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To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.magick,alt.pagan.magick,alt.tarot,alt.divination,talk.philosophy.misc From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (nagasiva) Subject: Basic Tarot Definitions/Philosophy Date: 12 Jan 1998 15:30:20 -0800 49971221 aa2 Hail Satan! Yule tidings for all! re 'a tantric tarot deck' being satisfied by the Secret Dakini Oracle: I'm new to the forum to which this is originally sent (tarot-l), so I should say that while my interest in tarot has given me exposure to a variety of decks and books which may accompany them, I have found that the Harris-Crowley 'Thoth' deck provided the response of awe and mystery and continued return in self-readings that I require to continue doing them, and that when I discovered the Secret Dakini Oracle I was very excited because not only was it constructed (by Penny Slinger and Nik Douglas) using collage-technique (an artform that I have myself worked with for many years), but it integrated a wide variety of 'tantric' images in playful and significant ways, allowing a rather positive matching to the disciplining nature of the Thoth deck. the purpose for my writing here, however, is less to acclaim these decks over others (despite being my preference) than to point out the fuzzy dividing line between tarot and what has come to be known as 'cartouche'. decks which did not conform to tarot standards have, at least by manufacturers and dealers, been characterized in a different way using this term. my Bible (Am. Her. Dic.) defines 'cartouche' as: 1. *Archit.* A scroll-like tablet used either to provide space for an inscription or for ornamen- tal purposes. 2. In ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, an oval or oblong figure that encloses characters expressing the names or epithets of royal or divine personages. 3. *Obs.* A heavy paper cartridge case. [Fr. < Ital. *cartoccio* < *carta*, card -- see CARTON.] ---------------------------------------------- _The American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition_, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1982; pp. 243-4. ______________________________________________ I find intriguing the connection both to Italian and Egyptian sources, reminiscent the Italian *taroccio* prototype suggested by some tarot historians as well as the Egyptian origin suggested by many Hermetic religious. if anyone has some notion of the origin of the usage of the term 'cartouche' or why it was applied I would love to hear this (preferrably along with approval to quote either anonymously or with proper attribution). and yet this is only the surface of the controversy that lies waiting to be delved in the study of cartomancy. where does 'tarot' end and 'cartouche' begin? there are many who would claim that the Secret Dakini Oracle, being devoid of suits, arranged from 0 to 64, having no discernable 'arcanum' (Greater/Lesser), and possessed of little traditional Hermetic symbology or structure, should not be considered a 'tarot deck' at all. indeed, the authors went so far as to include in their accompanying book (_The Secret Dakini Oracle_, by Nik Douglas and Penny Slinger, Destiny Books, 1979; pp. 42-50) a correspondence table between their deck and traditional tarot. the table provides suit-assignments and identifies the relevant card of traditional decks that corresponds with their own (generally omitting the Court cards and proceeding 'down' in the traditional tarot structure). the Oracle is one of the few card decks that seems to make few claims to being 'tarot', even while its form and the intention in creation was in reflection of the traditional tarot. some other decks are inspired by tarot in this way or even patterned directly after it, and yet vary greatly enough that we must begin to ask the question: 'how much can a deck be changed before it can no longer be said to be (even a nontraditional) "tarot" deck?'. this really brings us to basic definitions of tarot philosophy -- questioning the 'nature of tarot': whether there are significant constants, how many of these need be present in order to qualify a deck, who should be or has been deciding where these boundaries lie, and what repercussions (if any) may result from such a decision. the first question in a field of study is always the most profound and simple, typically structured as a response to the statement of it as a field. in tarot studies the first is 'what is tarot?', and the way we answer this question displays the particular type of presumptions we have made about terminology, knowledge, and the basics which are often overlooked in our rush to get the 'proper answers'. blessed beast! tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com -- (emailed replies may be posted); http://www.hollyfeld.org/~tyagi; 408/2-666-SLUG join the esoteric syncretism in alt.magick.tyagi; http://www.abyss.com/tokus
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