Deck of the Week Sign-up Thread, Week 374: Sep 2 - Sep 8

[fire cat pickles]

A unique version of Reading Circle for those who would like to work through their collection of decks, participants choose decks from their collections to work with for the week. Some use one deck, others use two or more. Some combine methods: Tarot, non-tarot (e.g. oracle), playing cards, or any other divinatory method is welcome. All we ask is that you use at least one tarot or oracle deck.

 

No collection is too large or too small. The only rules we have are the Tarot, Tea & Me Rules; Be respectful of one other. Please join us!

• Please post with your choice of deck(s) for the week
• Chat away about your deck, how you're finding it (or not), etc., it's all up to you 
• Participants may either choose to share their readings here in this discussion thread or opt to have their own journal in the Journals Forum and link it here
• Yet others may even have an offline journal in paper & pencil/pen form

Share as often, as much, or as little as you like. You can drop in and out at anytime—reality and life permitting. New to tarot? Long time reader? Come on in!

 

Participants

1. fire cat pickles: François Héri, Solothurn 1718 - Tarot of Marseilles
2. Natural Mystic Guide: Ark Tarot and Oracle Deck by Bernadette King
3. Bodhiseed: Fey Tarot paired with the I Misteri della Sibilla Deck
4. Rachelcat: Le Tarot des Femmes Erotiques
5. Pathwalker: The Druidcraft

 

Click here for DoW 373 (8/26 - 9/1)

Click here for Dow 375 (9/9 - 9/15)

Edited September 8 by fire cat pickles

[fire cat pickles]

I'm moving on to the Héri TdM for this week. It's one of  Yves Reynaud's decks.

[Natural Mystic Guide]

I am continuing to study the Ark Tarot and Oracle deck by Bernadette King.

[Bodhiseed]

Thank you, Fire cat! I'm in this week with the Fey Tarot paired with the I Misteri della Sibilla deck.

 

 

 

For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. 
~John F. Kennedy

 

When our system has been flooded with emotion, whether it was pleasurable or frightening, we often feel as exhausted as this fey. It takes a while for our bodies and minds to regain their balance. Just don't nap too long... The Sibilla Three of Clubs indicates a journey, possibly requiring both body and mind to saddle up and get moving. It's a good idea to pack some spiritual sustenance in our saddlebags for the trip. 

[Rachelcat]

Thank you @fire cat pickles for leading us as always!  Ooo, @Bodhiseed, the Fey!  It's really an unsung masterpiece!  Enjoy!

 

This week for me will be Le Tarot des Femmes Erotiques.  It’s a sampling of early 20^th century porn (“naughty pictures” of naked women) made into a tarot.  Some might have a problem with it as objectifying women, which I totally understand, but, because our culture has changed so much, I find it sweet and charming!  The deck was published in 2011 by a group called BeautyHistoryMagic, but their website is now gone.  The cards are sepia tone with interesting keywords.  The courts are all women of course:  queen, chatelaine, lady, novice.  Here’s a photo of the not-quite-as-naked box art and card backs.  I’ll post the interview in my journal so as not to hijack this thread with nudity.

 

[fire cat pickles]

Welcome back @Natural Mystic Guide, @Bodhiseed, and @Rachelcat 🙂 

[Bodhiseed]

@Rachelcat, I totally agree with you about the Fey being and unsung masterpiece!

[PathWalker]

Late to the pass here - but using Druidcraft Tarot this week

[fire cat pickles]

Welcome back @PathWalker! Seems I'm late too...

[PathWalker]

So I'm working on a New Moon spread here:

 

https://www.thetarotforum.com/forums/topic/16481-under-the-tree/?do=findComment&comment=280336

 

A few comments about this deck for folks new to tarot who might be unfamilair with it.

Firstly, the version that I have, the cards are BIG!  Time must have passed, because I find I can no longer shuffle them as I used to (arthritis now) but must hold them end on to overhand shuffle. I know some folks have trimmed this deck, and like it much better that way - I'm just not much of a trimmer myself so I'll keep on as they are.

Secondly in the book the number cards are grouped by number, and a page is given to describing the perceived qualities of each number, and how this relates to a path of spiritual learning and the qualities illustrated and discussed.  This is interesting, but not necessarily an idea I would carry over to other decks.

Thirdly you could not describe this deck as "inclusive". That has to do with a) it's a deck describing a certain time/place and that is how the authors and artist saw it, and b) the deck was made before inclusivity in terms of race and gender came to the front of our consciousness. This isn't a criticism of the deck per se, but newer readers of tarot may find it bothersome.

 

I do know that being white, cis and in my sixties, I notice these things less - but my daughter tries to keep me up to speed!

Edited September 6 by PathWalker

[Misterei]

5 hours ago, PathWalker said:

A few comments about this deck. Firstly, the version that I have, the cards are BIG!  Time must have passed, because I find I can no longer shuffle them as I used to (arthritis now)

Yes, I gave away mine to a friend who's more into Druids than i am. I do like the deck and if I ever got another one I would need to trim it.

5 hours ago, PathWalker said:

Thirdly you could not describe this deck as "inclusive". That has to do with a) it's a deck describing a certain time/place and that is how the authors and artist saw it, and b) the deck was made before inclusivity in terms of race and gender came to the front of our consciousness. This isn't a criticism of the deck per se, but newer readers of tarot may find it bothersome.

I find the pressure toward *inclusivity* bothersome. The Druids were British Isles from 400 BCE to 200 CE. Other than including age diversity [i like decks that show old people as well as young] it would ruin a Druid-themed deck to impose modern demographics. Britain of 400 BCE didn't have the ethnic diversity of 2020s London. And that's ok.

 

I was shocked the other day by a lovely young Indian woman who announced to me that the Greeks stole Indian texts and carried them back to their museums. We were talking about Alexander the Great and the exchange of knowledge between India and Greece in the Hellenistic era. I commented that any Indian texts obtained by the Greeks would have been brought to the Library in Alexandria Egypt. And that Library had burnt 3 times [Romans, Christians, Moslems]. Thus few to none of the original texts survived. I felt hurt by this in ways I'm still trying to process.

 

Not to mention the ancient scholars who traveled between Greece, Mesopotamia, Central Asia, and India -- not to steal but to study or teach. We have evidence of this in sources like the Picatrix [Iberian / Arab astrological text] which references *wise men of India*. These aren't the words of *evil colonizers*. They are the words of respectful scholars.

 

Anyway, off topic but your post brought up something that deeply disturbs me. I hated the false history I was taught in college [men did everything and women did nothing] but I also hate the new false history that everything is stolen or colonized and Europe is the source of all evil. Neither extreme is true.

[Chariot]

19 hours ago, PathWalker said:

So I'm working on a New Moon spread here (not finished at time of posting but will update)

https://www.thetarotforum.com/forums/topic/16481-under-the-tree/?do=findComment&comment=280336

 

A few comments about this deck. Firstly, the version that I have, the cards are BIG!  Time must have passed, because I find I can no longer shuffle them as I used to (arthritis now) but must hold them end on to overhand shuffle. I know some folks have trimmed this deck, and like it much better that way - I'm just not much of a trimmer myself so I'll keep on as they are.

Secondly in the book the number cards are grouped by number, and a page is given to describing the perceived qualities of each number, and how this relates to a path of spiritual learning and the qualities illustrated and discussed.  This is interesting, but not necessarily an idea I would carry over to other decks.

Thirdly you could not describe this deck as "inclusive". That has to do with a) it's a deck describing a certain time/place and that is how the authors and artist saw it, and b) the deck was made before inclusivity in terms of race and gender came to the front of our consciousness. This isn't a criticism of the deck per se, but newer readers of tarot may find it bothersome.

 

I do know that being white, cis and in my sixties, I notice these things less - but my daughter tries to keep me up to speed!

I use the Druidcraft Tarot a lot ...in fact, it's one of my four favourite decks. BUT I not only had to trim it ...I had to trim it twice!

I have an untrimmed version. I have another version I bought second-hand and partly trimmed so the name of the card still shows. And then I finally bought another used deck and trimmed it down to picture only.

Because the pictures are so distinct, it's pretty easy to know which card I'm looking at without having to read the label.  The picture-only size is really easy to use.  11 x 7cm / 4.25 x 3 inches.  Trimming made the difference between having a deck that sits on the shelf and a deck that gets used.

It's also kinda compulsive ...the trimming lark. With a good pair of scissors and a cornering tool it's a bit of a skoosh.  It turns cards I never used—due to size—into cards I do use.  Cards are just pieces of cardboard, right?  Unless you are looking for resale value, trimming makes sense! 🙂

[PathWalker]

I agree that trimming is a sensible approach to too-big for you decks. And I did occasionally trim the largest cards in my own Patchwork decks. But I doubt I could do a whole deck absolutely perfectly and it would distress me if they wee different even by a smidgen, like really upset me,! So I leave them. So the principle is fine, but I'd need them done with a die cutter or not at all. So best for me to leave 'em

[PathWalker]

On 9/2/2024 at 2:53 PM, Rachelcat said:

This week for me will be Le Tarot des Femmes Erotiques.

I like erotic decks - and hadn't known of this one - thank you. (Now, how to find a copy . . .)