foolMoon
TdM decks take me to the medieval times. It's the atmosphere it presents, that I like.
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What are they thinking?
Dark Victory '39
it is a funny thing
Hi Nica, I hear you on the Wild Unknown; I tried so hard to connect to that deck. I love black and white images, i love nature, i'm hip to the non-RWS images; i felt like i should be a perfect candidate to join the ranks of its post pages by the very ardent group here who would move to a desert island and set up camp with it commune, howl at the moon with it, etc. I spent a month using it almost exclusively and i never really liked it; ended up giving it away after thinking about it for another six months. This isn't going to be a v. insightful post because i still cant really nail it down as to what didn't work out between us. I didn't really like the cardstock, tho i recognize it as quality-- that same puffy firm-thick feel to it that touchstone did, got rid of that one too. i've been a longtime user (a decade) of the sams' Medicine cards, which i love, and i wonder if under the radar i kept sublimating its material, (which really I thought should have been a plus, no?) I think for some of the animal majors, not all, just a few and i'm not naming names; o.k. i am, the lioness, what was that, the high priestess? I just thought they were kind of (muttering so low no one can hear me, 'cutesy'); in contrast the eyeballs and entrails on others. Or the little chicks? Come on. No little chicks for me.
Hi Nica, I hear you on the Wild Unknown; I tried so hard to connect to that deck. I love black and white images, i love nature, i'm hip to the non-RWS images; i felt like i should be a perfect candidate to join the ranks of its post pages by the very ardent group here who would move to a desert island and set up camp with it commune, howl at the moon with it, etc. I spent a month using it almost exclusively and i never really liked it; ended up giving it away after thinking about it for another six months. This isn't going to be a v. insightful post because i still cant really nail it down as to what didn't work out between us. I didn't really like the cardstock, tho i recognize it as quality-- that same puffy firm-thick feel to it that touchstone did, got rid of that one too. i've been a longtime user (a decade) of the sams' Medicine cards, which i love, and i wonder if under the radar i kept sublimating its material, (which really I thought should have been a plus, no?) I think for some of the animal majors, not all, just a few and i'm not naming names; o.k. i am, the lioness, what was that, the high priestess? I just thought they were kind of (muttering so low no one can hear me, 'cutesy'); in contrast the eyeballs and entrails on others. Or the little chicks? Come on. No little chicks for me.
Viridian
The Lo Scarabeo Universal deck where she combined the RWS, Thoth and Marseilles styles together.
I know some people love this deck and there is a lot of symbolism in there but I just can't get past the cartoon drawings. The guys with cut abs and girls with playboy bunny boobs just make it impossible for me to take it seriously.
One card in particular has a knight mostly naked with the abs out riding a huge water dragon. Whenever I see that one I can't help but think... is that a dragon or are you just happy to see me?
I know some people love this deck and there is a lot of symbolism in there but I just can't get past the cartoon drawings. The guys with cut abs and girls with playboy bunny boobs just make it impossible for me to take it seriously.
One card in particular has a knight mostly naked with the abs out riding a huge water dragon. Whenever I see that one I can't help but think... is that a dragon or are you just happy to see me?
rylla
I see the Wild Unknown as a deck that you either connect with it instantly or you don't. I was looking at the cards on the Internet for a long time; still couldn't make up my mind about getting it; finally I ordered it but wasn't expecting much of it (too simplistic, too this, too that, I won't be able to read with it, so on) - once I hold it in my hands I loved it and all my theories about this deck proved me wrong!
We can talk about a deck and try to rationalize our impressions but maybe the bottom line is that some people get a deck and some people don't. And vice verso. Above all those pros and cont what matter most is how somebody connects with a deck on a personal basis. Loving or not a deck is a very personal experience so it's great that there are so many different decks on the market, basically for everyone.
We can talk about a deck and try to rationalize our impressions but maybe the bottom line is that some people get a deck and some people don't. And vice verso. Above all those pros and cont what matter most is how somebody connects with a deck on a personal basis. Loving or not a deck is a very personal experience so it's great that there are so many different decks on the market, basically for everyone.
nejigurlmimi
Deviant Moon
When this deck came out, everybody raved about how different it was. No offense but it's the most ugliest thing I've ever seen (IMO).I have it in my collection still just in case my brain decides to accept it but i don't think it'll be anytime soon lol.
When this deck came out, everybody raved about how different it was. No offense but it's the most ugliest thing I've ever seen (IMO).I have it in my collection still just in case my brain decides to accept it but i don't think it'll be anytime soon lol.
UrbanBramble
Hmm, this is making me think.
1) I love the Motherpeace deck. Totally falls into the cateogory of "ugly". But one of my first tarot mentors reads with it almost exclusively and energetically it just does it for me... it tells a very different story, but it's like you have to be immersed in its mythology in order to read with it. I still think it's ugly but I read with it anyway, because of the personal connection. It's not my go - to deck. I kinda have to be looking for the type of advice it's going to give.
2) Wild Unknown... I thought this would just be a pretty deck to add to my collection, but really it goes very deep, at least for me. It resonates on a spiritual level like only a couple of decks do, I can sit and just look at the cards and get more out of it than if I am verbally interpreting. My readings with it are often highly intuitive and touch those parts of myself that are uncomfortable to explore. I would agree that the meanings are more Thoth based, I usually use the Thoth interpretations of the pips (an example that I can think of off the top of my head is the Three of Wands). The art is right up my alley and I actually really love "nature" decks and am a little distracted by decks with humans in them, mostly because of the "ugliness" factor - it's easier to draw a good snake than it is to draw a good person perhaps? Also, though, I work a lot with animal guides in my own spiritual practice and I don't tend to read court cards literally anyway, so it's rare that the Queen of Wands is "a strong - willed woman" in my readings, etc. One card I can't resonate with in this deck is the High Priestess, I have to work with her every time she is drawn to pull out a meaning... a white tiger? Really?
3) Greenwood. I use this deck purely for altar work / journey work. I don't read with it. It's used to mark the Wheel of the Year on my altar and sometimes I will draw cards / arrange cards when I journey. So no, I don't resonate with it as a reading deck, but I do use it anyhow.
Oh, and I would also like someone to enlighten me on the appeal of the Deviant Moon, people love it. Why? I just can't connect, I think it's ugly and disturbing in a way that doesn't do anything for me.
Just some thoughts.
1) I love the Motherpeace deck. Totally falls into the cateogory of "ugly". But one of my first tarot mentors reads with it almost exclusively and energetically it just does it for me... it tells a very different story, but it's like you have to be immersed in its mythology in order to read with it. I still think it's ugly but I read with it anyway, because of the personal connection. It's not my go - to deck. I kinda have to be looking for the type of advice it's going to give.
2) Wild Unknown... I thought this would just be a pretty deck to add to my collection, but really it goes very deep, at least for me. It resonates on a spiritual level like only a couple of decks do, I can sit and just look at the cards and get more out of it than if I am verbally interpreting. My readings with it are often highly intuitive and touch those parts of myself that are uncomfortable to explore. I would agree that the meanings are more Thoth based, I usually use the Thoth interpretations of the pips (an example that I can think of off the top of my head is the Three of Wands). The art is right up my alley and I actually really love "nature" decks and am a little distracted by decks with humans in them, mostly because of the "ugliness" factor - it's easier to draw a good snake than it is to draw a good person perhaps? Also, though, I work a lot with animal guides in my own spiritual practice and I don't tend to read court cards literally anyway, so it's rare that the Queen of Wands is "a strong - willed woman" in my readings, etc. One card I can't resonate with in this deck is the High Priestess, I have to work with her every time she is drawn to pull out a meaning... a white tiger? Really?
3) Greenwood. I use this deck purely for altar work / journey work. I don't read with it. It's used to mark the Wheel of the Year on my altar and sometimes I will draw cards / arrange cards when I journey. So no, I don't resonate with it as a reading deck, but I do use it anyhow.
Oh, and I would also like someone to enlighten me on the appeal of the Deviant Moon, people love it. Why? I just can't connect, I think it's ugly and disturbing in a way that doesn't do anything for me.
Just some thoughts.
RunningWild
Oh, and I would also like someone to enlighten me on the appeal of the Deviant Moon, people love it. Why? I just can't connect, I think it's ugly and disturbing in a way that doesn't do anything for me.
I don't use it often and I want the borderless edition, too, but I find it beautifully twisted. Not nasty, just a different perspective. The art is off-putting for some, but I rather like it. I don't use it for regular readings because so many find it creepy.
rylla
Deviant Moon
I don't like creepy. And I don't like deviant art. Still, I was impressed by this deck the moment I held in my hands. To like something that I usually don't made me think it's because the art is beautiful. I don't find it creepy, but if it is, it's beautifully-creepy and not scary-creepy (at least not for me). It's so nicely done that it doesn't scare me and I don't think the artist wanted it to be scary either. I might be looking at it through some 'glasses' that filtrate the bad side and I see only its good side. And there are plenty.
I get very good readings with it too, as it's based on RWS, which I like, but it's still an unique, one-of-a-kind deck.
ETA: the borderless edition is awesome!
I don't like creepy. And I don't like deviant art. Still, I was impressed by this deck the moment I held in my hands. To like something that I usually don't made me think it's because the art is beautiful. I don't find it creepy, but if it is, it's beautifully-creepy and not scary-creepy (at least not for me). It's so nicely done that it doesn't scare me and I don't think the artist wanted it to be scary either. I might be looking at it through some 'glasses' that filtrate the bad side and I see only its good side. And there are plenty.
I get very good readings with it too, as it's based on RWS, which I like, but it's still an unique, one-of-a-kind deck.
ETA: the borderless edition is awesome!
Nar
Pornographic ones.....
Came across one by accident and it took me a long time to figure out what I saw because my brain just could not click.
And vampyrs, or vampires. Love their stories. But in tarot....
I completely agree!
cSpaceDiva
The most popular decks make the easiest targets, so...Tarot Illuminati. I hear so many raves and I keep trying to convince myself to like it. I'm sure I will end up buying it at some point, but it is just so busy, garish, overwrought.
In defense of other decks mentioned here, Hanson-Roberts is in my top ten. I don't get why everyone calls it cutesy? Ok, yes, the happy cards are cutesy: 6 of cups, 10 of cups, the Sun. But the challenging cards certainly are not: Devil, 10 of Swords, 3 of swords. The cards are small and easy to shuffle and the scenes are up close and often head shots. That maybe throws off the proportions a bit, but that's also what make it so snappy to read because the facial expressions tell you what they are thinking and feeling.
The Fantastic Medical Tarot--not that I want it--but there is beauty in the human body and how it works. It would be different if they were showing us diseased and dysfunctional body parts, but these are straightforward anatomical drawings. Nothing disgusting or disturbing about that. (Disclaimer: I was a Biology major.)
In defense of other decks mentioned here, Hanson-Roberts is in my top ten. I don't get why everyone calls it cutesy? Ok, yes, the happy cards are cutesy: 6 of cups, 10 of cups, the Sun. But the challenging cards certainly are not: Devil, 10 of Swords, 3 of swords. The cards are small and easy to shuffle and the scenes are up close and often head shots. That maybe throws off the proportions a bit, but that's also what make it so snappy to read because the facial expressions tell you what they are thinking and feeling.
The Fantastic Medical Tarot--not that I want it--but there is beauty in the human body and how it works. It would be different if they were showing us diseased and dysfunctional body parts, but these are straightforward anatomical drawings. Nothing disgusting or disturbing about that. (Disclaimer: I was a Biology major.)
