World spirit tarot...what do u think?

a few cards bothered me to the point that I just couldnt work with it. One of them being the Barbara Bush-looking Empress (or was that high priestess). The other being the Baby Nixon Sun card. But I agree it's a beautiful deck and I love the colors!

Tao, what makes you say that the court cards are less than others?

Love

Sulis xx

Strangely enough, a lot of the things that people don't like about this deck don't seem to bother me.

The Sun card was a little bit of a shock, but I thought it was a lovely juxtaposition of age and youth. The person in the card is obviously a child, but the facial features are very adult. I immediately thought of the Buddha, born as a child (appropriately seated on a lotus flower), but with the wisdom of many lifetimes already in his mind.
I guess I'm just too young and too not-American to have thought of Nixon; in fact, I have no idea what he looks like Come to think of it, I don't know what Barbara Bush looks like either. So politicians don't immediately spring to mind for me, though they might well do now that I've read this thread

The man on the 10 of Pentacles doesn't bother me at all. I'm very comfortable with nudity these days, especially now that it's summer and any clothing is too much clothing He looks relaxed and happy, so I'm relaxed and happy
Actually, I'm wondering why it bothers people in particular, given that there's plenty of nudity in the deck as it is..

I love the black borders. It's actually very refreshing to have dark borders on a deck; while I'm used to white borders, I still feel that a darker border is less distracting. It means that the brightest part of the card is guaranteed to be the image itself, so your eyes are naturally drawn towards the centre, not the edge.

However, now that Sulis has mentioned it, the woman in the Star does look positively evil...


I bought this deck based on the few scans I'd seen and the fact that many people seemed to like it. So I wasn't entirely prepared for the excitement I felt when I started looking through the cards.
People of all ages, shapes, sizes, races, and cultures. Even better, people of different cultures in the same card, and people of different races in the same culture (the 4 of Pentacles is a great example). This deck breaks stereotypes about gender, race, shape and age.
It shows that beauty really does come from within; even though the woman on the Universe card would probably be shunned by even the most forward-thinking womens' magazines[1], she radiates beauty because of the freedom and bliss in which she dances.
It shows that people can live in harmony; but more importantly, it shows that people can live in harmony, and still have cultural diversity and pride.


[1]Bliss and Sugar - UK teen girls' mags - have in recent years tried to encourage girls to be proud of their bodies, but even then, I still haven't seen anyone over a size 16 in those magazines. Certainly the woman in the Universe would never make it there, even though she's beaming with a heck of a lot more happiness and love for herself than any of the heavily made-up and no doubt airbrushed models I see in those mags.

respectfully snipped to save space:

hedgecub said:

Strangely enough, a lot of the things that people don't like about this deck don't seem to bother me.

The Sun card was a little bit of a shock, but I thought it was a lovely juxtaposition of age and youth. The person in the card is obviously a child, but the facial features are very adult. I immediately thought of the Buddha, born as a child (appropriately seated on a lotus flower), but with the wisdom of many lifetimes already in his mind.

Click to expand...

Hi hedgecub,

I really like your take on the Sun card. It's one of the few cards in this deck that I didn't like, but your post has given me a new way to look at it!

Becky

One of the coolest 'exercises' with this deck is to lay all 78 cards out on the floor next to each other. The colors in this deck are so vibrant - it is amazing to see them all laid out together. It gave me an evern greater appreciation for the deck.

I owned it when it first came out, before a 'tarot hiatus'... It is a deck I wouldn't mind getting again! Also, the pictures are SO detailed. It is a perfect deck for journaling and storytelling, in my opinion.

dolphinprincess said:

One of the coolest 'exercises' with this deck is to lay all 78 cards out on the floor next to each other. The colors in this deck are so vibrant - it is amazing to see them all laid out together. It gave me an evern greater appreciation for the deck.

Click to expand...

That sounds like a nice idea! I'll try later but I can image the color patterns now! the black color background of these cards do really help the already vibrant colors.

dolphinprincess said:

One of the coolest 'exercises' with this deck is to lay all 78 cards out on the floor next to each other. The colors in this deck are so vibrant - it is amazing to see them all laid out together. It gave me an evern greater appreciation for the deck.

Click to expand...

I did that when I first got this deck and they were lovely and so colorful! I especially like the blues in this deck for some reason.

Actually when the deck first came out and I saw pictures online, I didn't really care for it. And I thought some of the images and faces looked weird, Probably because they are lino prints. And then one day I bought it just because I was at the bookstore (and everyone else raved about it so much), I think I just wanted to buy something that day. And after laying them all out on the floor and admiring them , I never did use them for a reading, maybe because I was using other decks at the time.

But then a few days ago I decided it was "time" and so I did a zodiac spread. I have to say I was very impressed ! These cards really spoke to me on a deep level. I think I've just found a new favorite reading deck. The reading was also very positive , which is always nice.

Also , the cards are pretty expressive and easy to understand. It doesn't take a degree in rocket science to figure it out. Plus I really really like the explainations in the booklet that comes with the deck. It gave me a brand new (better) perspective on some of the cards.

I'm not one to like borders. Usually. I've cut them off many decks. But these... The World Spirit reminds me much of my bedroom while I was in Jr High. My parents let me paint up the walls-- and I used blacklight paints.

With the style of the linotype, black is a unifying color. And it also serves to intensify the colors. And the are indeed intense.

So much for the artistic critique.

Bottom line here-- they work well for me. I like the little twists on takes...

The sun? It was a bit jarring. But I got over it. I haven't met a deck that's a perfect 78. I doubt I ever will.....


fly well
Raven

first of all let me thank u all for the great responses. i m very pleased w/ the world spirit deck, and now it travels w/ me whenever i go (hawaii next week hehehehe). i love the artwork, the colors, and the black border. i think the black border actually serves a purpose...acting as contrast to the vibrant colors used. my favourite card is the high priestess. i love the blue figure and the surreal surrounding. the sun card did bother me a little at first eventhough i m not an american, but i got over it.

My first impression

was admiration of the art. I especially felt closeness to the number cards. The upper arcane had tremenduous meaning to me. The court cards were ok but I was not overly impressed. When a group of cards affect me in this manner, I feel compelled to explore the issue. First, I revere each deck that I own. These cards are spiritual tools. They transmit more than aesthetics. I first drew the Sibyl of Cups. She told me that life flows and its gentle creatures live in balance. She raises a question "Do you see with your eyes or your heart?" Is she human or is she manifestation of her element. She holds her cup of her element offering a share in her realm. The next card was the Sibyl of Pentacles. She was relaxed and wanted to speak casually. She spoke of the wealth of the earth. The fertility of the earth. The well beiting brought by the respect of the earthly element. She seemed to pose the question "Are you in love with life or is life in love with you?" She seems to be inviting people to keep it calm and enjoy the earth and its splendor!
I contiued to pull cards with and increasing amount of respect for each of the courts. I will share those another time but I feel a different respect for the courts.--Tao