Gilded Tarot - non-round Pentacles

Lee

Since (alas!) I can't afford the Gilded Tarot special edition, I've been spending time lately perusing the beautiful cards on Ciro's website. Last night I was really struck by the suit of Pentacles. The suit symbol, instead of the standard disk or coin, is a pentagon, i.e. a five-sided object.

I think this is an interesting choice. It brings in the symbolism of the number 5, as does the pentacle on the RWS, but without actually showing a pentagram, which might have occult or magickal connotations that the artist perhaps wished to avoid.

On the other hand, there is much circle symbolism in disks/pentacles which is missing in the Gilded pentagons.

I'd love to hear others' thoughts on this. Do you like the pentagons, or do you miss the disks/pentacles?

You can see the Pentacles suit of the Gilded Tarot here:

http://www.ciromarchetti.com/gilded_tarot/minor_pentacles.html

-- Lee
 

Lee

As I look at the scans again, I notice that each Pentacle has a little sun in the center, so the circle is actually still there, albeit small.

-- Lee
 

lark

I love them Lee.
It almost has the feeling of a shield to me, and that feels very grounding.
Protected, stable.
Like being well cover.
The lack of actual pentacle symbols is a plus for me.
Even though we all get very used to it and don't think much about it pentacles can have a bad rep. with people who have no understanding of esoteric symbols.

I actually had one lady say to me " I don't want to see those devil stars, do you have a different deck?"
I was using my Hanson Roberts (you can't get any gentler than that.)
She ended up being more comfortable with my Tarot of Prague.

As far as missing the circle, I don't.
I feel its refreshing and inventive to have something different.
And it sure doesn't affect my ability to read with them.
A wonderful deck to read with.
I just can't say enough about how much I like this deck.
 

lark

Lee said:
As I look at the scans again, I notice that each Pentacle has a little sun in the center, so the circle is actually still there, albeit small.

-- Lee
Yes that is true.
Actually there are two circles.
A circle within a circle.
 

Thea Lynx

Well, Lee,

I have the deck and have to tell you it is even more detailed, richer and more beautiful in person than on the website - which I would not have believed possible until I saw it for myself.

As for the pentacles - as soon as I saw the ace, my mind's eye saw the lines of the pentacle within the pentagon, although they are not actually there. Each one has pentagons within pentagon within pentagon culminating with the King who has the sun within a beautiful gold pentacle within his pentagon - a very fitting picture.

So, since for me the shape of the pentagon evokes the design of the pentacle I don't regard it as missing at all.

Thea Lynx
 

Lee

A friend has sent me a close-up scan of the Gilded pentacle, and it really has a lot of depth to it. As Thea Lynx says, it's constructed of several layers of pentagons, culminating in a central green pentagon which has a sun design in the middle. There are also five tiny green pentagons placed around the center golden design. As I look closely at the scans on Ciro's site, amazingly, the depth of detail is maintained throughout the cards, even in the higher cards where the pentacle-objects are smaller.

Interestingly, the Page bears the same pentacle-object, but for the Knight, it's missing the central green pentagon, which could perhaps show that the Knight is an extremist who focuses on the outer forms of things. Then, the Queen's pentacle-object is exactly the green center which is missing on the Knight, which shows that the Queen grasps the essentials.

Then on the King, again as Thea Lynx has pointed out, the five-pointed star which has been suggested throughout the suit finally makes its appearance in all its glory.

I also agree with lark that the five-sided pentagon does evoke a solid and grounded feeling. I'm not quite sure why -- maybe because it reminds us of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.? Or maybe it just reminds us of a building in general, with solid walls. The shape certainly seems more resistant to attack. I would be interested to know if anyone knows whether a pentagon would be a stronger structure than a circle.

-- Lee
 

lunakasha

Thanks for the thread, Lee!

I cannot believe that I missed this one....after spending as much time as I have ogling these cards on the website, I don't think it really "jumped out at me" that these pentacles are not round!!!! Isn't it funny how, when you get so used to seeing something represented in a certain way, that your eyes don't seem to notice when the image is altered???

I just went back to the website and looked at all of the Pentacles cards with a new appreciation....very interesting the way Ciro has presented so many different variations of the pentagon-shaped pentacles. Once again, it is the little details that really bring you inside these images...just amazing!

Thanks for helping to open my eyes....

:) Luna
 

lunakasha

I am bumping up this thread as it has just been moved to the General Study forum, and will be included as part of the Gilded study group.....

I look forward to continuing this discussion and hearing some new perspectives on the Gilded pentacles.....

And thanks to Lee for starting the thread and also suggesting that it be included as a study topic.....

:D Luna
 

tmgrl2

Thanks for bumping this thread, Luna...It really is amazing how much is being discovered and you just started this study group.

I am posting the Home Page here, so people can see the design on the back of the cards, since this is the circle with the inner circles and rays that appears on many of the cards:

http://ciromarchetti.com

(I had to edit link since it would not display, and added home page again...)


As Lee mentioned, The King, the Knight and the Five of Pents do not have the inner circle...the King may hint at it...The Five of Pents (that dark-looking RW card with stainglassed window) has a glow within each pent, hinting at higher powers.

But if one looks at Ciro's back of the card image...it contains much that is symbolic to allow me to love the Pent shape. There is his trademark circle, and within that the "sun" which has 12 Golden Rays, (8 long and 4 shorter ones.... between which are 4 blue rays (earth:4, 8, 4x2, 12, 4x4)....then there is the circle (traditional pent/deniers/coin image) which has 15 blue rays (5 x3....with fives being 3's and 2's , order and disorder) and within that again the "sun" with the fifteen golden rays and dead center, the brilliant red globe...the World? I'm sure Ciro will shed his own light on this as we go along....but that's what I liked when I studied the symbol on the back of the card.


In fact, another thread could just study that symbol which so reminds me of a minor Tarot de Marseille card, except thiis one if you look closely, has all of the key numbers within it...the center could be 1..then the two floral patterns (one growing from the two, top and bottom) ...the four around outer circle...then the fives within...or the three flowers plus the two purple stones on either side of the card, R&L....so when I see the Pentagram in the Pents....I see Ciro's whole image on back of cards and it calls up anall-within-one concept. Blues (spiritual, communication, timelessness) gold (divine, intellect, universal wisdom) red: passion, material plane, temporal powers...



terri
 

OakDragon

I like the fact that the pentacles in the Gilded Tarot lack the pentagram symbol. It seems to me that the pentagram brings in connotations that I don't usually associate with pentacles in tarot.

The pentacles in this deck actually remind me of dinner plates, for some reason. :p Hmm, maybe plates to hold nature's bounty, ala the cornucopia?

I've also often wondered why pentacles are usually (and especially in this deck) so huge. I mean, look at the guy in the four of pents. He only has four and yet his arms are full! How do they carry them around? Banks must be popular in the Gilded universe! LOL