Deck of the week group sign up thread - week 43 - 26th may - 2nd june 2012

[Elendil]

A definite keeper. I have enjoyed my week with the deck. The card images are like tapestries from castle walls. The accompanying book 'Keeper of Words' is also an interesting read with card descriptions and just enough background about the legends used to illustrate the deck to maintain interest.

Next week will be a 'test drive' of The Medieval Tarot by Christian Schenk (Card Shark). It is a bona-fide tarot deck, originally published by Lo Scarabeo, but was redesigned and adapted to be used as a magician's deck by Christian Schenk for tricks and sleight of hand. There is a coded design on the back of each card (and an explanatory leaflet). The code tells you from looking at the card-back, what the card is...though my eyesight is not acute enough for this to be of much use!

[vee]

I the Vieville. It's not one that I'm using a lot, but I'm just not in a "tarot" mood as much right now. I just got a ukulele and am using a lot of my spare time to play it instead of do readings. But the readings I have done have been great and really dug deep into the matter.

Next week I wanna do soemthing silly and fun. Too bad my Zombie Tarot won't be in until two weeks from now. Not sure what I'll work with yet, I guess it's only Thursday.

[GoldenWolf]

I have used the entire deck of the Silicon Dawn (other than the two title cards) this week. A few of the alternative, extra cards have come up in readings. "The Vulture" was especially interesting as the Challenge card in a two card draw.

I will keep the deck and continue working with it. I doubt that I will read for others with it though. I think the added cards are going to be tough to explain. The Void cards may difficult for some people to see. I struggle a bit with the elemental switch of the Wands and Pentacles too. So mixed feelings, but I like the way she is pushing at the boundaries of fixed ideas of what a tarot deck is. The veneer effect sometimes adds to the card's meaning in intriguing ways. Wish it had been used on all of the cards, or at least all of the Majors if that wasn't cost effective.

[vee]

Silicon Dawn is a deck I love in theory, but never feel pulled to read with. Maybe it's one on a long list of decks I should spend more time with

[NikkiB]

Welcome moonlightpoisen - thanks to everyone for being so helpful x

[Chiska]

I did my draw already - I am going to stick with one of the GD decks (wang or cicero) and pick up the Gill for the coming week. Have been looking forward to this one as it was a birthday present from Cardlady. It was a wonderful surprise on my birthday this year from a truly wonderful and caring woman.

[Penthasilia]

Originally Posted by Elendil

A definite keeper. I have enjoyed my week with the deck. The card images are like tapestries from castle walls. The accompanying book 'Keeper of Words' is also an interesting read with card descriptions and just enough background about the legends used to illustrate the deck to maintain interest.

I really liked it too! Great readings with it. It is very complementary to the Hallowquest, while being different in a good way. I worked with both this week and have to say I really like both of them. A definite keeper for me as well! Tomorrow- for my last day, I am going to compare it with the Llewellyn deck (my daughter's) to see how the three interact.

Just your typical, Friday, Celtic tarot deck playdate!

[PathWalker]

I've not been so involved in DotW lately, so still have beside me the Romanian version of the Sandra Tabatha Cicero and Chic Cicero deck.

I've not really been enjoying it, and I'd like to pop a couple of quotes in here (as much for my remembering as your edification)

Writing about another Golden Dawn Tarot in a review for AT, Lillie wrote

"...all Golden Dawn decks (are) not truly accessible to the general reader as anything other than an ordinary, if beautiful, divination deck. It may use golden Dawn symbolism, but as with all Golden Dawn decks it explains nothing in and of itself. For an initiate of the Golden Dawn the tarot and its symbols would have been part of a lengthy magickal education during which they would have learned cabalistic theory, magickal correspondences and the significance of the colour scales until the symbols on the cards were as automatically understood as a pictorial road sign is to the modern motorist. Without the knowledge to read them the symbols are meaningless, it is not enough to show that the Golden Dawn used Perseus and Andromeda on the Lovers card if we do not know why and whilst some knowledge can be gleaned from published sources it is no substitute for the years of study that an initiate of the Golden Dawn would have undergone. Without this knowledge all Golden Dawn decks are little more than a curiosity, a recreation of an historical artefact divorced from its original context and meaning..."

And Brian Williams, writing in his book about the Renaissance Tarot says of symbols

"Symbols are meant to reveal, not to hide. ...When offered without context or explanation, symbols lose meaning."

Now I am never going to be an initiate of the Golden Dawn; indeed I'm unlikely to spend much time trying to come to terms with their understandings either. I find no obvious common ground between their spiritual views and interests (as I understand them from my limited point of view) and mine.
This is possibly my loss, I understand that, but I shy away from the writings which would explain more, I cannot take them seriously or be comfortable with them as study material. The links with their religious views is an immediate turn-off for someone who has so vigourously turned their back on their own former religion.


So I'm left with just the images. And truth to tell, they're not all that lovely. The colour combinations, designed to enhance meditative properites of the cards I believe, are garish. The artwork is crude in a way which does not appeal. The wide white top and bottom borders simply shrink the image, which makes it worse.

I'm not much of a fan!

I have several decks which are going to be like this for me, beautiful, cleverly constructed, but in my hands a pale shadow of what they could be because the system behind them holds no interest for me and I don't understand it. I keep them, and maybe one day I'll be struck with the need to understand them better, but for now they are merely examples of a style and group symbolism that I don't appreciate.

So that's that for the Golden Dawn then - sorry

[AJ]

Well said PathWalker. I choose a focus of study each year (that's what brought me to tarot) and at the end of the year I know a whole lot more, but have always just scratched the surface. All the golden dawn carpola is never going to make my list. It feels a made-up system like so many others, designed by old men to channel other peoples minds. I'd rather be mindless

[jema]

I quite like the Golden Dawn system, it just appeals to me. But I can sure see how it is not for everyone, just like I got a problem with ever learning astrology :-p

I also really like Tabetha Ciceros art style both in the Golden Dawn deck and in the Babylonian.

Funny how very different we all are - yet get along great in this group :-p