'Playing Around'

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 23 Oct 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Little Baron	23 Oct 2004
In the past, and still, I am a terrible flirt with the tarot. I begin love affairs and then move on to others, leaving the previous deck in the shadows; returning again at a later stage. I have had some terrific times with the Thoth recently; the 'Ya and Boot' readings were very valuable in my study of the deck and I am glad that they offered some members useful advice. Prior to that, I have enjoyed long flirtations with the Rohrig, Phantasmagoric, the Marseilles and the Enoil Gavat. At the moment, as I mentioned in another thread, the 'Thoth' has become a little too heavy for my daily readings and I have stopped drawing with it; the amount of time I have had for the tarot has been limited in previous weeks, which has not helped. I mentioned to Moonbow that it often feels like a knife that cuts to levels that maybe I am not always ready to expose; sometimes, that can be too harsh for me on a daily basis. I have a longstanding relationship with my Rohrig but at times, the imagery, however beautiful, doesn't always feel right. Today, I pulled out the Soprafino - a deck that I was so excited to recieve but not one that I did much with afterwards. I think that it will be my next flirtation for a while; the soft colouring and detail is what I need. Was just wondering if anybody else goes through these periods of flirtation with different decks. I often feel guilty about the one that has just been rejected, hehe, and retired back to their box. Yabs

blackroseivy	23 Oct 2004
Hi there! I am sorta promiscuous, circulating from deck to deck fairly quickly. But I am also polyandrous because I feel like they are a family & I (almost! ;) ) always have the right deck for the right question, mood, etc. I usually am dallying about with more than one at once - *scandalous*!! :D

Moongold	23 Oct 2004
I love your metaphor, Yaboot :D My first real love in Tarot was the Morgan Greer. Then I went to Tarot of the Old Path for a significant relationship. I am very good mates with Tarot of the Sephiroth as well and think that not many really see the depth of that deck. It might be the comic book art. It is superior but a bit quirky, and people may be turned off by it. I love it though and it's one of those old love affairs where you remain good friends. I have had significant dalliances with Shining Tribe and a few others and a brief intense relationship with Thoth which I may revisit. My abiding passion at the moment is the Ancient Egyptian and I'm getting to know it really well. I use my Fournier quite a bit as well but in conjunction with reading Tarot history and philosophical foundations. I bought the Pythagorean months ago and have hardly looked at it.. Thanks for a great thread. :) Moongold

lark	23 Oct 2004
I flirt with up to three different decks every day....}) But what really gets tricky is when they flirt back...:eek: I have 74 pure tarot decks and I flirt regularly with 58 of them. What can I say? I'm a girl who likes variety. Today it was Heron, Original Rider Waite, and I batted my eyelashes in the direction of the Light and Shadow Tarot. The Faeries come out everyday, but they just scoff at the idea of manogamy so they're cool with it.

xviiirkna	23 Oct 2004
Hi Yaboot! I can be a big flirt too. Although there's a group of decks I tend to hang out with on a regular basis, I love to go prowling through my shelves and boxes looking for something different that happens to strike my fancy. Sometimes that attraction will just be in the moment, other times it transcends a fleeting affair and develops into something deeper. Don't feel guilty - Tarot is too cool to have self esteem issues...if you've had a good relationship with a deck, it knows that you will come back to it when the time is right. I find the Soprafino deck quite an elegant Tarot to read with. More of a posh dinner followed by a night at the opera kind of deck than one which would be perfectly content sitting in the bleachers eating chili dogs at the ballpark. May your involvement be treasured and meaningful. :* Blessings, Sally Anne

Nycelle	24 Oct 2004
I am a huge flirt - mind you, I flirt with several visual arts, all forms of writing and music and every book I can lay my hands on. When there's so much stuff in the world, why limit yourself? Experience everything!

BlueLotus	24 Oct 2004
What else can a tarot lover do except try to play around with all the decks in his/her possession, if time permits? As for me, and to do fair to all decks , I remind myself to thank my lucky stars for having the decks I do and enjoy their company, before charging ahead and ordering (a) new one(s) . I do reflect on my decks on a regular basis, particularly when finances get tight, and there is no more money to put aside for yet another deck. My point is, I do fair to all the decks in my collection - well almost - and try to play with them equally. True I may show some favoritism toward some specific decks at any particular time - which I can't help - (thinking the Sakki-Sakki, the Gay, Morgan Greer, and Baroque Bohemian among a few selected others as of late ) but I rarely neglect a deck totally, even if I just pick it up to admire the artwork every now and then.

OakDragon	24 Oct 2004
Oh, Yaboot, I certainly do! My relationship with decks varies quite a bit and goes back and forth with some of them. There are decks like the Rohrig and the Gilded that I have fallen deeply in love with and I think will stay with me no matter how another deck may cause my eye to temporarily wander. There are decks like the Radiant RWS which I have a more platonic love for. I tend to use that deck for general readings or when I'm not in any particular mood. Some decks I bought, like the Arthurian Tarot (the Mathews one with the arched black borders), I love the artwork and will keep the deck but I find too difficult to read with (because I'm unfamiliar with the legends and culture behind the deck). Others, like the Baseball Tarot, are wonderful decks with deep meanings and beautiful imagery and are easy to read, but the theme of the deck is so narrow, I can hardly ever imagine myself finding a time to use them. Baseball issues don't come up that often! :) And sometimes I buy decks and later wonder why I ever bought them. The Voyager is one of the first decks I learned about, but I'm not as enthralled with it as I was when I was younger. I'm still going to keep it though. The Quest was a big disappointment and the Victoria Regina looks like it may be, too, though I think I will give it more time. Both leave me cold somehow.

Cerulean	24 Oct 2004
such a delicate tease. She did tease me all weekend, but I had her wrapped up decorously in red Chinese silk with butterflies and nary a moment did I feel I needed to pull her out... but I can only wishfully imagine walking into our hotel room, fanning out my deck and saying, "Sir, my calling card..." Soprafino Il Mondo? Mea culpa! La Temperan! http://www.spiritone.com/~filipas/Masquerade/Reviews/soprafin.html Thank-you-Yaboot for letting me be lighthearted for a bit this week...sigh... Cerulean Mari

April	25 Oct 2004
I'm having a brief affair with the Halloween Tarot. Little does it know that I'm just not interested in a long term relationship. I'm just having a little fun during the holiday season. I will let it down easy, and it will have plenty of company while it while it longs for me on the shelf. The Zerner-Farber will be joining it soon. Not because I don't like it, but because I've been carrying it around for six months and I don't want to seem to clingy. Do think it's annoyed that I call it every day? Or maybe I'm pining over my first deck, Tarot of the Spirit. We had a fight a few years ago and now we only exchange hellos as we pass on the street. I think I will call and try to work something out. I miss you, baby! Peace, April

Moonbow*	25 Oct 2004
I love to flirt ;) Yep I'm having a little dally with the Druidcraft right now and I must say I am enjoying every minute of it. So far I am working through the book with the cards.... yes I decided to be adult about it and actually READ what the authors have to say about their cards. :) My usual way of flirting is to tear off the wrapping and throw myself into the deck }) but..........that comes later!

jmd	25 Oct 2004
Playing around is fine... but for me it's with the same decks :) I may have a case full, but when it comes to serious touching, or serious playing, only a few do either my eyes or my hands want to handle... ...and then there is a mutual gentle firmness which comes both ways, and an understanding.

Jewel-ry	25 Oct 2004
I do play around a little but always stay faithful to the same few ;) My TdM's - Hadar and Fournier (the fournier is more of a shuffling deck) are quite special and I also like to dabble with Soprafino, Crystal and the Tarot of Prague. When I feel like I want to be a little naughty, I have been known to take out any one of a number of others but usually the infatuation is shortlived, sometimes just a few short minutes ;) ~

Flavio	25 Oct 2004
A couple months ago, the Hanson Roberts and the World Spirit were fighting to get exclusive attention, but then started my Tarot course and the Universal Waite is my "school" deck. Somehow those 3 decks had found its place and time and now the 4 of us are living together very happy and enjoying a lot :) I wonder what will happen when the Gay Tarot arrives to this continent and get a copy of it.

Cerulean	25 Oct 2004
As a joke, I once told a friend that if she believes her historic collection will wind up in a dumpster or adorn her shopping cart, she will have always have a room of her own at my retirement establishment. Last Chance Occult Saloon & Ye Old Tarot Bordello. But I think that's false advertising as far I am concerned, so I will run the daytime establishment known as Tarot Teas (allowing the final "e's" to run where they may...) Now to retire behind my beaded curtains at night... at the moment I'm listening to radio because I like the pictures in my head...and I'm playing with black and white decks because they inspire color to my readings. Cerulean

The 'Playing Around' thread was originally posted on 23 Oct 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.