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The first bit of tarot

Posted June 30th, 2008 at 10:48 PM by bad_calvin
I am not sure where exactally to take this as there is so much to cover about Tarot. It really is an interesting past time that I really enjoy.

Most people would start off with the history of Tarot. I am however not going to do that. As it is debatable and I find it kind of boring anyway.

I am however going to show all of the cards from my favorite tarot deck of all time which is The Archeon Tarot by Timothy Lantz. The deck is "traditional" with it's intent, but breaks the mold in delivery. Some of the tarot folks find the deck to be "dark" with it's imagery. It is a bit on the dark side but to me it is full of bold in your face colors that grab your attention. Timothy Lantz has done artwork for CCG's, books, comics, and more. If you want to learn more about his artowrk I urge you to check out his website stygiandarkness.com I will discuss the first card of the deck more below.

After I go through and show off the Archeon tarot cards I will then go through and show you how spreads work and how the cards start to take meanings. The meanings of the cards are the sparks you need to gather the intuition required to "read" them.

Before I get started I want to go ahead and clear one thing up. Tarot is not the bogeyman, Tarot is not a dark art, and tarot does not predict your future as futures can be changed. Don't let folks like Ms Cleo ruin the art for those that have an appreciation for it. We don't hate all presidents because one is an idiot do we? Tarot does not require you to have a crystal ball, or not bathe. Tarot is not what you see in the movies and tv.

Tarot is a form of meditation that allows you to concentrate on any given subject to find a solution yourself. It is a bread crumb trail into your own mind that allows you to find answers that are hidden deep within the subconscious. Tarot is an exercise for your mind.

Yeah, I know I sound like a freakin hippy, but it is what it is.

So with that said, I look forward to sharing my other hobby with you. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

So, lets start at the beginning. There are 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 minor arcana cards for a grand total of 78 cards in a traditional tarot deck. There are other kinds of decks.. but lets not complicate things.

I am going to start off with the major arcana cards first and then do the minors. Keep in mind that each card has a "meaning" but the meaning can change depending on how the card is layed in a spread, and where a card is in a spread which I will detail later. Cards have more meanings then I can really go into in this kind of forum but I am going to give you the "jist" of it. If you are more interested then google can be your best friend.
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All of these cards are from Timothy Lantz's Archeon Tarot. I am using these images WITH his permission. If you would like to see more of his outstanding artwork please visit his website.

Card 0
The Fool


The fool is the first card in the deck and is numbered 0. The best way to describe the fool is a young child. The fool walks along carelessly not because they don't care.. but it doesn't really know better. The fool represents a new beginning, or a care-free attitude. Ignorance is bliss!

Card 1
The Magician


The Magician is a master of time, space, and the elements. He is the ultimate craftsman. Though he is wise he can also be tricky. He is cunning but not reckless. He can adapt to any situation. The magician is intuitive and has a great ability to communicate.
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I will add more cards tomorrow folks. Time for Calvin to go to bed.

Total Comments 9

Comments

Old
johnny139's Avatar
Wait, it can't tell my future? What a gip! :P

Interesting stuff... beautiful art, too. Great read; I look forward to seeing more.
Posted July 1st, 2008 at 02:33 PM by johnny139 johnny139 is offline
Old
bad_calvin's Avatar
Nope, sorry to be the bearer of bad news. The Tarot cannot tell you your future. It sometimes shows you an "outcome" but an outcome is only a variable that can be changed.

Yes, Timothy Lantz did an excellent job with his version of a tarot deck. I have a hard time using any other deck after I saw his. Timothy goes to a lot of game conventions as well and has a lot of different artowrk that he has done for companies. When you go to a game convention (if you do) check out the artroom.. he may be in there showing it off.

I have added part 2 if you are interested. I will try and keep it as "light" as possible in explanation for everyone.

Thanks for letting me share my other hobby with you all.
Posted July 1st, 2008 at 08:50 PM by bad_calvin bad_calvin is offline
Old
jbbnbsmith's Avatar
The deck I had was the Rider-Waite Tarot, which is not nearly as detailed as yours. the deck you are featuring reminds me a bit of Yugioh cards. That probably sounds like an insult, but I don't mean it that way. They just have a sort of modern fantasy look to them. I was looking on-line at some of the many different decks and some are quite strikingly beautiful. I'm off to read your next installment
Posted July 8th, 2008 at 11:55 PM by jbbnbsmith jbbnbsmith is offline
Old
bad_calvin's Avatar
Heh, Yugioh? lol. ok...

I like this deck because the artwork has an a old ancient time kind of look, but not the typical renaissance artwork. The colors and imagery just look more "real" to me. The imagery also captures the meaning of the cards great making readings quite natural.
Posted July 9th, 2008 at 05:27 PM by bad_calvin bad_calvin is offline
Old
jbbnbsmith's Avatar
After seeing the other cards I'll retract my "yugioh" comment. I think it was the fact there there is a "frame" around the card, and the sort of abstract, shiny background behind the magician. But obviously these are not as cartoony as the yugioh decks.
Posted July 10th, 2008 at 04:49 PM by jbbnbsmith jbbnbsmith is offline
Old
yugioh is releasing a set of tarot themed cards in the light of destruction boosters. they're called the 'arcana force'.
Posted July 14th, 2008 at 05:48 PM by dude333 dude333 is offline
Old
Eirikr's Avatar
Not to side-track the comments but Johnny, I'm curious if your choice of words was coincidental or intentional. I was not aware of this until a few years ago but the term gip(gyp) is actually a racial slur intended to refer to a bad deal intended to cheat the other party as behaving like a Gyp(sy). It is roughly equal to calling someone an 'Indian giver' or saying someone 'Jewed' you on a deal. I am not trying to offend, nor was I offended by your use of the word, just curious if you were aware of the coincidental use of the word, also to pass along a little known fact which can lead to hurt feelings (I was actually reprimanded and quite angrily referred to as a racist after using this term which I think is preposterous since I had no idea of the origin of the term and couldn't possibly have intended to slur the Roma(sp) or any other people.
Posted May 13th, 2009 at 10:05 PM by Eirikr Eirikr is offline
Old
johnny139's Avatar
Huh, really? I wouldn't have known - thanks for the insight.

And, uhh, huzzah for unintentional and ironic racism? Wait, no, that's not right. What's the opposite of huzzah?
Posted May 13th, 2009 at 10:32 PM by johnny139 johnny139 is offline
Old
Eirikr's Avatar
Wazzle?
Posted May 14th, 2009 at 12:11 AM by Eirikr Eirikr is offline
 
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