January 13th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink
I can’t seem to stop myself. Every time I come across a bunch of pictures, I try to organize them into a Tarot deck.
This time it happened while browsing through some free stock photos at Stock.XCHNG.
Take a look at the 22 Major Arcana I found. I think I’ll try them out in the spread I posted yesterday.
January 8th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink
Take a look! It’s the birth of a Tarot card!
Watch as Lisa Hunt paints Jacob Marley for the Chains card in her new Ghosts & Spirits Tarot. Beautiful!
The deck will include ghosts and spirits from legends around the world. Some friendly. Some not. I can’t wait to see it.
Lisa Hunt also created the Fairytale, Fantastical Creatures and Animals Divine Tarots. All gorgeous.
January 5th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink
For Christmas I got a set of fifty postcards from the Museum of Modern Art. The collection is called Modern Colors, and as might be expected, each card depicts one of fifty modern art masterpieces.
While flipping through the cards, it occurred to me that some would make excellent Tarot cards. Then I wondered if I could come up with 22 Majors from the 50 card set. Amazingly enough, it was pretty easy.
This Modern Art Postcard Tarot was just waiting to be found! I’ve already used it a few times and love it.
For copyright reasons, I can’t post all the pictures, but I’ve linked up to most of them and have posted some that are in the public domain.
The Fool
#0 – The Fool – Kazmir Malevich – Suprematist Composition: White on White
#1 – The Magician – Mark Rothko – 5 (Number 22)
#2 The High Priestess – Mark Rothko – Number 10
#3 The Empress – Georgia O’Keeffe – Abstraction Blue
#4 The Emperor – Josef Albers – Homage to the Square: Broad Call
The Hierophant
#5 The Hierophant – Theo van Doesburg – Simultaneous Counter-Composition
#6 The Lovers – Frank Stella – Double Gray Scramble
#7 The Chariot – Franz Marc – Blue Horse with Rainbow
#8 Justice – Frank Stella – Abra Variation I
The Hermit
#9 The Hermit – Henri Matisse – The Red Studio
The Red Studio
#10 Wheel of Fortune – Joan Miro – The Hunter (Catalan Landscape)
#11 Strength – Robert Ryman – Untitled (Orange Painting)
Death
#12 The Hanged Man – Joan Miro – Hirondelle/Amour
#13 Death – Yves Klein – Colored Fire: Blue/Rose
#14 Temperance – Ellsworth Kelly – Spectrum, IV
#15 The Devil – Philip Gustan – Red Painting
#16 The Tower – Vasily Kandinsky – Picture with an Archer
The Sun
#17 The Star – Alexander Calder – The Red Sun
#18 The Moon – Meret Oppenheim – Red Head, Blue Body
#19 The Sun – Laszlo Moholy-Nagy – Yellow Circle
The World
#20 Judgment – Liubov Sergeievna Popova – Painterly Architectonic
#21 The World – Robert Delaunay – Simultaneous Contrasts: Sun and Moon
January 2nd, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink
Robert Swiryn
It’s a brand new year and Beyond Worlds is ready to get thing started.
Our first guest of 2011 is Robert Swiryn, author of The Secret Tarot: How the Story of the Cathars was Concealed in the Tarot of Marseilles.
Swiryn’s book looks at the background of the Cathars and the rapidly changing medieval world they inhabited, focusing especially on the political and religious powers of the time. What’s most unique about Swiryn’s work though, is how he’s placed the Tarot of Marseille within this historical context.
Secret of the Tarot
Swiryn believes that the Marseille Tarot provides a visual account of the personalities, events and spiritual ideals of the Cathar faithful. In his view, the cards not only store the religious philosophy, but the political history of this heretical Christian sect as well.
It’s going to be a fascinating discussion. Don’t miss it!! Join us live in the chatroom or call in (646)-200-0765.
Beyond Worlds with Robert Swiryn (live or in archive)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
7:00 pm EST (4:00 pm PST)
December 30th, 2010 § 4 comments § permalink
Like many of you, I got a few new Tarot decks over the holidays. My collection has been steadily growing through the years, but each deck is unique, a personality onto itself with its own distinct perspective.
Before I really get down to studying any new cards, I like to start the relationship off with a ‘get to know you’ type spread. It’s sort of like an interview to see how we’re likely to get along and what might be expected from our dialogue.
In this spread, I pulled four cards, reading them separately, then in one grand overview.
1) to represent the type of energy the new deck embodies
2) to indicate the type of questions the new deck is particularly interested in
3) describes the emotional tone of the deck
4) what the new deck expects from me
Using my new Tarot of Initiation, a majors only deck by Emmett Brennan, the first card I pulled was #6, The Lovers. The picture is of a wedding. Many figures are in the scene. The bride and groom, two young men, an officiate, a lion, eagle, cherub, oroborus, and two ladies that look suspiciously like the Empress and the dancing woman from The World card.
The Lovers
This deck has the energy of commitment, unification, and a welcoming fraternity. It speaks from many perspectives and shines brightest when it succeeds in making a whole out of disparate parts.
When I asked what type of questions this deck likes best, I got #1, the Magician. A person is standing at an altar, right arm raised holding a caduceus, left arm pointing to the ground. A book is open before him, incense is burning and the four suits of the Tarot are all represented.
The Magician
The Magician points to beginnings, new ways of thinking and communicating. He has open, illuminated and directed intellect. And he’s likely to talk your ear off.
I think this deck will be happy to talk about anything and everything, but especially about new directions. It’s best at offering a way to focus one’s will. Start with the ideal and go from there. It’s interested in the big picture. No surprise it’s majors only.
The card describing the emotional tone of the deck is #5, The Hierophant. The image is quite traditional with a pope-like figure sitting above two acolytes. A cross on his crown reaches towards the sky, while one on his robe points to the ground below. His adoring monks are kneeling before him.
The Hierophant
No soft edges here, this deck isn’t up for any coddling. It’s mostly interested in being a vehicle of enlightenment to those that come before it. It sees itself as a medium of sober, practical wisdom rather than a shoulder to cry on.
The final card asks something of me. And it’s #0, The Fool. Could it be more perfect? The figure in the picture is standing by a cliff, satchel tied to a caduceus over his left shoulder and in his left hand a cup. His wolf dog is with him.
The Fool
The abyss seems dark and deep though The Fool stands very close to the edge. Above him is something like a stage, an empty lunar landscape, but with the sun shining above and through it.
When I approach this deck, it expects me to be open, innocent and fearless. A clean slate, an empty stage – all things are possible. I’m being asked to relinquish all preconceptions and just let the cards speak.
Overall, it seems clear. Approach this deck as the Fool begins a journey, eyes wide open and no baggage. With directed will and a firm commitment to oneself, Tarot of Initiation offers wisdom from within and beyond, and asks only that I meet it with respect and an enthusiasm for enlightenment.
I think I’m going to like these cards.
December 28th, 2010 § 3 comments § permalink
Looking for a New Year’s Tarot crafting project? Why not make your very own Georgie’s Tarot!
What you’ll need:
•13 letter size pages of sticker paper – Avery makes the kind I’ve always used
•2 packs of standard playing cards with the same back design and colour – I usually get used casino decks from the dollar store
•a printer
•a decent pair of scissors
What to do:
•on your sticker paper, print out Georgie’s Tarot from the PDF below (try a test run first on regular paper)
•cut out each of the cards using the outer borders as your guide
•adhere each stickered image to a playing card
And that’s it. Your new deck is ready to go.
Have fun!! I’d love to hear from anyone who makes one.
Please Note: Georgie’s Tarot is free to download, but it’s meant for your personal use only. Georgianna reserves all rights to this deck.
December 18th, 2010 § 1 comment § permalink
It’s taken some time, but I finally put together the Graffiti Court Cards! They’re part of my Toronto Graffiti Tarot, that until now has been Majors Only.
Step by step. It’ll be a whole deck soon. Stay tuned.
And if you didn’t see it before, here’s the Major Arcana.
December 13th, 2010 § 2 comments § permalink
This is a photo tarot deck I shot in June. Like my Graffiti Tarot, it’s Majors only for now. And you might notice I’ve stolen some cards from this one for the Graffiti deck. I couldn’t resist.
I really encourage people to go ahead and create a photo deck for themselves. Walk around your town, city, house, wherever you are. You can find Tarot symbols all over the place. Some might be hidden, but they’re all there if you look.
December 11th, 2010 § 0 comments § permalink
More Tarot inspired music from Thomas Oboe Lee . . .
Just a couple of weeks ago I posted an MP3 of one of Lee’s marimba pieces from Eight Tarot Cards for Madam Rubio.
Here you can see and hear all eight cards as performed by Stephen Klunk and Isabelle Huang at a BGSU recital this past April.
Really nice.
#0 – The Fool
#2 – The High Priestess
#3 – The Empress
#10 – Wheel of Fortune
#13 – Death
#16 – The Tower
#19 – The Sun
#21 – The World
December 3rd, 2010 § 0 comments § permalink
Ok … so here’s an idiotic 48 second video of a pile of Gummy Bear Tarot cards, flashing lights, and people talking in the background. But it reminded me of an excellent Tarot exercise you can do to get to know the Court Cards.
Think about the different Tarot characters out together at a club. For instance, the Queen of Wands and Knight of Disks. What would the Queen be wearing? How about him? Could she be a cougar, would he be interested. What might they say to each other?
Or who do you think the King of Swords would arrive with? Would he dance? And that pack of Pages in the corner, are they old enough to be in here? What card would be the bouncer asking for ID?
The point is to get your characters to interact. Using the traditional meanings of the cards and your imagination, the images start coming alive. It’s easier then when you’re doing a reading and come across one of these characters in a spread.
You’ve already met them at the club and know how they acted there. Now look at the cards surrounding them and consider how they’d act in the situation the cards describe.
Of course you can try this exercise using any background: an office place, a family reunion, a meeting at the UN. The more you play, the more you’ll learn about the cards and how they get along. Go play now!