The Dark Grimoire Tarot

[jaheath]

bravo

Let the deck be a Necronomicon that reorders itself dynamically with every shuffle, that exposes the individual's fate without ambiguity, false hope or pretense; may we all huddle together in the dark at the edge of the firelight and practice the overcoming of our very real fears.

Eloquent, concise.

I like the way you think, Pagan X!

 

[Tansey Ella]

I wanted that deck so much I ordered it from Alida. I paid a lot more than I should b/c of the exchange rate. I forgot to mention it as one of the decks I have been most disappointed in. Very few cards make any sense to me and some scare me too much to read with. I keep seeing it in a drawer I have for decks I never read with. I keep thinking I should pick it up but not yet.

 

[CrowHavenWitch]

I forgot to mention it as one of the decks I have been most disappointed in. Very few cards make any sense to me and some scare me too much to read with. I keep seeing it in a drawer I have for decks I never read with. I keep thinking I should pick it up but not yet.

I feel very much the same way; I was very disappointed in it and felt that there were so many cards that just didn't fit with other cards even in the same suits. I have a big attraction to darker, more gothic themed decks, so I tend to end up collecting them over time. This one had just come out and I decided to go ahead and buy it when I saw it in a little shop in Northampton one day even though they didn't have an open sample (it was that new...they'd gotten in two of them and hadn't even received their sample yet). So I got in the car and started flipping through them and almost instantly was turned off by them, which is saying a lot because I have the Necronomicon deck as well and I actually LIKE that deck!

Something about this was almost like it was trying too hard, like it was trying to be darker than it really was. So for me this one sits in one of my big storage totes where I keep my decks. It has never so much as been shuffled and I fear it may stay that way for a long time.

Blessings,
)O( Rowan

 

[jaheath]

This is the deck I most identify with.
I have it as my day to day reading deck.

Even though I have read enough Lovecraft to appreciate the imagery from a literary point, I don't see the "monsters" or "demons" as evil forces, but rather my own internal flaws and problems.

I love this deck in that it touches the absolute core of the things I need to address in my life, but keep either putting off or just plain ignoring.

This deck was the first tarot deck I have owned that gave me the "whoa!" moment consistently.

I guess it's a matter of preference.
I would love to see a study group formed around this deck.

 

[Le Fanu]

I just got this in the post. I asked to be de-enabled last year and foolishly listened to what people were saying . I ordered Dame Fortune´s Wheel from Tarot Chest and thought - hey - why not toss DG into the bag too... and they arrived today and the Dark Grimoire completely upstaged Dame F´s Wheel.

The artwork has this gorgous spooky, sepia tone, blue borders, and great artwork, spectacular images. I instantly loved it, and no Im not one of those "must get a dark deck" types.

I was very disappointed in it and felt that there were so many cards that just didn't fit with other cards even in the same suits.....Something about this was almost like it was trying too hard, like it was trying to be darker than it really was...

I don´t feel this at all. The problem starts, I think, when we try to "fit" things in. Start from the assumption that nothing fits with anything rather than trying to find consistancies. And from that unease - that nothing "fits" - we can really delve deep.

Ive never read Lovecraft, nor do I feel I need to in order to understand this deck. The LWB explains just enough to get started; a world inhabited by strange forces and entities and we will never quite understand it. This is the magic. It is fine not really understanding it; just explore, let go.

More and more I feel that Scarabeo is the only mainstream publisher really trying to push the boundaries and not rest on the easy RWS laurels and churn out stuff that "fits". Their decks are not always very easy, but I actually think this deck is one of their successes.

For me it gets 5 stars.

 

[Owl Song]

Le Fanu,

I agree with you wholeheartedly about Lo Scarabeo pushing Tarot boundaries. I love the Dark Grimoire, although I haven't read with it yet--I've just been enjoying the imagery and the LWB.

I recently put all of my Tarot books away and have been reading purely by intuition alone, reading the image and just letting my thoughts flow, looking for connections between different cards. I've gotten out of my own way so to speak; I've stopped "overthinking."

Tarot meanings can be so wonderfully fluid if we let them. RWS is just one way to read a card.

But it's not the only way.

Honestly, I feel liberated.

 

[The Evil Hat]

First off, sorry for the massive bump. Anyway, i started tarot about a week ago, after deciding to do it about two weeks before that. This was really the deck that sold me on the whole concept. I saw it and my jaw just dropped open. A friend convinced me it'd make a bad beginning deck, not following RW particularly closely. Well, buying the first deck and some books (one tarot related) robbed me of all my cash. The rest is long promised to someone else, meaning i'm not gonna be able to buy anything for a long while...but my birthday's coming up in only about a month in a half. So what i'm asking is, would this deck be usable for someone still relatively new to tarot? Looking at the previews has given me two main reactions:

1. these look like they could be hard to read, especially some of the cards where the atmosphere seems to have changed completely, IE the six of wands. Then again, that could be true of all diverging decks, as i wouldn't really know.

2. I want these. Badly. Lovecraft is one of my all time favorite authors, and a HUGE inspiration on me as a writer. Besides which, i simply love the art.

 

[thorhammer]

Please don't be sorry to have bumped - never, on this forum Bumping is good.

To be honest, I think it would be best for you if you waited at least until your finances recover before you get this deck. It's beautiful, sure, but the structure is very hard to get a handle on (not because it's difficult, but because it's barely there ). As has also been said, it bears little relation to Lovecraft's works except in its general tone and imagery. I'm not a huge fan of his writing, though I enjoy it, but the relation of the deck to the writings is tenuous at best. It's an oracle, more than anything.

There are many decks out there that are better to start with - and I'm of the opinion that the RWS isn't necessarily the best place to start . There are MANY threads on "best deck for beginners" - try doing a search with the function in the blue bar at the top of each forum page. PM me if you've got issues or can't drive the search function

\m/ Kat

 

[Lillie]

First off, sorry for the massive bump. Anyway, i started tarot about a week ago, after deciding to do it about two weeks before that. This was really the deck that sold me on the whole concept. I saw it and my jaw just dropped open. A friend convinced me it'd make a bad beginning deck, not following RW particularly closely. Well, buying the first deck and some books (one tarot related) robbed me of all my cash. The rest is long promised to someone else, meaning i'm not gonna be able to buy anything for a long while...but my birthday's coming up in only about a month in a half. So what i'm asking is, would this deck be usable for someone still relatively new to tarot? Looking at the previews has given me two main reactions:

1. these look like they could be hard to read, especially some of the cards where the atmosphere seems to have changed completely, IE the six of wands. Then again, that could be true of all diverging decks, as i wouldn't really know.

2. I want these. Badly. Lovecraft is one of my all time favorite authors, and a HUGE inspiration on me as a writer. Besides which, i simply love the art.

If you want it, get it.

You don't have to read cards by meanings out of books, or by what is shown on some other deck such as the Rider Waite.

Loads of people read just by looking at the pictures and saying what comes into their mind, making up stories triggered by the images of the cards.

It's called intuitive reading and would work well with a deck like this.

It also works well when the cards really resonate with the reader, as these seem to do for you.

So, it's your birthday coming up. Get someone to buy them for you and see how well they work for you!

I really like this deck, by the way.
I like the pictures, I like the way it's not the same as most decks, I like the whole feel of it. I think it's great.

I have read well with it too, just using the pictures to trigger meanings, and that isn't my usual way of reading, but it seemed to work well with these cards.

 

[Onyx]

So what i'm asking is, would this deck be usable for someone still relatively new to tarot? Looking at the previews has given me two main reactions:

1. these look like they could be hard to read, especially some of the cards where the atmosphere seems to have changed completely, IE the six of wands. Then again, that could be true of all diverging decks, as i wouldn't really know.

2. I want these. Badly. Lovecraft is one of my all time favorite authors, and a HUGE inspiration on me as a writer. Besides which, i simply love the art.

I want to begin by welcoming to Aeclectic Tarot. You will find that this is a great place to learn, share and just chat with others about the wonderful world of Tarot.

The Dark Grimorie Tarot is beautiful in that dark amber way. It is compelling and interesting. But I have to say that it is not the best deck to learn to read with but you may find it different. One think that I am learning that is important to finding a deck to learn and to read with is one that provides a way to understand the many fundamentals and facets of life. This deck may be too focused on the story it is telling to be a deck that will work for everyday readings.

Still you may connect with this deck. Tarot decks are funny in the way that they will work for some and not others. Everyone has their own tastes and quircks that allow some decks to communicate well and other so fall flat.

I do agree with Kat in that you should maybe wait until you financial situation is a bit more stable. But I want to encourage you to take your time and get ready for the ride that tarot can be in a life.

Onyx