tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31735624043927386532011-07-28T23:09:10.267-07:00The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10836037286442613411noreply@blogger.comBlogger21100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173562404392738653.post-46065948106508587072009-06-06T06:30:00.000-07:002009-06-06T07:04:38.165-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://z.about.com/d/altreligion/1/0/A/f/1/vacchetta.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 152px;" src="http://z.about.com/d/altreligion/1/0/A/f/1/vacchetta.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Whether you're just starting out, or a seasoned traveller, I highly recommend colouring in as an exercise in getting to know your cards. You will notice all the details and symbolism and connect with the image, and unleash your creative side. This is something you may not have done since you were a kid, but you haven't forgotten how! Plus, it's fun.<br /><br />So, where to get the line drawings?<br /><br />Here is a link to that wonderful Rider Waite Smith I was talking about last post:<br /><a href="http://altreligion.net/?page_id=12"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Color Your Own Tarot Cards</span></a><br /><br />You will notice that here it is called the "Coleman-Waite". Don't worry- it's the same thing.<br />You will aslso notice that there is another deck included here- the Vacchetta. It's a gorgeous deck, but I'd recommend that beginners start with the RWS (Coleman-Waite) as the minors could be a little confusing when you're starting out. The cards pictured are from the Vacchetta deck.<br /><br />Here is another option:<br /><a href="http://tarotinstitute.com/free/bota/index.html">B.O.T.A. Deck</a><br />The above page provides colouring in guidelines for those who would like some directions.<br />Most of the majors are very similar to the RWS. The minor arcana don't have scenes though.<br /><br />And what about when you're done? You could make them into a deck, just keep them on paper as a personal art project, frame them, stick them in a tarot journal... it's up to you. Remember that the journey is just as important, if not more than, the finished result.<br /><br />If you do want to make them into cards, why not skip a step and purchase Juliet Sharman Burke's My Tarot: Color Your Own Deck ? The drawings are from the very pretty and beginner-friendly Sharman-Caselli deck (which can also be purchased fully coloured).<br /><br />If you want to send me some images of your completed cards, my email is tarotmusings@gmail.com<br />I would love to post some!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3173562404392738653-4606594810650858707?l=tarot-musings.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10836037286442613411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173562404392738653.post-43508113689646786472009-05-31T19:29:00.000-07:002009-05-31T22:01:26.182-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.twilightvisionstarot.com/images/background/tarot/spreads/exhorseshoe1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 447px;" src="http://www.twilightvisionstarot.com/images/background/tarot/spreads/exhorseshoe1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />For my first post, I thought it appropriate to start at the beginning... well, almost the beginning. I'll assume you have already put in a little research and know what a tarot deck is. For those of you who are curious about the Tarot and wish to embark on a journey, I have compiled for you a list of some beginner-friendly decks and books. The most important consideration to make is, does the deck appeal to you? Do you actually want to spend a lot of time with it, and get to know each other? It's important that it feels right.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">RIDER-WAITE-SMITH</span></span><br /><br />The most well-known and enduringly popular deck would have to be the Rider-Waite, aka Rider Waite-Smith (RWS for short) or Waite-Smith. (Rider= publisher. Waite= creator/director. Smith= Artist). It has now been in print for 100 years!<br />The artwork is deceptively simple- block-coloured line drawings that contain a depth of symbolism and meaning. Every single card has a scene on it, while you may have noticed that in some other decks, there are repetitive suit symbols on the minor cards- eg. the 7 of Cups will have a picture of 7 Cups. These "pip" cards can be difficult to learn meanings from, especially for a beginner.<br />This is a true classic, and ideal for beginners. Many advanced readers still favour it. You can buy it new in a few incarnations- the standard US Games version, the "Original" (has a vintage feel, but not a reproduction of the <span style="font-style: italic;">actual</span> original...) , the Universal Waite (a softer, prettier re-colouring by Mary Hanson-Roberts), Radiant Rider Waite (a re-drawing and re-colouring of the original images- it's radiant!), Albano-Waite (another re-colouring, this time bright!), and so on. If you're lucky, you could also source a vintage deck. You'll find that many books will teach with this deck. You will also notice that many decks have very similar scenes on them, even though the artwork may be very different. This is because this was and still is a very influential deck. The image above is a selection of cards from the US Games deck (except it now has typed titles rather than hand-drawn). If you don't like the artwork or feeling of the cards though, there are a myriad of other suitable options, a few of which I will introduce you to soon...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3173562404392738653-4350811368964678647?l=tarot-musings.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10836037286442613411noreply@blogger.com0