I got My Russian Gypsy Fortune Telling Cards! Yayyy

[anndelise]

thorhammer,

I have the cards (by Touchkoff).
I love how they look, they are just gorgeous, but I, personally, was not impressed with the layout system and the divided cards.

I would rather have each card as a separate entity, allowing for spread creation to be possible. I don't mind and maybe even like the positional aspects. I definitely like the square shape.

I've tried doing a reading, but this system, more than any other I've come across just seemed so...mmm...like it was just giving me a mishmash of concepts with no real connection between them or between them and my question. (however, I'm also a mere beginner so take that critique for whatever it's worth)

Unlike you, however, I only paid $21 for. In the USA the retail value of these are listed as $32.50. The store I got mine from had them discounted because the box was dirty and scraped. I'd be much more upset than you appear to be if I'd paid $70 for them.

If I ever join one of the exchanges things on here, then that'll probably be the first deck to go, even though I'd be sad to lose the pretty colors and pictures.

 

[bluefairy]

maybe you should set them aside for a while and then go back to them and do a reading for someone else maybe there not working on your own readings. did you try to read the cards for someone else there are great threads here and people would jump on a reading with the RGFT cards.

 

[Venus Moon]

thorhammer,

I have the cards (by Touchkoff).
I love how they look, they are just gorgeous, but I, personally, was not impressed with the layout system and the divided cards.

I would rather have each card as a separate entity, allowing for spread creation to be possible. I don't mind and maybe even like the positional aspects. I definitely like the square shape.

I've tried doing a reading, but this system, more than any other I've come across just seemed so...mmm...like it was just giving me a mishmash of concepts with no real connection between them or between them and my question. (however, I'm also a mere beginner so take that critique for whatever it's worth)

Like you I love the images and colors and wish they were just seperate cards. I can't seem to get used to the system or make it work for me! But I love the cards so much, frustrating It hurts too look at them as I am always awed with the artwork but then knowing all I can do is look and not use and read! I keep them hoping one day they work for me

 

[thorhammer]

I'm so glad I'm not alone! Thanks for your words of encouragement!

anndelise ~ I actually love the layout and the split cards. The novelty of the way they work as opposed to Tarot struck me as being really fun, and I like having the stress of choosing a spread taken away from me. That being said, it is a very complex system, and there's no way I could ever learn it all. And also, I find it hard to blend the meanings, as they always come out really discrete to me - and sometimes downright contradictory! - and it seems to me there's no room for intuitive reading with these cards.

bluefairy ~ yes, I will do a reading for someone else one of these days, but I hate making a fool of myself, and since I expect some level of usefulness at least from the readings I do for others, I'm just a little leery of putting myself out there, you know? Especially when it's these cards, with practitioners of Valeria and franniee's calibre using them as well!

Hils ~ yes, I'll put them away for a while. I love them so much, the beautiful colours and such, I just can't bear to part with them just yet! Added to which, the price I paid is going to be hard to recompense if I try to trade them!

\m/ Kat

 

[bluefairy]

I'm so glad I'm not alone! Thanks for your words of encouragement!

bluefairy ~ yes, I will do a reading for someone else one of these days, but I hate making a fool of myself, and since I expect some level of usefulness at least from the readings I do for others, I'm just a little leery of putting myself out there, you know? Especially when it's these cards, with practitioners of Valeria and franniee's calibre using them as well!

\m/ Kat

i am sure if you explain they will be more than happy to get the reading and if you want you can even try it out on me ,but the best thing to do is get someone with more experience they can help you, everyone here is great.

 

[Gavriela]

I used to have a set of these (they got lost) and I liked them a lot. Took up loads of table space, though, I'm with you there.

BUT - they are essentially a Lenormand deck in pieces. If you don't read Lenormand, you can pick up a deck for around €5, and learn that.

It's not that easy, as it goes by card-combinations. But you will find many of the same, and some similar, cards that you do in the Russian Gypsy.

The advantage to learning might be that you can start with smaller spreads, and then work your way up to a full 36-card spread (or tackle the Russian Gypsy full board at that point). But if you need individual cards just to help see how they fit together, that's what I'd recommend.

You might also want to take a look at the Tarot d'Eltynne - http://mandefield.free.fr/eltynne_en/ - that's €20, but it does have 53 cards - some of them the same, some similar. Again, the advantage is seeing individual cards in play together instead of having to do a full board your first time out - which is daunting for anyone who doesn't have a background in classical European oracles.

 

[flashdownglory]

Russian Gypsy

I am on a card deck buying kick and now that I have been involved with Lenormand, I bought this deck. I LOVE the book that accompanies it as it has help expand my knowledge of the Lenormand, but I am in agreement with others who said they wish the cards were all individual and the "connect the dots' part of the spread is a bit of a nuisance. Much of the intuitive high is getting that first glance at a complete spread or as the cards are turned and seeing what pops into your head. I do like that each card and it's four sides have a timeline, and I wonder if you were to place the cards with the fastest timeline in the beginning of your " story" it would bring more truth. Just some food for thought.. anyone?

=) Flash

 

[firefrost]

Well I wouldn't. I take the pictures as they come and tell the querent what sort of time scale is on their particular associations with it.

I see it as life just happening around us all the time.

Other readers may see it differently.

 

[Alta]

Interesting. I bought this set quite a time ago and had the frustrating experience described by some of the posters. It seemed to me at the time that the readings were a contradictory mess and nothing ever seemed to resonate, so some (possibly former) member of ATF has it now. I was very intrigued by the comments and suggestions here though. Sorry I didn't read a thread like this at the time.

Alta

 

[firefrost]

You might also want to take a look at the Tarot d'Eltynne - http://mandefield.free.fr/eltynne_en/ - that's €20, but it does have 53 cards - some of them the same, some similar. Again, the advantage is seeing individual cards in play together instead of having to do a full board your first time out - which is daunting for anyone who doesn't have a background in classical European oracles.

I've just been looking at these - yes, I want them!

Think I'm going over to trading to see if anyone wants to swap me for my Gilded tarot...