The Tarot of Life (new unpublished deck)

Chronata said:

The Osho Zen is a deck that doesn't always fit the mold of a traditional tarot, and yet it is very popular.I think yours has the potential to be too.

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Well the Osho deck was one of the inspirations behind this one. The Tarot of Life is a 78 card deck and each card corresponds to each of the major and minor arcana cards of the Rider-Waite tarot. It is a marriage between the teachings of Sri Vasudeva and tarot, just as the Osho deck is a marriage between the teachings of Osho and tarot.

If it's a dysfunctional marriage I'd like to know how to fix it. I'd like to know how to make this more acceptable as a tarot AND as an oracle - even if it's a different kind of tarot, if that's possible. It can be a multi-purpose deck...but that needs to be more apparent. If I have to explain this, something is missing...

Thanks for the comments - please keep them coming.

congrats! your deck is simply beautiful!

now to the critic part:
-To me, the "description" type caption at the bottom of the pages is too much. I feel and think that you are directing me to see and think what you want me to think and see, instead of what I can potentially see/think on my own when working with the cards. the cards' design is so simple yet very evocative that adding/directing with so much text can become cumbersome.

if this is your interpretation of the old fashion tarot, congrats! it is very nicely done so far. what we may sometimes tend to forget is that Tarot is an Oracle itself. so when it comes to listening to people separate the two, i chose to keep it as it is for me: one.

with that said, it is up to you what you choose to do with this deck. if it is inspired or based on the tarot, be aware that purist will call it anything else but Tarot. if tarot was an inspiration, but you are clear that you are creating a new tarot-inspired oracle deck, then so it be and enjoy it. either way, tarot or not, an oracle is an oracle.
may you be well,

yara

Uma said:

Well the Osho deck was one of the inspirations behind this one. The Tarot of Life is a 78 card deck and each card corresponds to each of the major and minor arcana cards of the Rider-Waite tarot. It is a marriage between the teachings of Sri Vasudeva and tarot, just as the Osho deck is a marriage between the teachings of Osho and tarot.

If it's a dysfunctional marriage I'd like to know how to fix it. I'd like to know how to make this more acceptable as a tarot AND as an oracle - even if it's a different kind of tarot, if that's possible. It can be a multi-purpose deck...but that needs to be more apparent. If I have to explain this, something is missing...

Thanks for the comments - please keep them coming.

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ok. i just read your reply.

something you might want to do is be familiar with the tarot de Marseilles. that is the 'original' tarot. the RWS was an afterthought of the 'modern' era in my opinion. since your tarot mixes abstract and minimalism, tarot de Marseilles should allow you to get some guidance in the mix of the two. do not be afraid of the Marseilles, it is a simple yet beautiful deck (kind of like yours) and very accurate and versatile.

be true to yourself. if you get caught up in the RWS clone mania, then you may lose what you have done already or the potential of the deck.
I tell you this because I am working on two decks (still) and even though i have taken inspiration from the RW and the marseille, I had to make the decision of staying true to myself, my inspiration, my approach to creating the deck, etc Even if this meant that people on boards such as this one didn't agree with it (with comments such as "well, it's nice, but the -card- is not really like that in tarot, etc etc)

the problem is that as soon as you say tarot, most people expect to see either a clone of the RWS or the Marseilles, without much room in their expectations for something really original, based on those two. don't get me wrong, i like them both RWS and Marseilles, although more the Marseilles now than RWS, but I also have a collection of other type of decks. some are RW based, Marseilles based, originals, etc.

I like your deck as it is, with less wording though. It would be a shame if i see a later picture of your cards with a woman lying on the floor with the swords on top of her. THAT would be boring,expected.

cheers
yara

Uma,
I love your deck with its simplistic beauty! The line drawings over the water colors are absolutely gorgeous.
I have to agree with what some of the others have said: This deck does seem more like an oracle than a tarot deck. I think many of the nontraditional tarot decks get used more often as an oracle because people can't squeeze the pictures into a traditional tarot meaning.
However, I heartily agree with Yaraluna: Be true to yourself! Your deck is very special and unique - please don't change it to fit into a traditional tarot mold. You have a very refreshing, lovely divination tool you've created; I do hope you continue your quest to have it published. I know I'd be willing to buy it!

Here are a few more samples, these from the major arcana.

To me it's as much an oracle deck as the Osho deck is an oracle deck (sigh). Anyway...it's hard to find a tarot publisher who's looking for something really different, "refreshing" as you say. I don't care what people call it - I just want to know that there are people out there who would use it...how to get this thing off the ground...

yaraluna said:

I like your deck as it is, with less wording though.yara

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Not sure what you mean "less wording". Please explain. Thanks for all the other thoughts...

I'll be giving a workshop in Cobourg, Ontario Nov.22/08...not on tarot but related to developing intuition using Zenga (Zen Brush Meditation) and also based on Sri Vasudeva's teachings. To anyone who comes to this workshop from the Aeclectic Forum I'll give them a free reading using my own deck.

http://www.northumberlandheights.ca/assets/events/Zen-Brush-Meditation_flyer.pdf

Uma said:

Not sure what you mean "less wording". Please explain. Thanks for all the other thoughts...

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the cards have a title and a subtitle at the bottom. For me, the 'subtitle' adds too much meaning, or for better say it pushes me in a predefined (by you) direction on the meaning. whereas if I only see the title at the top and the image in the card, my mind and intuition is more relaxed and open to what the message may be for me, or transmitted to me at that time with that card.

know what I mean?

the cards have so much meaning already with the drawing and the title, that adding more (writing at the bottom) is kind of too much for my way of reading oracles. with that said, it is just my opinion, for what is worth.

yara

yaraluna said:

the cards have so much meaning already with the drawing and the title, that adding more (writing at the bottom) is kind of too much for my way of reading oracles. with that said, it is just my opinion, for what is worth.

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The phrase at the bottom of the cards amounts to keywords. I for one don't like keywords on my decks. As yaraluna says, they guide you in a specific direction, which can be hard to ignore (esp when you're reading for someone else who may fixate on the keywords) when you want to go in a different direction....

Rodney

rwcarter said:

The phrase at the bottom of the cards amounts to keywords. I for one don't like keywords on my decks. As yaraluna says, they guide you in a specific direction, which can be hard to ignore (esp when you're reading for someone else who may fixate on the keywords) when you want to go in a different direction....

Rodney

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Thanks to both of you - I completely agree. Less is more. LWB will explain for those who would like detail, more guidance. I'll revise the whole thing.