Tarot, anyone?

Layla Nahar

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Hi, I've recently started learning Tarot. I got a reading today with The Sun :D. I really am falling for this stuff. I have a Rider Waite deck. I'm looking at other decks I'd like. I'll probably get a Tarot de Marseille deck for my next one.

Any other Tarot fans or what have you out there?
 

EMaree

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*waves* I have the Sasuraibito deck and I adore it! It's one of those decks that just called to me instantly, the art is so soft and feminist and beautiful. I'd never really touched tarot before and now I love it.

I use the deck whenever I'm in a writing slump, and it never fails to offer up useful cards. (My draw today was The Hermit and Four of Swords. Take time for yourself. Rest, heal, and be mindful. Thanks cards!)
 

MaeZe

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I don't buy the predictive ability, but I have a really cool collection of Tarot cards because I like this kind of thing and love the art on the cards. I didn't know some decks were popular versions. I'll have to see what I have. Pretty sure I have something like the Rider Waite deck in the group.
 

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I have an X 1999 (anime) deck.
 

Layla Nahar

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Yeh - I reject the prediction aspect. I think of it as a way of focusing your thoughts. And the images really are the clincher. I also reject that you can use Tarot cards to find out forex, what another person is thinking (as in 'Does he love me?'). I'd be curious to know what other decks you have.
 

MaeZe

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I looked at a few of my decks (don't know where they all are). I do have both the Waite cards and the Marseilles cards.

Others are the World of Spirit and Wonderland (as in Alice) decks. Another I have is the Aleister Crowley Thoth deck. And I have a small deck called "Nova". I think that one was from a series of other boxes of things like Zen or Voodoo, little miniature boxes at the checkout counter of a book store.

Using them for story prompts sounds like a great idea.
 

MaeZe

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Layla Nahar

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Yeah, somebody in the Writer's Block thread suggested using cards in that way. I also love that idea.

Does any body do readings? I did a kind of a complicated one the other day - sort of a 'what should I be aware of' thing - I'm still writing it up. I think my next reading will be something simpler. 3 cards at most.
 

MaeZe

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Does any body do readings?
No but I've tried playing with a Ouija board. I have one fairly old board, not an antique but before the 1940s I believe.

I have some other fortune telling items on my bookshelf, Black Cat Fortune Telling Game and a couple versions of Gypsy fortune telling cards.
 

Kjbartolotta

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Oooh. I have a few decks I'm fond of, more of a thing I did in my twenties when I was deep into the 'mystic search for self-actualization' thing. Then I met a nice girl and got a dog, which sort dampened that fire a bit.

My favorite deck is the Crowley Thoth deck, not that I'm Crowleyite (I mean, I'm obsessed with the man, but mostly for camp). I can't remember the others I have. My all time favorite deck is actually this one, über-hipster, sold at one of the LA stores my GF has her art at. I need to buy it one of these days. My favorite card is the Moon card and I'm definitely a Prince of Cups personality-wise. And I seem to have a very strong affinity with the Six of Wands for some unknown reason, 'Victory' has never been my watchword, so I never understood what's up with that. And I do pretty good readings, though rather out of practice.

No but I've tried playing with a Ouija board. I have one fairly old board, not an antique but before the 1940s I believe.

Those things scare the hell out of me. Irrational, I know, but there it.

ETA: Along with the Thoth, I own the Contemplative Tarot, The Luis Rojo Labyrinth Tarot (another fav), and a surrealistic Italian one I don't even know the name of.
 
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Brightdreamer

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I don't buy the predictive ability, but I have a really cool collection of Tarot cards because I like this kind of thing and love the art on the cards.

+1, though in doing readings for myself I've gotten some... interesting results a time or two, more in the "you know more than you're consciously aware of" vein than anything else.

I collect them for the art value, plus they can make good creative spurs. The classic Rider-Waite deck, the Mystical Cats deck, and D. J. Conway's Celtic Dragons are the ones I seem to "click" with more when doing inspiration draws or personal readings, though I have several others: a few other dragon themed decks and oracle cards ("oracles" are ones not using the standard tarot configuration), the Ted Andrews "Medicine Cards" animal deck, Stephanie Pui-Mon Law's beautiful Shadowscapes deck, a cheap aimed-at-teens "Mystical" tarot with subtly marked backs for card tricks, an oddball round tarot deck and "psychic tarot" deck I got for free, and the "Tarot of the Cat People" (which has decent art, but I always got kinda a weird, out-of-synch vibe with it, so I don't use it a lot.) I also have an oddball "Story Card" deck, with simple concepts/pictures (Ladder, Chasm, etc.), which I use sometimes for spitballing: draw a few cards and try to come up with a scene or story that ties them together.

The Osho Zen deck is pricey, but the images are good intuitive/creative sparks - keep hoping to track one down at a discount.

On my wish list is a good gryphon deck; if I ever win the lottery, I have dreams of commissioning one. There's a lot of potential there for awesome interpretations with gryph variants for the four elements, not to mention the major arcana... Seen several dragon decks, but never run across a gryph one.

Oh, and years ago at a con I got a sample card for the Tarot of Brass and Steam featuring Edison as the Devil.
 

Siri Kirpal

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Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

I used to do Tarot readings. That was one of the first things I learned in college (but not in a class).

My favorite reading story is this one: I met a man outside a gym where we were both waiting for a dance class to start. The following evening we met again after a performance by the university's improv group. Some friends and this man I'd met joined me for popcorn in my dorm room following the performance. I started doing Tarot readings. The man waited until everyone else had left, then asked me to read for him. Got the most boring reading you could imagine. Asked him if that answered his question. He said, "Was I supposed to ask a question?" I told him he could if he wanted, but he wouldn't have to tell me what the question was. He said he'd like to do another reading. This time, he clearly was thinking about a woman, probably dark haired, and the result looked like the Holy Grail. That was 47 years ago this month. On this board, he's known as "Mr. Siri." We've been married 45, almost 46 years. My once dark hair is now gray.

I no longer do Tarot. But I still have the Voyager deck because it's so cool. I also have the Power Deck by Lynn Andrews, which isn't Tarot, but is something similar, and likewise I keep it because of its pics.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

Kjbartolotta

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I don't think tarot is supposed to be predictive. There may be something to it's ability to lead to unexpected insights, or there may not be. Either way, it's fun. I think Siri's story best illustrates the way the deck is meant to be used.

I like to think of it as a subway map to the collective unconscious. Representational, and not a full map of the territory, but still intuitive and helpful.

Man, now you've got me playing with my decks again. The Victory card made an appearance fairly quickly, it continues to befuddle me...
 

Night_Writer

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Does any body do readings?

I do professional readings for a living, both over the phone and in writing. I also own about fifty tarot decks. And there's people I know from the internet who own thousands.

I find that tarot can be very predictive, if someone wants it to be. That's why it's part of the world of fortune-telling. Fortune-telling means predicting the future. Tarot can tell lots of things. The more readings you do, the more amazing it becomes. I've had some pretty freaky experiences over the years.

The 6 of Wands, BTW, is about more than victory. It can also deal with ego and arrogance, and a need to feel superior to others. So it's not always about winning in the sense of winning a competition, but more about a state of mind.
 
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shizu

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The Enchanted Tarot was my first ever set, and still one of my favorites. The art is made up of fabric, stitching, ribbons, applique -- so pretty! The cards themselves are pretty big though, so not the easiest to work with.

My absolute favorite is The Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot, because, well, cats. Also cats 'in' costumes. Adorable!

I don't really use them for prediction as much as for clarifying thoughts and feelings, the same way I'd use mind-mapping or free-writing. I've used them a lot for writing, be it as part of a prompt, character traits, arcs, imagery... I think there's definitely something about them that taps into creativity and intuition, whether you use them for the intended purpose or not.
 

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The beauty of tarot is that it can be what you want/need it to be. The imagery is so rich in layers of meaning and mythology. And for all the Campbellians out there - look at the major arcana, look at the story they are telling. Anything familiar? :)
 

Kjbartolotta

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Interesting, though I still chew on what's going on with that card. Thanks NW! :)
 

Layla Nahar

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...The more readings you do, the more amazing it becomes. I've had some pretty freaky experiences over the years.

The 6 of Wands, BTW, is about more than victory. It can also deal with ego and arrogance, and a need to feel superior to others. So it's not always about winning in the sense of winning a competition, but more about a state of mind.

I'm just starting to get some of that freaky stuff. You put down a card and go - whoa!

I've had the Six of Wands come up in a advice position for a person who is afraid to take risks that will expose her to public recognition - so my interpretation in that case is for the querent to begin to cultivate the idea of public recognition and public acclaim for your contributions - meditate on it & get comfortable with and let that allow you to begin taking small risks.
 

shizu

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FWIW, I get the Six of Wands showing up a lot when there's some proactive action I can take to achieve/succeed with something. It came up a lot when I was wondering about going back to school, for example. For me it's just a little "Yes, do this thing you've been thinking about, it'll help you reach your goals!" sort of impetus.
 

Kjbartolotta

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I've had the Six of Wands come up in a advice position for a person who is afraid to take risks that will expose her to public recognition - so my interpretation in that case is for the querent to begin to cultivate the idea of public recognition and public acclaim for your contributions - meditate on it & get comfortable with and let that allow you to begin taking small risks.

Dang, that's WAY chewy then, because you described a lifelong hangup pretty accurately. Thank you, Layla. :)

FWIW, I get the Six of Wands showing up a lot when there's some proactive action I can take to achieve/succeed with something. It came up a lot when I was wondering about going back to school, for example. For me it's just a little "Yes, do this thing you've been thinking about, it'll help you reach your goals!" sort of impetus.

I've always assumed the 6 of Wands signified 'everything coming together' as well, when things have reaching a certain point of fruition, and all the elements are in harmonious balance. I'm getting some good stuff to think about on the cheap today.
 
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