cirom
Depending which of the various theories you choose to agree with for the origins of tarot, One common point of agreement at least is its been around for quite some time. For around 600 years the various images of tarot have been reproduced on card from game playing amusement to divination.
During that same period we have seen variations and modification on the imagery based on personal artistic presence, expediency, beliefs and hypothesis of leading individuals from Tarot's rich past. This evolution has been accompanied over the centuries with leading protagonists of their day pontificating the pros and cons of one system, style, order over another. A dubious tradition that is enthusiastically maintained here on Aeclectic.
There were also significant developments during that history that stand out.
The RWS and its illustrated minors is clearly one of them. Crowley's Thoth is another.
Then the pelaton that followed (to use a cycling analogy), the flood of variations of the last 30 years that have inundated the market. Between them covering a seemingly infinite variety of themes, styles, shapes and approaches.
And so to my point.... YOU AINST SEEN NOTHING YET.
I believe we are at another turning point. And as with all changes, these will be embraced by some and horrify others.
There are two particular issues that will contribute to this change. The Digital medium and the increasingly available options for publishing on demand.
In terms of the digital medium. On line reading, reading software, mobile phones applications come to mind. I'm sure that many abhore the notion and feel it removes a core ingredient of the tarot experience, namely the face to face human interaction between, the Reader, the physical touchy feely physical deck and the Querant. And i tend to agree ..... even though I'm guilty of embracing it in my own projects by producing animated cards video etc, so full disclosure on that score. Nevertheless there is no denying that for example a phone application can provide the convenience of being able to do a reading at some level where using a real deck would be inappropriate, or simply impractical. Wether you like the idea or not I predict that within a few years the majority of the tarot community will be "carrying" on their phone not one but several virtual decks.
The issue of publishing on demand is relatively new but will also have a significant influence. As of now any budding deck creator with aspirations of have their creative babies published have the very very low odds of being accepted by any major publisher, or the option of self publishing which up until now has meant a significant financial investment and accompanying risk of possibly having a garage of unsold inventory.
The tarot market is already difficult, to have any realistic expectation of volume you are pretty much obliged to produce a deck with broad appeal and even then its iffy. Just read the posts here to get a feel of how its impossible to keep everyone happy. Large size cards or small, borders or no, too pretty, too detailed, too shallow, too whatever, good lord its like catering to Goldilocks on a bad hair day. So you can imaging how difficult for any decks that are specifically themed. Sure a deck about hedgehogs or whatever will certainly have great appeal to somebody out there, but in the grand scheme of things..... well you get the point.
However via the print on demand and digital media, such specialized decks do become viable. That is a good thing using my analogy of the hedgehogs deck. Both for its creator and anyone out there that share that specific interest.
But it also has a potential danger of muddying the water still further. With so many variations and experimentation which will surely follow, standards will vary, the very definition of Tarot which is already undefined will be further tested. Will this expansion embrace and convert a wider audience, or confuse the genre so much that its core fabric and rich heritage is weakened?
Clearly the decks released by the publishers will still be the most successful by the criteria of numbers sold as they will have the extra exposure, distribution and retail shelf presence. But that market pie will be increasing nibbled away at by the multitude of alternative options. The publishers who ignore this will do so at their peril.
Other than possibly the upcoming Gaian or Shadowscapes decks, I personally doubt that there will be any more big hit decks in the future. There will be simply too much choice. As I mentioned earlier, this is good from the creative perspective, but it will raise some serious overall challenges to the "business" of tarot.
Well thats my little Nostradamus act for the day..... Welcome to the future..... as I see it.
During that same period we have seen variations and modification on the imagery based on personal artistic presence, expediency, beliefs and hypothesis of leading individuals from Tarot's rich past. This evolution has been accompanied over the centuries with leading protagonists of their day pontificating the pros and cons of one system, style, order over another. A dubious tradition that is enthusiastically maintained here on Aeclectic.
There were also significant developments during that history that stand out.
The RWS and its illustrated minors is clearly one of them. Crowley's Thoth is another.
Then the pelaton that followed (to use a cycling analogy), the flood of variations of the last 30 years that have inundated the market. Between them covering a seemingly infinite variety of themes, styles, shapes and approaches.
And so to my point.... YOU AINST SEEN NOTHING YET.
I believe we are at another turning point. And as with all changes, these will be embraced by some and horrify others.
There are two particular issues that will contribute to this change. The Digital medium and the increasingly available options for publishing on demand.
In terms of the digital medium. On line reading, reading software, mobile phones applications come to mind. I'm sure that many abhore the notion and feel it removes a core ingredient of the tarot experience, namely the face to face human interaction between, the Reader, the physical touchy feely physical deck and the Querant. And i tend to agree ..... even though I'm guilty of embracing it in my own projects by producing animated cards video etc, so full disclosure on that score. Nevertheless there is no denying that for example a phone application can provide the convenience of being able to do a reading at some level where using a real deck would be inappropriate, or simply impractical. Wether you like the idea or not I predict that within a few years the majority of the tarot community will be "carrying" on their phone not one but several virtual decks.
The issue of publishing on demand is relatively new but will also have a significant influence. As of now any budding deck creator with aspirations of have their creative babies published have the very very low odds of being accepted by any major publisher, or the option of self publishing which up until now has meant a significant financial investment and accompanying risk of possibly having a garage of unsold inventory.
The tarot market is already difficult, to have any realistic expectation of volume you are pretty much obliged to produce a deck with broad appeal and even then its iffy. Just read the posts here to get a feel of how its impossible to keep everyone happy. Large size cards or small, borders or no, too pretty, too detailed, too shallow, too whatever, good lord its like catering to Goldilocks on a bad hair day. So you can imaging how difficult for any decks that are specifically themed. Sure a deck about hedgehogs or whatever will certainly have great appeal to somebody out there, but in the grand scheme of things..... well you get the point.
However via the print on demand and digital media, such specialized decks do become viable. That is a good thing using my analogy of the hedgehogs deck. Both for its creator and anyone out there that share that specific interest.
But it also has a potential danger of muddying the water still further. With so many variations and experimentation which will surely follow, standards will vary, the very definition of Tarot which is already undefined will be further tested. Will this expansion embrace and convert a wider audience, or confuse the genre so much that its core fabric and rich heritage is weakened?
Clearly the decks released by the publishers will still be the most successful by the criteria of numbers sold as they will have the extra exposure, distribution and retail shelf presence. But that market pie will be increasing nibbled away at by the multitude of alternative options. The publishers who ignore this will do so at their peril.
Other than possibly the upcoming Gaian or Shadowscapes decks, I personally doubt that there will be any more big hit decks in the future. There will be simply too much choice. As I mentioned earlier, this is good from the creative perspective, but it will raise some serious overall challenges to the "business" of tarot.
Well thats my little Nostradamus act for the day..... Welcome to the future..... as I see it.
