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On the tarot bandwagon
I haven't talked about it much recently, but I collect Tarot decks. Mostly for the art, partly to spur creativity when stuck. And I used to read them as a party trick back in the day. (When you're shy and introverted, it helps to have a party trick that makes people come up to you and start talking.)
Anyway, I got three decks recently, and 'interviewed' them using the getting-to-know-you reading that![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
yhlee uses, found here.
One deck is NSFW but I linked that picture instead of embedding it
I should also point out that I've basically copied the text in the book or leaflet that came with the cards instead of applying any interpretation to it, because it was 11PM last night when I finally got the chance to unwrap the decks and shuffle them.
Do feel free to interpret them!
The Lost Tarot of Nostradamus
This deck, the Lost Tarot of Nostradamus, is the most hilarious to me. I haven't bothered to read much of the intro yet, but I gather the schtick is that the maker asserts Nostradamus was possibly trying to create his own deck, so they took inspiration from that and created a deck coughbasedonRiderWaitecough inspired by his quatrains.
I liked the art, which is reminiscent of late-medieval, early-Renaissance, and as I'm working on a Thing that is vaguely Renaissance in nature, I thought it might give me a bit of inspiration.
So.
And here's the hilarious bit:
DOOM. DOOM DEATH DESTRUCTION.
yhlee it's a he*archate deck!
OK, amusing as this incredibly hilaribad reading is, that's not the funniest part to me. The best part is that it is an A-number-one, dead-on, explicitly accurate reading for one of the main characters in the Thing I am noodling on, the very Thing what I bought this deck to inspire me for.
Verdict: Oh, hell yeah! XD OK, the cards are really too big to shuffle easily with my stumpy fingers, but I can deal with it. Especially if it likes the Thing Wot I Am Writing as much as it seems to.
The Night Sun Tarot
Next up is a dark art Tarot, which I bought because I liked the art in the available pictures. And which gave me a surprisingly wholesome reading, despite the art. The leaflet didn't have any reversed meanings, so I didn't bother.
The two questions above on the trump cards that showed up are in the booklet text, but they seems to fit.
Verdict: I like the feel of this deck. The cards are smaller and easier to shuffle, the art is nice and speaks to me, even though I'm not usually a dark art fan, and it just feels homey, for what of a better term.
The Decameron Tarot
Despite what these cards look like, I've read the Decameron and it is not 100% sex. Admittedly, back when I read it in highschool, those were the parts I was interested in so I don't remember much else about it.
The Decameron (Wikipedia) is a 14th century collection of stories purportedly told each other by 7 women and 3 men idling out in the country, where they fled to escape the Black Death. Quite a lot of them deal with love, and several are erotic, but if you only ever saw this deck you'd think it was 100% pr0n. I bought it because it popped up in the also-boughts for other decks I was looking at on Amazon and I thought it was hilarious, so definitely an impulsive decision.
Again, no reversed meanings in the leaflet so I didn't bother.
Box cover (mildly NSFW): https://i.imgur.com/6l1sIsN.jpg
Reading (definitely NSFW): https://i.imgur.com/qvwzT51.jpg
All right, so its answer to #1 nailed the impulsive decision bit. XD And the reading is appropriate for a deck concerned with emotions and relationships instead of material objects and pursuits.
Verdict: The cards are easy to shuffle, and while it's not something I'd pull out at a random party (because I don't want people getting their grubby hands all over my cards and this is one that would definitely be passed around and looked at), I'll probably pull it out every so often. I don't feel much of a connection to the art and the concept right now, but we'll see.
Anyway, I got three decks recently, and 'interviewed' them using the getting-to-know-you reading that
yhlee uses, found here.One deck is NSFW but I linked that picture instead of embedding it
I should also point out that I've basically copied the text in the book or leaflet that came with the cards instead of applying any interpretation to it, because it was 11PM last night when I finally got the chance to unwrap the decks and shuffle them.
Do feel free to interpret them!
The Lost Tarot of Nostradamus
This deck, the Lost Tarot of Nostradamus, is the most hilarious to me. I haven't bothered to read much of the intro yet, but I gather the schtick is that the maker asserts Nostradamus was possibly trying to create his own deck, so they took inspiration from that and created a deck coughbasedonRiderWaitecough inspired by his quatrains.
I liked the art, which is reminiscent of late-medieval, early-Renaissance, and as I'm working on a Thing that is vaguely Renaissance in nature, I thought it might give me a bit of inspiration.
So.
And here's the hilarious bit:
The Lost Tarot of Nostradamus
1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic?
Prince of Suns, reversed
A severe, angry, bigoted advisor, lacking vision or consideration. (Reversed Machiavelli)
2. What are your strengths as a deck?
The Hanged Man, reversed
Stunted thinking, selfishness, failure to make the right decision, egotism, being stuck
3. What are your limits as a deck?
Death
Change. Renewal. Transformation. New direction. Rebirth. Mortality
4. What are you here to teach me?
V of Spheres
The struggle to survive. Loss. Toil. Honesty.Lack of self-love.
5. How can I best learn and collaborate with you?
V of Stars, reversed
Grief, defeat, loss, trouble
6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?
VIII of Stars, reversed
Delay, obstacle, accident, disgrace, misfortune, mistaken perceptions
DOOM. DOOM DEATH DESTRUCTION.
yhlee it's a he*archate deck!OK, amusing as this incredibly hilaribad reading is, that's not the funniest part to me. The best part is that it is an A-number-one, dead-on, explicitly accurate reading for one of the main characters in the Thing I am noodling on, the very Thing what I bought this deck to inspire me for.
Verdict: Oh, hell yeah! XD OK, the cards are really too big to shuffle easily with my stumpy fingers, but I can deal with it. Especially if it likes the Thing Wot I Am Writing as much as it seems to.
The Night Sun Tarot
Next up is a dark art Tarot, which I bought because I liked the art in the available pictures. And which gave me a surprisingly wholesome reading, despite the art. The leaflet didn't have any reversed meanings, so I didn't bother.
1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic?
V of Pentacles
Mercury/Taurus - Courage, resistance, earning, disorder, incoherency
2. What are your strengths as a deck?
II of Swords
Moon/Libra - confrontation, equilibrium, attraction, arguments, duplicity
3. What are your limits as a deck?
The Fool
Water/Aleph - energy, news, madness, travel, chaos, freedom, intuition, impulsiveness, indecision, hesitation, incoherency. (What must I free myself of while traveling along my path so I can channel my energies more effectively?)
4. What are you here to teach me?
IV of Swords
Jupiter/Libra - peace, stability, prudence, solitude, slow beginning
5. How can I best learn and collaborate with you?
VII Pentacles
Saturn/Taurus - success, spiritualization of matter, progress, restlessness, impatience
6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?
The Tower
Mars/Phe - openness, breaking, construction, sudden change, prosperity, vigilance, enlightenment, catastrophe, crisis, imbalance (What must I free myself from to release my energies?)
The two questions above on the trump cards that showed up are in the booklet text, but they seems to fit.
Verdict: I like the feel of this deck. The cards are smaller and easier to shuffle, the art is nice and speaks to me, even though I'm not usually a dark art fan, and it just feels homey, for what of a better term.
The Decameron Tarot
Despite what these cards look like, I've read the Decameron and it is not 100% sex. Admittedly, back when I read it in highschool, those were the parts I was interested in so I don't remember much else about it.
The Decameron (Wikipedia) is a 14th century collection of stories purportedly told each other by 7 women and 3 men idling out in the country, where they fled to escape the Black Death. Quite a lot of them deal with love, and several are erotic, but if you only ever saw this deck you'd think it was 100% pr0n. I bought it because it popped up in the also-boughts for other decks I was looking at on Amazon and I thought it was hilarious, so definitely an impulsive decision.
Again, no reversed meanings in the leaflet so I didn't bother.
Box cover (mildly NSFW): https://i.imgur.com/6l1sIsN.jpg
Reading (definitely NSFW): https://i.imgur.com/qvwzT51.jpg
1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic?
Knight of Wands
Elopement under the spur of passion. A relationship that begins immediately during the voyage.
2. What are your strengths as a deck?
The Fool
The woman wants sex; the man sometimes loses himself in useless daydreams. Lightheartedness and freedom carry heavy sacrifices.
3. What are your limits as a deck?
10 of Pentacles
Changing fortune. Courtship, projects. Material goods are not enough.
4. What are you here to teach me?
4 of Chalices
An intruder. Distrust. Poor self-esteem.
5. How can I best learn and collaborate with you?
The Sun
Affection and passion come from truth and not pretence. Everyone can find themselves in their nudity and can stop pretending.
6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?
The Knight of Swords
A craving to confront conflict. Love, however, opposes violence. Even sex has its pride. Decide which battle must be fought.
All right, so its answer to #1 nailed the impulsive decision bit. XD And the reading is appropriate for a deck concerned with emotions and relationships instead of material objects and pursuits.
Verdict: The cards are easy to shuffle, and while it's not something I'd pull out at a random party (because I don't want people getting their grubby hands all over my cards and this is one that would definitely be passed around and looked at), I'll probably pull it out every so often. I don't feel much of a connection to the art and the concept right now, but we'll see.
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I used it for a reading today and do I ever feel called out. Not sure about the advice to discover my inner Lucretia Borgia (Lady of Suns), though...
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I heard of Night Sun through Yuletide because there's this one person who always nominates like the same cards over and over (which is fine!) and picked it up out of curiosity.
I have no familiarity with the Decameron but that's pretty funny. :)
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Once I get The Thing into a shape you can read it, I will send it to you along with a link to this reading and you will FALL OUT OF YOUR CHAIR at its accuracy. (And it's not about the character you think, either! At least the character I assume you think!)
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I look forward! =D
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Dragon Pearl
Revenant Gun
Hexarchate Stories
Raven Stratagem
The Fountain Tarot
The Wild Unknown Tarot
Ninefox Gambit
...and...
Design of Machinery with Student Resource DVD.
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Oh man, I bet the Design of Machinery thing would be COMPLETELY OVER MY HEAD ahahahaha.
My then-editor Jon Oliver named the trilogy Machineries of Empire, from a phrase in the first book. I just called it "hexarchate trilogy" because I have no creativity, but nobody can figure out how to pronounce it!
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