So, I recently completed a project I've been working on off and on for almost ten years, and I thought you guys might be interested in seeing it. The tarot, as you may know, is a deck of cards with pictures on them commonly used as a fortune-telling tool. The cards are an old tool, and many scholars have written reams about what the origins may have been, but the only real answer is that no one knows for certain exactly where the tarot originated. The tarot is not simply a divinatory device; it is a picture language of archetypes and symbols. It speaks to the psyche as much as to the brain. Tarot readings usually are the mind making sense of the images placed before it (not unlike a wordless comic book, actually), and so it has a multitude of uses. It can be used as a meditation tool, as a way to bring a complicated issue into focus through images. It can be a creative tool, as well, used to inspire a poetic or narrative expression. Archetypes and symbols are what our faerie tales and myths are made of (and I suppose it is worth noting that I use "myth" in the sense of "sacred story," not in the sense of "untruth"), whether Mesopotamian, Christian, Greek, Celtic, Native American, or one of our modern myths, such as The Lord of the Rings (on which a published deck is based) or Star Wars. The most prominent early tarot deck -- the bible of the tarot, if such an analogy isn't too ironic -- is the Rider-Waite Tarot, whose pattern is the most-commonly followed by the other hundreds of decks currently in print, and it is also the basis for my Star Wars deck. Early on, the images I used were almost exclusively found on the Internet, but now most of the images I screencaputured myself from DVD. I?m not the best at it, so forgive me if the images aren?t the best quality. A standard tarot deck consists of 78 cards comprised of four suits -- typically Pentacles (or Coins), Swords, Wands, and Cups -- of 14 cards each, called the Minor Arcana, and the 22 cards of the Major Arcana. No matter what your personal beliefs about the validity of tarot as a metaphysical tool or as a collection of archetypes, I hope you can enjoy what I've put together.
I'll begin with the Major Arcana. Perhaps the easiest way to explain the representations and meanings of the Major Arcana is through the story of The Fool's Journey. The Fool's Journey resembles the Hero's Quest pattern in mythology and is another metaphor for the journey through life, and each card stands for a stage on that journey to wholeness. The Fool The Fool is the card of beginnings. A simple, innocent soul with the blind faith to undertake the hazardous journey. He exists in the state of blissful ignorance, even as -- in traditional decks -- he is about to step off a cliff. Star Wars is the journey of Anakin Skywalker. Young Anakin is the Fool, perched on the edge of his slavemaster's counter, eager to explore anything that presents itself. Oblivious to the dangers and pains of life, whether in podracing or in becoming a Jedi, he is eager for opportunity and change. He is oblivious, impulsive, innocent, immature -- full of potential, but still empty at this point.
The Magician The Fool, after starting his journey, almost immediately encounters the Magician. The Magician is the one who has everything he needs, is sure of himself, disciplined yet creative, and whole. He is consciousness, awareness, the embodiment of individual will and power. Qui-Gon Jinn is the Magician. A Jedi Master, he is disciplined and powerful, yet he is also an individual, unafraid to go against the Jedi Council when his conscience wills him to. In him, Anakin meets a male role model and spiritual mentor -- someone to look up to, and someone to aspire to be.
Awesome does not begin to describe this. Very, very cool idea. I'd love to see the same images filtered to look like the Rider-Waite artwork with simple line drawings with bright, high contrast colors. This is so freakin' cool, QHM. I want a deck.
Ya know.... I have a program that allows you to print these types of things and a source for the materials to print them on.
Reeeeally, Zoo? The originals are 500 dpi. Was trying to figure out how to print them nicely, what with the (c) concerns, and all I have is an inkjet.... Would love to have a working deck and some to give people.... And thanks, Princess and GDH, for the nice words. GDH, I based this on the structure of the Rider-Waite rather than the Crowley, if that makes sense to you. Edit: typo.
I will have my laptop with me at the meeting tomorrow and I can show you the program there. I got it for making playing cards and trading cards, but it also has a Tarot card setting. And the company that makes the software, also sells the supplies for making real cards (cut corners and all).
The High Priestess The High Priestess and the Magician are equal complementary aspects -- he the male, she the female. The High Priestess is the mysterious unconscious. She provides the fertile ground in which creative events occur. She is sometimes the unrealized potential waiting for an active principle to bring it to expression. Queen Amidala is the High Priestess. Anakin encounters for the first time a strong, mysterious woman who inspires an almost chivalric devotion in him and the promise of greater knowledge (it was her ship, after all, that took him to the bigger galaxy and brought him to the Jedi Temple) -- it was through her that the galaxy was revealed to him, on more than one level. She, like Qui-Gon, is someone Anakin looks up to, and she later becomes something to attain.
The Empress The Empress is the maternal figure, the warm, loving woman who nourishes and nurtures. She represents the physical world of nature and sensation -- a ground of being -- and sometimes Mother Earth herself. Shmi Skywalker is the Empress. As Anakin's mother, she literally was his ground of being, as he had no father. She raised him, nurtured him, cared for him, and cherished him. And when the time came, she set him free, staying behind on Anakin's homeworld while he went on his journey, but she was never far from his thoughts, and remained a major influence on his life, even after her death.
I want a set for sure, we can trade for soaps or anything else I have that you might want edit: or green credits, which ever.
Ooooo. I hope I can make the meeting (schedule still up in the air). Does one print them on a regular home inkjet, or...? Mine's not very good.
The Emperor The Emperor is the representative of structure and authority. As we leave the indulgent mother, rules and authority are encountered. Restrictions are placed, but not without guidance as part of their purpose. Emperor Palpatine is the Emperor. He becomes a father figure to Anakin, encouraging where Obi-Wan questions, prodding where Obi-Wan would restrain. Traditionally, the Emperor card isn't quite so dark, being more of an authoritarian father figure balanced with compassion, but the authoritarian wins out in this deck, as Palpatine's compassion towards Anakin (and, really, the whole galaxy) is a manipulation to gain power and authority.
I have a Photosmart Inkjet and it prints beautifully. You get the cartridges and I'll print them for you.
The Hierophant Eventually, the Fool ventures into the wider world. He is exposed to the beliefs and traditions of his culture and begins his formal education. The Hierophant represents the organized belief systems and is someone who interprets arcane knowledge and mysteries and initiates others into them. Often, he is represented as a Pope and represents a dogmatic view. Mace Windu is the Hierophant. Second in command of the Jedi Council, Mace is powerful, knowledgeable, and utterly set in his ways -- dogmatic and inflexible. He only tolerates Qui-Gon, intimidates Anakin, and exercises his authority within rigid guidelines that do not take into account individual situations, such as the uniqueness of Anakin when Qui-Gon brings him to the Council; Mace does not want Anakin trained, and later does not want Anakin to attempt to save Obi-Wan on Geonosis.
The Lovers Eventually, the Fool faces two new challenges. He experiences the powerful urge for love and union with another person. He was mainly self-centered, but now he feels the balancing tendency, to reach out and become half of a partnership. He yearns for relationship as an equal, not as a student. The Fool also needs to decide upon his own beliefs, breaking free of conformity and determining his own values if he is to be true to himself. He must start to question what he has been taught and follow his own path. Anakin and Padmé are the Lovers. He has adored her in one form or another since he was a child, and now he can unite with her on a personal, sexual level. At the same time, he is beginning to explore options that are not prescribed by the Jedi Council or by his Master. She also is breaking from her prescribed role in society and following her own conscience.
The Chariot By the time the Fool becomes an adult, he has a strong identity and a certain mastery over himself. Through discipline and will, he has developed control and power which allows him success in his environment. The Pod is the the Chariot. Anakin's first meaningful victory represents the confidence and accomplishment he has achieved. The Chariot can also represent a tension of opposites -- the intuition of the Force and the knowledge of how to apply it; inner calm in the face of danger -- like the twin engines of the pod that must work together or else tear the pod apart. Living in the moment is here, too, without much thought for what will come next -- Anakin must survive and succeed before what's to come will unfold.
Strength Over time, life presents the Fool with new challenges, some that cause suffering and disillusionment. He has many occasions to draw on the quality of Strength. He is pressed to develop his courage and resolve and find the heart to keep going despite setbacks. At times, intense passions surface, just when the Fool thought he had everything, including himself, under control. Traditionally, this card is represented by a woman taming a lion, and Padmé's battle with the Nexu embodies her own physical and inner strength as well as some strengths Anakin still needs to learn. She exhibits strength through patience, mediation, and tolerance, and the softer power of love and compassion in deciding to attempt to save Obi-Wan, no matter what the Jedi's orders were. She also exhibits the ability to adapt her strengths to different circumstances.
I want to see the whole set. Really curious to see what the suits are going to be...though I would think Sabers has to be one for QHM.
I kept the names of the traditional suits, but for people who aren't so keen on the PT, the suits feature a lot more OT. ETA: Here's a link to the Major Arcana images to the Rider-Waite deck GDH mentioned.
