The Celtic Relic Tarot

[Perenelle]

So I stopped by my place yesterday and bought back my sketchbooks and images. I was excited to see that I have all but 3 Majors drawn! I'll be scanning and framing these and just The Moon, Judgement and The World need to be drawn and I'll have all 22! Then the work really gets started as I figure out the Minors. Stay tuned!

[Perenelle]

I had a chance to go through the writing for both decks and I'm impressed by what I have done! The Relic book in particular is looking great, I forgot how much I knew, haha! I got as far as the Page of Lances (Wands), which I may rename Apprentice. I have the Warrior, the Chieftainess, and the Chieftain left for that suit and then Vessels (Cups), Coins and Swords. As I said I have the images almost completed to print out and then draw. I'm excited! 

[Perenelle]

I have LOADS more done than I realized, I have all but 3 Majors drawn and 3 prints ready to draw and I'll have all 22 of the Majors! I have most of the computer images done, just have to finish off a few. I'll get the drawings I have scanned and then they'll be ready to be finished on the computer. I'll get the drawings done first. Be back soon! 

[Perenelle]

Heard back from Lo Scarabeo. They want to evaluate it but they were pretty vague so I wrote again for more info. Getting close! Need a better scan app though.

[Perenelle]

OK some images. All the Majors. Though I kinda just feel like I'm howling into the void, haha.

[Raggydoll]

Another deck project, fun! I’m catching up on things because I’ve been very busy lately 🙂 Good luck with Lo Scarabeo!

 

[Perenelle]

I'm pouring so much of myself into this. A lot of work. I'm going to finish the rest of the deck, and the book too, before I send them anything. More coming! 

[Raggydoll]

Sounds like a good plan to finish it all first, that way they can get a clear idea of everything. Your guidebook - does it contain Celtic history as well? I’m not sure if you’ve already explained this (still catching up) but are you making a Celtic deck because you have Celtic ancestry and/or because of a personal interest? 

[Perenelle]

The title card explains some. Basically I have it in my background and I happen to follow a Druidic path. With all this historical imagery I certainly have to go into it in the text a lot! (Hmmm very weird as I write this I'm feeling a sense of de-ja vu, so strange!) Actually as I went over what I had written I was surprised at how much I'd forgotten I knew! Haha. Too bad there's no place to share text. My sister has taught writing and she's going to help me out with it. I've gotten as far as the Page of Lances. Going to be working on it tomorrow!

Edited April 9, 2021 by Perenelle

[Raggydoll]

3 hours ago, Perenelle said:

The title card explains some. Basically I have it in my background and I happen to follow a Druidic path. With all this historical imagery I certainly have to go into it in the text a lot! (Hmmm very weird as I write this I'm feeling a sense of de-ja vu, so strange!) Actually as I went over what I had written I was surprised at how much I'd forgotten I knew! Haha. Too bad there's no place to share text. My sister has taught writing and she's going to help me out with it. I've gotten as far as the Page of Lances. Going to be working on it tomorrow!

That sounds very interesting! Glad you have your sister to help you! Maybe you can share some snippets of text here in this thread, if you feel comfortable doing so? 

[gregory]

I find your World card rather too Christian in feel for my tastes - but it's not my deck.

[Rupicapra]

Are you going to explain in your book where you got the inspiration for each card? I think you mentioned celtic artifacts in an earlier post, would be nice to learn about them.

[Perenelle]

The deck is comprised of Celtic artifacts. I explain a lot in the text. I have whatever facts are available about each element. Yes I'll post a little bit of text. I'm quite pleased with what I've done so far but I'll have my sis proofread! Thanks for stopping by, more later!

 

Edited to add: I'll add some text as attachments later! 

 

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by Perenelle

[Perenelle]

Here is a taste of my text.

 

Introduction to The Celtic Relic Tarot:
History & Meaning

 

I find that Celtic decks already available seem to lack somewhat a serious approach to genuine myth and history, particularly the latter. This deck is my attempt to rectify this situation for serious Celtic-based seekers.

 

Of course, the fitting of artifacts from an ancient time into the framework of a system from the Middle Ages is no easy task. However, the archetypal nature of the images themselves made this not an impossible enterprise; in fact, the Majors came with relative ease. The Minors have been more of a challenge.

 

The simplicity of the images is conducive both to study and to deep  meditation. I am a studying Druid, and I am endeavoring to put a distinctly Celtic slant on this very well-known system. I am hoping that the more one uses  this deck and contemplates its imagery, the more one can return to a simpler time, at least in one’s mind, with its very basic messages.

 

This deck should awaken deep resonances in the reader’s psyche. With proper use, this state of mind may be imparted  to the querent as well as the reader. Explicitly Tarot-based  though it is, this  deck  does, I would say, impart a sense of ancient ideas;  in  deep  meditation, the numinous quality of the deck should become apparent.

The differences between this deck and other Tarot decks might be summed up thus: the essentialness of it. Other decks employ elaborate symbolism which takes greater comprehension skills to grasp and read adroitly. These simple Celtic symbols may seem strange at first, but their raw power is meant to touch a chord in the psyche. Their very simplicity is highly conducive to understanding on a basic level.

 

Tarot and oracle  decks, overall, are alike in one respect: they seek after the numinous, or the Divine. If this deck touches the soul of the seeker, it will have performed its function.
 
History

 

This deck’s imagery is  Celtic, although there is some  Roman influence to be felt. The Celts first  appeared in history around the 6th century B.C.E. The Gauls were first conquered  by  Rome in 390  B.C.E. Their culture (principally pastoral in nature) was becoming sophisticated enough to almost  have  become  urban, and to be a threat  to Rome;  however, they never achieved political unity. They were a checkered  people with origins all over Europe; the cradle of their culture was in the region at the head of the Danube (or so says the conventional wisdom). One place that is particularly demonstrative of the origins  of  Celtic culture is Lake Halsatt in Switzerland (thus the terms Halsatt & La Tne, which are  the names of the areas of Switzerland where the settlements were found). Bits of the language of the Continental Celts survive to this day in  French. English  also has traces of the insular versions. It is dwindling, but still spoken, in parts of Brittany, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and The Isle of Man, as Irish, Manx and Scots Gaelic, and Breton and Welsh Brythonic. 

 

The Gods and Goddesses alluded to here include the Daghda, Scathach, Danu, Brighid (Bridget), Cernunnos, Belenus, and  the Morrigan. Belenus  was the Sun-God,  much like Apolllo. In Greek and Roman terms, the Daghda is a Father God, who can be likened  to Zeus or Jupiter, and  more particularly, Silenus; Danu, likewise, is a Mother Goddess, who may be loosely correlated to Hera and Juno. Scathach and the Morrigan had a great deal in common with the Harpies of Greek myth, and were the Scald-Crows of War. Brighid was also warlike  after the manner of women in the culture, but  peaceful too; goddess of healing, smithcraft (transformation) and poetry, she had a great deal in common with Athena and Minerva. She and the war-Goddesses were triplicate in nature, with three aspects. This is a peculiarity of Celtic  mythos; the triplication of  deities to  represent different aspects of the same deity was spread culture-wide, and has been poorly understood from  Roman  times  onward.  However, careful study and meditation upon these mysteries will reveal much  to one’s intuition.

 

The ancient Celts saw their world as divided into three parts: Earth, Sea, and Sky. This is the foundation of their myth and of their wisdom. The iconic images in the deck were imbued by their makers with a life of their own. To an ancient Pagan, the life-force was sacred, and it permeated all things. These objects would have been seen very differently by viewers in the mists of prehistory than by the modern minds that are now their audience. In modern times, these primal images still have the power to move. They reach us on the archetypal plane, where all times are relative. It is my hope to move the reader with the power of the images, as I myself have been moved.

[Perenelle]

I thought I had pics but i evidently haven't transferred them yet. Be back soon!

[Perenelle]

I've been working on both of my decks. I've decided to complete 4 cards for the Metaphorical so I can post them for a Kickstarter campaign. Then I'll be able to tackle completing this deck so I can submit it to Lo Scarabeo for publication first. Be back with more soon!

[Perenelle]

OK so I made a big change. I decided I don't like the white labels. I'm redoing the borders and titles. First example: The Fool!

Edited May 10, 2021 by Perenelle

[HOLMES]

Have you considered renaming it into an oracle? 

Artwork awesome. 

Yet looking at the fool, magus, nothing about imagery reminds me of waite. Crowley or marseille. 

For me looking at the fool i would need to see a person about to step off the stone, like maybe a stick figure falling from the side?

For me the mage is about 4 elements, maybe on a table in fire, with water turning to stream

The sun feels like a sun obivously. 

 

With is why i asked if you would consider a sort of druid oracle that way you can stay true to your vision. 

I am a believer in that ,

Like i said i live the artwork!

[Perenelle]

Well no, it is a Tarot. Trust me. Haha! I explain in my text how the imagery fits. He's a primordial man before the cycle takes place. Yes it is different from a lot of Tarots but haven't you seen plenty of artwork that departs from "traditional" deck imagery? I sure have! Archeon, Haindl, Murder of Crows, to name only 3! And have you ever looked at a Celtic deck?? I mean Cernunnos for The Devil is quite standard. I'll post the text for The Fool at some point. If it wasn't Tarot I wouldn't have done it. Here are the rest of the Majors and the 2 Minors I managed to get to today, this is a TON of work! Check out Strength. Really quite a standard kind of Strength image, well no she's not straddling a lion, it's a bear and she's facing it down...

[Perenelle]

Looking at my own work, quite a few of these seem pretty standard to me. Dunno...

[HOLMES]

1 minute ago, Perenelle said:

Looking at my own work, quite a few of these seem pretty standard to me. Dunno...

Don't worry about it, i was just looking at the first 2, the more finished artwork is even more pretty. Omus i am just one person. 

I love your death card!!!

[Perenelle]

Thank you!! Everyone loves the Death card, it's one of those things that got stolen a couple of times. Honestly! I just want to see my work in print finally. We'll see!

[Raggydoll]

Personally, I quite prefer it when there are no suit emblems and when the imagery isn´t a clone of previous traditions. I think that in order for someone to capture the essence of a card and then translate it into a new context, that requires a deeper understanding of tarot. So when that is done well (there are some examples where I feel that they attempted to be creative but didn't manage very well) it adds to the tarot tradition in a really nice way. It also feel less commercial to me. I mean, I have seen a lot of decks where it feels like they are using traditional scenery in order to not have to put in the time or the intellectual effort to come up with something original. Or maybe they have no original visions to add because they haven't read tarot long enough to see more layers to the cards. That is just how I see it. I know there are many buyers for both type of decks so whatever one goes for - if it is done well, people will want it. 

[Perenelle]

Thanks so much for the input! You are 100% right! I have more than 50 decks and studying more all the time, been doing it since I was 12 (that's 1978 in case anyone was wondering!). Be back very soon! 

[Perenelle]

OK the Minors I have done plus some extras, gonna go and do the work for the other one for a bit! (I'm doing the watermarks on my sis' advice, sorry about that!)