Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot Question

[MeeWah]

LittleBuddha: I am pleased to see yet another owner of this deck.

It is characterized by exquisite detail & expressive figures, both of which enhance the reading experiences. It is very easy to feel transported into an opulent era replete with fancy dress & courtly manners; however, it does possess an edginess. It can convey a range from the delicate to the nitty-gritty & nuances--& all within the same card, too.

In those ways, it bears similar qualities to Karen's & Alex' predecessor deck, Tarot of Prague, which is also a premier reading deck in its own right.

 

[Little Baron]

Hi Meewah

This deck is really coming alive for me. I have only scratched the surface but there are so many things that I like about it.

I never really think about the 'physical' feel of a deck but last night, I noticed that it does feel different to all other decks I have. They are just the right size for shuffling and I very much like the card stock/finish. They shuffle nicely but are not slippy and plasticy (like my Universal Waite) but don't feel cheap like other cards I have that are made with thin card stock. They glide over each other nicely. The back design also enhances the experience because it is so intricate but also, not overpowering.

I drew the 'Five of Pentacles' as a daily draw yesterday. I noted in my journal that even though the subjects were cats, it felt more realistic than a lot of the other versions of this card I have used. There was more emotion and expression on their faces which took me to another level and made me feel quite sad, when meditating on it. Someone said something in another thread which was quite similar (it might have been Gardener). You feel that you will be detatched because they are not human. But you actually project yourself onto them more, due to the realism of the images and because if they were from a photo of another person, you may see them, with a personality, as someone removed from yourself.

I often see the Tarot as another world that sometimes seperates me from others and also, that I can escape to, away from others. The BBC aids that by providing a rich theatrical and magical world to jump into, rather than one that doesn't look unfamiliar to the one I am already in. Sometimes you cannot see the wood for the trees, but using this deck helps you look from just a little different of an angle, which is why, I think, the messages come across so clearly.

I am finding that shorter spreads are working better for me at the moment - just because I don't know the deck so well. I did try a longer one, which is posted here, but that would probably have been a difficult one to interpret for me, whatever deck I used.

LB

 

[Little Baron]

In those ways, it bears similar qualities to Karen's & Alex' predecessor deck, Tarot of Prague, which is also a premier reading deck in its own right.

I don't have the Tarot of Prague. I have looked at some of the scans but for some reason, I never gelled with them; but after this experience, I think it is worth either taking another look or just getting it, so that I can see what it is like in person. It looks very 'clear' as well.

After a time when I had been feeling quite detatched from a lot of my decks and also from the tarot, the BBC has lifted me again. For now, I am going to put the others away and work with this one solely - a challenge in itself. I want to see just where it takes me.

At some point, when I have some cash, I am going to purchase the book that goes with it as I can see from other posts, that it would be a very useful accompliment. For now though, I think I will see what I can get from the deck from just reading with it alone.

LB

 

[MeeWah]

...I never really think about the 'physical' feel of a deck but last night, I noticed that it does feel different to all other decks I have. They are just the right size for shuffling and I very much like the card stock/finish. They shuffle nicely but are not slippy and plasticy (like my Universal Waite) but don't feel cheap like other cards I have that are made with thin card stock. They glide over each other nicely. The back design also enhances the experience because it is so intricate but also, not overpowering.
LB

I agree about the cardstock feeling different from other decks & to be easy to handle. It may be related to both the particular cardstock quality & the finish. The deck does seem as if it will hold up well to repeated handling unlike some decks of thin cardstock that show wear after only a few times' use. Being overly conscious of wear is not conducive to the reading process, but I try not to let that get in the way.

I drew the 'Five of Pentacles' as a daily draw yesterday...even though the subjects were cats, it felt more realistic than a lot of the other versions of this card I have used. There was more emotion and expression on their faces which took me to another level and made me feel quite sad, when meditating on it. Someone said something in another thread which was quite similar (it might have been Gardener). You feel that you will be detatched because they are not human. But you actually project yourself onto them more, due to the realism of the images and because if they were from a photo of another person, you may see them, with a personality, as someone removed from yourself.

I often see the Tarot as another world that sometimes seperates me from others and also, that I can escape to, away from others. The BBC aids that by providing a rich theatrical and magical world to jump into, rather than one that doesn't look unfamiliar to the one I am already in. Sometimes you cannot see the wood for the trees, but using this deck helps you look from just a little different of an angle, which is why, I think, the messages come across so clearly... LB

Ditto on the qualities that permit a suspension of associations & beliefs that can hamper the perspective & thus, the interpretive. Perhaps the presence of non-human figures avoids the usual subjectivity that tends to automatically dictate the perception of the cards & instead, encourages the leaps of imagination & intuitive more readily.

Interestingly & despite the illustrated minor arcana, I read The BBC more like a Marseilles deck rather than the RWS. Perhaps because those illustrations are not merely a cat-version of the latter but different entirely. One of the cards that illustrates this well is the 3 of Swords.

I am finding that shorter spreads are working better for me at the moment - just because I don't know the deck so well... LB

Ditto on this, too! The shorter spreads seem to adequately address the readings. The cards' wealth of detail may contribute a corresponding source of material to produce particularly succinct readings, thereby indicating that larger spreads or more cards in a spread not necessarily better for reading purposes.

 

[MeeWah]

I don't have the Tarot of Prague. I have looked at some of the scans but for some reason, I never gelled with them; but after this experience, I think it is worth either taking another look or just getting it, so that I can see what it is like in person. It looks very 'clear' as well.

After a time when I had been feeling quite detatched from a lot of my decks and also from the tarot, the BBC has lifted me again. For now, I am going to put the others away and work with this one solely - a challenge in itself. I want to see just where it takes me.

At some point, when I have some cash, I am going to purchase the book that goes with it as I can see from other posts, that it would be a very useful accompliment. For now though, I think I will see what I can get from the deck from just reading with it alone. LB

Card scans do not always prompt my attraction to a deck though sometimes aid & abet. For instance, I went after the Cosmic Tribe Tarot after I discovered the cover of a magazine I occasionally read bore the image of its Hermit. The Hermit influenced me to get the deck even though I knew I was taking a big chance getting a deck relatively unknown at that time. I have not had "bad luck" with choosing decks based on one card only, a theme or title.

I confess to not reading through The BBC book, but more due to lack of time than the usual non-interest in Tarot books. Generally prefer to jump right in & use a deck sans book. The BBC book has, amongst the possible card meanings, "A Cat's Interpretation" for each card & additional material from a cat perspective. Also interesting tidbits of background information on the images incorporated including that on the particular variety of cat used. For those unique features, the book is well worth a look. It expands on a cat perspective that was used in the Tarot for Cats deck, which pre-dates The BBC but which I also like for its rather irreverent approach.

Similarly, the book for Tarot of Prague provides background & historical information on the various images employed in its cards, which is a fascinating read for the art & history material it contains. I confess to not having read that book through either; however, referred to the book after being struck by enlightening comments from viewers on a Conspiracy Theory reading I did in Your Readings that correlated to historical information in the book--none of which I had conscious knowledge.

So: whilst I may not be a good source of information on Tarot books per se, I can moreorless attest to a deck's readibility (is that a word?) sans books

 

[Little Baron]

It is funny that you talk about reading this deck like a Marseille ...

Because that is how I have been reading it on occasion.

It is also funny because I have felt quite lost and unconnected to my Marseille decks of late.

How can I explain this ...

Sometimes, when I read from the Marseille these days, I feel empty. Say I get a pip ... what does that mean? My instant answer is 'I have no idea'. What does it mean to me? My instant answer is 'I don't know'. I grapple for a few keywords - for example, I will say 'it's a three ... that means 'growth right?'. It's a 'coin' ... okay, that means 'finances are moving in the right direction. If there is no more 'coming', I move on to the next card.

Sometimes, when I read from the RWS, the image over-powers the ideas I might get from the number. When I look at the 'Three of Swords', I see a bleeding heart - pain, I think. I don't see growth. I don't see much else.

When I look at the BBC, I see growth in a 'three', but the small heart is in there as well. It doesn't over-power the messages. I see things moving along, like I do in the Marseille, and I see the set-backs and things to try and overcome by the small details 'hinted at' in the card. It is much clearer and I can glide through the image, rather than being bashed over the head by it or feeling so far away from the imagery that I it doesn't communicate anything.

Having the cats there also does not lead me to think that it is instantly the querant seated in the picture. My eyes are lead around to look at things from all different angles.

I hope I have communicated this in a way that is understandable. Thanks Meewah, it is really enjoyable for me to discuss this deck.

LB