what one thoth card would you...

[Barleywine]

I quote the OP.

We are talking about people with NO tarot knowledge. So all these posts with "especially if they were already familiar with ..." are guessing wrongly. So are those that mention the tradition of the cards. The OP is just trying to get them interested FIRST. Traditions etc I assume come later. So does how we have all assimilated Crowley's vision. (I certainly haven't achieved that yet - after years of trying )

I assume means exactly what it says. So the cards I picked were just picked for their attractiveness, for how they could draw others in to the art work of the deck as a start point.

Point taken. But I doubt very much that I would start off a complete neophyte with the Thoth. Them's deep waters for a non-swimmer

 

[gregory]

Point taken. But I doubt very much that I would start off a complete neophyte with the Thoth. Them's deep waters for a non-swimmer

Them is. I iz good swimmer and I iz paddling hard !

But what the OP hopes to do seems to be just getting them INTERESTED and looking at something he loves - not initiate them ! Not everyone will ever want a crash course - but many MANY people love the art for its own sake.

LOADS of people I know look at my cards just to look; they know nothing of tarot, and never will, but they will say what a lovely image this or that one is. I think that is part of what the OP hopes for. If someone from that other forum expresses a real interest in looking further - great, but still...

 

[Barleywine]

Nice summation. With that in mind, the Empress or one of the more lush Cups is where I would go with it. I would probably avoid the more "arcane" or unsettling stuff.

 

[Zephyros]

I'll side with gregory on this one, that's why I chose not the most "tarot" cards, but the nicest, or most interesting visually. The Aeon is one such card; even if you don't know what it means, it is still striking. The Princess of Discs is among the best drawn in the whole deck (I've read rumors that it was the last one painted, which, even if untrue, is still a romantic idea )

 

[gregory]

The Aeon is striking all right. I don't happen to like it, myself. So hit me

(Of course, I am the one who also hates Michelangelo's David, so clearly I have NO taste ! )

 

[Zephyros]

gregory, why does every conversation with you inevitably lead to huge breasts and oily chests?

 

[Aeon418]

Once they are hooked on that, then is the time for symbols.

But symbols by virtue of what they are do communicate something to the veiwer even if they don't consciously know the intended meaning. Isn't this the whole basis of intuitive reading?

We are talking about first impressions and spreading the joy, not "getting" the deck, for now.

Just to be clear I did not say anything about "getting" the deck. The angle I was thinking of is the underlying subconscious connection to the image. The non-verbal communication that occurs during the viewing of a card. Whether someone consciously "gets" it is beside the point and is not what I was trying to say.

Your average first viewer isn't going to be looking to picking up on motifs. Sorry, but that's the way of it, Aeon.

Really? I've sat with "Thoth n00bs" and listened to their first reactions. It's surprising how many start talking about ideas of birth, gestation, and growth. They might not understand the details of the symbolism, but whether they know it or not they are alreay heading in the right direction.

The "essence of the Aeon" isn't something a non-tarotist will give a piss about till later, whether or not the deck would have existed without it.

Gregory, I think there's been a miscommunication somewhere along the line. When I said the essence of the Aeon I am refering to the developing child motif. People do pick up on this theme without knowing any of the technicalities. This non-verbal communication of an idea is what I was getting at. It makes no difference at all that a newbie may be ignorant of the specific meaning behind the symbolism, they are still able to subconsciously connect to the central theme of the image. And that theme is the very essence of the Aeon of the Child.

 

[Barleywine]

Far be it from me to carp, but we "Thoth-ites" do tend to over-intellectualize our veneration of the deck. The challenge - at least in my experience - has been to back it down a notch or two when reading for someone who has had no exposure to it or similar complex wisdom. This is one reason I had to write myself an alternate (perhaps supplemental is a better word) delineation for Art, to make the abstract concrete enough to bring to bear on a practical question.

 

[gregory]

But symbols by virtue of what they are do communicate something to the veiwer even if they don't consciously know the intended meaning. Isn't this the whole basis of intuitive reading?

YES. But this thread was someone showing cards to someone who does not read and may never do so.

Just to be clear I did not say anything about "getting" the deck. The angle I was thinking of is the underlying subconscious connection to the image. The non-verbal communication that occurs during the viewing of a card. Whether someone consciously "gets" it is beside the point and is not what I was trying to say.

They may not get anything subconsciously either.

Really? I've sat with "Thoth n00bs" and listened to their first reactions. It's surprising how many start talking about ideas of birth, gestation, and growth. They might not understand the details of the symbolism, but whether they know it or not they are already heading in the right direction.

RIGHT direction ?

They MAY just also see a lovely picture, the end. RIGHT often has nothing to do with liking art. It is possible to appreciate the art of this deck and go no further.

That aside - lucky you, maybe.

Gregory, I think there's been a miscommunication somewhere along the line. When I said the essence of the Aeon I am referring to the developing child motif. People do pick up on this theme without knowing any of the technicalities. This non-verbal communication of an idea is what I was getting at. It makes no difference at all that a newbie may be ignorant of the specific meaning behind the symbolism, they are still able to subconsciously connect to the central theme of the image. And that theme is the very essence of the Aeon of the Child.

It is - to people who pick it up. Not everyone does. REALLY and TRULY, Aeon - NOT EVERYONE DOES ! I knew exactly what you meant. But - we are not all you, and not everyone's subconscious works as yours, and the people you have shown cards to, do. (grammar; too full of cold to fix.)

You are steeped in Thoth and Crowley - sometimes you don't feel to me to be able to see that others don't, and never will, feel the way you do about it all, and will never take it that - "seriously" - for want of a better word - that - shock horror - they don't actually want to. I know how much it all means to you, and I know how earnestly you post about it all. But please do try to accept that to some people this deck will never be more than pretty pictures. Even with no non-verbal cues even of any kind. Some may actually and genuinely not be able to connect to this stuff. And for them - IT DOESN'T MATTER ! We don't all have to ! We really don't !

ETA (crossposted) Barleywine, I think I love you THANK you !

 

[Aeon418]

YES. But this thread was someone showing cards to someone who does not read and may never do so.

You don't have to be a Tarot reader to pick up intuitive hints and subconscious propmptings from images. We all do it all the time. It's nothing special or exclusive to Tarot readers. We all have a subconscious mind that automatically responds to symbols. The only difference between readers and non-readers is that readers deliberately pay more attention to what is going on within them when they veiw a Tarot image. For non-readers an image may communicate nothing more than a vague feeling, but they are still getting something out of the image.