"The Everyman Tarot" is published and available!!

Changing the subject!

gregory said:

The Six Swords is rather depressing – but an interesting take.

I find myself regretting every card that has no person in it… Yes I know why – but I still do ! They are so expressive – all of them, the people !

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If you were to overlay the RWS image with mine you would see that Mr Swords is in the exact same position as the man rowing the boat. However, that 'boat with the swords in it' concept was not going to work with Mr Type A personality. So, I put him in a 'double jeopardy' fight-or-flight situation: whatever unseen terror is inferred from the ominous black cloud starting to creep into the upper left-hand corner, Mr Swords also faces the fact that flight may not be easy, either - faced with a staircase whose treads are also made of double-edged swords. Even in flight he is faced with ominous choices. Which could cause you more harm? Which risks are worth taking?

Also - I took pencil & ruler mechanical drafting in the dark ages before CAD, so drawing the sworded staircase with a double perspective was the challenge in proving I could still do it.

{BTW - if you run up the stringer by the sword hilts - the swords are less flexible there and should carry your weight more easily. Don't step in the flexible middle of the Swords ... and when you get to the top platform - be sure to grab the top sword in case you need it!}

tarotbear said:

Also - I took pencil & ruler mechanical drafting in the dark ages before CAD, so drawing the sworded staircase with a double perspective was the challenge in proving I could still do it.

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I've already said how much I love that image (OK, technically, I said interesting image, but I it), so this isn't all that off-topic. I took Mechanical Drawing in High School from one of the designers of the "new" Coke can that didn't have the "pop-top" opener but instead had the opener that stayed attached to the can. (Yes, I'm old enough to remember Billy Carter in a jacket (?) that he made from pop-top openers.) Let's just say that's one of the many experiences in the Engineering building of my high school (yes, we had an engineering building) that ensured that I didn't turn out to be an Engineer....

And to bring this completely back on topic, I love the "I'm screwed either way" aspect that you've introduced to this card! While Cups is my favorite suit (and dear gregory, you invite, and I'll be there! ), my four favorite cards are Death, 10 Pentacles, 6 Swords and 9 Swords. Even if you didn't make any changes to the 3 Pentacles, those four cards far outweigh any issues I have with the 3P. As I've said before and I'll reiterate again, on not only creating, but also printing this deck!

Rodney

Three of Rodney's favorite cards - and an 'adjusted' 3 Pents.

rwcarter said:

And to bring this completely back on topic, I love the "I'm screwed either way" aspect that you've introduced to this card! While Cups is my favorite suit (and dear gregory, you invite, and I'll be there! ),

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Am in Ontario till the beginning of Sept. If you start walking now you can just make it

my four favorite cards are Death, 10 Pentacles, 6 Swords and 9 Swords. Even if you didn't make any changes to the 3 Pentacles, those four cards far outweigh any issues I have with the 3P. As I've said before and I'll reiterate again, on not only creating, but also printing this deck!

Rodney

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What about 10 cups ??? But yes - those, and also 10 Swords with the specs ! I am still ok with the original 3 Pents.

As to hanging on to that sword - I'd CUT myself...

I wasn't sure which way to go with the 10 cups - the 'Walt Disney Ending' card! However, since Mr Athletic had developed a certain Native American aspect to his persona I moved into that realm ... slightly. By the time you get around to drawing the Tens you are pretty tired of trying to imaginatively fit all the objects of the suit on a card - so I went to this image where the Cups surround the family instead of floating in the sky. The Cups also cycle from full to empty to full since Tens are both a beginning and an end. Robin Wood used this ides in her Wheel card where if the card appears on it's side it influences the reading differently.

Ten Swords - even in death Mr Buttondown still holds tightly onto his eyeglasses. Being an eyeglasses wearer, I made sure that even when Mr Buttondown was resting or blindfolded that his eyeglasses were somewhere close by.

gregory said:

Am in Ontario till the beginning of Sept. If you start walking now you can just make it

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Your collection isn't in Ontario....

gregory said:

What about 10 cups ??? But yes - those, and also 10 Swords with the specs ! I am still ok with the original 3 Pents.

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OK, fine! FIVE favorite cards including the 10 Cups.

rwcarter said:

Your collection isn't in Ontario....

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I thought it was the HAIR that....

OK - I am in the UK for the two weeks in the middle of September. And then again from late October through January...

There are actually more and more cards that have added aspects... I do LIKE this deck

tarotbear said:

I wasn't sure which way to go with the 10 cups - the 'Walt Disney Ending' card! However, since Mr Athletic had developed a certain Native American aspect to his persona I moved into that realm ... slightly. By the time you get around to drawing the Tens you are pretty tired of trying to imaginatively fit all the objects of the suit on a card - so I went to this image where the Cups surround the family instead of floating in the sky. The Cups also cycle from full to empty to full since Tens are both a beginning and an end. Robin Wood used this ides in her Wheel card where if the card appears on it's side it influences the reading differently.

Ten Swords - even in death Mr Buttondown still holds tightly onto his eyeglasses. Being an eyeglasses wearer, I made sure that even when Mr Buttondown was resting or blindfolded that his eyeglasses were somewhere close by.

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Thank you so much for sharing details like these! They add richness and depth of meaning to the cards, and made the deck feel more "personal" to me. Everyman's been added to my wish list.

You either have it - or you've had it

Wish me luck!

I am mailing a copy of my men's tarot book & deck to Stu Kaplan at US Games Systems tomorrow ... it will be interesting to see what kind of response - if any - I get.

Good luck!!!