Ok folks before all the assumptions, guessworks and character analysis goes off in various directions. I assumed I'd have to post this on AT at some point, and when I read comments like "scam" and "outright lies", I think it might as well be now.
The Wayfarer Arkartia Project
May 1st will be the launch of the Wayfarer Kickstarter project. I have been asked by several people what exactly is it and what is my involvement in it.
As to what it is, that will be explained more fully once the launch is official, because its a lot….. As to my involvement and why, well that is more personal. Why would i invest what is now well over 1000 hours of work on a project that is ultimately a risk, who’s success is dependent on a far from guaranteed funding response, when i could instead have dedicated the same amount of time to other projects far safer and guaranteed to provide some return?
Why would I be involved (albeit indirectly) with a Kickstarter campaign when i have always avoided such fund raising schemes in the past, preferring instead to fully fund my own projects, using my own money to both produce and publish and then on completion let the cards fall as they may (pun intended)
The answer to that is one of scale and goes back over 10 years. When I was working on my original Tarot of Dreams and follow up Legacy of the Divine Tarot deck. In each case I tried to stretch the boundaries of tarot, not just the imagery itself, but how people might use it and interact with it. Along wth hired technical help I developed my own proprietary reading software which was provided on a companion CD. I also developed a web site where i planned to have various sections that would offer readings, cards of the day, learning material etc etc. I had all the designs ready for home page and various sub pages, buttons, and various known figures in the tarot community willing to contribute content. It was all themed around the discovery of an artifact that served as a portal to a long lost world of tarot. The one that constituted my Gateway companion book story to the Legacy deck. This was summarized in the promotional video posted on Youtube back in 2009. Unfortunately the project i envisioned was beyond the technology of the time and i personally didn’t have the expertise. You have to consider that this was in the early stages of smartphones, apps, Facebook etc. So regrettably I had to abandon my ideas.
But the concept of access to new worlds, past present or future via the discovery of hidden books, journals, artifacts, portals etc is hardly unique in literature and storytelling and a narrative thats lends itself particularly well to the vagueness of tarot history. So when the concept of the Wayfarer project and the world of Arkartia was initially explained and i was invited to consider participating, i was immediately intrigued……again.
The scope of the project as it was presented was reminiscent of what i had imaged many years before, but so much more. Now the technology did exist and indeed was now far far more. With world wide interaction between members, features such as augmented reality, it had the potential to be everything i had imagined and beyond. Not a game, or gimmick or yet another online tarot community, but an actual environment where members can contribute to and in turn have access to the contribution of others. Where spreads, readings and interpretations could be experienced and shared in multiple forms both on line and overlayed onto real world physical environments and locations.
A project of this magnitude requires several essential ingredients,. Comprehensive understanding of tarot (obviously), along with a core base following and recognition within the community, access to extensive knowledge and resources that can be incorporated into the content. sophisticated technical know how, software programming, cloud storage, interactivity etc. which the Tarot Association is well equipped to provide, plus graphic imagery and design to hopefully project the professionalism of the overall project, and finally the financial base to make to all happen.
The reality is such that I firmly believe this has the potential to be a distinct departure from any other on line tarot community based entity. It will take the concept of a tarot community to a significant next level and provide a unique overall experience. One that no individual, not even a major tarot publisher could match. Its simply too big, too complex, and too expensive to put together. In other words this was too exciting an idea and creative opportunity to just be left as yet another abandoned dream. This time it hopefully it could happen and i wanted to be a part of making it so.
As for all the marketing, showmanship and other aspects that have people pointing their fingers at in a questionable manner, Of course there is all of this, but it's intended to tease, not mislead. Keep some perspective please. It's not like the Lion, the witch and the wardrobe was written or sponsored by Ikea in the hope that people believed wardrobes were actually gateways to magical words. In a few days the launch will be public, and there will be more explanation provided along with some promotional videos I've produced, both for the pleasure of producing them, and yeah, to encourage participation. Like many other tarot related projects, a target funding goal will be set, but if not reached, pledges will be refunded. So wait for Sunday if you are curious, then check it out, if it's not for you, then so be it, if it is, then that would be great, as a lot of work has gone into it and it will require a lot more.
But meanwhile here is a small hint at some of its optional features.
https://youtu.be/U6I3t5_yqzM