The future of Tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 04 Feb 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Aoife	04 Feb 2004
Following recent discussions I’ve been pondering the future of tarot and feeling in the mood to stir the embers. What follows is not stated as fact nor opinion but random musings seasoned with a pinch of mischievous heresy. It seems to me that the RWS ‘mould’ has such an established place - probably pre-eminent in all but continental Europe, it’s unlikely in the short term to be eclipsed. Would I be right in assuming that 70-80% of all new decks are based on this mould? And of the remaining 20-30%, would the lion’s share be oracle decks..... with maybe only 5-10% Thoth-clones? Is my intuition insufficiently developed or is it the case that RWS is perceived by some to be tarot-lite, a picture-book tarot for the less esoterically inclined? A deck littered with discrepancies, sometimes puzzling correlations, overtly christian symbolism [yet reviled as the ‘devil‘s picture book‘ by many of the faith] ..... which, had it not been for an abiding affection for Pixie Coleman-Smith’s contribution, would have long fallen by the wayside? So why are the RWS look-and-feel-alikes so marketable? Is it ‘safe-tarot’.... ‘unthreatening tarot’...... or ‘every-wo/man’s tarot’? With all the back-up material any self respecting new-age newbie could desire? Why do I get the feeling that Thoth sits happily in the background..... with a markedly superior expression? Readily available but accessible only to the select few....the ‘really-committed’....... unwilling to yield up its secrets other than to those willing and able to embark on in-depth probing of astrology and Kaballah, largely impenetrable to the uninitiated? Is it illusion or is there really an unspoken belief that Thoth is the ‘thinking-wo/man’s’ deck? Intellectually superior, more profound than RWS...... with a delicious whiff of danger? Undoubtedly Frieda Harris’ artwork is exquisite, a wonderful example of Art Deco which has surely increased sales umpteen-fold. Yet how many bought this deck but would never use it? Oh Marseille, I grieve for what might have been had we not been divided by history and language. How beautiful and pure....... yet how remote and complex, how erudite and challenging? Yet hardly accessible to the reader concerned with whether her boyfriend will dump her before the full moon. And what about the proliferation of oracle decks? Breaking into new territory or just re-hashing and re-packaging old ground? But ‘safer’ still than tarot? I predict this is likely to be the main growth area in the near future. So..... I ask myself, if I were a billionaire with the resources to change the course of tarot marketing in the future, just what would I do?? Speaking personally, I would hire the best translators I could find! But if I was in the business just to make money??? I dunno......what do you think?

firemaiden	04 Feb 2004
Hmmm. I must say, my first deck was the Thoth and I had no problem relating to it, nor did I find it unusably cryptic. Rich, yes, cryptic no. Assuredly, I haven't exhausted its hidden depths. It gives a nice feeling, though, to know more could be hiding there -- maybe one day it will reveal itself, but it is not necessary to know everything in order to find the Thoth readable. Let your brain pick out what it wants too from the primordial ooze... RWS as tarot-lite? Well, do you mean by that, that with the pictures, it is sort of pre-interpreted for us? As in pre-baked, pre-packaged frozen waffles? Maybe, but I see nothing wrong with that. it is certainly open enough to allow divination deviation. It is a wonderful tool. As for the Marseilles, oui, Madame, as translater je suis votre humble serviteur. Perhaps the variety of decks available reflects an induction process. Let us be lured in by the fluffy bunnies, and the pre-packaged, then move on to obscurer, more ponderous depths, and finally behold the Marseille in all her glory.

Diana	04 Feb 2004
Dearest Aoife: When you speak of the Marseille deck, you grieve. You say you are divided by history? No-one can be divided from our history. It is what makes us who we are. Divided by language? This is impossible. Tarot's language is made of Simplicity. Your title is misleading. It should be "The future of Tarot decks". Because the future of Tarot does not depend on a pack of cards. You know, there are many roads that lead to Rome. But only one that leads to Tarot. The destination, I believe, is Wisdom, Truth, Freedom and Transfiguration. Destination is a cousin of the word Destiny. Tarot's Destiny has been mapped out a long, long, long, long, long, long time ago. So long ago that we peer through the mists of time to try and see it. But we do not see it. Why not? Because we try to see with our eyes. But Tarot can only be seen with the heart. (This is what many Tarot historians do not understand.) Dearest Aoife: Perhaps one day we will meet in a tavern on the Tarot Road. You and I, the Bateleurs, will sup with the Papess, the Empress, the Emperor and the Pope. They will teach us about Love and we will go for a ride on a Chariot. We will speak with Lady Justice and the Hermit. Have a fun ride on the Wheel of Fortune. We will have a strong drink to regain some Strength and chat to the Hanged Man. The Arcanum Without a Name will be cause for much discussion. Then we will go for a walk with Temperance and have a laugh with the Devil. Perhaps he will join us in our gentle fall from the Maison-Dieu onto the soft ground below where we can see our Star and we will follow it. When the Moon comes up we will sleep, and in the morning, the Sun will wake us with her warm sunrays. We will listen to the trumpet of Judgement sound and see the World in all her glory. Fools, we will be, you and I. See you soon! A bientôt.

Original Destiny	04 Feb 2004
The future is not written...it has yet to be written... and once it is written it becomes the past... i enjoyed your posting but found it missing one essential ingredient... the potential for the Tarot to adapt.... it has survived an grown for over 600 years... as each succesive generation has adopted it, it has developed and matched the needs placed upon it. It survives on free will and independence, to pin it down destroys this... its like trying to nail jelly to a wall... its up to each generation to develope and explore the tarot... dont put percentages on it, or popularity of this deck or that deck.... wait and see...... and enjoy the outcome... ( a billionaire cannot change the Tarot but the Tarot can change a billionaire)

Macavity	04 Feb 2004
As a possibility, I guess that a future (current!) generation will start using clone decks without any real notion of their ancestry or family type? I suspect there are significant numbers of readers who will never get beyond posessing more than one or two deck and treat them as completely individual. Also many will rely on LWBs or (c.f. LoS Classical Tarot) have keywords printed on the cards themselves? }) I suppose much depends much on HOW one reads. There are common techniques, but there seem to be VERY significant overlaps. At most basic level I guess the RWS could e.g. trigger memory of single keywords (much as conveniently(!) written of the Thoth) At a more complex level some readers correlate the images of two or more cards (who is facing who etc.) in addition to geometric spread information? Hardly Tarot Lite? ;) Doubtless some Thoth readers use keywords, whereas others might use Marseille related techniques for reading all pip decks? But it's difficult to claim any "purity" of method, once the knowledge of another is available or indeed embedded in one's mind? Nothing wrong in that - A cat rarely relies on the evidence of eyes alone, when needing to fully appraise an unfamiliar object :D Macavity

Never_Mind	05 Feb 2004
Dear colleagues from Aeclectic I am more worried about the future of the world. What happens in the Tarot market is just part of a bigger picture. The proliferation of trash. One day, we will wake up and we will be surprised that we can't get out of our houses. We will be covered with trash.

The The future of Tarot thread was originally posted on 04 Feb 2004 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.