gendron tarot

i've decided to start using this one...give it a whirl, anyway...
any opinions, yay or nay?

I've heard alot of people say this and have found I agree with them. The majors are very cool and beautiful, but the minors are kind of weird. They don't seem to fit with the majors. IMO if they were made into 2 decks - one that went the way of the majors and a different one made like the minors - they both would be great. But mixed together the way they are is kind of confusing to me.
I personally can't do readings with them but of course I won't part with my deck either so maybe they're not all bad. LOL

Hi,

I use this deck for readings related to karmic questions and get along pretty well with it.

While I like the look of this deck, I have a problem with the LWB (little white book)...surprise!

There's lots of symbolism in the cards, which I like, but the LWB only includes the symbolic associations for the Majors. That leaves 56 cards filled with symbols but no explanations! I've tried to figure them out using the Majors' descriptions, but it's too much work.

Is there any other book for this deck that anyone knows about?

Peace,

Melvis

I only really use this deck for spiritual guidance, and I love the Majors cuz they're so beautiful, but I agree that most of the Minors don't fit. But don't kt this put you off the deck. I have found that it always speaks to me.

Kiama

i was really disappointed when i got my gendron deck. i thought the whole deck would be the wonderful art in the major arcana but it's not. i like for decks to have some continuity b/t majors and minors in art and symbol system. unfortunately, this is missing. if she had stuck to drawings i think the deck would have been okay. but she switches to part photographs and part drawing or whatever, i get lost. i also wish she had stayed culturally centered. her attempts to link other cultures is a noble idea but doesn't work. some decks can carry this trick off and some can't. i think the cultural diversity angle works better if you start it in the major arcana but this isn't done. imho, the gendron is like 2 different decks put together. i do love the art of the major arcana except for my fav card, the high priestess. i was hoping for some of the gorgeous art used on the other cards. oh well, you can't always get what you want...

Quote:metaz (02 Nov, 2001 11:26):
i've decided to start using this one...give it a whirl, anyway...
any opinions, yay or nay?

I love my Gendron Deck. It's "MY" deck. But I have to agree that the little white book leaves me puzzled. I tried to get ahold of Melanie Gendron's previous book hoping to find a connection between her beliefs (symbolism on minors) and the deck, but didn't have much luck (out of print)

The lack of consistancy between the majors and minors a doesn't bother me I just go with what I see.

Good luck. Try to take a look at all the cards on line before buying and see if they all appeal to you. (learntarot.com)

cj

well...
we met, we played, we did lunch--but there was no chemistry between us!

i'm not going to force it...we will just simply go our separate ways...
thanx for all the feedback, BTW. i had long ago learned that the feedback here helps oodles when it comes to new decks, spreads, etc. now, if i would just heed cj's advice and check out the cards before buying! *ack*
oh, well--someone is going to have a happy trade very soon!

i took a class on creativity and personal growth yesterday. an important part of the class included an art technique i've never heard of or used. it involves taking enlarging a photograph of yourself or someone you know. first you meditate on what this photo symbolizes to you then you take acrylic paints, beads, glitter, shells, lace, or whatever allows you to design that picture into your inner image of what that photo means.

that said, i think i finally understand what gendron was doing on those minor arcana cards that looked odd and didn't seem to fit. she was probably taking photos of ppl that in her mind represented certain cards. then she enlarged the photo, painted/decorated it to suit her inner image of that tarot card along w/ the person who personified the meaning of that card. when the picture reached what she wanted she did some kind of computer tecnique to shrink the picture down to a tarot card sized image. viola!

now that i understand her art technique, her art doesn't seem so schizoid to me. i can see the method behind her madness so to speak. i plan to re-examine the deck and see if i can connect to it now. i'll let y'all know how it goes!

just a thought but a few years back, i dressed up like the high priestess and made up a set that represented who she is to me. then a friend did a photo shoot of me in the dress and HP set. i really liked the results even tho i'm not certain where the pictures are now.

the point: now that i know this art technique, i could take one of those pictures and paint out parts of the picture i don't want to see like my friend's kitchen in the background. then i could get the picture shrunk down to a tarot usable size for the deck collaboration. i don't have to do HP tho. i could use this on any card that solandia assigns me. now that i'm deciding on an art techiniue i'm getting more excited about getting started on my card!