Ring Cycle Tarot - Wagner's Ring, Arthur Rackham, everything-I-Love Tarot due for rel

agviz said:

I'm really interested in the artwork of this deck, but I understand nothing of the background which ties it all together. It seems clear from what's being said that you need to do some deep study to use this deck, but I can't help asking - will I be completely lost until I've read the book, passed the advanced course, and written my thesis on the subject? I just like the pretty pictures and I want to have fun reading with it. What to do?

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That is what put me off, too. I am not interested in writing a thesis or taking a college class in order to understand the cards. When I saw the horrid huge beige and purple borders on this deck, it just confirmed my hesitation. I cancelled my order.

However, it is my belief that one could read bottle caps, and still get a clear picture of events - so that being said, I imagine you could just enjoy the pictures, and read the deck tarot-wise, as opposed to as a major work of musical art-wise.

agviz said:

I'm really interested in the artwork of this deck, but I understand nothing of the background which ties it all together. It seems clear from what's being said that you need to do some deep study to use this deck, but I can't help asking - will I be completely lost until I've read the book, passed the advanced course, and written my thesis on the subject? I just like the pretty pictures and I want to have fun reading with it. What to do?

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I too like the pretty pictures but without all the background I honestly don't feel that it's enough. Plus the guilt from knowing you're doing the deck a disservice by just uncoupling it from the whole context and thought processes and concept. If you want to have fun reading pretty pictures, I'd say go for the Prospero Art Playing cards. Then you can rhapsodise over the illustrations and read to your heart's content without any fear of "missing" hidden meanings.

It may look like I don't like difficult decks. Life is short and there is the Thoth. I'm at the stage now where I don't invest months and months in learning a new system + homework to then discover - er - actually, maybe it's not for me.

It's a nice deck - but my honest feeling is that the images are largely murky singular figures (remember - the illustrations have been cut up and details used - so you may think you like a Rackham image and the card image is simply a corner of it). I am in awe of anyone who can "academicize" tarot and create a cerebral deck. It's a beautiful set, but I honestly don't think it's a deck where you could just pass over the story.

As for reading other versions of the Ring, Nibelungenlied, Penguin Classics &c - you might as well stick with the companion book. At 253 pages it's as concise a resumé as you're going to find AND it's in the context of tarot so much more useful in that respect. Why read longer books if you want a quick way in? Others may disagree but I personally can't imagine reading with the deck - beautiful as it is - without some serious study. Other will differ.

And, like I say, thank god that there are creators of ambitious, majestic, cerebral, mythological decks. I imagine Wotan in his forge, smashing vacuous angel decks on the anvil. Hurrah.

I agree that the book has most of the background you need, but I definitely recommend watching the operas!

I finished watching them (the last one took 2 nights, since it was over 4 and half hours long). I enjoyed them very much and liked the music better than I thought. (I usually only like early and baroque music. Romantic music usually gives me a headache or puts me to sleep . . .) It's the Met, so I was more than halfway through before I realized what amazing singing was going on! They make it seem effortless even when singing for 4 hours straight!

Watching (with English subtitles) made much more sense to me than reading the libretto, too. There were a lot of emotional undercurrents (and questions of motivation) that I would have otherwise missed.

Now I have lots of questions about interpretations and themes. I'm leaning toward a totally feminist interpretation, but that's just me. After all, Brunhilde was predicted to be and turned out to be the world redeemer, not Siegfried. But then they all die in the end -- a very Aeon of Osiris, not to mention Victorian, version of redemption. (BTW, there does seem to be a lot of violence against women in the story, but it wasn't so graphic or pervasive to make it painful to watch . . .) I find I'm already differing with some of the interpretations of the tarot creator, but I don't think that will spoil the cards for me.

So for background, here and here are English translations of the libretto WITH the Rackham illustrations on Project Gutenberg.

And here is a different English translation side by side with the German.

I watched the 2010-2012 opera productions on https://www.metopera.org/Season/On-Demand/. (If you're really cheap like me, use the free 7 day trial.)

I haven't finished reading the tarot book yet or used the cards, but I'm going to do all that this weekend. I DO think all the learning is worth it, but, as usual, it just brought up more questions . . .

Of course listening to the opera goes without saying. In theory just following the libretto is enough. Once you've heard that and followed that, it all makes sense.

Regarding the feminist angle - doesn't the deck creator say just that? I think the interpretataion was essentially a feminist one, as in the triumph - and power - of the feminine

Thanks guys for the insightful comments on this deck. Still thinking on it.