Buying new Tarot decks is my vice
I love buying new Tarot decks. Or Lenormand decks. Or historical Gypsy decks. It doesn't matter. I just love getting my hands on new decks. I'm not normally such a shopaholic. I only have this terrible affliction in relation to books (I have more books than I could finish in a year piled up at home), comics (which I have read, at least) and decks. I'm a collector at heart. Always have been, always will be. However, I have been trying to limit myself. I don't want to clog my home up with a million decks that I don't use. So while a lot of decks come into my house, a lot of decks will also leave my house at some point because I don't click with them.Purchasing decks on Kickstarter is (normally) a terrible idea
I love new decks and new inventions, so I love Kickstarter.com. However, I try to avoid shopping on kickstarter.com for several reasons:1. The product isn't finished
2. The price tag might not be worth it
3. the product might not be on time
4. the end result might be cringeworthy
5. for tarot decks in production, you might not click with the unfinished cards
I made a new rule for myself back in December 2016 that I would not be purchasing any more decks off Kickstarter. I have a number of decks from there, and I'm still waiting for more than half of them, a year after I bought them. This gap between pricey purchase and actual arrival is just too big.
The decks I got from Kickstarter
- Hannibal Burning Heart Tarot designed and published in a Kickstarter-only campaign by Ginger Breo. I love this deck and will cherish it forever. I will definetely do a blog post about this deck at some point.- Circo Tarot by Marisa de la Pena: I have owned this deck for a year or so, but have yet to open the shrink wrap. Right now, it doesn't call to me and I might sell it.
- Ashleigh's Illustrated Tarot Bought this one on a whim a while ago. It hasn't arrived yet, and the images might be abit too whimsy and childish, but who knows? It wasn't too expensive.
- Ethereal Visions Tarot (hasn't arrived yet and will probably sell it) I kind of liked the idea of this one (as did the other backers, of whom there were a multitude), but it turns out many of the newly released images don't really appeal to me at all. I will have to see once this deck arrives.
- Eros Tarot by UUSI. This beautifully designed and clever Marseille-style deck is one I had to own. It's strictly limited, so I definetely am lucky to have pre-ordered it through the Kickstarter campaign.
- Dark Days Tarot The last deck I got from Kickstarter but curiously, one of the first to arrive. It arrived last week and I haven't had the chance to really work with it yet.
Overall, I am happy I discovered Kickstarter for new and exciting Tarot decks. However, given the fact that the decks are mostly unfinished and the quality of the cards is unknown, it is hard for me to recommend buying Tarot decks through this website, instead of waiting until the decks get published the usual way.
The beautiful Mesquite Tarot
Key 0: The Fool Picture credit: Kickstarter
The Mesquite Tarot is drawn by hand by its artist and then colored digitally, using a very soft, pastel color palette. I really like the composition of Key 0: The Fool. A woman (at least, I suppose it's a woman although it technically could be a young man) wearing what appears to be a muslim headdress is heading towards the edge of a cliff while staring intently at the sun above. The symbols presented here (sun, cliff) are classic and a soft reminder of what the card is about. Instead of relying on a ton of unfamiliar symbology that could overwhelm a newer reader or even a client unfamiliar with Tarot, these cards are simple and direct, but without being too simplistic.
Key I: The Magician Picture credit: Kickstarter
The concept of the Magician is one that I didn't like too much at first. The drawing looks a lot like a wall painting you'd find in ancient cave. At a second glance, though, the imagery is clear and precise. Although only showing a stickman with raised arms and a bunch of symbols, it does accurately portray the vibe of the Magician without giving him a clear gender and personality, which would detract from his power. The fact that both arms are raised instead of one doesn't bother me, because the legs seem to form a good balance and adds the thought of "As above, so below".
Key II: High Priestess
Picture credit: Kickstarter
The High Priestess is perhaps the closest Major to the RWS system among the cards I've seen. I do wish the team had done more to simplify the imagery.
Key III and IV: Empress and Emperor Picture credit: Kickstarter
Empress and Emperor where the key figures that decided me on buying the deck no matter what. The smybology is witty and brilliant, all the while being true to the character of the cards.
Guidebook page Key V: Hierophant Picture credit: Kickstarter
The accompanying guide book is also quite smart: the writing appears to be less esoteric and more down-to-earth, which I love. Also, the diagram in the lower right part seems well-thought out.
Although I dislike buying incomplete Tarot decks on Kickstarter, there is always this compulsion because the decks are limited or super special awesome kickstarter-only releases, making them hard to resist. Even though I wanted to never buy a deck on Kickstarter again (because of the many decks I've regretted buying), I will of course be buying the Mesquite Tarot. Even if only the Empress and Emperor really speak to me, my soul is telling me I definetely need this deck.
Blessings and balance ~
Peachess
No comments:
Post a Comment