From: cward@Think.COM (Christopher)
Newsgroups: alt.magick
Subject: Re: The art of tarot
Date: 21 Jul 1992 19:31:21 GMT
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: custard.think.com

I should preface all of the remarks below by saying I am no expert and
so take all below with a measurement of salt to taste.

In article <1992Jul14.155737.18218@terminator.cc.umich.edu>, briansp@css.itd.umich.edu (Brian Spolarich) writes:
|>      I have been reading tarot for the past year or so and I have a 
|> few questions.
|>      1.  What decks and styles of decks do individuals find most useful?
|>          What are the differences?  In feeling?  In reading?

I currently use two decks the BOTA deck and Tavaglionne (sp?) Stairs of
Gold deck.  I really like the SoG deck because of the fine quality of the
cards.  The deck is slightly larger than most others with excellent artwork, 
especially in the Major Arcania.  The MA cards are well indexed as to the
corresponding sanscrit and hebrew letter, number, Qaballistic path and
card title (albeit in Italian).  Though the cards are true to traditional
symbolisms, it appears as though the colors and arrangement on the cards
are biased towards artistic aestetics sometimes to the detriment of symbollic
importance.  The little book which comes with the deck is not too bad, though
the overly fancy type sometimes impedes understanding rather than helping it.
The feel is very oranate and the oversize of the cards allows more detail in
the illustrations as well as providing sufficient room on the card face for
correspondance indices.

The BOTA deck is one I use for personal meditiation.  I don't allow anyone to
even see it besides me.  This deck is best for learning and exploring the
deeper meainings of Tarot as a subconscious programmer of occult knowledge.
The cards are standard size (though you can buy a 4x6 version of the Major
Arcania for classwork) on heavy stock.  The distinguishing factor of the BOTA
deck is that the cards are black & white line drawings.  The idea is that you
meditate and color the cards yourself.  This provides freedom for those who
want to alter the card color scheme but mostly to make the cards more personal
and help firmly entrench the images in your mind.  

|>      2.  What books would individuals recommend on tarot?
|>          I am looking for coherent approaches that avoid a lot of tangental
|>          mysticism.  That has been my beef with the Crowley approach, since
|>          he gets rather wrapped up in Quabbalah, etc.

I prefer the BOTA books written by Paul Case (Introduction to the Tarot, The Tarot - Key to the Wisdom of the Ages, and Book of Tokens).  These books are
virutally self contained and well focused (no tangential mysticism).  You may
wish to also get a good Qaballah book to go with them (I reccommend Dion Fortune's "Mystical Qaballah" and W.E. Butler's "Guide to Qabalistic Correspondences").  

However, keep in mind these books take the approach of using Tarot to directly work with the soul via subconscious symbolism.  If you are looking for fortune-
telling books there are a wide variety of cheesy paperbacks.
  
|>      3.  What opinions do individuals have on the "mechanics" of Tarot?  
|>          How do you feel it works?  What is involved?  What personal
|>          experiences have you had?

I have to say I was put off at first by the use of Tarot cards as part of my
training.  My experience with them had been the carnival fortune-telling
catch-penny (or major plot element of "Live and Let Die") and about as valid
as newspaper horoscopes (i.e. strictly for the limp minded).  From my posting
above, you probably can tell I see them now as more of a magical textbook for
the illiterate.  Perhaps they do a better job of relaying arcane knowledge and
understanding using pictures (and proper meditation) than a shelf of books.

|>      I probably sound like a neophyte, but I am not very experienced in
|> the craft but have an intense desire to learn.

You may find the depth of knowledge a bit overwhelming at first, but keep in
mind that this only means you have a wide landscape to explore.  Most 
importantly, if you study some book and think it's full of crap, it probably
is (at least for you).  Find a deck that appeals to you and just take each
card one at a time.


Newsgroups: alt.magick