Dark Decks

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Note: Apparently I wrote this and failed to post it in October. My bad.

Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain, everyone! In honor of the day (and also the fact that I just received my brand new Bohemian Gothic tarot), we're going to talk about "dark" decks.

There are thousands of different tarot decks out there, with imagery that will appeal to just about everyone. There are tarot decks devoted to cats, ferrets, and even (ugh) baseball. There are decks aimed at different cultures; Native American decks, Chinese decks, Norse decks. There are decks about angels, fairies, saints, and dragons.

I have two "dark" decks. One is the Deviant Moon.



This deck sometimes gives me the crawlies. The imagery is beautifully done, the art is amazing, and the deck stayed on my mind until I gave in and bought it. It's not really a horrifying deck; it's more just that the inhabitants of the deck are "different"- but if you look past the differences, they're living lives not much different from ours. The cards themselves are brightly colored; it's not the first thing you notice when you look at them, but eventually the thought creeps in... "These are oddly... cheerful."

This deck is different, and takes a definite turn from my other decks, but it is a walk in a sun-filled rose garden compared to my other dark deck- my brand new, deliciously creepy Bohemian Gothic.



This deck is, to put it plainly, creepy as hell. Some of the cards give me shivers- if you're interested and in the Halloween mood, go check out the Four of Wands on the Bohemian Gothic website. That card makes a chill crawl up my spine- and as my husband says, the really fantastic thing about this deck is that the images that really make you shudder are the ones that look the most benign. This deck isn't blood and gore horror, though- it's a more thoughtful kind of horror from a time when artists really understood that sometimes, true fear isn't about having zombies jump out at you and graphically eat your face off. (Have I mentioned that I REALLY hate horror flicks?) This deck is somehow over the top and subtle at the same time.

There are some decks that may not be described as "dark"- but that I won't touch with a ten foot pole. The Morgan Greer, while a favorite for many and not to different from some decks I do have (and love!), creeps me right out. It's that Devil card. The Barbara Walker literally makes my skin crawl.

There are other decks, far, far darker than the two I've profiled here. You can check out a great variety of dark decks at Aeclectic.

So why have dark decks? For some people, it's just what they're comfortable with. For me, it's about understanding that there is a balance of light and dark in the world, and in the people, around us. The fact that there is always another battle to fight, always another struggle on the horizon; the fact that people are NOT always fair, kind and just; the fact that most people are generally, at the heart of it, out for themselves- these are things I am finally learning to accept, and it's not easy.

Tarot is a reflection of life. Every card represents something that every person has experienced in some way. Change, heartbreak, growth, celebration- these are all universal experiences, and every different depiction of these experiences in different decks can teach you something different about that situation- a new angle to view it from.


(The Death Card image up there is from the Dark Tarot series by Tease Tarot. As far as I can figure, it's not an actual deck, simply the covers for a series of books- but if it is available as a deck, can someone please tell me where to buy it?)