Hi,
I am a bit late to the game. But this week I am using the B. Moore's Steampunk Tarot.
This is one of my favorites, other than the Thoth Tarot. When I first started using my deck, it felt like it had a male energy. It has not steered me wrong. :-D
The Steampunk is great, isn't it? How do you find the court cards?
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I spent some time last night with the Zodiac deck, going through the majors, pulling out the corresponding minors, and reading the descriptions. Using this deck as a study deck is definitely going to strengthen my understanding of the structure of Tarot within the GD tradition. It's fascinating to see the connections between the cards laid out so visually.
Other thoughts:
- I'm over my hatred of the backs. I still think they squashed the design to hell, but the colors and overall layout are soothing and don't distract.
- I've moved on to disliking of the layout of the front of the cards. In addition to the dreaded LoS multi-language titles (which don't always bother me), there are 1-2 large astrological symbols at the base of each card. While I find the symbols useful for study, I wish they could have been integrated better into the card image itself. Further, two of the multi-language suit labels are directly below the astrological symbols, so I'm forever trying to read them as astrological symbol labels.
- There are connections to RWS, but I find it more useful to focus on what is presented, through image and LWB, and then the RWS relationship is clear. It would be a hot mess to start with RWS meanings and then try to mash this deck into RWS.
- I'm still in love with the concept and structure of this deck, but there is some imagery that hasn't gelled for me yet. For example, IV: The Emperor/Ares shows a toddler's swing tied in a tree in a nice front yard. The description is: "Pioneering. Courageous. Impulsive. Forceful. Risk-taking." The mental disconnect between image and meaning continues through the other three Ares cards, which all involve the same toddler swing in the nice front yard. I'm hoping continued work with the deck will resolve this.