Tarot and Poetry Inspire Each Other
The profound relationship between tarot and poetry is rooted in history.
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Tarot is a book of spiritual wisdom in picture form that tells the story of all human experience.
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The profound relationship between tarot and poetry is rooted in history.
Read MoreHere are nine reasons to feel good about collecting more tarot decks than you use.
Read MoreA question comes up often amongst tarotists about what denotes a tarot deck. Tarot author Diane Wilkes has created a helpful term to describe card oracles whose structure is tarot-based, but whose adherence to the traditional archetypes is too loose to be tarot. She calls them “taroracles.”
There are many opinions, and many arguments, about whether there is a “one true tarot,” and, if so, which tarot tradition that might be. When we look at the three primary tarot traditions, Crowley-Harris-Thoth, Rider-Waite-Smith and Tarot de Marseilles, we see that, although the differences between these decks are vast, the basic concept of each archetype remains fairly consistent.
In contrast, many modern deck artists and authors rename the Major Arcana cards. The Devil becomes “Chains” or “Materialism.” Judgment becomes “Rebirth.” Death becomes “Transition,” or “Release.” The Tower becomes “Life Experience.” The Hierophant becomes “Faith.”
Some deck creators may have a desire to replace words that are not in our daily vocabulary, like “Hierophant,” with words that are. To me, this seems like an unnecessary “dumbing down” of tarot. It should not be a stretch for a budding tarotist to have to learn a few new words.
Some deck creators are “softening” the darker images. They may want to appeal to tarot readers and clients who would prefer not to see dark and dire images, or have to confront words like “death.”
There are two questions we need to ask.
Does the dumbing down or cheering up of tarot make tarot less effective?
Does the re-imagining of tarot archetypes make a deck any less a tarot deck?
I think the answers to both of these questions are entirely subjective. Different tarotists will have different opinions. Perhaps acquiring enough tarot knowledge to formulate an opinion is what qualifies us to claim a title like “tarot expert.”
I find value in the darker cards, and in the traditional titles. I wince a little when I see a tarot deck that seems watered-down, or that clearly does not adhere to traditional archetypes.
However, I do not think that such decks harm the body of tarot overall. I worry that new readers may get a skewed understanding of tarot if they begin with a non-traditional deck. On the other hand, I think non-traditional decks bring some people to tarot who would not have otherwise been open to the cards.
In the end, I think every tarot deck, even those I don’t personally enjoy, brings value to the body of tarot knowledge, and to our community. The tarot archetypes are indeed sacred. However, no true damage is done when an artist chooses to express them in an unusual way. There will always be enough traditionalists in the world to preserve the historic and original integrity of tarot.
That some people are inspired to create a next generation of tarot art is testament to tarot’s ability to be a constant and fresh source of creative and spiritual inspiration. There are decks I don’t like. There are decks of which I do not approve. However, there is no deck that could be created that would not, in some way, add value to the world of tarot for someone.
Photos: (top) Christiana with Lisa Hunt, (below) Christiana with Ciro Marchetti
I’m a creative person. I can’t play an instrument well or draw a straight line at all. But I am creative. It’s just that all the ways I am creative rely on someone else’s creativity first. I love to dance, but I need music. I am a secondary creative person.
There is no other area in my life where this is truer than with tarot. Sometime I feel that I can really make a tarot deck sing – I know I can make it talk. With a tarot deck I can summon spirits, create healing, give business advice and help you find love. With a tarot deck I can create stories and games. I can write books and help you discover truth about yourself.
This is why I am so grateful for the tarot artists who create beautiful decks that inspire my creativity. Without them, my creative, spiritual and business life would be much less than what it is. I can’t imagine what it is to conceive and execute seventy-eight pictures to create a tarot deck – and many of the great artists of our time have created more than one tarot deck!
Of course the first ladies of tarot art are Pamela Colman Smith and Lady Frieda Harris. They set the standard for much of what modern tarot art has become. In the past forty years many wonderful artists have joined them in working with that standard and in creating new standards.
Sometimes I am surprised by new tarot decks. The art is so radically different from what I have come to expect. To me some of these decks don’t even feel like tarot. But for every deck there are plenty of readers who are able to feel the art and hear Spirit whispering through the images.
The diversity in tarot decks reflects our diversity as a community. Tarot is unique in that there is a set structure and specific archetypes. The way that structure is expressed and the way those archetypes are represented can vary a great deal. The talents and imaginings of the artists allow tarot readers to use and expand our own creative and spiritual gifts.
A tarot deck is more than a bunch of pictures. It’s a spiritual tool. Tarot images help us to tap into our intuition and our natural psychic abilities. Tarot images each carry an energy with which we can do magick.
No tarot reader will love every deck. Most of us won’t even love every card in a deck we treasure. Tarot is so personal we can sometimes become ultra-picky about each image. It's important to remember that the artists in our community render each card from their perspective of the archetype. Sometimes it will match our own perspective perfectly, sometimes it won't. But can you imagine our tarot world without the rich selection of tarot decks we enjoy today?
Let’s all show some love for our tarot artists, past, present and future. Without you our lives would be much less colorful, much less creative and much less fun.