The Unidentified Deck

I managed to stumble across this Tarot deck in a charity shop, and picked it up for only a couple of pounds. I know a lot of people are very particular about only purchasing brand new decks, but I've always felt that so long as you properly acquaint yourself with your cards - with regular handling, constant use and even purification rites, if that's your kind of thing :) - then it really shouldn't be a problem. 

The deck came without a box, and was bound together with a simple elastic band. After hours and hours of searching online - without even a name to go on - I still haven't identified them.

If anyone out there has any more information, it would be greatly appreciated! :)

Featured Deck: The Hallowe'en Tarot by Kipling West

Now, this is the reason I haven't  posted in a while - The Hallowe'en Deck, by Kipling West. It has absolutely stolen my heart, and I've been off in my own little world with this wonderful deck.

 

In the Hallowe'en deck, the four usual suits of Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles are replaced with Imps, Ghosts, Bats and Pumpkins. While this may seem like a cute gimmick from the outside, with Major Arcana cards represented by, among others, mummies, werewolves and even Frankenstein's Monster, the level of research and attention to detail in this set quickly becomes apparent.

A lot of the artwork is directly inspired by the original Rider-Waite deck, and where the cards differ, this serves only to enhance the overall meaning of the cards. Previously 'difficult' cards such as the 3 of Bats/Swords and the  of Pumpkins/Pentacles take on a new, more thoughtful light - the feeling of doom and gloom is not gone, but the cards are imbued with a fresh sense of possibility, and potential for change.

With Hallowe'en right around the corner, these cards are an excellent way to celebrate the season - and also allow us to carry a little of the holiday with us, all year round.

Midnight Meadow Score:

Style: 10/10

Substance: 10/10

More On The Zigeuner WahrsageKarten - Part One

Or, in my case, the Cigany Kartya - which as far as I can tell is little more than a Hungarian reprint of the ZWK. Since I got this deck, I have been working almost constantly with it. Opinion on the cards seems to be divided, and a lot of people seem unsure of the cards and how to use them. I do not, nor will I ever, claim to be an authority on the subject - I haven't had them for long, after all - but I would like to share the way I have been using them, and hopefully this will be of some help.

Research

There are books available on the cards, and good ones. Buy or borrow a copy of Fortune Telling with Gypsy Cards by Esther Gombor (here is a link to the author's site), or the book Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Cards by US Games, to name only a couple. You can pick them up quite cheaply through sites like eBay and Alibris, and the research is well worth such a modest investment. It will save you hours of headaches later!

Approach

Although some books provide Tarot card correspondences for the deck, they are still two quite different things, and while some knowledge of Tarot will certainly benefit you - since cartomancy requires that we hone skills such as conceptual thinking and the recognition of symbol and metaphor - I suspect that some experience with Lenormand style cards will be of even greater help to you in understanding the ZWK.

I have spoken to many people who simply find the ZWK cards unusable - they have found that, as the cards do not seem to give out a lot of information, the deck does not speak to them. I can certainly understand this, as I had a little trouble forming an initial bond with them. The advice I would give is: the more vague your deck appears to be, the more specific you should be with it. By this I mean more specific questions, and more specific meanings attached to the card positions. You want to try and leave as little room for doubt in your own mind as possible. 

Spreads

While there are specific spreads for the ZWK, other types of spread can work just as well. A lot of Tarot spreads do not work effectively - but spreads designed for oracle decks tend to work quite well, as well as the traditional Answer Deck layout.

As already mentioned, spreads which involve detailed or clearly defined position meanings are the best to use. 

Over the next few days, I intend to post some sample readings, as well as interpretations for what are considered to be the more obscure cards. 

Until then, Good Journey :)

The Answer Deck Arrives!

Today, my newest deck arrived: Nicky Zann's Answer Deck!

The 73-card deck comes in a boxed kit, with an instruction booklet and foldout mat for placing the cards. The booklet explains only the cards that the creator felt were not obvious enough: The Master, The Fool, Woman of The World, The Lady and The Troubleshooter. Anyone with Tarot experience will quickly realise the meanings of these cards correspond roughly to The Emperor, The Fool, The High Priestess, The Empress and The Magician.

The cards are red-bordered, with black and white illustrations. Along with the Tarot inspired cards - ones like Justice, and Strength, but also simplified Court Cards like the Fair/Gray Haired Woman - the deck uses cards with simple pictures and keywords, such as Doubt, or Journey.

When arranging the cards, I had a bit of a weird experience. I wanted to get a nice shot of them, so I could show the deck on this site. Anyway, I shuffled them, selected three at random, set them down and spread the other cards in a fan above. I thought it would make a nice photo for the blog.

Then I looked at which three cards I had drawn, and since this was my first interaction with the deck, I have to admit I shivered:

Dark Haired Woman/ Journey/ Truth! Weird, right? I will be very interested to see whether this is a fluke, or a sign of things to come from the Answer Deck...

Daily Draw Site: Zigeuner WahrsageKarten Added!

The most common advice given when using the cards is to not take them too literally. Although their literal meanings do apply, you have to consider the concept presented with each card. Like many oracle decks, these interpretations are also greatly affected by the surrounding cards, which you must pay close attention to if you wish to understand their overall message.

You could do well by simply throwing yourself in and using them as often as you can, which is the best way to learn .I now have a Daily Draw site here, and am hoping that with practise, the meanings of the cards will become clearer. The information there will come not only from experience, but from studying the interpretations of others who use them. It is to be taken only as a general guide, not as definitive, and is meant as a jumping-off-point in discovering your own relationship with these strange and wonderful cards.

My New Deck! - Zigeuner WahrsageKarten

I bought the following cards from this eBay seller.

Last week, I ordered a new deck - a Hungarian reprint of the Zigeuner WahrsageKarten, or Gypsy Fortune Telling Cards. Well, this morning they arrived! I am still very much in the process of learning about the history of the cards, so more on that later, but for now, let's take a good look at them.

The deck consists of 36 unnumbered cards, much like the Lenormand fortune cards. Each card depicts a simple scene, with a keyword printed in 6 different languages at the bottom:

At first, it might seem that the simple designs and use of only one keyword give too narrow a definition. The booklet that came with the cards states that the cards should not be taken too literally. So, for example, the sweetheart with the thief may mean you have fallen for a criminal, but could just as easily mean that someone has stolen your heart.

The names of the cards are:

Anger

Baby

Constancy

Death

Desire

Ecclesiastic

Enemy

Falseness

Fidelity

Fortune

Gift

Hope

House

Jealousy

Journey

Judge

Letter

Loss

Love

Lover

Malady

Marriage

Merriment

Message

Misfortune

Money

Officer

Sadness

Some Money

Sweetheart

Thief

Thought

Unexpected Joy

Visit

Widow

Widower

As I become more familiar with these cards, I will post sample readings, and explain some of the possible card meanings. For now, I'm going to have some fun trying to get to know them.

Have a great weekend!

Featured Pack: The Celtic Book Of The Dead by Caitlin Matthews

"I do not know where I am bound.

I journey far across the foam.

I seek my soul, where is it found?

I watch the star to guide me home"

Immram Chant

(From Celtic Book Of  The Dead by Caitlin Matthews)

There are many criteria by which you might judge a deck to be good, great even. Artwork, thoroughness of research, theme and originality are but a few. Along with all of these, The Celtic Book of The Dead posses -for me, at least - a special extra something. It is a feeling lodged deep in the centre of the mind, the primitive reaction you will often have to a deck which speaks directly to your subconscious, in the language of your dreams. When people tell you to use a deck which speaks to you, this is what they mean.

Having recently rediscovered this enchanting deck, and reread the accompanying book, I am beginning to understand why. Caitlin Matthews has drawn from an eighth/ninth century Celtic tale, Immram Curaig Maelduin (The Voyage of Maelduin's Boat), and in doing so has tapped into the long-buried wisdom of the Celtic oral storytelling tradition.The story documents an immram, a voyage into the Otherworld beyond our mortal realm, following Maelduin as he encounters strange and magnificent islands in a quest to avenge his father's death.

An immram is seen not only as a story, but as a guide to the realms beyond death.It is even said that the Celts used the immram to prepare the living for death, and the journey they must face beyond. The Celts often used storytelling as a method of divulging such wisdom to a younger generation. Much as the Immram or soul journey could be called upon to guide the living in the face of death, Caitlin Matthews has created an inspired deck which can be called upon in times of crisis or confusion.

In spite of all this, as the book states: "This is not a morbid journey, but a voyage to islands with plenteous salmon, feasting halls, and pillars of silver rising from the sea."

The 42 card deck consists of 7 gift cards, 2 guide cards, and the main 33 card deck. Each card in the deck represents an island encountered by Maelduin and his men, but also presents an aspect of life to be examined further by the reader.

The depth of research and dedication involved in the set are apparent from the outset, the author presenting not only the story and card definitions, but a plain english, point-for-point breakdown of the tale for those less experienced with divination and mythological symbolism. As always, her knowledge of Celtic and Shamanistic tradition is remarkable.

After nine years. this deck still ranks among my favourites, and it's magic is far from waning.

Midnight Meadow Score:

Style: 9/10

Substance: 10/10

Check out this deck on Amazon, read more about it at Learn Tarot, or visit Caitlin's Official Website and Blog.

Featured Pack: Titania's Fortune Cards

This oracle deck is loosely based on the one attributed to Mlle Lenormand, possibly the most famous cartomancer in history. Instead of court, pip and trump cards, the deck comprises 36 cards, each decorated with a single psychedelic image - a bear, a woman, a book etc. 

The cards have been the subject of much critcism, from their garish design to what some see as a gimicky cash-in - but I have been using the cards since I was 15 years old, and have never been given reason to complain. I found it easy to build a rapport with this deck, and found that once I grasped the basic concepts presented in each card, fluidity and accuracy quickly followed. They are deceptively simple cards - though each bears only the simplest of designs, the spreads and meanings associated with the cards can be quite complex. There are even layouts which use the entire 36 card deck.

Put simply, I would recommend this deck to anyone. it is a great one for beginners and veterans alike. It's value to me is immeasurable, and I use it often.

Midnight Meadow Score:

Style: 7/10 (The designs are simple, but a little loud sometimes)

Substance: 9/10 (This deck has never let me down)

Adorable Tarot Decks!

I've come across a few of what I can only describe as novelty decks over the years. I have to say that while a lot of people dismiss such decks, I think it's nice that even Tarot can be playful once in a while. Certainly, they deserve to be shared here - if only for the 'Awwww!' factor. And if you're going to recieve bad news, why not soften the blow?

Note: Click on the titles to find out more. Links are to sources outside of Blogger.

Gummy Bear Tarot by Dietmar Bittrich

Yes, you read that right. Gummy Bears. The Gummy Bears in this deck, while cute, look adorably serious. There are wise bears, enlightened bears, and even bears in peril! (see below) The cards were originally printed in German, then re-released in English. They may not be useful if you want a more sombre reading - I for one can't take the Kight of Swords seriously when he looks so much like Winnie the Pooh - but I'm glad they exist, all the same.

Hello Kitty Tarot by Joe Rosales

The ubiquitous cat of the Hello Kitty franchise with her own Tarot deck? This one detail will tell you everything you need to know about Hello Kitty Tarot: they are a black and white deck you can colour YOURSELF. It is either the pinnacle of sacrilege, or the most adorable thing ever! It isn't an easy deck to acquire, but you have to admire the artist's attention to detail in keeping with the Rider-Waite imagery.

8-Bit Tarot by Indigo Kelleigh

Truly, this is the king of all cartoon decks. When I think of the work that must have gone into creating the 8-bit Tarot, I am in awe of it's creator, Indigo Kelleigh. This is a reworking of the traditional Rider-Waite deck, but in the style of retro computer graphics. The end result is a well-researched and striking piece of work.

Ferret Tarot by Elaine Moertl

The message of this deck appears to be simple : Ferrets have problems too! Focusing on the lives of these little furry creatures, the Ferret Tarot is a fun black and white (and quite useable!) deck. Like the Hello Kitty Tarot, this deck is unlaminated for limitless colouring in potential.

Featured Pack: The HR Giger Tarot

   I'll admit, this pack is NOT for everyone. The Swiss Surrealist painter HR Giger - perhaps more widely known as the artist behind the terrifying creatures in the Alien film series - certainly has a unique style, utilising both the biological and the mechanical to create nightmarish visions on canvas. Being quite the fan, I never thought I could own a copy of this rare, out-of-print and accordingly higher priced deck.

  
   Let's just say I had a good birthday this year.

  

   Initially, it seemed little more than a coffee table piece, a collectors' item. I was thrilled to have it, and it was simply stunning to look at, if you like that sort of thing (and I do). But it was difficult to form an opinion on the deck, not as a fan but as a regular practitioner. Their aesthetic value was instantly recognisable, but what about their use as a functioning Tarot deck?

  

  The accompanying book is by far the most valuable element to the set. The cards themselves are nothing new, being simple excerpts from the artist's previous works. What is really interesting about this set is the point of view presented, not just of the card meanings but of the Tarot itself. The book comes with a warning, and rightly so. These cards are not intended for daily use. Instead, they are presented as a tool to unlock the deeper, darker aspects of the human psyche. Also of note is the division of card interpretations according to gender. The cards in this deck have two similar but distinct meanings, depending on whether the querent is male or female.

   All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by the HR Giger Tarot. If you are a fan, and if you are not easily offended, you can find out more about the deck here. But bear this in mind when using the Giger deck - don't ask unless you REALLY want to know, because there is no guarantee that you will like the answer you recieve.

Midnight Meadow Score:

Style: 9/10

Substance: 9/10 (if only for the originality of perspective)