a question regarding pamela colman smith's interpetation of the tarot.

[piscesdreamer]

Having been the first mass produced revisionist interpetation of the tarot, how much did she try to adhere to the tradtional coherence of the european tarot?Did she deviate much from it's origins like many of the contemporary tarot decks on the market place?for instance what comes to mind decks like the hello kitty tarot or the housewives tarot...i mean please are these really truly considered tarot?In relation to the tarot of marseilles does her pictorial interpetation hold any water?

 

[piscesdreamer]

I placed this question in this forum because i wanted to addess the more tradtionally minded forumites.

 

[Fulgour]

Pamela Colman Smith is to Tarot what Shakespeare was to Homer.
Immortality takes on personal meaning when you live it every day.

 

[Rusty Neon]

for instance what comes to mind decks like the hello kitty tarot or the housewives tarot...i mean please are these really truly considered tarot?

Yes, really truly. I look for the Unity in Diversity, Diversity in Unity in tarot.

 

[piscesdreamer]

Yes, really truly. I look for the Unity in Diversity, Diversity in Unity in tarot.

I'm sorry but i must disagree.i believe truth gets distorted and watered down...this is common in regards to much in the spiritual and historical realm.

 

[Rusty Neon]

I'm sorry but i must disagree.i believe truth gets distorted and watered down...this is common in regards to much in the spiritual and historical realm.

In that case, you may interested to know that there are some on these boards who don't even consider the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck a true tarot. On the other hand, I find the essential truth of tarot in the Marseilles, in the RWS deck, and in the two decks you note: Hello Kitty and Housewives Tarot.

 

[Fulgour]

before and after

Thanks, Pam

In 1849, a chess set designed by Nathaniel Cook was registered and
manufacturing rights obtained by John Jaques. Howard Staunton
advertised the new set in his column in the Illustrated London News.
"Staunton" men have become the standard set for both professional
and amateur chess players ever since. And we have the Rider-Waite.

 

[Sophie]

In that case, you may interested to know that there are some on these boards who don't even consider the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck a true tarot. On the other hand, I find the essential truth of tarot in the Marseilles, in the RWS deck, and in the two decks you note: Hello Kitty and Housewives Tarot.

Do you make any difference in quality and/or spiritual depth, or is everything the same? Is Pamela Colman Smith's deck no better, no worse, than Hello Kitty in any way? Is Housewives tarot every bit as profound as the Marseille -or more, or less? (little feminist aside: Housewives, what a dreaful title for a deck). Is the Beano as good as Dickens? Dan Brown as Marguerite Yourcenar? Are there no measures of quality at all to be placed on Tarot, according to certain criteria? What is, to you, "the essential truth of tarot"?

 

[Rusty Neon]

Helvetica,

Life is too short for endless débat and dissection of words, so I will keep it short. Decks can vary in quality or originality, yet they all can bear the essential truth of tarot.

 

[TemperanceAngel]

In that case, you may interested to know that there are some on these boards who don't even consider the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck a true tarot.

That's a big statement to make, Rusty, are you positive about that....surely everyone has a right to their own opinion? And what if there were people that thought the Marseilles is the only true Tarot, the Ur-Tarot. It's peoples voices on a Forum that make it so interesting!

Back to the original question: didn't Pamela Colman-Smith channel through the information for the Minor Arcanas and Waite direct her to paint the Majors how he wanted them?

I think it would have been interesting if Pamela had written a book about the Minors or left some written information about her thoughts on the RWS deck (did she?) The Minors shape shift, the imagery is ever changing and ever present.