Titles . . . Or Not?

Barleywine

I'm still searching for an oracle deck that "sings" in a way that is truly inspirational. I like the images to be slightly enigmatic but still suggestive of what the creator had in mind. I'm finding that there is a divide between decks that have titles on the cards and those that don't. As an oracle neophyte, I have no problem with titles as long as they are also more suggestive than literal, giving the ideas room to "breathe." I've been looking at a lot of decks, and so far the Enchanted Map seems to have the right combination (and the Psycards are close).

I know some people are put off by titles, preferring a completely intuitive read based on the images. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this, and which decks you think handle card titles in the most creative and flexible way. (BTW, I'm not looking for enabling here, just an overview of the style.)
 

danieljuk

There is a trend now in tarot decks that the clutter and titles and keywords are being removed from the front. Some of the publishers have answered consumers complaints about them. I wonder if that will follow on to oracles now. I like to read cards intuitively first and a keyword or titles are distracting. Once you see them that suggestion is hard to ignore! I find them extremely annoying on the enchanted map and for me they don't always seem to match the card well in my take on them.

I like AT member Linnie's A'Ha Oracle
I do rave about this deck a lot on AT but I love it. She made it a few years ago and each card is black with a black and white or colour mandala. At the bottom of the card is a number. That is all there is on the card. You can look at the image and read it. It comes with a great LWB where you can look up the numbers and it has a title and a page of text. It's a complex oracle, you get long readings from it but it's enigmatic, inspiration and spiritual. You can read the cards to fit your style and read them how you want without looking at the author's take on it and I love that flexibility! I can read it intuitively and look up further text about it :)
 

ana luisa

Hi! Another one who is getting into the oracle vibe ;) You're right, the Enchanted is amazing and provides very good solid readings. I will suggest another one that, in ESSENCE is not an oracle but that I use as such. I admit I have no knowledge and could never get into the philosophy of I-Ching but this deck speaks MILLIONS. The images are so clean and bold, no titles, it's almost visceral. See what you think.

I-CHING HOLITZKA

Here's a reading done with it

GREEN LIGHT Card 41

Being caught in a whilrwind is what comes with the territory. I can only guess that you're at university but nowadays, due to competitiveness, any level seems to demand a lot from the student. So, try not to get too worried about this pace and keep looking at your objective, whichever it is. this person is inside the tornado BUT her gaze is towards the red ball. Outside. this reflects your dobts about continuing your studies or not. Advice comes later in the spread. Also, this card meaning talks about "reduction" which means try to concentrate on the minimum necessary to get where you have to. Don't overdo things, don't overload youself. It is enough to cope with the system as is.

RED LIGHT Card 27

Are you skipping meals ? Are you feeling sick because of worries, studies or both ? This card says two things to you . first, take good care of youself PHYSICALLY. Your mind seems to be ok but your body needs pampering. Also, don't worry about finishing your studies to SHOW that you managed to complete something. This should NOT be done for others but for youself. Think about it.

YELLOW LIGHT Card 33

This is what awaits you. I don't particularly like this card. The man manages to protect himself from the ouside world but his heart is on fire and his head has too much energy comig out of it. Outside his power filed of protection, things do not look safe or happy. So, this is the final advice. You know in your heart that something is wrong with your studies, with the subject you picked or something. You know that it will not get better. And although you are sure you will be able to cope (I sense a strong self-demand here ) and get your accomplishments straight, it will not bring you happiness...

I am sorry the cards didn't give you a solution. It seems it's in your heart already. They believe that whatever you set yourself to do, you will be able to, though. So, reevaluate and think BEYOND getting the degree. Your future USING this knowledge.

The cards have been attached :)

***********************************************************************

Another one I've presented to some members is the Philosopher's Stone cards (IMO VERY underrated). They are quite "masculine" and may seem too clean or bland but their message is super deep and profound. Here's a reading done with it:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=102025&highlight=philosopher's+stone

And here are the cards
http://www.dees.at/stein_en.htm

Good luck with your quest ;)
 

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Barleywine

Another one I've presented to some members is the Philosopher's Stone cards (IMO VERY underrated). They are quite "masculine" and may seem too clean or bland but their message is super deep and profound. Here's a reading done with it:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=102025&highlight=philosopher's+stone

And here are the cards
http://www.dees.at/stein_en.htm

Good luck with your quest ;)

Thanks!

I've looked at the Philosopher's Stone before. I find it a little impenetrable and adamant. I'm looking for something "fuzzier around the edges," that yields to subtle contemplation and doesn't appear to need a "psychic prybar" to open it up.

Those I Ching cards are very nice. I have Anthony Clark's I Ching deck and pulled out the companion book to compare to the cards you've posted. They work well together. I also have the Wilhelm translation of the I Ching to use with them.
 

Barleywine

There is a trend now in tarot decks that the clutter and titles and keywords are being removed from the front. Some of the publishers have answered consumers complaints about them. I wonder if that will follow on to oracles now. I like to read cards intuitively first and a keyword or titles are distracting. Once you see them that suggestion is hard to ignore! I find them extremely annoying on the enchanted map and for me they don't always seem to match the card well in my take on them.

I like AT member Linnie's A'Ha Oracle
I do rave about this deck a lot on AT but I love it. She made it a few years ago and each card is black with a black and white or colour mandala. At the bottom of the card is a number. That is all there is on the card. You can look at the image and read it. It comes with a great LWB where you can look up the numbers and it has a title and a page of text. It's a complex oracle, you get long readings from it but it's enigmatic, inspiration and spiritual. You can read the cards to fit your style and read them how you want without looking at the author's take on it and I love that flexibility! I can read it intuitively and look up further text about it :)

I like titles when they link to another complex system of thought, like the Thoth deck's connection to the Tree of Life, or the hexagrams on an I Ching-inspired deck. Most of the time I pay little attention to them.

The A'Ha Oracle looks interesting but a bit more "hard-edged" than what I'm after. On the other hand, it's a perfect antidote to all the "fluffy" decks out there that are even further from my ideal.
 

Madrigal

Looking at my Oracle collection, half of which is feminine-oriented, I see only a couple that might intrigue you. Psycards you've mentioned and EM. There's the Tao Oracle and also The Shaman's Oracle. This last one is a fascinating approach using pre-historic images that live in our cellular memory, our first attempts as a species to give form to both the manifest and hidden world around us. This deck has quite some depth and sobriety to it with a very specific trajectory along which to work. In fact I thought of suggesting it over on your Ancestors Work thread.

To answer your question though, with Oracles I do like to have a keyword BUT I'm very picky about the images I choose to allow into my consciousness so I'm fairly exhaustive in my research before buying an Oracle. The structure of the Tarot provides a container that allows me to work with images that might feel otherwise a bit edgy. But apart from the Tao Oracle which is rooted in the temenos of the IChing most other Oracle decks are relying on the inner structure of their creator which doesn't carry the same kind of weight and mastery as the Tarot.

I also tend to give only minor attention to what's in the LWB it often feels somewhat arbitrary and because I'm generally not that impressed with the writing. I use it more as a jumping off point. Often a keyword and well-executed image that evokes some mystery, some space is enough for my intuition to take flight and then land sometime later.
 

Barleywine

Looking at my Oracle collection, half of which is feminine-oriented, I see only a couple that might intrigue you. Psycards you've mentioned and EM. There's the Tao Oracle and also The Shaman's Oracle. This last one is a fascinating approach using pre-historic images that live in our cellular memory, our first attempts as a species to give form to both the manifest and hidden world around us. This deck has quite some depth and sobriety to it with a very specific trajectory along which to work. In fact I thought of suggesting it over on your Ancestors Work thread.

To answer your question though, with Oracles I do like to have a keyword BUT I'm very picky about the images I choose to allow into my consciousness so I'm fairly exhaustive in my research before buying an Oracle. The structure of the Tarot provides a container that allows me to work with images that might feel otherwise a bit edgy. But apart from the Tao Oracle which is rooted in the temenos of the IChing most other Oracle decks are relying on the inner structure of their creator which doesn't carry the same kind of weight and mastery as the Tarot.

I also tend to give only minor attention to what's in the LWB it often feels somewhat arbitrary and because I'm generally not that impressed with the writing. I use it more as a jumping off point. Often a keyword and well-executed image that evokes some mystery, some space is enough for my intuition to take flight and then land sometime later.

Thanks for the link to the Tao Oracle; I added it to my Amazon cart along with the Messenger Oracle. I'm fascinated by the connection between I Ching and cartomancy. My Anthony Clark I Ching deck is one of my favorites. One thing: the borders on the Tao Oracle seem to take up a large percentage of the cards' faces. Does this detract from the impact of the images? I also appreciate your insights and the distinction you draw between tarot and oracle decks. I've noticed the same thing.
 

Madrigal

Oddly the borders don't bother me. I've trimmed several decks because of border issues but here I don't think I'd mess with them. Somehow they work.