Spot the Deck Creator

Rachel Paul drew herself and her husband on the 2 of Faygos in the Dark Carnival deck.

Alta said:

And Kim Huggens is in at least one, and I think 2, cards.

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Yep, Kim is the Princess of Swords. Erik is also in the 5 of Cups.

I know Julie Cuccia-Watts often represents herself in her decks. In the Ancestral Path tarot, the author of the companion book Tracy Hoover is the Fool

Paul Foster Case as The Hierophant in the BOTA Tarot.

Triomphes 2012, the creator Bertrand appears in #16 the Tower.

Eileen Connolly is the Empress in the Connolly Tarot. And I believe that Anna is the lady featured in all the Anna K cards...? I don't have the deck but I am sure I read that somewhere...

I believe also that DJ Conway and Lisa Hunt both appear in their decks - (shapeshifters, Dragon, Fairy Tale).

Oswald Wirth's Hermit is a self portrait.

Elendil said:

Rachel Paul drew herself and her husband on the 2 of Faygos in the Dark Carnival deck.

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I really wasn't sure about posting about this, (1) because of the personal nature of what I'm about to say and (2) because it could potentially lead us off topic. However, after some reflection, I feel it would be insightful to comment on this, as it opens up a larger conversation about the meanings of tarot for that certain breed of deck creators who both literally and spiritually are drawn into their decks--who view the creation of a tarot as a spiritual excercise and moving art meditation. That said...here goes:

In the Dark Carnival Tarot's 2 of cups, I am dancing joyously. My now estranged husband is more reserved, with a hand raised, as if to halt this joy. As if to say "stop."

When I drew the card, I liked the balance this represented: yin and yang, calm and chaos, joy and reservation. But I knew this carried with it a certain ominous foreboding. At the time, I never imagined what was about to transpire.

On the card, he has his hand raised...I never thought much of it. Then came the bombshell. He started raising his hand to me in real life--not just on the card. Literally raising his hand to me. (And as women we're not supposed to talk about this, right?) Three times it happened when he was under the influence of strong drink. Then once when he was sober. The balance was thrown off. And I was forced to remove myself from the situation, to find my greater joy. No longer could he raise his hand. No longer could he limit my playful dance.

"I hate your stupid art. I hate it! I hope you realize your tarot deck destroyed our marriage," he drunkenly screamed. And if you've ever seen the classic "A Star Is Born," then you know the rest of the script. The downward spiral, when insecurities come into play and a woman is forced to choose between her love of her art and her love of her partner.

Why go public about this? I have chosen to do so both here and in the juggalo community (the basis for the deck) because the message is larger than any personal beef and larger than any squabble. I shine to encourage others to do the same--especially my women who have been in a similar situation. I am fearless. And my presence automatically liberates others.

I chose to save my own heart, my own cup. I chose my playful dance. I chose balance. It is not to say I hold any ill will. Even in future editions, I refuse to remove my ex husband from the deck. Why? Because to me the 2 of cups is about a balance of hearts. And when that balance is thrown off? It is time to FIND it. To refine it.

Nobody likes to hear about a 2 of cups card that encourages us to look further, beyond our current situations, for this balance. But such is the Dark Carnival--pain bringing joy and darkness bringing light. And I'ma shine on, not as a ace of cups, but as a 2. Every relationship is a lesson, and I now know this. I have no regrets. A blessing.

Find your balance.

Hi Rachel,

Sorry I didn't see this sooner. That is a powerful and cautionary tale, both of the power within the relationship between people and the depth of the human archetypes portrayed in it.

I am glad you told this and also happy you have re-found your personal joy.

Blessings.

Yes, it's a good story, even if it is about a bad time.

Any others? Do we know, for example, if Pixie appears in RW images?