Flashing Colors in the Albano-Waite

velvetina

Terrapin, I'm the same! I cannot bear (physically) the Albano-Waite..but now I'm intrigued...how does one become accustomed to it, I wonder?
 

Richard

Terrapin, I'm the same! I cannot bear (physically) the Albano-Waite..but now I'm intrigued...how does one become accustomed to it, I wonder?
It's probably not worth bothering about. The Aeclectic rating of the Albano is an impressive 2.5 stars. After all, it is merely --
Another of the several re-coloured versions of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. Pamela Colman-Smith's artwork is copied exactly and re-coloured. There are several similar tarot decks, but the Albano-Waite Tarot is loudly coloured, sometimes garishly so. --http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/albano-waite/​
Actually, the Pentacles and Temperance deviate somewhat from Colman-Smith's artwork, but otherwise it is just a "garishly" re-colored Rider-Waite. Nevermind my occult crap about the Golden Dawn color scales. :rolleyes: (Also, I can't help now and then using a little tongue-in-cheek humor. ;))

For myself, I mostly use the Smith-Waite Centennial. That's a fact.
 

momentarylight

The use of complementary colors (called "flashing" colors in Golden Dawn parlance) is supposed to attract the Akasic current, which in turn may assist clairvoyance. P. F. Case adapted the Golden Dawn color scales to introduce flashing colors into esoteric Tarot design, and Frankie Albano in turn applied the Case specifications to the Rider-Waite. I have attached an example to illustrate this. The P.F. Case BOTA Fool is on the left, the Albano is in the middle, and the Smith-Waite Centennial on the right.

In the BOTA and Albano, the Fool's outer garment is bright green with a red lining (green-red complementarity). Compare this with the dull green and orange of the Smith-Waite. The background of the BOTA and the Albano have purple mountains against a yellow sky (again, note the complementarity), whereas the Smith-Waite uses a slightly more harmonious greenish blue against a greenish yellow.

I find the Albano/BOTA color scheme to connect more readily to the Unconscious than the usual RWS colors, but this is not always desirable. The psyche can experience a sort of burn-out from too much stimulation.

How interesting! I do like the P.F. Case Bota Fool on the left. The drawings are quite significantly different in detail and aspect from the other two images. I like the colours as well in this particular card but would like to see the whole deck. Is the whole deck available on the net, or where else can I purchase it?

Colours can be very significant in a deck or even just one card. They change the vibrations a little.

Other decks which also do that with 'bright' cards are the Sheridan Douglas and the Radiant Rider Waite. The Morgan Greer is beautifully coloured as well and I absolutely love the colours in the CBD Marseille. All of these decks are different but colour is important in each one.

Colour does refresh our senses but these are dynamic things and sometimes we need subtle, muted tones. I generally prefer the latter.

Have you ever seen the inner radiance of an object or scene in meditation or dreams? That is indeed something to experience and one can use the cards for that purpose. Really garish colours are not the best for that but I don't find the P.F. Case Bota image garish.

Thank you for the discussion :)
 

Richard

How interesting! I do like the P.F. Case Bota Fool on the left. The drawings are quite significantly different in detail and aspect from the other two images. I like the colours as well in this particular card but would like to see the whole deck. Is the whole deck available on the net, or where else can I purchase it?......
As far as I know, the BOTA deck is available only with black and white line drawings, and the Minors are not illustrated. There are instructions on how to color the cards. I have a hardbound copy of P. F. Case's book, The Tarot, which has colored illustrations of the Majors. The paperback edition of the book has only black and white illustrations.
 

bogiesan

Actually, the Pentacles and Temperance deviate somewhat from Colman-Smith's artwork, but otherwise it is just a "garishly" re-colored Rider-Waite.

The swords are different, too, enhanced with three jewels on the part formally known as the crossguard.
 

Richard

The swords are different, too, enhanced with three jewels on the part formally known as the crossguard.
Yes, I forgot about the Swords. Thus there are a substantial number of cards which differ from PCS's original designs. Moreover, these are not insignificant details, they are changes in the actual emblems for two of the Tarot suits.
 

momentarylight

As far as I know, the BOTA deck is available only with black and white line drawings, and the Minors are not illustrated. There are instructions on how to color the cards. I have a hardbound copy of P. F. Case's book, The Tarot, which has colored illustrations of the Majors. The paperback edition of the book has only black and white illustrations.

What a pity. I like Case's colouring.
 

Richard

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rwcarter

Moderator Note

Let's return to discussing the Albano-Waite. The BOTA deck can be discussed over in Tarot Decks.
 

Barleywine

As far as I know, the BOTA deck is available only with black and white line drawings, and the Minors are not illustrated. There are instructions on how to color the cards. I have a hardbound copy of P. F. Case's book, The Tarot, which has colored illustrations of the Majors. The paperback edition of the book has only black and white illustrations.

(Sorry, Rodney, one last off-topic post and then I'll shut up about Case.)

LRichard, apparently not all of the hard-bound editions do, either. My Macoy Publishing copy (the only date I can find on it is 1947) has only b&w illustrations. Maybe BOTA got more flush as the New Age unfolded and began producing color plates. None of my BOTA study material has colored illustrations (or, for that matter, any illustrations) either, just coloring instructions as you noted. The minors in my study deck are in fact only crudely illustrated with the "magical implements" in the appropriate quantity, except for the Aces which have the "hand-coming-out-of-a-cloud" imagery. I would love to see a complete set of majors with the correct color scheme applied.