please join us in the new deck "Tarot of Innocence"

Well, we have decided to go public and it feels great!!!

Myself and Steve (Ravenswing) have been working on our tarot deck for a while now and are looking to share some of our progress to date.
Our aim is to have a published deck - no doubt about it.

So....

A little bit about it before we see some images, and also some intro from Steve.

I created the deck on paper in November 2004. It was written with a) my basic interpreation for the card (based on the RWS system) b) a description of how I saw each card scene. The whole process took only 4 weeks. Believe me, I was typing so much the keyboard letters in some cases were rubbed bare. The whole thing just came into my head with such clarity I had to get everything down in writing before it was lost in a jumble of images.

Then came the search and quest for an artist. They say things happen in good time and for a reason, and boy is that saying true!!! Lots of let downs, lots of empty promises and then along came Steve. I will let him describe how it came about and why he decided to become involved, but I am sooo glad he did.
The partnership, energy and link is incredible. His belief in this deck and myself and our aim has been so strong, and that is apparent in the images he has created. He really has entered the world of Innocence and interacted with all the characters.

So... what is the this world of Innocence? What does it look like in tarot form?

I guess you will have to read on!!

Davina

right.. so a bit more to arouse your curiosity (I hope!)

This deck is a fey based deck. In the main the characters are youngsters, particularly in the Major Arcana. However all the experiences are ones we can associate with and in that respect, are very human. The two worlds in effect DO overlap, but the portrayals are fey.

The deck is fully illustrated. We are giving as much attention and focus to ALL the cards including the aces and courts.

The cards are RWS led, but are also different. For example in the Major Arcana there will be scenes to portray the meaning, using a particular archetype as the main character. Won't go into too much more at this stage but you may see what we mean with some of the images we post.

Expect repeat appearances from a handful of characters. They do so for a very good reason, and although that may appear somewhat unorthodox for a tarot deck, the repeat appearances were given a huge amount of thought. They remain in character each time, and on occasion their appearance does help another character on their path and journey.

The Fool is not the only one on a journey through the Major Arcana. There will be other journeys and you will see how they link and why

I think that is enough to be going on with for now...

Now to the book.

We have both tried to create a book as something that's relevant, is suitable for both beginners and advanced readers, and one that you will want to come back to time and time again.

Yes it will have the usual of basic interpretations but it then carries on.
So far it will also have a description of how we saw each card, including some of the minor detail that could go unnoticed.

We are also considering:
Artist notes. Steve really has created something magical, and his input is invaluable. We chat daily, and those exchanges really lift my energies and bring about many smiles.
There may also be some inclusion of early sketches so the reader can see how we progressed from the early visions to the final version.
Section on reversals which may or may not be useful depending on if you use them.
Spreads


This book is also going to double as a workbook for the deck.
This section will include:
A quiz (fun and will have you scratching your head at times)
An exercise to link characters and tell a story.
Questions to consider for each card.

I think that is enough intro for now. We are going to share some of the cards with you. This is not with the aim of receiving suggestions for how to amend them etc. This journey is our journey and one we feel we have to take alone as a partnership. We also acknowledge we would not be able to please everyone if we did take onboard suggestions, so the images you see are as they are.. if that makes sense!

Enjoy and welcome to the World of Innocence. It is a fantastic place to visit and one we hope you will take something special away from. We hope you get to know and love each character and really reach out to them as they undergo their particular journey or experience.

Davina

Best of luck!

I look forward to seeing the images. Sounds very interesting since I so often find myself inhabiting the land of cynicism.......I'm not sure I'll recognize innocence when I see it.

shadowdancer, I'm intrigued. But you already knew that! I'm glad you're finally divulging some of the info about the deck and I look forward to seeing images. Can I officially be the first person on the waiting list for the deck?

Rodney

Presenting....

Hi guys--

I'm in between things here (the wash and the dishes), so I'm not going to do anything at the moment 'cept stick up the Magician. He's one of three cards that have preliminary colors...

raven

There's a lot going on in that Magician. I see the RWS Magician in the hand mirror. I see shock, dismay, anger, encouragement and approval in the faces of the audience. I'm even more intrigued now....

Rodney

more majick

hi all again--

Rodney gets a prize. There's two sayings I think of in connections with magicians. "There's nothing up my sleeve" and the mildly cynical "it's all done with mirrors". They're part of the card. The magician in the mirror was one of the many things that just happened as I was doing the cards. One of our tributes to the RWS--the springboard into the World of Innocence. (and, yes, there IS something up his sleeve. I just hope you don't see it....)

One thing that grabbed me about Davina's post: she said the Fool was also the Hanged Man... I had an immediate visual of the Fool traipsing along, tripping over a stone (or perhaps his own feet), falling over the edge of the cliff only to get his foot caught, leaving him hanging.... (I couldn't quite figure out what the dog would do).

There is an amazing rapport between the two of us-- my eyes read her card descriptions. I don't really read the words; it's more that the words trigger an image in my head.

As to the cast of the magician...

let me present, the front character gasping in amazement. He is a pixie. The pixie whose journey of self-discovery runs through the sword pips. Not an easy journey, to say the least, but the reward...

Behind him, the girl in the yellow dress and the blue band of flowers... She is Strength, the Magician's sister. (Think of the RWS infinity signs...) You'll see her around and about.

the one peeking around the curtain... he's another one of those things that came out of nowhere. and he peeks around in some other cards. I call him the Cynic--he goes around questioning things.

To the right of the magician's hat is our satyr--he winds up in the Devil.

the whispering boy... he and a friend of his are the jeering disbelievers. And they wind up learning one hell of a lesson

the other girl... well, you need character actors now and again...


Davina and I made first contact on the 17th of January. Things have been moving rapidly. We have a first draft of the deck done on 3 x 5 cards. Davina laminated them and has given them a test run at a mind/body/spirit fair. Maybe she'll tell you about it.

Along with the deck, there are 6 x 10 final layouts. The entire Major Arcana except for the World. somehow it was decided to leave that card for last. There's all four aces and the sword pips. I've been doing one layout a night. The layouts will be done by the end of April and I expect the deck to be ready to roll by the end of the year.

I've attached a few of the layouts. I'll put one up now and again, but there won't be much in the way of color for a while. Then again, the layouts work well without the color...

Oh yeah. My avatar. It's the Ace of Wands.


Steve

The way I can describe this Emperor is that he is "all seeing" as opposed to the Empress who is all "sensing/feeling". He brings order to chaos, and has done so here. The dragon to the right was getting unsettled. With just a calm raising of his hand, he has bought the dragon back down to a settled level. You just know he is unflappable...lol. Heck he didn't even need to turn his head - he saw what was going on peripherally.

Our charioteers really warrant being cheered on. We have two characters and in effect show the reversed and upright in the same card. One has lost control because he didn't give attention at the building stage and has rather wobbly wheels. No way is he in control and has gone careering off the main path/track. Will he make it to the end?? The other is nearly there. He was focussed and in tune with his chariot. Please take a look at the numbers on the chariots. They are significant.

The wheel is perhaps more the traditional showing, yet different at the same time. We have a cog which is part of a series of cogs, and also have the cause of the wheel turning as well. We have to remember when one cog turns, the cog it is linked to also turns, but in the opposite direction. Each is dependant on what happens with that very first cog.....

One character has made it to the top and is standing safe and secure. One has fallen. One is reaching out for something off the wheel - is he about to ascend to something else? I.e, has he now finished his journey on this particular wheel? Or.....is he over-stretching himself, not aware the wheel may turn and cause him to lose balance?
Each is unaware of the other's presence. Their journeys are personal and therefore it was important they did not / could not see their colleagues.

I love that Chariot! It's such a unique twist on a card that, for me, can be ho-hum and distant in most decks!

I'll certainly be watching this deck closely, and I'm second in line behind Rodney for putting my name on a waiting list!

How fun to be included in this journey!! Thank you so much for sharing with us and providing all these little details which really make the images come alive!!

I love your artistic style, Steve, and Davina, I love how you write. What a fantastic collaboration you two have cooked up!!

Thanks for letting us in on your ride!!

XOX

Keavy