See of Logos - a couple of cards to show

We were planning to wait a little longer before showing See of Logos cards, (it's the "100% accurate" oracle deck that we are doing in collaboration with Rachel Pollack) but I know that Rachel did show them around to some people at Reader's Studio - which was great. So it seems nice to just show a couple here for those who weren't at the event. (edited to add - seen from an attendee's perspective here ;-) http://www.corrinekenner.com/corrine_kenner/2006/04/semilive_bloggi.html - you need to scroll down).

I have one more card also which is nearly ready and that I'll post soon.

There will probably then be a loooooong gap then until we have more to show, as we have a lot of work to do on our other deck this summer. The "See" is now mostly prepared (we are using animation puppets dressed in specially made miniature costumes) and much is photographed, but it will be a while before we have "finals".

We think it will be published in September or October this year - in a strictly limited edition (we won't reprint) of 1000 signed copies, in a special production format that includes a small book.

These cards are probably not absolutely final - we sometimes tweak a bit when we have more cards done - but they are almost there. They are intentionally a slightly disorientating mix of realism and unreality.

I'll post the "prophecies" that go with them once you've had a chance to look at the images.

__________

Edited in December 2006 to add. Sorry, publication put back to 2007 - probably autumn.

wow. These are beautiful, of course.

This is definitely a deck I have to have!
Since I NEED a 100% accurate oracle(LOL!)...and I am a puppet nut...


This deck looks very "me"... (oh...but don't they all, Baba!)

yes, this was the big surprise of the Studio for me.

I got back to the table and there was Rachel Pollock reading aloud from...something. I had no idea what it was, but as I listened and started to chuckle along with Shawn, I realized, and of course Shawn's whispered "See of Logos" helped, that this was the unreleased hot new Oracle, the 100% accurate oracle soon to be released by Magic-Realist!!!!

Wow. Imagine, me sitting with RP and Scion and getting the inside scoop on a new deck. I may be a SAHM but I'm sure this kind of thing just does not happen to everybody.

It was very funny stuff, and the printouts of the cards we got to peek at were very nice.

Funny enough, I had no idea this was supposed to be a somewhat ironical or fun deck...so can't wait to see and hear more about the project.

The scans here are really nice baba. Thanks for sharing.

elf said:

Funny enough, I had no idea this was supposed to be a somewhat ironical or fun deck...so can't wait to see and hear more about the project.

Click to expand...

Well... it is sort of fun but also quite dark - and it has a serious (serious? no, maybe 'purposeful') side. I think Rachel showed one side of it at Readers' and another side is still to emerge. It's been a demanding project to put it mildly, but definitely changing my ideas of divination.

I think I've decided to call it the first "Ur-real" deck. Oh, I should probably say too, the visual imagery is intentionally a little disturbing - we want this deck to be beautiful in its way, but not pretty (and that's been hard!)

Can you tell us more about it?

What does "See of Logos" mean?

And how can a deck be 100% accurate, unless you change the meaning of accurate?

Please say a little more .

Northwind said:

Can you tell us more about it?

What does "See of Logos" mean?

And how can a deck be 100% accurate, unless you change the meaning of accurate?

Please say a little more .

Click to expand...

Initially I'll reply with a quotation from the introduction to the deck.
I'll also say - I think I should say it straight out - that this is NOT principally a comedic deck, although it is very funny. It uses laughter, yes, but it's principally about divination - as Rachel says, about putting divination back into tarot (though this deck is only one small fragment of doing that). Conversations with the divine have often involved laughter But they are also transformational - sometimes.
I'd say it's a deck that aims to stir up things that are often left sleeping.

Here is the quote (Rachel's writing, not ours):

________
Cut a piece of ivory 80 pound cardboard into 32 pieces 4 inches by 6 inches. On 32 successive dawns copy each of the prophecies onto one of the cards. Immediately wrap the prophecies in a piece of silk with a ragged edge; place the wrapped cards in a plain almondwood box and bury them in a foot-deep grave. Exactly one week later, dig up the See of Logos, remove from the box and silk, and hold it up to the Risen Sun.

Now you may begin. Shuffle the cards 7 times, from the left hand to the right. Set them down and with the right hand cut the deck into three piles. Let your left hand hover 3 inches above each pile until you hear a tuneless whistle in your left ear. The top card of that pile will contain your prophecy.
________

I hope all is now crystal clear.

I am VERY intrigued!

Sidhe-Ra said:

I am VERY intrigued!

Click to expand...

Ah, you are also obviously psychic. 'Intrigue" is the word I just sent to Rachel by email. The prophecies sometimes feel like finding a tiny fragment of a story.

Hey ho, I should stop while I'm ahead...this is a very hard deck to put into words, but both fantastically difficult and fantastically good fun to work on the images.

I think it's the name that's confusing me. Sea or See? Are there multiple meanings of 'see'? And logos to me are marketing lables, it's hard to figure what the name is referring to unless it's 'looking or perceiving of a marketing concept' and dealing with preconceived notions or conditioning? LOL Confusing to say the least.

The ladies look real, are they really puppets made by someone? Very pretty, I'm glad you didn't go for a neutral stylized look. It's a little hard to say anything else though, with so little background info and only two images, I'm not sure I'm getting the right picture yet.

This is from Rachel

This post (below) is Rachel, not me.
The words, title, concept of See are Rachel's of course. We are doing the imagery, which may have some impact on the overall feel of the piece but does not alter the concepts. Maybe I should add that the second paragraph is in part an answer to my recent question to Rachel about the format and content of the accompanying book. I said that we don't want to produce the equivalent of a "user manual" for the Delphic Oracle:


Of course, [the title]was not consciously planned, but here is an explanation. the Logos is the divine being, unknowable unless, in Christian terms, made flesh. But through the power of these images and story fragments it becomes possible to see it, or sense it. This ultimately is the goal of divination, not the finding out of information, but the seeing of the great Sea of existence, the seeing through events to the flow of wonder.

The above is my suggestion of how to avoid a user handbook for Delphi--tell the truth. On the other hand, since Delphi was indeed usable, I want to include a sort of afterword as how to use [See of Logos] for personal divination. As to why it says 100% accurate that's my comment on that absurd question, how accurate is it?

Dr. Apollo (the American Mme. Sosostris--wickedest woman in America, with a wise pack of cards)