My cursory scan of the internet reveals well over 300 tarot decks currently in print,and there are undoubtedly far more than that. Many are variations of a few seminal implementations,such as Gringonneur,Visconti-Sforza,Marseilles,Etteilla,and,probably the most ubiquitous of all,Rider-Waite,developed between the 14th and the early 20th centuries. Others are extreme departures,representing modern interpretations,specialized fields of focus,specific cultural slants,blatant sexuality,or even outright silly themes. Some are soft and non-threatening,whereas others are dark and in-your-face,featuring visions of Kali devouring the entrails of her latest victim,or a fish-demon beckoning the unwary toward her vagina full of razor-sharp teeth. Some are executed in soft pastel hues,others in vivid,vibrant colors,and yet others are stark black and white. Many retain the most ancient,esoteric of symbolism,whereas others depict scenes from popular culture,movies,and even sports. It would seem that there must be something out there for every taste or orientation,so why would I dedicate a year or so of my life to the task of creating yet another? Like the tarot itself,the answers are complex and multi-faceted.
One driving motivation is the desire,after 40+ years of studying the cards,to take my understanding to the next level. Many mystical/spiritual groups,most notably,the Order of the Golden Dawn,require all acolytes to design their own deck as a component of their upward advancement through the organization’s levels. Entailing,as it must,a deep and conscientious study,evaluation,contemplation,and analysis of each and every card,such an effort cannot help but lead to depth of understanding achievable through no other means.
From a purely practical,and personal,perspective,I have increasingly found myself doing a reading with one deck,and then consulting corresponding cards from several others,in order to discover the exact nuances that felt right for a particular situation. As an author of fiction,I frequently employ the cards to access the deepest recesses of my creative psyche. In this search for plots,themes,ideas,and in corresponding efforts to surmount writer’s block,this approach has never failed to inspire unique and original concepts. In this context,I desired to pull together those elements and aspects from various sources that I found most useful,compelling,and relevant into a single deck.
Every deck must necessarily reflect the attitudes,values,and orientation of the one or more individuals who create it,and hence,this one is represents my own spirit at this particular point in time and space. Beyond this admittedly quirky perspective,articulating a “theme” in just a few words is quite a challenge. My goal is to create a collection images that are simultaneously relevant to our age and culture,but no so radical a departure from tradition as to be unrecognizable to those familiar with one of the classical decks;something at once timely and timeless. To this end I have deliberately decided to eschew focus on any particular time,culture,mythology,or tradition,seeking only to choose such imagery as best conveys my understanding of each card,while utilizing themes that will be recognizable to the majority of literate users. Hence,for example,while you will find that Trump XV:Temptation is recognizably a devil,and Trump I:The Sorcerer is clearly a magician,you will also find modern figures,such as George W. Bush,Dick Cheney,and Kenneth Lay (on the Ace of Swords),Julius Caesar (on the Ten of Swords),and Vlad Dracul (Ten of Rods),because these are the images that come to my mind when I meditate on the messages of their corresponding cards.
Amongst my modest collection,some decks are quite sparse in their imagery,leaving the reader to fill in the details from their own imagination,while others are highly detailed. Some,like the Crowley Thoth deck are quite abstract,whereas others are photo-realistic,or perhaps impressionistic. Being highly visual by nature,brought up on movies,television,and graphical media,my choice is to favor a very realistic,symbol-rich approach. To this end,all of the cards have been created using a three-dimensional modeling program called Poser™,which facilitates the development of near-photo-quality scenes,while avoiding the restrictions inherent in using actual photographic source material.
As anyone who has sampled more than a few decks will have realized,considerable variation exists in the naming of the cards,suites,and the organization of the court elements. In most respects,I have chosen to remain close to tradition. Hence,the trump cards either retain the usual,familiar names,or substitute descriptive titles that will be immediately recognizable. For example,The Devil, which struck me as being too tied to one specific mythology for modern diversity,has become Temptation,which more generically conveys its intent. For the court cards,I have selected King,Queen,Prince and Princess from the various alternatives,as these maintain a balance between masculine and feminine that is sacrificed when the Page replaces the Princess. Identifying the suits required a bit more cogitation:Pentacles,Disks,or Circles? Wands? Staves? Sticks? On one hand,the more generic designations allow for nuances that might better fit each individual card. For example,I initially thought to name the air suite as ‘Blades’,rather than the more traditional ‘Swords’;my reason being that the connotation of a scimitar,for example,is quite different from,say,a carpenter’s saw or chisel. In this case,I ultimately decided to go with the more specific ‘Swords’,because there seemed to be a certain recognizable,phallic quality that would be lost in the more generic appellation. On the other hand,I concluded that ‘Vessels’ would be an appropriate substitution for ‘Cups,’ that would be at once flexible,yet still easily recognizable for its feminine,receptive nature. Similarly,‘Rods’ struck me as a good compromise for the fire suit,being both recognizable and generic,but not so mathematically sterile as,say,‘Cylinders’ (which I briefly considered). Finally,for the earth element,I settled on ‘Disks’ as being less restrictive than ‘Pentacles’,but less strictly geometric than ‘Circles’.
As I plummet headlong into the second half-century of my life,I find myself becoming increasingly circumspect about which projects I embrace,and which ones I decide to forego. Experience,some bitter,some not,suggests that fame and fortune are not ‘in the cards’ for me in this life,and that’s something with which I can deal. Nor is this about the vain quest for some form of nebulous immortality emerging from posthumous recognition or appreciation. Rather,what it is about is sharing;giving something back;the hope that someone else may start out where I leave off,but at an earlier point in their journey,from which they may avoid some of my missteps,and propel human thought,sensibility,and awareness further forward than I could ever aspire to do.
Nevertheless,time spend on one project necessarily entails the sacrifice of another. I began this project determined to produce only a representative sampling–two each from the trumps,and a masculine and feminine example from each of the suits–and then assess potential interest.
I have submitted this package to two major publishers,and both have rejected it,citing as reasons that current popularity leans toward “soft,whimsical decks.”That’s fine–I can certainly understand the narrow profit margins inherent in any publishing venture. On the other hand,I do have other projects in the works,and the decision to devote a year or more of my time to this one must be tempered by a healthy dose of reality.
So,on these pages,I’ll post what I have completed thus far,adding additional cards if and when I feel inspired to create them. If you think this is something you’d like to see finished,or if you have any comments,suggestions,critiques,or observations,I encourage you to let me know. If it appears that there is sufficient interest,I will definitely move this project up on the priority list.
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t a r o t @ r o o t w e r x . c o m
