Bohemian Gothic Tarot Study

[Dancing Bear]

HI all
I havent posted up for ages about the Tarot and much has been learned and happened with the Tarot since, I recently purchased a brand New Deck, released December 2007
The Bohemian Gothic Tarot.
It is the most beautiful Deck I have ever worked with, I am a Goth at heart ,loving all horror movies..

Here is the link for them be sure to click on "see all cards"

www.bohemiangothic.com


I have started studying them in Aeclectic Tarot and Footprints with other Bohemian Gothic enthusiasts, But i thought i would also share with you all in here.. as i think this deck deserves to be shown and shared with you all..

[Dancing Bear]

Here is my first two ever cards drawn from this deck, I asked how, Me and this Deck would get along..


Well the Ace of cups came out and the page of swords

[Dancing Bear]

Ace of Cups


The Ace of cups looks quite simple enough. Until we realize it is set in a graveyard and it is actually an Urn made of Human bones and skulls.. all intricately and beautifully placed.. in a gruesome way..

In the traditional Cups suit the cups are the most placid and gentle of the minors.. speaking of Love , emotions, creativity, sensitivity, intuition, psychic and magic and the arts

But in the Gothic tarot it speaks of the victim , the damsel in distress, Venerability the disturbing macabre emotions that can drive some to insanity.and evil doings

Cups also represent water normally the soft flowing kind, but with the Gothic it represents the torrential tsunami kind those freak waves that can wash you out to sea never to be seen again..like in one of those dramatic novels where the violent waves are crashing up against the rocks of a cliff face in the dead cold of winter , while the damsel is distress heart broken and no hope left, In the middle of the night, standing bare footed at the edge of the cliff, rain lashing at her scantily clad body, cutting into her skin, looks down gazing at the violently swirling seas below ,through her tears and rain, she prepares herself to jump..

The Gothic Cups are to do with the darker side of our emotions the hurt the pain and the feeling of being a Victim..

But the other side of the coin, are the characters we see in the movies or read about in the books really Victims.I just love the Underworld and Vanhelsing all time favorite movies..
The female leads in both of these movies allow Dracula to come close, they allow him to connect to them, they allow him to think they are defeated,Just enough to gain the information they need to hunt him down and end his rein..to save the ones they Love.

Typically this ace would point to a New endeavor, like my relationship and new Journey with the Bohemian Gothic deck.
Now adding the Gothic air to it , I would say that they may get a bit too morbid and repel others rather then entice..I don't think i would turn this into something morbid or macabre and disrespect the ability and impact these cards may have on others as the book suggests, but it is something that i may need to be vigilant and watch out for.considering how others feel about Gothic Horror and the Macabre, as not all of us are a Goth at heart...

[Dancing Bear]

Page of Swords

A quick overview of the Swords in any suit
Swords deal with the Intellect,, thought pattern, the Psyche, logic , anger, conflict, willpower , Dreams and nightmares..

Swords with the Gothic
Wizards and Magicians, Plots and dark plans, cunning cleverly done murders and torture, doctors of medicine and philosophy, Arcane secrets,Ancient documents. , monks and monasteries, all sorts of knives and blade , sharp cutting edges. Birds - Esp hawks, Ravens, Owls and crows..


Swords in any normal reading represents a struggle, a barrier and thought process needing evaluating, it is no different with the Gothic much LOL! The Gothic put a new twist to the torment, the torment of within also, not just external battles..

It is like in the Movie Cross Roads or the most recent Ghost Rider with Nicholas cage in, In Cross Roads Robert Johnson was only a mediocre Guitar player , a year later he turns up being able to play the Guitar like none other..the theory is he went to the cross roads and sold his soul to the devil to play for fame and fortune.. but as the movie goes on, he realizes fame and fortunes come at a cost , the same with Nicholas cages character in Ghost Rider ultimately realizing it came at a price, a Price not worth paying.. Or that of Norman Bates , Using the facade of a deranged mother, for his own evil , demented doings..whilst on the surface coming across as the victims, slowly luring his victims into a fate he has planned all along , unknowingly to them.

The characters in the Swords cards are maybe not what they initially seem..


Page of swords
generally a likable person, loyal and intelligent, defending those he/she cares for to the hilt. a little too edgy and unpredictable, but overall a likable fellow..
This Woman (page) seems a respectable, serious character, a do-gooder really.., she is on edge in the graveyard and looks behind her, who is she waiting to see?Or what has she just heard? I am thinking a little paranoia is happening here, this woman on edge and there is truly nothing to fear at all, her cross tight at her neck suggests she believes she needs the protection..

Maybe these cards are saying they are not as dark as some may think and it would be my job to convey that, as personally i don't see them as such at all.. I feel like i am in a real life Gothic Horror MOVIE with them and they allow my Gothic imagination to run free and silly, KNOWING it is all make believe and total all Imagination..in the meantime taking the meanings and what the cards represent and being careful in my ways of interpreting them , respecting them and ever aware of my position as a reader and the unspoken ethics I carry with me.. it is not an easy deck to use, but one of the most fun I have ever read with..


With these two cards coming up I truly believe I am going to have a wonderful time with them , they are a deck I know I will be using for years to come.... all three represent personal aspects of who I am.. therefore resonate to my very core.
I have been a Gothic Fan for years , loving sitting getting scared with all the old Dracula and Frankenstein Movies,as a kid, reading Stephen King, Virginia Andrews, and anything dark and mysterious. I love those old Novels and Movies where the woman sets out to her husband to be, estates only to find out through strange happenings and weird behaviors, whispers and secrets of the staff, a darker side to his nature evolves sending her into a continuous nightmare and feeling trapped at every turn,discovering more morbid details as time slips away, not knowing where to turn next nor whom to trust....some draw on their own inner strength and wisdom and survive and conquer others do not..

I truly do, believe me and this deck are going to have a beautiful relationship..But i will take the warning, that not all will welcome them with open arms and see them as I do..

Many are truly scared of the Tarot and what they think they represent so I am sure the Bohemian Gothic would induce nightmares and fears in the best of us..

[osiris]

Thats friggin AWESOME i want them. Notice the nine of cups is drinking Absinthe. Yes must i have a set.

[Dancing Bear]

I had to have them when i saw the Strength card.. Demon female character with beautiful leathery wings in full bloom laying serenly upon a majestic Lion, they both share equal strength , both nobody would like to encounter, as she stares out of the card at you daring you to approach... brilliant card!!

You will not be disappointed Osiris! They are one of the best decks I have worked with Ever!!

[~¤LilacSky¤~]

that is a very rich looking deck DB...however not quite my style lol....but yeah so how do u like them? how lon have you had them??
I think its time for me to get a new deck lol...all my decks are meant up..so yeah its time!

[Dancing Bear]

They are brilliant Lilac..
I have started working with them, and it is hard to adjust to the new meanings.. as these have a darker interpretation,. but i am finding the traditional meaning fits better.. I am also finding oddly that when a court card appears, it is the querent in personality,regardless of position in spread..they do not seem to represent someone in the querents life.. i find the pip cards denote another person in the querents life more so..obviously not all and not all the time. but definately more so..

For me it is a hard deck to get to know,.. and i cannot work with a dark deck for long periods.. so my trusting Druidcraft or Original RWS come in handy..

Overall I just Love the deck.. I am enjoying getting to know as hard as it is..For me it is a challenge and i do adore a challenge..especially when it comes to Tarot.

Hope you find a new deck,, They say the Arthurian is a good deck.. which is on my wish list as are many other decks LOL!!

www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/arthurian/


ahh! also the MAAT is a good deck another on my list.. LOL!

www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/maat/index.shtml#cards

I know how hard it is to find a deck that resopnates with you personally.. I have bought many decks because they look fantastic. but once i have them in my hands they still look great but dont feel ok! they feel odd in a way.. and they just do not fill the shoes of your expectations.

My favourites are
Voyager
Druidcraft
Osho Zen
RWS (original)
Bohemian Gothic..


What are yours??

[~¤LilacSky¤~]

cool Db, yeah I have a few dark decks as well..however the book doesnt teach them a dark side you know what I mean?
Um I bought the tarot of transformation and I love it..its awesome, the book was rather interesting too, gave me a new perspective on tarot, I guess thats what I like to do is collect decks to see how many differant opinions on the cards vary from one person to the next, its pretty cool..
My favorite still and will always be the mythic tarot, its just my deck what can I say haha