Umbrae Easter Eggs

[Baroli]

Originally Posted by Umbrae

I have been wondering about the article that Dan wrote for the Bohemian Gothic Tarot companion book.

Any comments?

I would have gotten here sooner, but finally the chain that I have had on my ankle finally unlocked and I am FREE for a little while.

Dan illustrates in a way that I can only describe as like Rod Serling in the opening of the Twilight Zone. He beckons you to come and explore using the Bohemian Gothic, the darker side of life and ourselves, and perhaps the sitter.

When reading this, a smile slowly grew on my mouth and then a macabre chuckle arose from my throat. Oh, he understands only too well the darkness from within. Exploring the darkness, means having to come face to face with the monster(s) that haunt us,.... that are within us,.... just waiting for their moment in time,.....and then tops it off with his own gothic horror story.

It reminds me of my Uncle, who on a Halloween night, would weave magical, horrific stories, and scare the crap out of us. We would be scared, but we would come back and want more. That is what this essay does for me,....I come back to it over and over again,.......and want more, and in turn I use the Gothic more, creating my own stories,....

Dan, you chose your words well and wisely and I want more,....

Wonderfully written.

[Jewel]

Cool. I am looking forward to the CD version of the book by That Dan Guy.

I need to go re-read the section of the BG companion listed. I remember enjoying it inmensly, but will re-read to give real commentary on it.

[Sheri]

That said, I really like the book. I like that there are lighter as well as darker meanings given to start someone out with - but the best part is the additional section on how to come up with additional meanings for the cards. There are several examples of how to use the cards in the book, too. It definitely gave me a sense of this being a tool of the imagination (what can be darker than that?) and the deck really triggers something in my imagination, which is one of the reasons that I considered cutting the card titles off the bottoms of the cards. (I didn't want any of my preconceived ideas of card meanings to interfere as my imagination ran barefooted, screaming through these cards like some ill-fated heroine in a B-movie horror classic).

Dan's article... just when you think you have escaped the "monsters" and stumble upon a road with a sigh of relief, stick your thumb out to get a ride back to the bright white, warm and fuzzy light of reality as you knew it. Ah! A car is stopping. You get in and it accelerates. You just start to be relieved that it's all over when you glance over and note the fangs of the driver as he smiles at you...

What the above means

"Working with a Dark Deck." I was expecting insight into how to deal with sitters when using this deck... how to reassure them, how to make the interpretations lighter than images suggest. But no... the advice here is to shove them into the shadows and show them around. Fear is in the unknown. Know the shadows, play in the shadows. It's not bad, it's different. Allow the imagination to let go of the monotony of daylight only and then beware... because once you let the imagination out of its box, not only is there no way to get it back in the box, there is no way to really control it either... but then again, why would you want to?

Way cool - but if you don't mind I'm going to leave a few lights on

valeria