Gaian Tarot...the good, the bad, the anything else

Carla said:

There are other people who LOVE this deck and use it as a tarot. It would be great to hear from them, too.

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I love it, Carla, and have come close to using the Gaian Tarot exclusively since purchasing the limited edition version of the deck. In other words, my deck has pretty much been used daily over the past two years.

What I have noticed over that period is that I no longer specifically notice the people featured in the deck any more than one generally fixates on those found in, say, the Rider Waite Smith deck. Rather, it is the energy of each of the cards and how they work together to form a very cohesive whole when using the deck for readings that I find so appealing.

Personally, I don't see this as a "happy/new age" deck. It is nature based. As someone who lives in the woods living close to the land in a rural area, I am as clear as a bell that nature isn't always pretty. Life here can be challenging. To my sensibility, the Gaian Tarot effectively captures the broad spectrum of realities we as humans face including grittier aspects of life.

Obviously neither the Gaian or any other Tarot deck is going to appeal to everyone. For the right individuals, though, the Gaian Tarot is a remarkable tool.

For what it is worth, I am not a member of the paid Gaian group mentioned here and I doubt anyone would ever remotely consider me a yuppie.

I got this deck and I immediately connected with it. The Hermit looks almost exactly like my brother in law, and I was okay with that. The Explorer (knight) of Air reminds me of my husband, complete with peregrine falcon.

I've also got some really strong readings from this. I don't find it shallow at all. It's very Earthy, and honest.

I am another person who loves this deck. For me, life is gritty enough on its own...this deck has unfailingly told me the truth in tough situations, without scaring me even further. I find that the imagery points in the direction of solutions and helps me to reframe difficulties in a way that is open-hearted and generous of spirit, without dulling the sharp edges that define real problems. I think it is a mature deck, in that sense. I have no intimate connections with the Pacific Northwest and am not a member of any social or spiritual groups similar to those depicted in the deck, but somehow these cards speak to me - and with a wisdom that is hard to define, or describe. I agree that the Majors are marvelous, but (for me) even the Minors transmit messages that are deeper than their apparent themes suggest. Just my take on it...I do understand the objections that my colleagues have raised.

Maybe I should create a deck more truly descriptive of the "native" people here in the Pacific Northwest. We're definitely not like what's being described here. The people I'm seeing you all describe are the people who came here more recently, not us natives who come from logging and farming backgrounds and preceded the tree huggers. I'm not kidding---maybe I'll seriously start working on a deck like that. Do you think anyone would even be interested?

I was going to put the Gaian on my wishlist till I read this thread. Now I'm definitely going to pass and put my head around making a deck myself, even if just for my own use.

Grizabella said:

Maybe I should create a deck more truly descriptive of the "native" people here in the Pacific Northwest. We're definitely not like what's being described here. The people I'm seeing you all describe are the people who came here more recently, not us natives who come from logging and farming backgrounds and preceded the tree huggers. I'm not kidding---maybe I'll seriously start working on a deck like that. Do you think anyone would even be interested?

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I would!

What I see in the deck is not connected with area-specific imagery, though - for some reason unrelated to clear personal associations, the cards resonate with me. At the same time, I can understand the objections that have been raised in this (and previous) threads.

While I do like this deck a lot, more than a lot of people here, maybe because it IS so regional, it would be fun to have a 'real' PNW deck.

One based on those days of yeasteryear, when Whole Foods were the ones grandma picked from her garden and canned. And the biggest social event was the annual founders day. (I come from a Washington pioneer family, lol.)

Although the Gaian death card is one of my favorite Death cards...

Astraea said:

I would!

What I see in the deck is not connected with area-specific imagery, though - for some reason unrelated to clear personal associations, the cards resonate with me.

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Me, too, and I live on the East Coast. While I do have family on the West Coast, to me, the Gaian is not area specific in the least.

VGimlet said:

One based on those days of yeasteryear, when Whole Foods were the ones grandma picked from her garden and canned.

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But for many of us here, this isn't from yesteryear, it's what we do now.

Tarot of Today?

Ana your post reminded me of a deck I saw somewhere (almost certainly online in this tarot desert...), I think it was some kind of Pagan tarot and featured very modern people using computers and things? Or am I getting it wrong? Anyone recognise this description? It wasn't the Silicon Dawn, but it was something Wiccan maybe.... anyway, it reminded me in a lateral kind of light of the Gaian for the modern age.... I will see if I can find it....

Grizabella said:

Maybe I should create a deck more truly descriptive of the "native" people here in the Pacific Northwest. We're definitely not like what's being described here. The people I'm seeing you all describe are the people who came here more recently, not us natives who come from logging and farming backgrounds and preceded the tree huggers. I'm not kidding---maybe I'll seriously start working on a deck like that. Do you think anyone would even be interested?

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I'd be interested, Griz. We drove across the Olympic Peninsula in Washington and stopped in all these small towns, where the cafes and general stores had all these cool old photos of the loggers...lots of interesting history, and I'd imagine that way back when, the people who left the comfy east coast to work and live in the west were of pretty tough stock - as were most of those who went west. I picture something not too dissimilar to the Prairie tarot...