greatdane said:
So....do many of you collect or read based on images alone?
Well, that would apply to oracles. I'm a tarot gal so I rely on tarot structure.
Strength... VIII or XI... ? --> I want Justice at VIII now
Wands for Fire and Swords for Air or vice versa... ? Wands = fire, Swords = air
Court cards à la RWS or à la Thoth... ? RWS, the Knight shagging the Queen sounds too twisted ;-)
greatdane said:
Do you always use a particular system with a particular deck?
Well, I'd say I always use the same illogical intuition-based messy system, which is probably why I have trouble with so many decks that you must stud in depth in order to get the most of them.
This also answers to your next point
:
greatdane said:
Do you basically have your own system
greatdane said:
(...) and are just drawn to themes (fairies, alchemy, hermetic)?
Most definitely. I tend to go for Pagan, not even Wiccan.
My next challenge is to pimp a Tarot de Marseille of some kind so that I can input all the nice Pagan things I feel like without Golden Dawn twists. It took me many years and one deck to understand the Hierophant in a way that makes me comfy: thank you Ellen & Tarort of the Crone!!!!
I cannot relate to heavy hermetic or esoteric decks, as I am way too lazy anyway to study them. Seriously, I think that we all as living beings carry the light and Holiness in us and we can access it by being honest and true to our nature. I don't think it takes complicated initiation into any tradition to access this holy part of yourself. By turning inwards you find the special magical part of you that connects you to the rest of the Creation, nobody can teach you how to find that part of yourself.
greatdane said:
When choosing a deck, not for collecting, but reading, do your tastes run the game?
That is complicated... Of course I will not buy something that doesn't graphically/artistically appeal to me BUT i have sometimes bought decks based on rave reviews and popularity. Some worked very well (Robin Wood, brilliant for learning minors) and some just flopped (Gilded among others).
Sometimes I go back to decks I first liked then ditched away then grow to like even more than the first time
Altogether, I'd say my tastes have evolved, I know better what I am after, what I need but also what works best. This means that some decks I would have bought based on their beautiful artwork (like the Thayer), I know I can pass since I will never be able to read with them. I save myself the trouble of buying/trying/getting frustrated/feeling guilty/trading away ;-)
Nice thread, nice questions
Now I am more decided than ever to find a suitable TdM to pimp
Thanks GD!!!!!