Extra Cards

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 08 Nov 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Silverlotus	08 Nov 2002
I'm curious about which decks have extra cards and just what their purpose is. I can think of two of my decks off hand that have an extra card of some sort. The Connolly tarot as one that has a door and says something like "The Door to Meditation". And the Robin Wood tarot has a blank card. I'm guessing the card from the Connolly tarot could be used for mediation purposes. lol! :-) And the Robin Wood card might act like the blank rune? Does anyone who has that deck leave it in for readings? What other decks have blank cards? I'm sorry if this has been discussed before. I tried looking through older messages and didn't see anything. :-) Silverlotus

Demonesse	08 Nov 2002
The Londa has one that says "Who are you really?" (or something to that effect) with a figure in a mask.

Liliana	08 Nov 2002
The small Thoth has 2 extra versions of the Magus card, the large Thoth has the unicursal hexagram that is used in magick not readings, and osho zen has the Master card that most people keep in the box ;) :THP

wavebreaker	08 Nov 2002
The Kazanlar has two extra cards, which I think represent Emil Kazanlar's parents. Some people use them as significators. (And yes, I keep the Osho Zen "Master" card in the box as well... ;) My other MasterCard, however, I use all the time, especially for new decks... :D )

Keslynn	08 Nov 2002
The Victoria Regina has two extra court cards (at least I think they're both courts). They can be used as significators though I usually just use the extras as bookmarks. Also, there's an extra card you can download for the VR - the Happy Squirrel. :) Kes

Silverlotus	08 Nov 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Keslynn The Victoria Regina has two extra court cards (at least I think they're both courts). They can be used as significators though I usually just use the extras as bookmarks. Also, there's an extra card you can download for the VR - the Happy Squirrel. :) Kes lol! I thought the downloadable Happy Squirrel card was a wonderful idea. :-) It's nice to see a sense of hurmour in a Tarot deck. Although I wonder if anyone really uses it. Silverlotus

StargazerLily	08 Nov 2002
The Tarot of the Cat People has 2 blank cards. I always wondered what one should say when that comes up in a reading.

Keslynn	08 Nov 2002
Hey Lily, Most tarot decks come with 2 extra cards of some kind - usually blank or with the artists name. Those aren't actually part of the deck although some people do use them like the blank rune (something that can't be known). There are usually 2 extra cards because while a tarot deck is 78 cards, the standard printing sheet is 80. :) Kes

StargazerLily	08 Nov 2002
Ohhhhh, that makes sense then! I think I remember reading about the blank cards before. I've had this deck twice and the first time I got it, it came with the book and I think it said something about the blank cards to the effect of them being something that can't be known (like the blank runes you mentioned).

Myrrha	08 Nov 2002
The Deva deck has a twenty second major arcana, a red and black design like a pseudo unicursal hexagram which I always take out. It also has a whole extra suite, ace through knight to represent the fifth element, aether or spirit. Myrrha Quote: Originally posted by Silverlotus I'm curious about which decks have extra cards and just what their purpose is. I can think of two of my decks off hand that have an extra card of some sort. The Connolly tarot as one that has a door and says something like "The Door to Meditation". And the Robin Wood tarot has a blank card. I'm guessing the card from the Connolly tarot could be used for mediation purposes. lol! :-) And the Robin Wood card might act like the blank rune? Does anyone who has that deck leave it in for readings? What other decks have blank cards? I'm sorry if this has been discussed before. I tried looking through older messages and didn't see anything. :-) Silverlotus

zander770	09 Nov 2002
the new golden dawn ritual tarot deck has two key #14 tempererance cards (and that's for a very VERY certain & specific reason)! ~Z~770

jmd	09 Nov 2002
zander770, you mention that (presumably) Cicero's New Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot has two Temperance cards, and that these are for very specific reasons. It would be useful for forum members to know what these very specific reasons are in terms of, specifically, G: .D: . rituals and grades - if you're up to sharing your knowledge:).

Pollux	09 Nov 2002
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6844 I'll try tofind some more... :)

Trogon	09 Nov 2002
Hi Silverlotus! Yes, actually, this topic has come up once or twice before... ;) When I had originally started learning Tarot, the friend who was teaching me said that she used the blank card in her Rider-Waite-Smith Deck in readings. She used it to represent either something which the querrent could not know at that time (such as some knowledge they were not ready to face or incapable of understanding at the time), or as some hidden influence in the matter in question. Interestingly, I had this blank card in my RWS deck for several years and never had it come up in a reading. After reading other people's thoughts on this card, in a couple of other threads, I chose to remove it from the deck. The whole idea of hidden knowledge or even influences seems to me to be adequately represented by the High Priestess. In any case... here's a few other threads which discussed this topic, perhaps you'll be able to glean some more information there (Pollux had already found another one)... http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5260 http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4145 http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1398

WolfSpirit	09 Nov 2002
The faery wicca tarot has 4 extra cards with tools used in faery wicca practice. I never use them because I don't find them fitting with tarot, they even have very different art work from the rest of the deck, they don't appeal to me at all. The shapeshifter tarot has 3 extra majors: the journey, the dreamer and the double. I don't use the shapeshifter much of its own, I often use it to lay the same spread I've done with the robin wood or the halloween, to get a more spiritual feel of the spread, so then the extra cards are not used. If I use the shapeshifter on its own I use the extras as well, although I don't think you need them: the dreamer could be the moon or 7 cups, the journey could be the fool, the double is the magician...

Emily	09 Nov 2002
The Hanson Roberts has the 'To all Believers' card but i usually just leave that in the box. I've never used any of the blank cards or title cards that have been in my decks - I usually just put one at the back and the other at the front of the deck as cards just for protection when I put them in their boxes.

juice	15 Nov 2002
I've often wondered if there were concepts that were too ambiguously covered by the main 78. The phrase its unkownable just sticks in my crawl the wrong way sometimes but not always. The medine woman comes with 2 cards that have a prayer on them that are suggested as mood setters for the reading. This thread made me think I might try to see if there is another use for them. Maybe if they come up it is time to take a break in the reading work on something. One has a picture of a fortune teller sort. The other has a quartered circle with a buch of symbols for each element in their quarter. The elemental tarot has 2 cards for significators. One deck I forgot the name has 12 for the zodiac and four for the elements. The animation tarot suggested by Piers Anthony would have 5 suits and 30 majors. The author says that a few have been made but none have been published and gives people permission to make their own while suggesting that you just write stuf down (didn't say anything about selling it) on 3x5 index cards. The minors don't stick too closely to RWS meanings. Much further than that and you would be into the oracle decks. Could someone put a link to the deva deck with the 5th suit. All I found was an incomplete diva deck. Hmmm. lets tr: too much flux to nail down, your not ready for it, not suppposed to know ahead of time cause you need the lesson, know thyself better, have faith, Maybe we can add "this position needs a spread of its own". Or should that be "shut up and stop asking" Did I miss one of the big catagories people use for this kind of card? Spose you have a couple of cards for these? Do any of these really fit better under 1 of the 78? I very specifically do not use the all reversed means you shouldn't know since all cards have a meaning when reversed that is different or at least stresses another aspect of the card of the usual, I would be throwing away a possibly negative reading that I might need to be given. I've always used the wheel for a suprise that isn't quite as biolent as the tower. It's deep mistry knowlege is covered by the high priest and hierophant.

Myrrha	15 Nov 2002
Quote: Originally posted by juice Could someone put a link to the deva deck with the 5th suit. All I found was an incomplete diva deck. Here are links to a review of the Deva Deck and pictures at aeclectic http://artoftarot.com/deva.htm http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/deva/index.html It uses a similar style of pips as in the Thoth deck but the colors are lighter, brighter, more "new age" and the images don't use so much detailed symbolism. Myrrha

paradoxx	26 Nov 2002
Extra cards are specific to the decks they are packaged in and do require special attention on their usages. The Gifts of the Faeries in teh Faerie Wicca Deck are very powerful and represent the 4 elements and tie in with certain cards in the deck itself. Which hazel will you recieve. Shapeshifter tarot has some extra cards (including a double of the Goddess of Earth) that do in fact fit in perfectly with the nature of an oracle deck, although the readings can be out of place. Osho Zen has a 23rd major arcania, Master( the 23rd of the Faerie Wicca deck is the Tree of Life, the 23rd of the Shapeshifter is dreamer) use the extra guarentee cards that come with some decks (Egyptain by llewlin, Cosmic Tarot by US Games) as a power card, if the card comes up, place it with the back up and draw another card, that card now has a more potent meaning in how it is used with the reading, a key card if you will. somethign about using the back of the cards in a reading is very appealing for soem reason.

dangerdork	26 Nov 2002
One of the extra cards in the Robin Wood is completely blank. She was gracious enough to autograph it for me, and it's my favorite of all the extra cards in any of my decks :) It really makes the deck feel even more special and powerful to just know that when the cards are sitting in the box, there's a personal blessing from the creator right there with 'em. I hope someday I can meet some of my other favorite tarot artists and have more of my collection "signed."

The Extra Cards thread was originally posted on 08 Nov 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.