karen0205
Has anyone posted any pictures or knows of where I could see some cards
from either deck?
Thanks!
from either deck?
Thanks!
Book of Shadows 2 - So Below deck
gregory
Alida. 12 + 2.
rwcarter
This arrived yesterday, but I didn't get a chance to look at it until today. For the most part I like it more than I expected to.
Things/images I like:
- it's multicultural and multigenerational without it seeming forced
- the courts of each suit follow the same character through the stages of their lives from Page to King
- the passive suit courts (Chalices and Pentacles) are men while the active suit courts (Wands and Swords) are women
- a woman as the Emperor is an interesting twist
- 7 Chalices as choices of career to pursue is a nice take on the whole daydreaming aspect of the card
- 3 Swords doesn't have a heart pierced by swords!
- 5 Swords as different reactions to the outcome of a competition
Things/images I'm not so fond of:
- when I first looked through the cards, many of the images garnered either a WTF? or strange choice reaction:
I then read the LWB description while going through each of the cards, and for once I think the LWB at least gives a sense of what the artist was going for even if I don't think s/he was all that successful.
As Above doesn't come with a box if you bought the kit version. So Below does come with a box. So Below in its box will fit snugly in the well left for it. But then you have a boxed deck and an unboxed deck in the kit. Or you can discard the box for So Below to have two unboxed decks in the kit. I don't think that was thought out very well.
Rodney
Things/images I like:
- it's multicultural and multigenerational without it seeming forced
- the courts of each suit follow the same character through the stages of their lives from Page to King
- the passive suit courts (Chalices and Pentacles) are men while the active suit courts (Wands and Swords) are women
- a woman as the Emperor is an interesting twist
- 7 Chalices as choices of career to pursue is a nice take on the whole daydreaming aspect of the card
- 3 Swords doesn't have a heart pierced by swords!
- 5 Swords as different reactions to the outcome of a competition
Things/images I'm not so fond of:
- when I first looked through the cards, many of the images garnered either a WTF? or strange choice reaction:
- Lovers - househunting?
- Justice - the discomfort of high heels/new shoes?
- Death - selling your house?
- Devil - an ice cream sundae?
- Tower - a broken teapot?
- 4 Cups - she looks like she's sleeping, not dissatisfied
- 5 Pentacles - being lost in the woods?
- 8 Wands - looks rather Magician-like
- 10 Wands - she doesn't look all that burdened
I then read the LWB description while going through each of the cards, and for once I think the LWB at least gives a sense of what the artist was going for even if I don't think s/he was all that successful.
As Above doesn't come with a box if you bought the kit version. So Below does come with a box. So Below in its box will fit snugly in the well left for it. But then you have a boxed deck and an unboxed deck in the kit. Or you can discard the box for So Below to have two unboxed decks in the kit. I don't think that was thought out very well.
Rodney
JenWt43
That is the sort of thing that drives me bananas.
Wynter_Wytch
I don't know about anyone else, but I can totally see the Devil as an ice cream sundae.
Wynter Wytch
Wynter Wytch
Winterchild
Disa
I like some of those cards that you mentioned that don't work for you, Rodney. In fact I was happy to see the lovers as buying a house. There are TONS of choices and it's a HUGE step in a relationship. A New Era, and death the ending of that era 
.
I AM totally irritated that we have one boxed set and one unboxed set in the kit. I agree it wasn't well thought out..ugg.
Overall, I like the deck, a big contrast to the more spiritual As Above. The So below resonates as applying to the more mundane aspects of life many of us experience.
If the housewives can have chocolate cake as the devil, an Ice cream sundae follows right behind
I like this deck for many of the same reason I like the Pagan Tarot, and I think it will be a great tool to use my writing-if I ever get back to writing fiction.
P.S. The 5 of pents as being lost in the woods totally resonates for me. I can't relate to standing outside of a church as losing my spirituality and being distraught because the last place I found spirituality was in the church. I CAN relate to not being able to find my way in nature and feeling as though if my intuition is off, so am I.
. I AM totally irritated that we have one boxed set and one unboxed set in the kit. I agree it wasn't well thought out..ugg.
Overall, I like the deck, a big contrast to the more spiritual As Above. The So below resonates as applying to the more mundane aspects of life many of us experience.
If the housewives can have chocolate cake as the devil, an Ice cream sundae follows right behind
I like this deck for many of the same reason I like the Pagan Tarot, and I think it will be a great tool to use my writing-if I ever get back to writing fiction.
P.S. The 5 of pents as being lost in the woods totally resonates for me. I can't relate to standing outside of a church as losing my spirituality and being distraught because the last place I found spirituality was in the church. I CAN relate to not being able to find my way in nature and feeling as though if my intuition is off, so am I.
rwcarter
Just to clarify, my issue with the Major Arcana images I listed is that they are very scene specific/scenic and a lot less archetypal than the way Majors usually are depicted. Yes, a chocolate sundae can represent a specific instance of the Devil. I got the indulgence/overeating aspect of the image, but I think that image limits the scope of the Devil archetype.
Disa, I totally can't relate to your 5 Pentacles example as Mother Nature and I made a deal a long long time ago - I don't bother her and she won't bother me. So I'd never get lost in the woods cause I'd never go into the woods in the first place!
But I do like the deck, considerably more than As Above as a matter of fact.
Rodney
Disa, I totally can't relate to your 5 Pentacles example as Mother Nature and I made a deal a long long time ago - I don't bother her and she won't bother me. So I'd never get lost in the woods cause I'd never go into the woods in the first place!
But I do like the deck, considerably more than As Above as a matter of fact.
Rodney
Winterchild
mmm, Essjay... You sound like you're trying to explain yourself into liking it.
I have the As Above kit with book and think I shall keep the empty "So Below" compartment vacant. I generally like Lo Scarabeo decks - or rather, I like what Lo Scarabeo do with tarot - but I have come to the conclusion there are 4 ingredients in LoS deck that are a big no-no for me;
watercoloury artwork
overly feminine
cartoony
trying to reflect "modern life"
This deck has these elements in spades. Too many T-shirts and smiles, people cooking, that sort of thing. Honestly, I'm genuinely contemporary in other aspects of my life. I don't need it in tarot. Bring on the Illuminati please...
Lol... You make it sound like the Gaian, and another "T Shirt" deck... Pagan???
Anyone worked with the set together? I recently did a grid spread in an exchange and I have been thinking about combining this with a *pair* of decks to try and get a kind of cross indexed or multi layered reading. I didn't explain that very well but if I work it out I will be sure to report back!
Winterchild
So below woes...
Not only is the lack of box for the original deck an issue (because they do slide around in the box without it), but the cardstock on my So below deck is much thinner so the deck is nowhere near as thick, and using them together is not seamless!
Has anyone got both decks with the same weight cardstock? So 'not well thought out' as others have said. But I do think the cardstock weight is the biggest issue here when trying to use them together.
Not only is the lack of box for the original deck an issue (because they do slide around in the box without it), but the cardstock on my So below deck is much thinner so the deck is nowhere near as thick, and using them together is not seamless!
Has anyone got both decks with the same weight cardstock? So 'not well thought out' as others have said. But I do think the cardstock weight is the biggest issue here when trying to use them together.
