Pros and Cons Thread #3 - Enabling and De-Enabling

Nemia

Successfully enabled :D Ordered the deck and excitedly waiting for it. It will be my first collab deck. I don't know a *ton* about astrology so I'm excited to start learning :)

IMO the most wonderful thing about this deck is that it's not based only on astrology but also on modern astronomy (there is even a satellite card!). It shows the constellations and astronomical phenomena that astrology normally doesn't concern itself with. I find that most fascinating.

At the moment, I can't buy decks but this one is certainly on my list, and quite at the top.

For quite some time, I have wondered where to find a deck that stargazers can use, a deck that looks at what we really see in the skies. The constellations on this deck are exactly as you can see them in the sky. You can use this deck to go outside and see Gemini and the Bull and the Lion. And I find that so thrilling!

The more I learn about the stars, the more I regret that the last three generations have lost the connection that bound humanity to the stars. You couldn't grow up, no matter where, without becoming aware of the constellations and their nocturnal and annual movement. Since the industrial revolution, the onset of urbanisation and electrification, we have lost this part of our world - the most reliable constant of the natural world.

I'm happy that this deck celebrates the stars, constellations and celestial bodies we all should know like grass and clouds.
 

violetdaisy

Animalis os Fortuna vs Dark fairytale

Completely different but both appealing and something I think I could work with...

Black/white I find challenging and I don't normally go for CGG (I usually just skip those that have that description) but the CGG in the Dark Fairytale is a bit different. Anyone have either of these?

(I do like one of the Zombie decks but I am getting it for my daughter - and she has Deviant Moon & Ritual Abuse)
 

FaintlyMacabre

Wild Unknown

I think someone had better enable me for this one. I bought the first version because I didn't like the backs on the second. It's taken me awhile to unpack it.

I was tired last night and i can't count anyway but I kept coming up short and the cards were all mixed up and turned every which way so I finally had to sort them. I was still short, and after much angst discovered I had two six of wands - and one was the Six of Swords. I was glad because not only do I hate problems, it's been awhile. I think I got the not so great card stock since it has little nubs and seems really stiff. They tended to cling together.

There seem to be a lot of horses. (Am I the only moron who yanked that bottom card out with the ribbon? No harm done and i fixed it.) There is really no excuse for that Roman numeral system on this deck. I think it took me about an hour to sort it out and I need a pep talk.

Diana
 

Nemia

The Wild Unknown is so universally loved that it's actually quite refreshing to see somebody not falling into aaaah and oooh when opening it ;-)

I personally love this deck for many reasons. I love the art, it's deceptively simple and very well done. Art done with lines and relying mostly on black and white, i.e., darkness and light, is more toned down and at first it seems less emotional than swaths of strong colours. It takes more of our attention to "read" the emotional intensity, it's more discreet, like talking in a lower voice. The graphic elements, the line work, is never self serving or purely decorative; it's expressive and always has a function. Like in the 7 Pentacles where it really leads the eye upwards, like the planets or virtues do...

The colour washes that appear take on a much stronger meaning because the artist doesn't drown us in colour. I really like that approach, usually the proportions between use of ink and use of colour washes is very different. But look at that Empress - the colour seems to live.

I also like the non-cute look at nature. I have animal decks where the animals are "cuter", more humanized or more decorative, and that's okay, too - after all, since we were children we projected our own emotions on animals and use them as mirrors. Here, the Wild Unknown is really unknown, and we have to work harder. I sense something of the awe in this deck that I feel when I see wild animals in nature - there is so much to their life that I don't understand, it's like a whiff of a wild world that connects to the wild world within me, but I could never put it into words.

The Roman numerals don't disturb me, they're no different than in any other deck. The handwriting is very beautiful and easily readable, why not sort according to the card title if you have difficulties with the numbers?

I don't know about different editions; I have a thick, smooth, wonderful card stock (and I had mine as present some two years back).

It's a deck I love. It doesn't always speak to me, and it's a meditative deck. I can't use it for trivial questions, but I rarely use the tarot for trivial questions anyway. All my readings with it have been spot on but there was always something left I couldn't really put my hand on. I like that, I don't want the tarot to spell out everything like Google translate. There is always something to intuit, to leave open, a little question mark that remains. You get an answer, but for me, it's not a pragmatic "now go and do XYZ" kind of answer like some other decks do.

I'm really happy with the deck. But that's such a personal matter. I'm sure there are many people who prefer other decks. I find the Natural World and the Luminia deck remind me of the Wild Unknown, others don't agree, but maybe one of them would be more in your direction?

I'd say give it some time. Make a deck interview and let it talk for itself. If after some months you still find it difficult, this is not a deck that will sit unloved in the trading boards...
 

FaintlyMacabre

Thanks, Nemia. I do remember the Empress, just not what it was exactly.

It was not the Roman numerals themselves, it was the use of VIIII instead of IX that was annoying (and also XVIIII). I am thinking the stupid ribbon wasn't positioned right, lol.

I just fought with it so long that I sort of didn't want to touch it again. They are all sorted out now.

Diana
 

FLizarraga

The Wild Unknown

It is definitely not for everybody. It's for "less is more" people. It's also for people who do not need human faces.

Me, I tried to love it. I tried. Hard. Such beautiful images. Carefully, thoughtfully chosen, too; nothing slapdash about it. For some reason, my favorite WU suit is Swords; I love the Lamb in the 4 of Swords, and the sacrificial bull in the 10. Such nice, thick, perfect (for me) cardstock. The Roman numerals, taken from old Marseille decks, I found charming. And yet, and yet... it just left me cold.

Maybe it's not a great deck, but it's really nice. You just gotta know what makes you tick. For me, it is way too astringent, too pared down, too Zen. I need busy, overwrought, operatic decks; lots of detail. The WU reminds me of empty Japanese pavilions, rock gardens and matcha tea. Nice, sure, but is it for you?
 

maybelle

Gilded Tarot, Legacy of the Divine, or the Tarot of Dreams?

First seeing these decks on the Internet, I thought they looked tacky and busy. But then, I got my Morgan-Greer and I fell in love with it, even though I also didn't like it at first, basing on my impressions online. So I thought, why don't I give these decks a chance? I want to see the reason why they're popular. So which should I get first?
 

feynrir

First seeing these decks on the Internet, I thought they looked tacky and busy. But then, I got my Morgan-Greer and I fell in love with it, even though I also didn't like it at first, basing on my impressions online. So I thought, why don't I give these decks a chance? I want to see the reason why they're popular. So which should I get first?

I actually recommend the Gilded Tarot at the moment. It's so easy to read. Beware, though: the other two exhibit digital illustration that is much more refined and up-to-current standards. Many people find the Gilded leaving them cold, but after I got into my Marseille-loving phase, the Gilded spoke to me very plainly. Just the right amount of RWS, with a lot of freedom in-between the "gaps." And the colors are fabulous.

If you prefer art that speaks a bit more expressively, I would recommend the Legacy of the Divine deck. Beautiful, but I find some of the cards in it a little cheesy, and the Gilded avoids that well. Good luck! I love Ciro's work!!

(My personal favorite deck of his is the Oracle of Visions, but that's not relevant here. Just an extra two cents ;) )
 

AnemoneRosie

Does anyone have Tarot of the Trees? What do you have to say about it?
 

Espeon

Does anyone have Tarot of the Trees? What do you have to say about it?
I own a copy. It's a smaller deck, most would consider it mini (it's about 4 in). Very beautiful art. It's done with watercolor I think!

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