The Tarot of Vampyres

[Pagan X]

It occurs to me that some fans of Crowley's deck might really enjoy this one. Any Thelamites care to comment?

[inanna_tarot]

I think somewhere I mentioned (if not then just in my head) that the reason why I can connect with the symbolism and the vampric world in the cards is coz a lot of the symbolism reminds me of Crowley and the Thoth deck. I guess when I get to read the book I'll know if this was the artists intention when creating cards for the deck or in his artwork generally.


And on the celeb front...
I couldnt work with a deck of celebrity faces. Luckily Im to busy or too disinterested in the TV to know whos who at the mo lol.

[Le Fanu]

Originally Posted by tarot heart

Well, Christ is a celebrity...for some of us. And that's one that you brought up LeFanu

I was thinking of an iconic image of western Art. Hardly the stuff of celebrity. Or is everyone a celebrity now? Oh well, we all see different things, I know that...

Interesting comments posted by Pagan X. Are we witnessing the first signs of dissent on this deck?

[turtlebite]

Originally Posted by inanna_tarot

And on the celeb front...
I couldnt work with a deck of celebrity faces. Luckily Im to busy or too disinterested in the TV to know whos who at the mo lol.

I have teen and a pre-teen. It's a running joke in our house, our youngest will say something about Shane Dawson and my husband will say, "Who's Shane Dawson?" He even says, "Who's Shane Dawson?" it when she says something about some other celebrity sometimes.

Re: Similar cards. That's something else that bugged me when I first got the deck. Do we need two cards where girls seem to be looking at different versions of themselves, and two threesomes, etc.. And why are most of the male figures beasts, or helmeted so you can't see their face?

[tarot heart]

Originally Posted by turtlebite

I have teen and a pre-teen. It's a running joke in our house, our youngest will say something about Shane Dawson and my husband will say, "Who's Shane Dawson?" He even says, "Who's Shane Dawson?" it when she says something about some other celebrity sometimes.

Re: Similar cards. That's something else that bugged me when I first got the deck. Do we need two cards where girls seem to be looking at different versions of themselves, and two threesomes, etc.. And why are most of the male figures beasts, or helmeted so you can't see their face?

I don't have a very large collection, but I have seen many cards from many, many decks and I can honestly say there is no ONE PERFECT DECK OUT THERE. This is an interesting deck with marvelous artwork -that's all. You mean to tell me you can't look at other decks and see "similar" cards? It must be a daunting task for an artist to have to "fit" the traditional meaning of tarot into his art. I think Daniels does a really outstanding job of explaining the cards in his book. Granted - this deck is not for everyboy. I almost didn't buy it myself and if it weren't for Tarot Dame's website I would have missed out on this very enjoyable deck.

[turtlebite]

Originally Posted by tarot heart

I don't have a very large collection, but I have seen many cards from many, many decks and I can honestly say there is no ONE PERFECT DECK OUT THERE. This is an interesting deck with marvelous artwork -that's all. You mean to tell me you can't look at other decks and see "similar" cards? It must be a daunting task for an artist to have to "fit" the traditional meaning of tarot into his art. I think Daniels does a really outstanding job of explaining the cards in his book. Granted - this deck is not for everyboy. I almost didn't buy it myself and if it weren't for Tarot Dame's website I would have missed out on this very enjoyable deck.

Actually, I do see similar cards in other decks too. And it bugs me. So I try not to think about it. Usually works until someone reminds me. The problem with them, for me is when I think about what shows up again and again I start thinking more about the artist's psyche rather than the tarot. Maybe the perfect deck would have to be created by more than one person so that the little artist tics don't come through quite so clearly.

I do have a hypercritical side which I usually try to suppress. After all... you've got to acceeeeeeeeeeeeeenuate the positive and eliiiiiiiiiiminate the negative. :p

[tarot heart]

Originally Posted by turtlebite

Actually, I do see similar cards in other decks too. And it bugs me. So I try not to think about it. Usually works until someone reminds me. The problem with them, for me is when I think about what shows up again and again I start thinking more about the artist's psyche rather than the tarot. Maybe the perfect deck would have to be created by more than one person so that the little artist tics don't come through quite so clearly.

I do have a hypercritical side which I usually try to suppress. After all... you've got to acceeeeeeeeeeeeeenuate the positive and eliiiiiiiiiiminate the negative. :p

There's nothing wrong wrong with being critical or hypercritical. Life would be awfully boring if we all thought the same. My comment was about the decks not your mentioning of similar cards. I agree with you about thinking what was going on in the artist's mind. I think about that myself very often.

[Pagan X]

There are several decks created by more than one person. The RWS is one, as is the Thoth, and I think decks created by more than one person in general do have more diversity between cards than many single-designer/artist decks. In a way, all decks adhering to the RWS templates are multiple designer decks, as Waite and Smith are codesigners of those decks too! Ditto Thoth or Golden Dawn system based tarots.

[Chiriku]

Originally Posted by Le Fanu

pleeeeeeeeaaase! Don't do this to me. Please, no more celebrity spotting in decks. It kills a deck - any deck - for me (am I the only one?) Once somebody utters the fatal words, it just destroys any potential relationship I have with a card, maybe even a deck. Fortunately I don't have the deck yet so I can't be distracted by "Paris Hilton spotting".

I think even my beloved Thoth would be destroyed forever if someone said "don't you think the High Priestess looks like Susan Boyle?" Please remind me next week not to reread page 66 of this thread!

I think the Moderators should delete all posts that go down this road!

I endorse, sign and seal (in vampyre blood) every word you have written here.

Surely all you enablers realize that you are effectively DE-enabling the hold-outs with your celebrity lists.

And yes, at least two of those mentioned occured to me on my own, but I am putting my fingers in my ears and singing "Danny Boy" to myself.

Originally Posted by Pagan X

The box says this is a "rws" based deck, but the images really have very little to do with the RWS, and the meanings & court cards are much more Golden Dawn. Many, if not all, of the paintings were illustrations or works of art for other purposes--The Hermit, for example, was a book cover for a book that had nothing to do with Tarot. I think I also spotted a Lovecraftian Deep One... The companion book doesn't address this and it is annoying me a lot. Some cards are just too similar to other cards: The Ten of Skulls and the Queen of Skulls, for example. Some of the pictures look like non-Vampires with blood added to them. The sign and planet symbols on the Minors look like they were added into existing works of art as belt ornaments, tattoos, engravings, and jewelry. The deck is a great pocket gallery of Daniels' art, but it's not going to work for me as a Tarot--the pictures really encode very little of the card meanings described in the book. Too many cards are of a young bloody white person posing prettily and not really *doing* anything; certainly not interacting with anybody or anything. I think its going to be a great deck for stimulating discussion of 21st century vampire myth but as a reading deck, it would be a lot of work, mostly memoriizing the book. I don't care for the Vargo for the very same reasons and much prefer Place's Vampire Tarot, The Eternal Night, and the Bohemian Gothic Tarot.

Ruh-roh!

**screeching brakes***

**Scooby-Do wildly blusters to a halt***

You are just as accomplished a de-enabler as Mystical Moose, HearthCricket, OctoberGwen, and Cerulean are enablers!

Bravo/a!

I was just collecting my things to pop down to the bookstore for a "look" at their tarot shelf...but I had the presence of mind to hop onto this thread for a moment, and your post has stopped me in my tracks. You hit on *several* concerns I've had about this deck! It's a relief to hear them echoed in someone else.

I think I have to resign myself to waiting for Le Fanu to receive his and report back. OctoberGwen, I think you were a bit undecided in the beginning, but I need a true curmudgeon to assist in my conversion.


*****(But by all means, do keep posting stills from that Van Helsing abomination).

[tarot heart]

Originally Posted by Chiriku

I endorse, sign and seal (in vampyre blood) every word you have written here.

Surely all you enablers realize that you are effectively DE-enabling the hold-outs with your celebrity lists.

LOL. This isn't the enabling thread anyway. But if you truly want a deck that won't remind you of anyone, celebrity, iconic figure, or other, then please get a Tarot of Marseille, or better yet, The Tapestry Tarot. LOL. Then you will all be safe. Maybe