When a deck just doesn't work!

So, I am a little confused, as my belief system around the nature of Tarot is being challenged by one unassuming little deck, the Crystal Visions.

First of all, I should say that I am not of the belief that there is magic contained within the deck itself, that decks, right out of the factory box can have a certain vibe or intention so to speak (I tend to huff and roll my eyes when some speak of their experiences with the Thoth - no offense - just a different point of view). I do believe the images, archetypal in nature, trigger our own imagination, subconscious and intuition and have the ability to help us gain insight into our lives and sometimes our future. I consider this magic and tarot is a big part of my spirituality.

Therefore, I have always thought that I could pretty much use any deck. I was always open to the fact that simply due to preference in art or the way my brain was wired that different decks are harder, some easier, some chattier, some deeper and some I use the book, some not etc. etc. Sometimes I have bought a deck and simply not liked it and did not connect with the images, making it more difficult to read. But even in these cases where a deck is more difficult to read, I always know what the reading is getting at, there is something to grab onto, I can see what the cards might be saying.

HOWEVER, along comes Crystal Visions. I don't mind the art, a little twee, but not so bad. But every time I have done a reading I draw an absolute blank! Not only do I get NOTHING, but the cards don't even fit the reading in any objective way I can fathom. I even posted one of my readings and the person replying resorted to numerical interpretations because it didn't really make much sense to us in any other way - I still didn't feel as though I got any clarity. It's very odd and a completely different experience.

Has anyone had this experience? I would be interested to hear why people think this may be the case. Because given what I thought I knew about tarot... This is why I love it - Tarot challenges

simphex said:

So, I am a little confused, as my belief system around the nature of Tarot is being challenged by one unassuming little deck, the Crystal Visions.

HOWEVER, along comes Crystal Visions. I don't mind the art, a little twee, but not so bad. But every time I have done a reading I draw an absolute blank! Not only do I get NOTHING, but the cards don't even fit the reading in any objective way I can fathom. I even posted one of my readings and the person replying resorted to numerical interpretations because it didn't really make much sense to us in any other way - I still didn't feel as though I got any clarity. It's very odd and a completely different experience.

Has anyone had this experience? I would be interested to hear why people think this may be the case. Because given what I thought I knew about tarot... This is why I love it - Tarot challenges

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I have had the exact same experience with the Crystal Vision Tarot, it's the deck, not you or others, sorry Crystal Vision tarot lovers, but it is a lame deck, IMO for readings.

The art is lovely, Artistically speaking.

I find the deck very repetitive, even in the artwork, same background, it's the same, the same the same, the moon is just in a different spot or phase, lol

The deck if you wish to use it, use it as an elemental deck, using ED's only, an you will be good to go. That is the only way I can make sense of it. or just enjoy it for it's art.

Yes. Pretty, but.

That's about it - pretty, but.

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simphex said:

I do believe the images, archetypal in nature, trigger our own imagination, subconscious and intuition and have the ability to help us gain insight into our lives and sometimes our future.

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Maybe this is just a case where, despite the artwork, the deck just doesn't inspire you... like AT ALL. Zero.

Because of this, maybe it's just that much harder to dig through the images in this one that you think the deck doesn't "work" ...when really it's not the deck itself as much as it is just a matter of how you personally don't mesh with it.

I really think that has to be the case because there are plenty of people who read well enough with Crystal Visions, including myself. So how can it be the deck? It's not the deck; it's just how you personally take to it. Different strokes for different folks.

You may have normally found that you can get something out of any deck that's come your way so far, even if it's a struggle, but perhaps this is just the first case where it's so much of struggle that it seems literally impossible to you. After all, a deck doesn't need to be very complex for this to happen; it's just about what personally works or not.

A deck is a bit like a pair of shoes -- you may think it's your usual size but not every shoe actually fits once you try them on and go for a bit of a walk. Sometimes we may not know *exactly* how a deck will work for us until we actually spend some time with it.

simphex said:

I do believe the images, archetypal in nature, trigger our own imagination, subconscious and intuition and have the ability to help us gain insight into our lives and sometimes our future. <...>

Therefore, I have always thought that I could pretty much use any deck.

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What you wrote above suggests that our imagination/subconscious/intuition should be triggered by just about any archetypal images. I don't really believe it's true. There are archetypes that mean something to you and then there are some that mean nothing, due to your personality, background, upbringing, etc. That's why it's absolutely possible to be unable to read with a certain deck.

Simphex, are you trying to apply "standard" meanings to the cards? If so, try reading the images instead. I read a number of decks that way. (The Priapo immediately comes to mind because if I tried to apply "standard" meanings to the images from that deck, I'd go crazy.)

Rodney

I always try to read intuitively first and if I don't get much, for whatever reason, I think about the traditional meanings, then the elemental and numerical and I also consult the book.

I've tried all ways Rodney, that's why it's such a different experience. Crystal Visions gives me nothing - very odd.

simphex said:

I've tried all ways Rodney, that's why it's such a different experience. Crystal Visions gives me nothing - very odd.

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Consider it a golden opportunity to experiment with the Trade-Train!

When I read with this deck, I use the images. If you use the "normal" messages for the cards, it wouldn't work. Perhaps engaging the pictures on the card? If you haven't tried that already.