Familiarity

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 16 Dec 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Osher	16 Dec 2002
Quite a few decks have obvious symbolism to RW, such as a sleeper on the 9 of swords or a heart for 3 of swords. Other decks are quite different. Should decks try and be more familiar in the RW tradition, or should they try and present new ways of presenting the meanings? Just curious as to everyone's views

Sulis	16 Dec 2002
I personally prefer decks which do use RWS meanings as I learned with a RWS clone. I do like it though when they portray the meanings in different ways as I think that it sometimes offers a new layer of meaning than just the redrawing the RWS cards in a different style. My favorite deck is the World Spirit and I think that this deck does just that very well. Take the 4 pentacles which shows a group of women drawing water from a well but one of them stands alone apart from the group, keeping her water to herself and not sharing, or the death card which shows a funeral pire surrounded by grieving people but out of the fire a phoenix rises unnoticed. Love and light Crystalmynx xx

Maan	16 Dec 2002
like crystalmynx i prefer rw based decks because i learned on one. But i like e refreshing view point ... the so called aha cards..a card that lets you thinks "o thats the way to see it!" A good deck should have at least one aha card. The spiral has a good one with the ballet dancer on the three of pentacle. My new fey tarot has a really nice one on the two of wands with a young fey sitting on the nest planning on trying here wings out for the first time. well and my beloved phantasmagoric has so many its hard to name just one ;)

Jewel	16 Dec 2002
I like variety so I like different interpretations. As long as the creator is well versed in Tarot and is not just slapping names of tarot cards on images that have absolutly nothing to do with the meaning of the cards. I personally prefer Thoth based decks and would like to see more Thoth based decks come out than RWS decks ... Don't get me wrong, I like RWS based decks, but the market is flooded with them. I welcome fresh perspectives.

Pollux	16 Dec 2002
Jewel is right, the market is flooded with RWS clones.. *LOL* And those are what I am mostly oriented towards at the moment. :) I agree with both Crystalminx and Maan. I have received my World Spirit last week, and I absolutely love it. I think it is my favourite deck, and it is obvious it is a very readable one as well - I still haven't tried it out though, even though it keeps whispering to me. And another "aha" card in the Spiral is also the 5 of Pentacles, since we are close to Christmas too. There are few diversions in Spiral from the clasisc RWS images, but they are quite neat. I might also mention the 2 and 5 of Swords, or the 5 of Cups, for example. Not only I like the different styles and type of artwork for each RWS clone, but I obviously do appreciate when a certain card is enhanced in its pictorial expression of the intended meaning. Another example, apart from the above, is the High Priestess in the Aquarian deck, or the Hanged Man in Ancestral Path. Jewel mentions Thoth clones. I haven't studied Thoth yet, at all, and I think there are other things I want to do first - I know I can go much deeper with RWS than I am now. But as much as I like variety for RWS clones, I wouldn't mind as much for Thoth ones. The only ones I have (and I am not so sure if I can classify them as Thoth clones, so bear with me *LOL*) are Vision Quest, that I find supreme, and my beloved Gill. Rohrig needs no comment (its place in my shelf is already set *LOL*). What other Thoth clones can you name? Mh... Anyway, the basic answer to your question is: VARIETY. Yes, I do love variety, and the possibility to imporve and choose. :)

HudsonGray	16 Dec 2002
Having a lot of RW clones out there means you can go from one deck to the other without having to relearn meanings much. But there comes a time when you WANT something different and it can be a real relief to get away from the clone art & into something that stands on it's own merits--even if it means learning a new set of meanings. Each artist does art with their own interpretation on it. If all anyone wanted was a RW deck, they could go out and buy it & not worry about anything else. But people like variety, they like being stretched a bit, they like the feeling of connectedness with a new deck that offers something NEW--so you'll have more & more decks come on the market reflecting all this. It probably comes down to--well--how much are you willing to adjust with a new deck. A book store full of RW clones doesn't have much of a draw. I LIKE seeing something new. It can offer new insights into your questions, it can trigger something extra in your subconscious, it can even help expand your ideas about the RW clones you already own & read with. I see no reason all tarot artists should have to stick to the old standby art of the RW, or the Thoth or the Marsailles type of decks. That's like saying you can ONLY have vanilla ice cream when you see that someone else sells mint chocolate chip, rocky road and that great Baileys Irish Cream ice cream. We can use all the variety that we can find. Buy what you want, look at the rest.

Silverlotus	16 Dec 2002
I would have to say that I like decks that uses more or less traditional RW symbolism, but I like more then just another recolouring of the RW deck. Decks like the Robin Wood or Witches' Tarot that use RW symbols but incorporate symbols specific to a path or religion (Wicca in this case) are the type of decks I look for. I think the symbols of these two "systems" mix well together, and give me a bit more to work with and explore. I guess I like the RW symbolism because I know what it means. It is what I learned, and what I have spent my time exploring. And even though I may have several decks with the same or similar symbolism, the way the artist presents it gives me another way to look at these traditional symbols. I find that I can't really relate to decks that stray to far from the RW symbols. In some of the decks I've seen, it is as if the artist used symbols that have a special meaning just for them. So, for them the meaning of the Three of Swords may come across in one symbol but for me it is forever linked to the traditional symbol of the pierced heart. I do have an oracle deck, which does not use any RW symbolism. I can relate to it because it is not trying to be Tarot, and presents itself as another system entirely. So, I am capable of learning more then one system. :) I just want my Tarot to be RW based. And the swords must be air, darn it! And stop moving Justice and Strength around! :P

The Familiarity thread was originally posted on 16 Dec 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.