I’ve been reevaluating myself lately. Moving puts a lot of things into perspective – among those things, tarot cards. I’ve been more drawn to ‘reading’ decks than ‘art’ decks lately, wanting to get back into it and know the difference. So I’ve been all about the Rider-Waite-Smith clones and the like, seeking tradition and easily recognizable images to get myself back in the fold. It is nice to be reading again. But I soon realized that I had to strike a balance between aesthetics and functionality – because as good as the RWS and its variants are for reading (the original, the Connolly and perhaps the Morgan Greer, to name a few I’ve used lately), they all feel the same to me after a while, and I long for something…unique. Enter the rest of my tarot collection. It’s been somewhat of an art choosing decks that I find artistically beautiful and worthy of serious study, in terms of reading or otherwise.
So to complicate things further, I’ve decided I’d like to get back into reading professionally. Well. Suddenly my carefully chosen, aesthetically pleasing reading/study decks seem a little intimidating. I suspect it will take me a while to get used to the idea of reading for others again (especially in person), but regardless I find myself longing for the simplicity of those traditional images to prevent myself from experiencing mind-block in the middle of a reading – an always-present fear. But then I think, how much of it is irrational? I think it wise for me to experiment with a variety of decks, both for work and play, until I decide for sure on that one.
In defense of aesthetics, I’ve recently been attempting to put one of my long-professed favourites to actual use (shocking that all this time, I haven’t): Japanese artist Evan Yi Feng’s Lunatic Tarot (card edition). When the portfolio edition first came out, I couldn’t take my eyes off it – its sexy Lolita style, sepia tones, character-driven aesthetic. I was among the first to purchase the card edition, it being much more suitable for reading…and yet, I hardly touched the thing – wasn’t really sure if I even expected myself to. But with all these issues I got to thinking – it’s one of my favourites. Shouldn’t I give it a chance? So I did. I don’t remember the first few cards drawn (at around the time I was selecting reading/study decks just before my move), but they were shockingly straight-forward and cutting – among them the 8 of Discs. I certainly couldn’t think of anything more fitting of my situation than this man working heavily and to perfection, investing emotional and physical energy in tasks that required a lot of it – even putting the finishing touches on things, as was I (painting, patching the pinholes in my walls). At that point, I remember agreeing to use it. After arriving in Hanover (a few days in) I drew some more cards near the end of a long, hard day, all with a similar feel. The boyfriend had been working long and late, and I’d made the commitment to stick it out in the building with him for company and moral support whilst utilizing the nearby computers. A trying 15-hour day for all concerned. Yes, 15 hours – though no doubt worse for him. The first card I drew was the 10 of Wands, and I couldn’t think of anything more fitting for such a long, burdensome day. Upon asking what I could do for Matt I drew the 7 of Discs – a card of waiting, and patience as a road to fruitful endings (or beginnings). I asked then what he needed the most and drew Temperance, a similar card of patience, and perhaps more importantly, balance in all areas of life. This is definitely the most important thing he needs – something we all need.
Wish me luck with the upcoming readings. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
