, i would really need some details about the way you trimmed the di Vetro deck. What do the backs look like after you trim the cards? Have you used your deck yet? how does it feel? Kissa

Imagemaker	25 Jan 2005
I don't know how Red Maple did hers, but I can describe mine (this laptop has no connection to my scanner, or I'd do it with pics!) I cut from the front and took away all but the main image--the cards are pure color, no white. On the back this means that the top of the card shows about an 3 mm stripe of the table the peacock is standing on. At the bottom of the back, there is just the barest bit of the table--which means that you can tell reversals from the back. Hope this is clear, wish I could scan! I love the trimmed cards, as with all my others, the di Vetro images glow now.

Kissa	25 Jan 2005
Hi! Thanks for the info, ImageMaker. nOw i know that we have two different decks. The one I have has numbers and italian titles above and four languages titles at the bottom. The pictures are the ones scanned on AT here: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/crystal-tarots/ You trimmers ;) obviously have this version: http://www.astroamerica.com/t-cry.html If you watch close the AT scans, you'll see that the pictures are surrounded by an oval (at the top, the bottom and on both sides) which looks as if the pictures were standing in front of a dark blue egg, uh... I was wondering if you cut the egg thing too but you didn't have to, I guess. I don't know if i will trim my di Vetro because it would be a pity to lose the colour borders that belong to the picture. I guess my version is somehow better than yours as the multi-language titles are at the bottom... Thanks for the info anyway, ImageMaker, believe it or not, I understood what you were describing ;) Kissa

Imagemaker	25 Jan 2005
Actually I have the one you have. I had the blue oval, I just cut it away when I trimmed. What is the signficance of that, do you think?

RedMaple	25 Jan 2005
I trimmed just the way Imagemaker described. And I had the deck with the blue ovals, also. I just trimmed a straight line, and cut the ovals off. I didn't see the point of those, anyway. I cut with a good sharp pair of scissors, across the widths of the cards first, then the lengths because cutting the widths first shortens the length and makes it easy to keep a straight edge. You need to have scissors with very straight blades. My cards were not bent in any way. Then I used a corner punch to round off the corners. The cards shuffle very well, the edges are not distracting (and I am a princess and the pea type person). I riffle shuffle and regular shuffle. I find the size of the new cards wonderful, and have been reading them against a green velvet cloth, upon which they glow. I highly recommend the trimmed version. I literally wasn't using this deck, and now it's in my hands all the time. I've been having trouble with my scanner, but I'll send a pic if I can get it to work. Hope this works.

Kissa	26 Jan 2005
Oh RedMaple! The cards look fantastic!!!! Thanks for posting the scans! Kissa

Pipistrelle	26 Jan 2005
I've been following this discussion with interest as the Crystal is my favourite deck (I find I can't make much sense reading with anything else!) and since seeing RedMaple's scan, I am DEFINITELY going to trim mine :) I've always loved the images but it never occurred to me before how much difference the borders make...just gotta find me a corner cutter now...can't wait! Pip

VisionQuest	26 Jan 2005
Wow, RedMaple's scan really does show a difference. I think the white borders and words aren't what distracts me so much as the white lines through the top and bottom of the picture. I don't understand the reasoning behind that. :( But I think without that, I could deal with the rest of the border, however , again, RedMaple's scan's really do make it seem like a better deck altogether :)

Imagemaker	26 Jan 2005
Aren't they beautiful?! This is why I am such a fan of trimming! RedMaple, if your scanner agrees, could you scan the back to show that they look good too?

RedMaple	27 Jan 2005
Sure. Here's the back after trimming. I agree that the line of white interrupting the image at the top and bottom was one more distraction. I just find the cards so much more beautiful and useable now. Pipistrelle, Good luck with the trimming! And let me know how it goes. This is becoming one of my favorite decks.

Pipistrelle	27 Jan 2005
Well, I've started...:) It was very very scary at first! I started with The Fool, of course, and working my way through the Majors, I've only done up to The Hermit so far (doing it by hand, with a small pair of scissors, taking it slowly). And the corner rounder I ordered yesterday arrived this morning, so now they have nice rounded corners too :) I'm so glad I did this. It was quite hard for me, as I'm a very good girl and have panic attacks about breaking any rules, but the cards look gorgeous and, although I could appreciate the images beforehand, now there's ONLY the image so it's even better. I was surprised at how small the cards became but I'm getting used to that now and maybe I won't drop them as much when I'm shuffling anymore :) Can't wait to have them all finished - thank you RedMaple, for posting your scans. I never would have had the bravery to chop up my cards if I hadn't seen how good they'd look! Pip

Imagemaker	27 Jan 2005
Yay, Pip! Isn't it interesting how our issues come up over the simple act of cutting paper? Being good and following rules is more about pleasing those who want to control us than personal creativity and finding our own path. Tarot teaches in many ways.

RedMaple	27 Jan 2005
Good for you, Pip! Yes, I'm a good girl trying to be a bad one sometimes...those first few snips were scary, but then so liberating. And I love the cards. As always, for me, this could become a new obsession. Now I look at every deck and think, hmmmmm.....

Astraea	27 Jan 2005
Diana wrote: I absolutely HATE the different languages on Lo Scarabeo decks. I find it insulting to people's intelligence. It clutters up the decks in a most annoying manner. I don't buy their decks anymore for various reasons (including historical decks), and the quadri-lingualism is one of the reasons. I completely agree. The four languages -- and the large borders necessary to accommodate them -- didn't bother me until I became interested in historical decks. They ruin the otherwise beautiful Ancient Tarots of Liguria-Piedmont (at least, they do for me). For some reason, these clumsy multilingual borders are not present on the Ancient Tarots of Marseille and the Ancient Tarots of Bologna, and they are quite nice reproductions -- though I could do without the slick, shiny lamination. This thread has inspired me to consider trimming the Liguria-Piedmont, and buying the Tarocchi di Vetro and performing a similar operation. It is such a beautiful deck, and the scans on this thread of trimmed cards are revelations -- they really do glow.

Emily	27 Jan 2005
I can't believe they look so different trimmed - I traded my Crystal Tarot away because I didn't connect with it but those cards looked amazing. I'm wondering now what my DruidCraft might look like trimmed. It would be a good way of making a large deck smaller and easier to handle without losing the artwork. :)

Sulis	27 Jan 2005
Emily wrote: I'm wondering now what my DruidCraft might look like trimmed. It would be a good way of making a large deck smaller and easier to handle without losing the artwork. :) Hi Emily, I trimmed my DruidCraft after having it for a couple of days and I'm so glad I did. I like to shuffle and the cards were just too big for my small hands. They look lovely now. I left the stone coloured borders and the titles at the bottom of the cards. The borders look like window frames in a castle now. It's like looking through a window into a beautiful, magical land. It's my favorite deck now and I know if I hadn't trimmed them they'd be lying unused in my tarot drawer. Get snipping is my advice :) Love Sulis xx

VisionQuest	27 Jan 2005
You are all very brave souls...lol...I too am not so good with the scissors ;)

Deidra	27 Jan 2005
Part of what attracted me to the Witch's Tarot deck is that the words (to me) are almost negligible as far as seeing them instead of the picture, yet they are still there (valuable to me as a beginner). This deck also has no borders, which stands out in stark contrast to my first deck (faery wicca) which has somewhat large borders IMO. -Deidra

catti	27 Jan 2005
[quote=Diana] I absolutely HATE the different languages on Lo Scarabeo decks. I find it insulting to people's intelligence. It clutters up the decks in a most annoying manner. I don't buy their decks anymore for various reasons (including historical decks), and the quadri-lingualism is one of the reasons./QUOTE] I agree 100% with you Diana [quote=Diana] Also, I don't know why they translated the name of the deck into English. Tarocchi di Vetro is a beautiful name. And surely "Vetro" doesn't mean "Crystal"? It's not a Crystal Tarot at all. The name is most misleading. QUOTE] Is Vetro glass or glasslike? It works if you make it Spanish "Tarot de Cristal" Maybe the translators mothertounge was Spanish?

Imagemaker	27 Jan 2005
FYI, here's a scan of the relative sizes of my trimmed Thoth, Robin Wood, and Rohrig cards

RedMaple	28 Jan 2005
Imagemaker wrote: FYI, here's a scan of the relative sizes of my trimmed Thoth, Robin Wood, and Rohrig cards Those are beautiful. You are quite the makeover queen, or should I say Empress! I have mixed feelings about the Thoth and the Rohrig, but these images are strong and beautiful. The colors of the Thoth are quite different without that green border. I use my Robin Wood a lot less than I used to, wonder if it's the borders....hmmmm.

Rosanne	28 Jan 2005
Imagemaker has convinced me to trim.Thank you for your scan.I will revisit my Thoth now. I am not convinced about my Rohrig as lots of Querents choose it. I don't know why that should matter though! I can see the value of that beautiful de vetro been trimmed. I just think I would rather an expert Card trimmer did it. That deck would cost $59.95 here, O la la a slip would be costly. Red Maple you are very encouraging also.

Stregaverde	29 Jan 2005
I just bought the Crystal in its Italian form, and it's breathtakingly beautiful! When my mom comes to visit in March, I'm going to ask her to bring a corner punch, and will be getting a trim, thanks to this thread. The borders do indeed distract from the incredible artwork. And now I can't look at those blue ovals without thinking of 'winged' feminine hygiene products!

RedMaple	29 Jan 2005
I find my long-bladed scissors work better than a smaller pair, as I can line up the straight of the blade on the line I've decided on, and make one clean cut, instead of several. This makes for a straighter edge. Kind of like when you are cutting fabric, you cut the entire length of the blade, to keep the snips to a minimum. Hope this helps those of you who feel you don't cut straight. I cut fairly quickly, doesn't give my hands a chance to wobble! LOL

shaveling	30 Jan 2005
Astraea wrote: This thread has inspired me to consider trimming the Liguria-Piedmont, and buying the Tarocchi di Vetro and performing a similar operation. It is such a beautiful deck, and the scans on this thread of trimmed cards are revelations -- they really do glow. I did my Liguria-Piedmont (five dollar sale!) about a week ago. The four languages didn't bother me. But I wanted a Marseille-type deck in a size between the usual large cards and the mini decks. The L-P was the obvious candidate because the outline of the borders were just the size I was looking for. The chicken-track design on the backs meant I didn't have to worry about aligning the more pictorial artwork some decks have. And the sale price meant I wouldn't feel so bad if I goofed up. I left the corners square, both to avoid the expense of a corner rounder, and because I thought the square corners looked more authentic on an old style deck. If the layers start peeling apart, I figure I'll lay out the money and round the corners. But for now, I'm very happy with the result. shaveling

Imagemaker	30 Jan 2005
Quote: find my long-bladed scissors work better than a smaller pair, as I can line up the straight of the blade on the line I've decided on, and make one clean cut, instead of several. This is the way I do it, too. No scallops or little jags this way.

Pipistrelle	31 Jan 2005
I've finally finished trimming my Crystal and I'm so pleased with it. Somehow it makes the deck seem more personal to me. It took me a while, because I couldn't do it all in one go, but it was definitely worth it. What I've been impressed most with is how it's brought the minors to life: before the trimming, I thought some of them (such as 2 of Swords) looked quite plain compared to the majors, but now all the cards seem much more striking. Pip

Astraea	31 Jan 2005
shaveling wrote: I did my Liguria-Piedmont (five dollar sale!) about a week ago...I left the corners square, both to avoid the expense of a corner rounder, and because I thought the square corners looked more authentic on an old style deck. If the layers start peeling apart, I figure I'll lay out the money and round the corners. But for now, I'm very happy with the result. Thank you, Shaveling, that is great to hear! I eyed my deck again last night and was thinking that the size would not be a problem without the borders, and you've just reassured me on that specific issue. Much appreciation!

Imagemaker	31 Jan 2005
Quote: Somehow it makes the deck seem more personal to me. Isn't this an interesting by-product of trimming? Even when we think we've closely examined each card, trimming the deck gets the body involved with the cards, not just the mind. And we feel more connected to the images somehow.

RedMaple	01 Feb 2005
It is an interesting process -- the body involvement, the close attention you have to pay to details in lining up the card. It makes me think of the days when people had to cut open the pages of the book -- it always seemed such a personal, physical involvement with the book, and the soft edges of the pages of old books are something we rarely see anymore. It is amazing how the cards come to life -- the colors are so vibrant, the images are freed somehow, and powerful. I also had no feeling for the minors until I trimmed them. Now they are much more evocative. Imagemaker -- I've just trimmed the Majors on the Nigel Jackson. Mmmmmm. Much better.

Imagemaker	01 Feb 2005
Yay, another deck made better by personal creativity!

The Crystal Tarot Better With a Trim thread was originally posted on 19 Jan 2005 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.