Thoughts on the Giger tarot?

Elphaba

I just bought the H.R. Giger tarot and I must say I think it's taken me to a whole other level of Tarot thought. I never really gave much thought to examining the symbols of cards...the artwork itself was much more important. Giger's art is symbol at the same time. So full of them that you have to look again and again at the cards to find them all. The book that goes along with it has given me so much new insight into the human condition and Tarot in general. Does anyone else have this deck? If so, what are your thoughts on the introduction and first chapter? "It is therefore in no way true that the cards 'predict' destiny. Rather, we transfer our present state of mind onto the cards and then, by trasferring it back, read the unconscious expectations that we initially projected onto them." [1]Akron[/1]
 

Andryh

I don't own the Giger, but I have seen several of the cards from this deck from various online sources. To me, this deck does not represent true tarot. Extremely dark, disturbing, mysogynistic and just not my style. I have to admit, I was intrigued about the symbols you mentioned. What symbols are you finding in the cards? As I said, I have only seen these cards online, but I never found any "meaningful" symbols...Certainly none that disclosed any real epiphanies regarding human nature. What I remember about these cards is numerous phallic images, the degrading portrayal of women and the nightmarish violence. I don't think there is much you can say to redeem this deck in my eyes, however if you have seen something in this deck that I have missed I am really interested in your impressions.
 

Elphaba

Well, I've always been a Giger fan. I find his paintings beautiful and the women he depicts as powerful. Despite this, I'd never really seen any 'symbols' it it either besides the phalli and such. The book that accompanies the tarot is really where all of the symbols are pointed out. They are long passages and too hard to type out at the end of a long day but here are a few tidbits.

"I tried to recognize myself in the mirror of his pictures and asked wether he had something important to convey with his art. Didn't these monstrous, corroded, crippled and mutilated figures conjure up fears that are very real in view of the everyday horrors? These are fears that we refuse to face, so they fail to fulfill their natural task of confronting us with the effects of our own actions. From this perspective, Giger appears to be anything but a cynic or nihilist with no feeling for the harmony, beauty, and perfection of creation. Instead, I saw him as a very modern educator who could put his finger on the wounds of our way of life".

Akron on the imagery in 'The Fool' card(picture at wicce.com):

"...He still has the umbilical cord around his neck...he is looking straight at the seam of life: a woman is kneeling before him and presenting her vagina to him"

"He also sees more than just the woman's sex between her legs. In his minds eye, he is looking at the steps that lead to life..." (at this point I flipped back to the picture and noticed the stairway in the background...a symbol I had missed)

"...he is striving towards his own end by becoming something, as dramatically shown by the barrel of the gun in his mouth...the Hindu god Shiva, whose dance brings about the end of the world, but who is also the god of procreative force."

[1](c)Akron&H.R.Giger 2000[/1]

Anyway, I understand how some people wouldn't really enjoy this tarot as it is very dark...a 'Shadow Tarot'. I don't really know enough about Tarot to know if this is a 'True Tarot' deck or not. It only has the major arcana. Anyhoo, it's been a breakthrough for me.
 

Kimon

Hello,
I dont think the Giger?s Tarot is a tarot in the sense of the word/system. Also, a tarot for me has 78 cards, not just the major arkana. But I think they are cards absolutely worth studying and that they are also absolutely unique. For me it is one of the most outstanding and also self-standing tarot games of all I know. But I dont like it at all, of course. It is for me a philosophical approach, questioning all of our values, doubting about moralities or beliefs, and (and thats the shocking part of it) using our real life with its symbols to tell that there is no morality in the world anymore. I dont think that is right, but I couldnt prove the opposite as well. Is there still a benevolent soul as the basis of our society? Is love still existing as a moving force of mankind? Did this ever exist? Or are we conditioned biological objects that forgot about soul and love? Did we ever have it? I think truth is somewhere in the middle, unfortunately. But an idealistic, absolutely trusting and loving philosophy is nowadays as weak to explain reality as Giger?s view. So, both have their right to be there, satanism is not by coincidence rising, s/m sensuality, faschist aesthetics etc. etc. I dont like Giger?s tarot at all, but I dont like many sides of humans at all, so that?s why I like his tarot as a work of a courageous, visionary individualist trying to remind us of the night to be able to value the daylight.
Greetings,
Kimon
 

Elphaba

This is why I think using the Giger tarot has been a breakthrough for me. I'm looking at parts of me that no other tarot has ever reflected. They may not be very nice parts...but hey, you gotta take the light with the dark. Discovering the dark parts is just as exciting as finding the light. The problem with love and benevolence is that they don't exist outside of us. They aren't forces out there in the world looking down at us. We create them. Just like we create Gods. Just like we create monsters. This becomes a problem when our dark and light sides aren't in balance. But, I think the only path to finding balance is to be aware of both. Thanks for your thoughts Kimon
 

Andryh

Very interesting commentary on this deck. I don't think I'll be purchasing this one anytime soon, and yet its really interesting to hear about your experience with it. Thanks.