dreamsofgaia
Hi everyone,
I thought, because this thread has gone active again, that I would come in and add a personal update.
Yes, the tarot is finally (offers up a prayer of gratitude) finished. It's been a journey of almost ten years, since I first began to dream of creating the deck, to being signed by Blue Angel to create the deck, and then completing the deck. To say that this project has not been a major influence in my life, would be a gross understatement. It has changed me in so many ways.
I have continued to work on it through major life changes from illness to marriage break down, but it has kept me going. I am both excited and terrified by the fact that this project of mine is now almost at that point when it's ready for me to give to you. This is a manifestation of the last decade of my life.
Now, the most important piece of information about this deck is that it is not a traditional tarot. The deck is comprised of 81 cards, with the major arcana having 25 cards, and the minor arcana 56. The major arcana has very few of the traditional archetypes and is broken up into three groups of eight cards - stages of life, reasons for being, and influence. The zero card is the Choice card, because one of the main premises of the deck is that everything comes back to choice.
The minors are purely elemental in nature - Earth for home, career, family. Fire represents action and being. Air represents the mind, imagination, learning etc, while the water cards are the realm of the emotions and intuition.
The court cards have also had a bit of a change with there being the traditional king and queen, but the knights and pages have been replaced. The eleven card is now a balancing/realignment card, and the Knights have been replaced with the Senechal (Earth), The Scribe (Air), The Hero (Fire), and The Counsellor (Water).
As for the format of the deck, we were at a loss as to what size we should do the cards, whether they should be big cards or small cards like those used for my oracle deck - Messenger Oracle. In the end, we had to find a middle ground, and so the cards are 9cm (3.5") x 14cm (5.5") in size. I have kept the design very simple - black and gold border, black back with no back of card illustration. They will, if all goes according to plan, have a metallic gold gilding to the outside edge.
The guidebook is massive. If Blue Angel print it at the same size they do for all of their guidebooks, it will be somewhere around 250 pages. The meanings are offered in three different ways - keywords, key phrases, and longer meanings. The meanings for the majors are broken up into four parts - past, present, future, potential blockage. The minors are in two parts - meaning and potential blockage. There are four card spreads, and a very basic chapter on the philosophy of the deck. The thing is, the philosophy of the deck is primarily to empower by knowing self. The deck is not just for divinatory purposes, but so that you can better understand who you are and how what you believe and feel influences your choices.
I have created this deck with the full awareness that it is not going to be for everyone. There are cards that people will find quite challenging, and some will hate it. But, over the years, I have also come to understand that there are many who want this deck to be just as much as I do, and who believe, like me, that it is going to fulfill its purpose by helping people to strengthen their connection with themselves, the people around them, and the cosmic weave.
Now, as for WHEN. Honestly, it's taken me so long to get everything painted and written, and the time left before it is available can be measured in weeks, but it's still at least three to four months away (and those months are paradoxically passing by slowly and flying by at the same time). I suspect, the publishers, and powers that be, will most likely have it out and available just before my birthday at the start of July, and I have to admit that it would be a lovely way to mark the end of one rather chaotic and life-changing solar return, and the beginning of another.
If anyone has any questions, please, do not hesitate to ask. I am only too happy to answer.
My website is also currently down, so, I hope nobody minds if I post a link to the only place the entire deck can be viewed ...
https://www.facebook.com/ravynnemph...35948052657.1073741829.100003087712889&type=3
I thought, because this thread has gone active again, that I would come in and add a personal update.
Yes, the tarot is finally (offers up a prayer of gratitude) finished. It's been a journey of almost ten years, since I first began to dream of creating the deck, to being signed by Blue Angel to create the deck, and then completing the deck. To say that this project has not been a major influence in my life, would be a gross understatement. It has changed me in so many ways.
I have continued to work on it through major life changes from illness to marriage break down, but it has kept me going. I am both excited and terrified by the fact that this project of mine is now almost at that point when it's ready for me to give to you. This is a manifestation of the last decade of my life.
Now, the most important piece of information about this deck is that it is not a traditional tarot. The deck is comprised of 81 cards, with the major arcana having 25 cards, and the minor arcana 56. The major arcana has very few of the traditional archetypes and is broken up into three groups of eight cards - stages of life, reasons for being, and influence. The zero card is the Choice card, because one of the main premises of the deck is that everything comes back to choice.
The minors are purely elemental in nature - Earth for home, career, family. Fire represents action and being. Air represents the mind, imagination, learning etc, while the water cards are the realm of the emotions and intuition.
The court cards have also had a bit of a change with there being the traditional king and queen, but the knights and pages have been replaced. The eleven card is now a balancing/realignment card, and the Knights have been replaced with the Senechal (Earth), The Scribe (Air), The Hero (Fire), and The Counsellor (Water).
As for the format of the deck, we were at a loss as to what size we should do the cards, whether they should be big cards or small cards like those used for my oracle deck - Messenger Oracle. In the end, we had to find a middle ground, and so the cards are 9cm (3.5") x 14cm (5.5") in size. I have kept the design very simple - black and gold border, black back with no back of card illustration. They will, if all goes according to plan, have a metallic gold gilding to the outside edge.
The guidebook is massive. If Blue Angel print it at the same size they do for all of their guidebooks, it will be somewhere around 250 pages. The meanings are offered in three different ways - keywords, key phrases, and longer meanings. The meanings for the majors are broken up into four parts - past, present, future, potential blockage. The minors are in two parts - meaning and potential blockage. There are four card spreads, and a very basic chapter on the philosophy of the deck. The thing is, the philosophy of the deck is primarily to empower by knowing self. The deck is not just for divinatory purposes, but so that you can better understand who you are and how what you believe and feel influences your choices.
I have created this deck with the full awareness that it is not going to be for everyone. There are cards that people will find quite challenging, and some will hate it. But, over the years, I have also come to understand that there are many who want this deck to be just as much as I do, and who believe, like me, that it is going to fulfill its purpose by helping people to strengthen their connection with themselves, the people around them, and the cosmic weave.
Now, as for WHEN. Honestly, it's taken me so long to get everything painted and written, and the time left before it is available can be measured in weeks, but it's still at least three to four months away (and those months are paradoxically passing by slowly and flying by at the same time). I suspect, the publishers, and powers that be, will most likely have it out and available just before my birthday at the start of July, and I have to admit that it would be a lovely way to mark the end of one rather chaotic and life-changing solar return, and the beginning of another.
If anyone has any questions, please, do not hesitate to ask. I am only too happy to answer.
My website is also currently down, so, I hope nobody minds if I post a link to the only place the entire deck can be viewed ...
https://www.facebook.com/ravynnemph...35948052657.1073741829.100003087712889&type=3