brewing about world spirit

[scorpio]

has anybody bought this yet? the pictures were kinda dark on aeclectic so i kinda dissed the deck but then i saw black and white pics in janina renee's new book and was intrigued. seems like lots of us want the deck but lets hear from the pioneers!im gonna try smiley faces so ignore mistakes! ;-) i want a happy wink!!!!!!

 

[Lee]

This deck has been getting lots of good reviews, but when I got it, I was not thrilled with it. The artwork is attractive but I didn't like the rather aggressive nudity. There's a lot of decks where I don't mind some nudity, but I felt with this one that the authors were trying to make some point with it.

-- Lee

 

[Talisman]

Scorpio,

Thanks for another occasion to talk about one of my favorite decks, and one I find a perfect compliment to my other working deck, the Robin Wood.

First off, Lee is right, there is nudity in this deck, but I don't see it in any way as erotic or offensive. I mean, the deck is designed from hand-colored, linoleum block prints, but the carving -- and coloring -- is so beautifully detailed the images don't have the "crude" look you might imagine from the description. I loved the artwork the minute I got the box open and held them in my hands, and the more I study the cards the more I like them, and the more things I find in them. The cards are rich in details and nusance. And the colors, deep, rich, vibrant, glow like jewels.

Still, I can't deny Lee's point. The cards are robust, lusty, vivacious, earthy.

The deck is in the tradition of Smith-Rider-Waite. (The Seer of Cups -- court cards are Seer, Seeker, Sibyl and Sage -- is a portrait of Pixie Smith.) Artist Lauren O'Leary said she was inspired by Smith and by Lady Frieda Harris' paintings for the Thoth deck. It is a "traditional" deck, but by no means a clone. There are surprising new takes. (The Fool is a woman; Temperance is male. . .)

Two things I really like. The deck is very much multi-cultural, an explosion of diversity, without straining to make the point, and the images (illustrated minors) are outside any time frame, so you aren't stuck in a medieval stage world like the Smith-Rider-Waite deck and so many others.

The images are packed with evocative elements and potent symbols, which invite expansion of the staid old "traditional" meanings, or suggest fresh ways of seeing them. In the little, 163-page book by O'Leary and Jessica Godino -- which is way more substantial than the "traditional" LWB -- they say of these symbols " . . . we explain some of them, but many we leave for you to assign your own meanings. Remember, the tarot is always open to interpretation."

One last thing about the book. Two books mentioned in the brief bibliography are Mary Greer's "Tarot for Yourself" and Rachel Pollack's "Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom." These are my favorite Tarot books, so you know where I am coming from.

I made some notes of things I wanted to say about this deck, and I've only barely touched on about a fourth of them. Still, I've gone on too long.

I've always wanted to write a serious review of this deck, but Solandia has already written a wonderful one. If you're at all interested, take a look at her review. And, of course, scans of some of the cards. But they won't prepare you for the real thing.

Talisman

 

[scorpio]

thanks lee and talisman for the tarot version of siskal and eibert! i think after christmas (santa amazon cant fit anymore tarot in his sack) the electric colours are going to draw me to this deck. thanks again for helping my libra mercury make up her mind!

 

[Talisman]

Scorpio,

I once started a thread about World Spirit. Dunno. Either no one uses the deck, or no one is interested in talking about it. Maybe that will tell you something. Dunno. I still love this deck.

Lee, I really liked your review of "Wheel of Change," a deck I have and admire, but can't use to read with. I mean, I've enjoyed your other reviews too, but this one comes to mind.

(No, I now remember another of your reviews, and I liked that one, too, of the Aquarian deck. Was my first deck. I no long use it, but still love it, and recall one word from your review that was so right: melancholy.)

Also -- I'm straying a long way from World Spirit -- I enjoyed Lee's post in another thread somewhere about reviews and reviewing in general.

So, it was a pleasure playing Siskal & Eibert with Lee, but next time, I get to be the one with the negative review. Suits me better, you know?

Talisman

 

[Lee]

Thanks, Talisman, I'll be happy to do a Siskel & Ebert with you anytime!

Scorpio, perhaps I shouldn't have been quite so negative about the World Spirit -- I do really like the bright colors against the black background (some reviewers have referred to them as "jewel-like," which I think is the perfect description). I really like the Fool card too. One other thing I didn't like, though, is that most of the women in the deck are human, but many of the men are satyrs, i.e. human from the waist up and goats from the waist down, which makes it hard for men (or at least for me) to identify with the male figures.

Perhaps I'm being too sensitive, but it seems to me that first it was a Tarot trend to have decks which eliminated men altogether or banished them to a subservient role, and now the trend is to have decks which are ostensibly gender-balanced but which still have subtle biases against men. This is all of course very subjective, others could easily look at these same decks and think I'm crazy.

-- Lee

 

[Kiama]

Quote:Lee (11 Dec, 2001 01:13):
One other thing I didn't like, though, is that most of the women in the deck are human, but many of the men are satyrs, i.e. human from the waist up and goats from the waist down, which makes it hard for men (or at least for me) to identify with the male figures.

Perhaps I'm being too sensitive, but it seems to me that first it was a Tarot trend to have decks which eliminated men altogether or banished them to a subservient role, and now the trend is to have decks which are ostensibly gender-balanced but which still have subtle biases against men. This is all of course very subjective, others could easily look at these same decks and think I'm crazy.

-- Lee

Hmmm.... I think that it realydepends on which deck you buy. Some decks are dliberately women-centred, such as Daughters of the Moon, and Gendron. But these are Feminist decks, so no wonder! However, I haven't actually noticed the satyred appearance of the men in the World Spirit! Perhaps cuz I love the deck so much that I am blinkered, and just assume most of the men have human legs!

It has been my experience that traditional decks such as the Rider Waite are equally male and female. No gender is portrayed as subervient, and indeed, by looking at the Majors, we can see that both sexes are of equal importance to the journey of the Fool.

Of course, you have to take into account what gender the creator of the deck is. You may find that women have a tendency to place more emphasis on females in the cards, and they can draw women better too. For men, they can draw men better, and place more emphasis on them. Maybe not purposefully, but subconscously. Maybe czits whether or not they can identify with the card they are drawing. Me, I cn draw the Empress or HPS to perfection, and understand those two cards like the back of my hand. But stick the Emperor infront o men a reading, and I'm stuck! I've been trying to get my head round that card for 9 damn years, and I still haven't. Same with the Hermit and Heirophant.

Anyway, I love this deck, esp. the Minors. They just jumpright out in your mind and start acting themselves out!

Kiama

 

[Talisman]

"Anyway, I love this deck, esp. the Minors. They just jumpright out in your mind and start acting themselves out!" --Kiama

Couldn't agree more!

Well, Lee found too many satyrs for his taste, but the only one I can think of is in the Seven of Pentacles. And, he's got a billy goat, too!

In fact, although it is not a theme of the deck, or maybe at first even obvious, it is amazing how many animals there are. Someday, I'll go through the cards one by one and just count.

I know there are lot'sa dogs. And people have cats. There are snakes and birds, owls and bees. A cheetah, a camel, a nice pig. Falcons and eagles. A rabbit. Horses, of course, and a donkey. Dolphins. A turtle. And lots more. There's a world in these amazing cards.

Talisman
"Many dogs understand almost every word humans say, while humans seldom learn to recognize more than half a dozen barks, if that." -- "The 101 Dalmations," Dodie Smith.

 

[Lee]

Quote:Kiama (11 Dec, 2001 10:43):
It has been my experience that traditional decks such as the Rider Waite are equally male and female. No gender is portrayed as subervient, and indeed, by looking at the Majors, we can see that both sexes are of equal importance to the journey of the Fool.

Kiama

I agree that most traditional decks are gender-balanced -- that's one of the things I love about the Tarot!

 

[cj]

Quote:scorpio (07 Dec, 2001 13:10):
thanks lee and talisman for the tarot version of siskal and eibert! i think after christmas (santa amazon cant fit anymore tarot in his sack) the electric colours are going to draw me to this deck. thanks again for helping my libra mercury make up her mind!


Hi,

Are you in the continental USA.... learntarot.com has the world spirit deck and doesn't charge shipping in the US..

It's on my list of I wants..but Santa (hubby) is already buying me 2 for Christmas..so I'm gonna have to wait until he's not around to order it...HEE HEE

Good Luck

cj