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

Nemia

So... getting intrigued by the Haindl Tarot. Wondering about folks' experiences with it, and also whether y'all think getting a vintage copy makes a difference here (seems like these are readily available on eBay)... thoughts?

I love the Haindl, it was one of my first three decks (Thoth, Haindl, Cosmic), and I worked with those three for a long time without missing anything :)

The strongest part of the Haindl are IMO the majors, they're wonderful, haunting and strong. Some of the minors look a bit like an afterthought, they're weaker but still have a strong atmosphere because of Haindl's artistic style. Very organic, earthy, intuitive. So even if he only gives us some stones suspended in mid-air, it's enough for me to get my intuition going.

The real problem for me are the court cards. They're difficult anyway, and Haindl's decision to make them into families from different heritages doesn't work for me. He calls them Father, Mother, Son, Daughter, but the figures chosen are not really family - so why use this family metaphor? Even worse: these court cards are strong and archetypical, and for me, they compete in their power with the majors.

I want my court cards to connect on a very human level as aspects of character, people in our surrounding, or reactions to a situation. But when I see gods and goddesses of the magnitude Haindl chose (Brigid, Kali, Odin, Isis...), I feel archetypes, very strong powers in our lives.

Yes, it's multicultural and beautiful and meaningful. Probably, if Haindl were alive and would make his deck today, he could add them as divine influences and make some simpler, more element-orientated court cards. Then we could use those court cards as oracles or in some other way.

But the way it is, I feel the deck is really lacking court cards.

This is only my opinion, Benebell Wen, who is a much more knowledgeable tarotist than I am, loves the Haindl court cards and you should read her wonderful review to get a different view ;-)

Haindl was an interesting artist and there are some videos on Youtube about the way he worked - very intuitive and material-orientated. I liked that. But he was also a man who took himself very very seriously. For a German man of his generation, he really left the traditional path with his spiritual interests and his multi-cultural curiosity. A bit like Hermann Hesse, with his love for India and his unconventional ways. But this prophet-like demeanor is also a bit weird at times.

I respect his wish to reconcile German tradition (runes) and Jewish tradition (Hebrew letters); after all, he was a Wehrmacht officer and I don't know what he did or saw in the war, and this is part of his biography. I understand it's important to him but I'm not so sure it all works together so well on the cards. They're strong enough on their own.

Rachel Pollack's books are good but I find I read fine also without looking at them.

I trimmed my old Haindl some time ago and didn't regret it. I have also Haindl's poster of the Tree of Life (as addition to Pollack's book about the Kabbalah), and the cards fit nicely to the poster now, but the poster is much less impressive than the cards.

I think the Haindl is a rich, serious and beautiful deck whose intuitive use of art materials gives strong tarot energies. By using it intuitively, in a way you continue the work of the artist, and I think that's what he meant. He doesn't force his will on his materials but lets the pictures develop intuitively - and that invites me as tarot reader to do the same.

My husband thinks that of all my decks, the Haindl is among the most interesting, and he LOVES the Fool. The Devil is also among the most haunting, mysterious and evocative Devil cards I know - I fear and pity him when I see him. My husband is much more critical than I am so his voice for the Haindl counts double ;-)

Sorry, I can't say anything about editions or card stock, I'm very content with the cards I have but I'm no stickler for card stock so don't ask me :-D
 

Rose Lalonde

So... getting intrigued by the Haindl Tarot. Wondering about folks' experiences with it, and also whether y'all think getting a vintage copy makes a difference here (seems like these are readily available on eBay)... thoughts?
I like the Haindl, including the unusual court cards. I find his use of the I Ching on the minors interesting (though I don't always agree). Nemia really covered a lot of good points about it... The main reason I'm commenting is to say that if you decide to get it, and you don't mind large cards (6" x 3 3/8") in German, I think it's worth getting the '88 Knaur for lighter, brighter colors. (I posted pics of mine and link to buy here. I called the borders cream; I've since had someone say it's light beige -- anyway it's light compared to other editions.) The US Games looks muddy to me by comparison, and the Knaur can usually be found cheap.

I enjoy it for comparison, but it hasn't been a go to, workhorse sort of deck for me. Though to be fair, only my 2 favorites are my go to decks.
 

AJ

So... getting intrigued by the Haindl Tarot. Wondering about folks' experiences with it, and also whether y'all think getting a vintage copy makes a difference here (seems like these are readily available on eBay)... thoughts?

It is thoth based if that makes a difference, and the minors are basically pip cards.
I love it, but those two thingss would be dealbreakers for some.
 

Gaston D.

The Uusi Pagan Otherworlds is breathtakingly beautiful, I love the theme, and I see many people really love this deck and work with it.

I can't speak for the Cosmos deck (though I like what I've seen of it online) - but after much waffling myself I finally went ahead and ordered myself a Pagan Otherworlds deck a few weeks ago and can't tell you how glad I am that I did - and even how frustrated I am with myself for waiting so long!

As most reviews of the deck will attest, its production values are simply exquisite. The card stock has a lovely, canvas-like tactile quality. Yet the cards themselves are quite 'soft', and the deck shuffles like a dream. The tuck box the cards come with is similarly gorgeous, and it comes delivered in a simple yet functional drawstring cotton bag for safekeeping.

All of which would be moot if the art on the cards didn't speak to me. Fortunately the quality of the images is on par with the deck's production values. Each card is indeed like a miniature Old Master oil painting, full of crisp detail and light. The number cards strike a perfect balance between unillustrated Marseilles-style pips and UWS-style narrative scenes, and the court cards all have distinct personalities. And the Majors are worth displaying on their own (which I actually do on the card stand I ordered from Uusi when I ordered my deck - a bit pricey at $20, but nice quality and perfectly sized for the cards.)

One other thing: as you probably know, the deck comes with an extra moon phase cards as a sort of "value added" feature. I haven't figured out how best to use them in readings but they're definitely nice to have.

A possible con: The Pagan Otherworlds deck does not come with a LWB - or indeed, any documentation at all. If you're comfortable with RWS symbolism you probably won't have a problem with 95% of the imagery. And Uusi does sell a companion volume if you feel compelled to spring for it down the road (I haven't yet myself but may treat myself before too long.)

All in all, I don't think you'll be disappointed in this deck.
 

G6

Fountain Tarot

I like it a lot. It's coolish, but I've not found it cold. I read with it after my Gran died and I needed something soothing and gentle and not too gritty or dark. I found the vibe from it very comforting as the cards it gave me were honest, totally relevant, very beautiful and also validating of what I was feeling. I don't think online scans do it justice and it handles much better as a physical deck. Laying the cards out together gives me a really clear feeling for a reading as the colours and lines work together to paint a picture, but it's more than just a pretty deck. The people portrayed are very realistic. The fact that they look like real individuals rather than having generic features is I understand off-putting for some people, but for me this gives the deck a real depth and humanity that it's easy to overlook. I don't think it's ever going to be one of those decks that packs a massive punch or socks it to you 'no holds barred'. But I can honestly say that in my readings with it, it's definitely not sterile or uncommunicative, it's been very evocative and has made an impression that has lingered.

for me the 'sterility' you mention is exactly why i love the fountain so much. it only gives me soft nudges in a couple of possible directions, without being glaringly obvious in its imagery about how they think you should interpret the card. what a breath of fresh air among all those themed decks with 'in your face' scenes or with signs, symbols and correspondences in every possible nook and cranny, that only let you wring out a more than vaguely useful message by great mental and intuitive force...... (sorry for the rant, i guess there is a reason for my growing interest in tdM based decks)
i have been using the fountain for a monthly spread i am developing based upon a book (only in dutch, sorry) about living in sync with the cycles of nature. the author has created and tested a 5 layered system, based upon the I Ching, which i have been using for a while now and i am trying to see how Tarot can build upon and add to this system. the fountain is perfect for this kind of work, i love using it and it indeed reads wonderfully, even within a completely different method of divination. so as far as i am concerned, we need more decks, like the fountain, that lend themselves to very personal and deep reading.
i wouldn't know about reading for others though, i only do that incidentally and always let the querent pick the deck, which is never the fountain, lol, go figure.....

Okay, an opportunity came up to try it. I will let you know how it works for me once I receive it and use it a bit. So funny, I had the chance to get this deck a long while back in a trade, but I wasn't at all interested. You have both enabled me and the many others on here that have said it's a good reader. We'll see... 😊 ✌🏻
 

G6

Oh jeez! I've stumbled across a deck I want that costs $150!!! 😳
 

CharlotteK

Oh jeez! I've stumbled across a deck I want that costs $150!!! 😳
Bargain!! πŸ˜‚πŸ™„ The price alone is de-enabling. Interested to know what it is though πŸ˜‰
 

FLizarraga

I feel the need to splurge on ONE of these decks. They're both beautiful, I can't decide.

I'm a star gazer and the Cosmos Tarot seems to fit the bill admirably. It's based on real constellations, celestial bodies and astronomical phenomena. It's a tarot and oracle together, something I've always wanted to try.

BUT it's a collaborative deck, and while I can "feel" some of the cards very well, others seem totally "off" to me. (I must have looked at that website I don't know how many times!) And I can't remember many people here telling us how they love this deck. Maybe I have overlooked it? There's pretty little echo of this deck.

So lovely ATers who own this deck, how does it read? how do you connect to it?

The Uusi Pagan Otherworlds is breathtakingly beautiful, I love the theme, and I see many people really love this deck and work with it.

So what would you recommend? what do you have to add? I can afford only one (actually NONE but let's forget that...), so which should it be?

Another vote for the Pagan. It's beautiful, and insightful, and very much an instant classic IMHO. The scans don't do it justice. And, as it has already been pointed out, the cardstock is a dream come true.

And it's surprisingly affordable. Though of course you'll have to deal with shipping and probably customs, and that can prove daunting.

Full disclosure: I have not even looked at the Cosmos, but I just can't deal with collaborative decks, no matter how well done.
 

G6

Fountain Tarot

Just got it, but I LOVE the cardstock, size, finish, box/booklet. Whole package is top notch! The images are paintings. The matte finish with the subdued pallete is GREAT! The cards shuffle beautifully. I haven't had much time to judge it as a reader, so I'll report back on that later. In short though, quality deck all the way!