Pros and Cons Thread #3 - Enabling and De-Enabling

Laura Borealis

I'm just guessing which one they meant - but yeah, there's a big difference! I know which one I'd want :D
 

seedcake

Just a heads up if neither of you read Spanish so didn't see this review, there is a site showing the "fraud" of this deck as just a cash grab with literally the same image repeated over and over in every card coloured in differently and superimposed on a different background: https://www.google.com/search?q=tar...AUIBygB&biw=360&bih=511#imgrc=KM42Qa-u0uRixM:

I hope that helps (I didn't link to the page directly because you have to scroll way down to see the comparison images)

ETA: even the Hanged Man is just the same image simply rotated 180! https://www.google.com/search?q=tar...AUIBygB&biw=360&bih=511#imgrc=hA2q6lDuFC9rJM:

Thank you! That was really helpful.
 

DaughterOfDanu

I passed on this one and got the Fountain Tarot instead. No regrets.

The reasons were:

1. Not nearly as "hipstery"
2. Similar color scheme and modern feel
3. Less new age claptrap (Apologies if this kind of eclecticism is up your alley; it's not to my taste.)
4. Cost is much less to someone like myself who lives outside of Canada
5. I admire the rigor of 79 oil paintings just a bit more than digital collage. I'm not saying that digital collage isn't a challenging medium, but I am indeed stating a preference for what I want to look at during a reading and what I feel is more organic and connective. This is completely personal preference.

The Starchild Tarots have their own unique appeal and look, but they simply weren't worth it to me. The Fountain Tarot fits the bill in a similar way and I think will have a longer life as a reading deck; it's not quite as niche. Good luck in your decision :)

Thank you Feynrir and Philistine! I totally forgot shipping would be more since I'm from the states, not to mention there's expected delays from the Canadian postal service. The Fountain Tarot doesn't look like my cup of tea, but my concerns about the Starchild appear to be justified too. :) I think I'll hold off and wait until something I know I'll enjoy and use comes my way- shouldn't be too long :p
 

Morwenna

Ahhh, thanks for the link. I just Googled the title since they said they couldn't find images and wanted to forewarn them before they wasted their money, but that deck looks very nice. Thanks for clarifying :)

Yeah, I like the looks of this other one!

But that one with the clones... yecch...
 

Nemia

Concerning Starchild. I don't have it, but I really looked at it, so here are my reasons why I don't want it.

I'm a stargazer and star lover. When I see real constellations on a card, I get excited and happy. And the Starchild really plays on the star topic. So I hoped I can discover some interesting touches in the choice of stars and constellations on the cards (which is what the Celestial did - but the Starchild has much more style, it just looks better...). But then I noticed that the stars and constellations were simply added as decoration. The same pictures were used a number of times.

Now if you make a deck without connection to the stars, go ahead and do so. Invent star patterns and I'll see it as expression of awe for the starry skies and everything fine.

But IMO and MO only!, if you use real constellations and star maps, then please give attention to their meanings. Don't just copy them in as if they had no meaning.

I'd be sorry to be harsh to an intelligent, beautiful deck that touches the intuition of many. But for me personally.... hmm... I lost interest. If I was wrong and there IS rhyme and reason in the treatment of the stars, I'll consider buying this deck. There's someting magical about the quiet landscapes.
 

Morwenna

Hmm. I guess I didn't look very closely the first time...
 

CrystalSeas

literally the same image repeated over and over in every card coloured in differently and superimposed on a different background
ETA: even the Hanged Man is just the same image simply rotated 180!

Santa Muerte is a Mexican saint, who is almost as popular as the Virgin of Guadelupe. The deck takes an iconic representation of her and uses that as the human figure instead of the English personifications on most RW decks. If you look carefully, the other RW symbolism is there in every card. It's just that this extremely popular saint replaces the other human figures.

There's nothing 'fake' about this deck. It's just a different version of the RW decks, sort of like putting a specific image of the Virgin Mary on every card and calling it "The Virgin Mary Tarot". But they use this saint instead.
 

Dee Ell

Santa Muerte is a Mexican saint, who is almost as popular as the Virgin of Guadelupe. The deck takes an iconic representation of her and uses that as the human figure instead of the English personifications on most RW decks. If you look carefully, the other RW symbolism is there in every card. It's just that this extremely popular saint replaces the other human figures.

There's nothing 'fake' about this deck. It's just a different version of the RW decks, sort of like putting the Virgin Mary on every card. But they use this saint instead.

My point wasn't that they used the same saint on every card, nor that they should be more typical "English personifications" as you put it.

It was simply that the deck creators appear to have photocopied the same exact figure over and over, coloured it in differently, cut it out and pasted it on top of different RWS backgrounds - including just flipping the image and pasting it upside down as the Hanged Man.

There are haphazard additions of hats, etc to represent different characters but it's an extremely lazy creation (I'm an artist myself so I know how much effort would go into something like this).

If the creator of the deck is on AT then I apologize for the harsh criticism, but I wasn't even the one the originally point this out - it was the reviewer on the Spanish esoteric website I linked to (you have to scroll down to find the specific Google Image I linked above: http://www.institutoarcano.com/lasantamuerte.html)

Excerpted: "donde estan la simbologia arquetipica en estas cartas,donde estan los milenios de sabiduria oculta en este tarot.sin duda no hay ni una verdad aqui,solo un gran negocio en el cual mucha gente cae y compra las cartas."

My intent was simply to elucidate for the people wondering whether to buy it as they couldn't find images that it was a cut-and-paste carbon copy repetitive deck. If someone can find meaning and use in those unchanging photocopied figures and still wants to buy the deck, more power to them. I just wanted to provide some specific info as a caveat emptor so no one was unwittingly deceived about the nature of the deck....