Lee talks Tarot…

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 29 Jul 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Umbrae	29 Jul 2004
I don’t know where to post this, so Moddies (or is it Moddys – or is it the usage that dictates the suffix?) move it as you please. Whilst wandering about the Internet this morning. I found a most wonderful interview with our own Lee Bursten. I’ll tell you what, the interviewer, (some ‘Dan’ guy) tries to trip him up with his ‘question from hell’…Lee cuts him down to size… Great stuff…

Alta	29 Jul 2004
Hi Dan, Talking Tarot seems like the perfect place for an interview story. What a great interview, very well done, both of you. And very exciting to hear that Lee will be collaborating with Ciro for a new deck.

Flavio	29 Jul 2004
Thank you Umbrae for let us know! Great interview!

Aun	29 Jul 2004
Great interview! Oh man... I dig that Temperance card... how cool is that??? :cool:

Lee	29 Jul 2004
I just want to thank that rascal Dan Pelletier for giving me an excellent venue in which to express my thoughts about the deck, and also Kim Huggens for her interview as well. It really means a lot to me! -- Lee

Alissa	29 Jul 2004
Another thoughtful addition to Tarot Garden's interview series! Kudos to both of you, what a great introduction to the deck itself. You express yourself eloquently, Lee. :)

Cerulean	29 Jul 2004
I would have enjoyed a beautiful question by using a closer tarot concept. In 1911 there was the Alan Tarocco trumps where the mysterious Egyptian and Asian areas were to be cruised and celebrated in a funny tarocco. That this tarot celebrates a world that never really existed shows a fanciful strain in tarot designs and otherworldly elements. Of course Lee Bursten answered nicely, whatever the question was supposed to show. Just me, I would have used the analogy of Bernard Leach to ask about tarot reading with intuition or the context of folk arts. But I didn't know that modern ceramists were taking Leach's commentary into a different and modern realm of 21st century pottery design, as suggested by the interviewer. I had read a version of Bernard Leach's quote on pottery but it was in a larger context in The Unknown Craftsman and in context, it was about folk arts and the romantic version of shubui and naturalness. Around the turn of the 1800s to the 1900s, the very early 1900s, the folk arts of Japan by the government or local regons did not seem to engender much recognition among many in the craze of Westernization. So Leach and others made others, including native Japanese, aware of the beauty of their own folk arts to establish collections of Mingei. That's why I was actually somewhat lost in what the 'question from hell' was getting at, as the context was not only fanciful in conclusion, it was a much broader concept. I saw someone quoting from someone else's interpretation of Bernard Leach's words in a way that didn't gel with my understanding of Bernard Leach. Regards, Cerulean Mari

littlehermit	29 Jul 2004
great interview! and (i know this is cliche because everyone seems to be all about the Star) now I want that deck just for the Star card. :)

Rhiannon	29 Jul 2004
I love the answer to the "Question from Hell"! :)

le pendu	29 Jul 2004
Great interview Umbrae and Lee! Thank you both very much.. for the deck Lee, and spreading the word Dan. Tarot Garden is awesome!

hyatt	29 Jul 2004
Excellent interview. I really enjoyed the explanation of why this is a good deck for a straight person. I think this will be a wonderful addition to my collection. Great work!

firemaiden	29 Jul 2004
Boy, that Dan guy sure can ask a question, ROFL, I loved the question from hell!. Thanks Umbrae and Lee for this wonderful article.

Le_Corsair	30 Jul 2004
Great interview, you two! Bob :THERM

Shalott	30 Jul 2004
Very cool, guys! Lee, your art looks awesome. :D

Moonbow*	30 Jul 2004
Great interview on both sides guys......... That was one hell of a question that 'Dan' asked :D

Lee	30 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Shalott Very cool, guys! Lee, your art looks awesome. :D Thank you very much! I just want to make clear that the art is by Antonella Platano, a well-known comic book artist in Italy. I was just the "Waite" to her "Smith." I think she's a terrific artist! -- Lee

Shade	30 Jul 2004
I loved the cards shown in the interview, I hadn't seen any of these cards before. I especially like dthe Moon; was it your intention that one interpretation for the card might be that one man is dreaming of the other , I couldn't be 100% sure if his eyes were closed.

Little Baron	30 Jul 2004
Thankyou both; read with great interest and loved the cards. A great depth to the Moon and loved Temperance. Loved all of them; a really nice take, Lee, and I look forward to seeing more. It was also nice to read more about your life and the things that have inspired you. Best wishes and good luck with your next project. Yaboot

Lee	30 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Shade I especially like dthe Moon; was it your intention that one interpretation for the card might be that one man is dreaming of the other , I couldn't be 100% sure if his eyes were closed. Here's what the LWB says: XVIII -- The Moon. Sexuality pulls us into a different, non-rational world which is sometimes frightening, always creative. A sense of mystery. Creative ideas which gestate in the subconscious. Sexuality or sex. That's what I had in mind. But, Shade, I like your take as well. As far as I'm concerned, what you see in the cards is no less meaningful than what I see in them. And thanks everyone, for your kind words! -- Lee

Shalott	31 Jul 2004
Quote: Lee, does this mean your book about it will mysteriously leave out about half the information that would be really useful, but will include lots of sarcastic comments about other scholars and decks? LOL! :D

Lee	31 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Shalott [i] Lee, does this mean your book about it will mysteriously leave out about half the information that would be really useful, but will include lots of sarcastic comments about other scholars and decks? LOL! :D LOL, heaven forbid!!! There'll be no book, at least at present. Lo Scarabeo has decided not to publish one. If ever I were to write a book, though, you can be sure I'll be more forthcoming than old A.E. :D -- Lee

The Lee talks Tarot… thread was originally posted on 29 Jul 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.