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

waaaaah....

It is possibly weighing down some plane right now, as it wings its way toward me, heavy with my misgivings of it.... before we meet!

I had an inital bad reaction to this deck.... smiles and all is well creatures living in yuppville... but I became sort of attached at a friends hoiuse, because I liked the gentle atmosphere it gave off.

I dont really do gentle... calming yes... but to me that is a lone naked tree in the snow, (witj maybe a splash of blood), not cooking in a bright kitchen.....

Ah well l someone out their will love mine if I dont.....

Bummer...I'd really hoped for a real "rural life" deck, something reflecting more of my life experiences, something closer to home. A bit of new age doesn't bother me, lack of grit might...we have a lot of grit here, LOL. I think what I'm looking for is a "cosmic possum" tarot, which will probably never be made.

Carla, that review is excellent, maybe you should put it on Amazon, on on the reviews here if you haven't.

Just received & looked through my MM Gaian set yesterday & absolutely agree wholeheartedly with the responses here. I am SOOO disappointed! (I bought it on the recommendation & enthusiasm of a real life friend, who looks exactly like the woman on the front of the box.)

Magpie9, you express my own feelings precisely but much more succinctly & wittily, as usual! lol.

Carla - total genius review! I admire your ability to see the pros too.

It's just too middle-class, 'worthy', politically-correct ... happy, shiny, bland, pain-&-struggle-free & 'perfect' to work for me.

One odd thing that struck me glaringly is that most of the people (not all, but by far most) are fat. From needing to shed a few pounds to near-obesity. In my world, there is a range of body types, with the majority being slimmer & fitter than these over-indulged, complacently-smiley, self-congratulatory types.

The fact that each person looks too real, as if from a family / community photo album, removes their archetypal quality for me. A little distance, or even aloofness, and stylisation or archaic apparel (like in the RWS, Hudes, Aquarian, Klimt, Golden, etc) helps me see the figures as representatives of types - archetypes - of aspects of our humanity which apply to everyone, by NOT being too 'down-to-earth' & specific.

I hope I'll re-adjust & get something out of it eventually, even if not what I was looking for.

eta Well-said, Winterchild (love 'yuppyville'!) & ann823 too!
Yes, Carla, please do put your review where it will reach other people outside this community too.

"A very narrow life experience is depicted here--a particular community of apparently quite affluent suburban neopagans/New Agey types living in the Pacific Northwest. "

Carla, if that statement doesn't sum it all up for me, I don't know what does! I love the Pacific Northwest, I think it is one of the most beautiful places in the US, overwhelming in it's grandeur. All that green - those mountains, the big trees - the Olympic Peninsula, the Hoh River forest and Lake Crescent - it's breathtaking. I think I would live there if i was not trapped here by family - how awesome it would be to have that beauty around you every day...and I love the rain. However, ever since grunge music came out of Seattle in the 90's, it has become the "cool" place to be from, and it seems a lot of people from there always want to shove it in your face. This deck is just another extension of that attitude. Not sure where it comes from, either, as I didn't think the people there were any different than people in most urban areas.

But - I do want this deck! I didn't at first, mainly because I don't like the photographic art style...then, after looking at it a few times online, it has grown on me. I don't think it is a deck that I would read with all the time, but I might use it occasionally. I am waiting to get it for a low price, though - I refuse to pay the sticker price. Lowest I have seen it so far is for $18 at DiscountNewAgeBooks.com.

This is one of the decks I looked at and read reviews for when I first came to Aeclectic. I liked the idea of it and the few sample cards I saw on a blog. But when I started looking through Google images, it lost its appeal. I, too, noticed the "lack of grit" and I wanted more balance in a deck.

Carla's review just reaffirms my initial reaction!

I hope people give the deck a chance, because there are some folks who absolutely love it. Actually, I love it--but because I think it would be fun to be part of a group of friends like these people. I don't see anything wrong with being clean, well-fed, financially secure, and happily enjoying each other and the world around us. That's what made me buy the deck. And looking through the deck still makes me feel happy. BUT, I can't say it is of any use to me as a tarot deck. It's a fun curio to have, I just can't really read well with it. I don't know anything about the Pacific Northwest, but I'd love to have a small group of friends I could hang around with like this in a place that I love, such as Pembrokeshire.

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

Carla said:

I hope people give the deck a chance, because there are some folks who absolutely love it. Actually, I love it--but because I think it would be fun to be part of a group of friends like these people. I don't see anything wrong with being clean, well-fed, financially secure, and happily enjoying each other and the world around us. That's what made me buy the deck. And looking through the deck still makes me feel happy. BUT, I can't say it is of any use to me as a tarot deck. It's a fun curio to have, I just can't really read well with it. I don't know anything about the Pacific Northwest, but I'd love to have a small group of friends I could hang around with like this in a place that I love, such as Pembrokeshire.

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 believe the deck has it's own forum...but for paying members only - haha! Kind of goes with the whole picture! ( living "green" can be pricey ) And yes, Carla, you are right about giving the deck a chance. It does have a happy we-will-all-walk-off-into-the-sunset kind of vibe, a little too happy, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. For myself, it would be a deck I'd use at certain times - but for the most part, it would clash with my personality. I'd like to have it even if it is just to look at it from time to time, and because it is unlike any other deck I own.

The thing is, I look at the pictures and a lot of them mean something to me, but I'm suspecting that the connections and meanings I get aren't what the deck creator intended. Other images I really see what so many are saying. It seems this deck was liked better when it was rare and expensive...

Bhavana said:

I believe the deck has it's own forum...but for paying members only - haha! Kind of goes with the whole picture! ( living "green" can be pricey ) And yes, Carla, you are right about giving the deck a chance. It does have a happy we-will-all-walk-off-into-the-sunset kind of vibe, a little too happy, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. For myself, it would be a deck I'd use at certain times - but for the most part, it would clash with my personality. I'd like to have it even if it is just to look at it from time to time, and because it is unlike any other deck I own.

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Oh, who am I kidding? I'm a snarly introvert who hasn't bought anything that didn't come from a charity shop since like 2007. Still...the deck is pretty and I'm strangely not sorry I bought it and have no plans to get rid of it.

ann823 said:

. It seems this deck was liked better when it was rare and expensive...

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The majors rock, always have. They hit a deep place within for a lot of people. Sadly, the minor's don't....they show lives that are occasionally lit up by the luminescence of the majors. They are seekers in allotted time-slots, nothing more. They take classes and do meditation, yoga, planned outings...they make room for it in their lives but rarely achieve it because the real stuff happens when it happens and can't be scheduled. Their middle class lives are too busy, too tight too packed with activities for there to be real room for luminescent spirituality.
It used to be, in Buddhist countries that you didn't become a seeker until after you had raised your children and discharged your responsibilities. You then went into you spiritual life full time. Now, here in the West, we try to do it all at once....I don't think it works all that well.