I’m going to quote myself from the deck stork thread:
Physically, the deck’s a joy: poker sized, nice slippery linen, pretty coated box.
I’m fascinated by Ian's take on the trumps, influenced by the Mantegna and other historic decks, but with a different, creative slant.
The box includes a slip of paper with three lines of text on each trump. From that, it looks like the "official" zero card is someone playing a lute by a crumbling wall. But there are four other unnumbered cards, Wanderer, Trickster, Player, and a title card that's not really the title, but has a quote? that refers to the name of the suit cards deck title, Pike and Clover. So it would be easy to sub in a wanderer or trickster for the fool, if you don't like the musician. The Player looks more like the Judgment angel, with a trumpet but without wings. (The number 20 card in this deck is Fame.)
The suit cards are French suited cards with Marseille-inspired illustrations, meaning there are 2 hearts and 4 spades (or pikes), but they have Marseille flowers and leaves around them. The courts/face cards look very Marseille, too.
Let’s give it a good wash and shuffle and then on to the interview!
Most important characteristic: XIII
It will challenge and maybe put an end to my usual, normal card interpretations.
Strength: Ace of Pikes
Interesting to have pikes instead of swords, but pikes are still instruments of war and killing, just less symbolic and aristocratic. In any event, this is definitely an Ace of Swords card, only with a pike. The deck’s strength is that it is definitely an intellectual deck, an intellectual exercise in creating something new by referring to history, not following more contemporary “tradition.”
Weakness: 5 Diamonds
Hmm, as I mentioned above, I think the physical presentation of the deck is quite good and a strength. And it wasn’t expensive. The only weakness I can think of is it won’t appeal to beginners or more new agey tarot folks because it’s just too “different.” It did have an unsuccessful Kickstarter campaign before its successful one . . .
What the deck can teach me: King of Hearts
Is he about to chop that heart in half? Is he a heart breaker? His eyes look so sad, though. Maybe his heart is already broken, and he’s going to get even or express himself by chopping up the poor innocent heart in front of him. Do I really need to continue to learn that people who hurt others are often in pain themselves and lashing out at whoever comes near them? I thought I knew that already all too well . . .
How can I learn it: IIII. Nobleman
He’s detachedly observing the King’s destructive attitude. The next step for me is learning this dumb truth without it emotionally affecting me. I need to rise above it. Realize that, even though it was completely personal, it wasn’t really personal. It happened to me because I was there, maybe because I put myself there. An emperor is higher than a king, and that’s how I’m reading it. But this is only a nobleman? This is one of those cards that’s definitely influenced by the Mantegna.
Outcome of our work together: XIIII. Temperance
This is my card, specifically my “teacher card” according to birth card numerology and Mary Greer’s Who Are You in the Tarot? But it’s a complicated one, and sometimes I find I have to go back to basics to remember the real gist of it. I will find it easy to blend more generally accepted tarot meanings with the interesting idiosyncrasies of this deck. The combination will be more than the sum of its parts. And it will teach me.
Thanks for listening! Have a great week! See you tomorrow for more Rare Triumphs!