A CoT Group Oracle Deck: Brainstorm

[Papageno]

The only thing is that what you're describing seems to demand a digitally produced response and rule out pencil, paint and paper, which is somewhat limiting. I don't think everyone would be comfortable with that approach.

You're so wrong, I'm NOT ruling out original art at all, far from it.
I'm one of the most staunch defenders of original art.

apologies, but it's very difficult to communicate the avalanche of ideas I have, especially when speaking about synthesis and the process of fusion.

I'm just throwing out a lot of random thoughts for the moment and they're hard to express with absolute coherency.

[Papageno]

@ Pen

I think I should clarify that I'm not focusing on the actual approach to the creation of the deck, rather the overall THEME of the oracle.

[Nemia]

Thinking about the topic interaction, communication, being with others, not being with others, missing them, relying on technology to interact, but also about being alone... Hermit and Magician, in touch with ourselves, in touch with others.... there's quite a scope of universal experiences in this historical moment. I hope we can set something free in ourselves in a balance between structure (which again, in an oracle I personally feel is necessary - you can't hang your clothes simply in the air) and artistic, expressive, personal freedom (which is necessary too because otherwise, nobody can make honest art).

It's a bit like catching the eggshell that's fallen into the batter but since we're still in the brainstorm phase, let's hear our brains storm.

[Pen]

@ Pen

I think I should clarify that I'm not focusing on the actual approach to the creation of the deck, rather the overall THEME of the oracle.

I did realize that, I'm just finding it difficult to imagine creating something with a technological theme in paint - the theme seems (to me) to call for a slick digital response. And sorry if I'm coming across as negative, I'm not pouring cold water on the idea, just trying to imagine a finished deck with many different contributors working in different media.

[Pen]

It's a bit like catching the eggshell that's fallen into the batter but since we're still in the brainstorm phase, let's hear our brains storm.

Papageno wrote:

Human emotions, sensory perceptions enhanced or aided by technology.

It is quite an abstract concept.

[Papageno]

a finished deck with many different contributors working in different media.

a compelling thought and might be an answer unto itself.

[Joan Marie]

It may be time to break this off into a new topic, but let's stay here for now.

I think we need to focus on a topic. That will give us something to form a structure around.

Maybe we could think about some other oracles and what their topics are.

I think the topic should be broad enough to allow for some creative space but narrow enough to reign it into something cohesive.

I know that's a tall order. But maybe a good place to start is looking at some existing Oracles and their topics to get an idea of ones that are too broad or not broad enough. Just as a kind of brainstorm-trigger sort of thing.

Pen mentioned earlier "Celtic" as a theme on deck she has. And "Moon" is a popular (maybe overused) theme.

But you can see having something like that to start with gives you a place to hang your hat.

Taking some of the things that have been said, what about something like "Home" as a topic? Home is everything from a sanctuary to a prison isn't it? Again, we can develop a structure later, but I'm hoping we can get onto something that will offer a lot of leeway while lending itself to a nice structure to work within.

Maybe just throw out some words in true brainstorming fashion.

[Charlie Brown]

I do like the idea of communication, defined broadly, as a topic.

[JayBee]

Following up on the invitation to brainstorm themes, what about "stages." I had been thinking earlier about stages of life, so thus the notion of process. But stages are also settings, places where events (especially events such as ballets, symphonies, dramas, etc. take place). A few other interesting nuances via etymology: https://www.etymonline.com/word/stage. (I also very much like Joan Marie's suggestion of home, which I think also plays nicely within the notion of stage, and perhaps vice versa.)

[Pen]

I think the topic should be broad enough to allow for some creative space but narrow enough to reign it into something cohesive.

Good idea, a topic that's straightforward rather than complex - we don't want to scare away prospective contributors.

Taking some of the things that have been said, what about something like "Home" as a topic? Home is everything from a sanctuary to a prison isn't it? Again, we can develop a structure later, but I'm hoping we can get onto something that will offer a lot of leeway while lending itself to a nice structure to work within.

Maybe just throw out some words in true brainstorming fashion.

Hopefully sleep and dreams will inspire us all with more ideas, but in the meantime 'Home' sounds promising.

[Nemia]

Again, I think that we might have more than one topic, and we could treat each sub-topic like a tarot suit (I have this stubborn conviction that inner structure gives coherence, even if the observer/reader/user won't feel the structure).

If we have focal motifs like "Home", "Stage" and "Communication", we can explore each of them.

Home is on a scala between authentic, intimate, reassuring on the one end - a prison or narrow horizons on the other end. It's a suit about Myself.

Stage is where we put ideas into creative form - but also the place where we can't be completely ourselves because we have to play to the audience. It's a suit about Myself in the World. In Lenormand terms, it's the Garden.

Communication is between Myself and Others - neither as intimate as Home nor a public as Stage. There's also room for the technology topic here because we all use new methods of communication all the time. No oracle deck I know explores this aspect of our lives.

Just throwing out ideas here.

A topic like Stage is of course also great for a complete decks. Behind the scenes - different roles - the need for empathy - fake and real - collaboration - and also stages of development. Stage means words, pictures, movement. It's the juggler and King Lear, the political speech and the alternative theater of the marginalized.

Same with Home. The womb is our first home. We create homes, leave our imprint on them - then leave them and they become alien. Nothing is sadder than looking from the outside at a window where we used to sit as child on the windowsill, feeling completely At Home.

There are lots of aspects in each such topic that we can explore. Each of us will feel drawn to another aspect.

We need a good concept, otherwise the oracle won't work, and creating it will be chaotic and unpleasant. Each card needs to have a real core, a unique voice. This is something I missed in some of the oracles I looked at. I want an oracle to give real answers, like the tarot does.

[stronglove]

i really like the idea of an oracle deck, actually, i have been working on creating my own for quite a while now. i have more than 100 oracle decks that i work with on a regular basis, and have been ‘collecting’ keywords i want to use for a couple of years now.
what bothers me about this brainstorm thread is that none of the participants seems to have a more than superficial knowledge of what an oracle deck actually is, what it is for, how it can be used, what different types of systems or cohesive structures there are to base a deck on, and most important of all: nobody seems to actually use them a lot (the oracle section on this forum has hardly any posts)
this is exactly why i haven’t joined the discussion in this thread, because i don’t see how it could ever lead to the creation of something i would like to contribute to. for me it is not at all sufficient to just pick a theme and some keywords and then let people create some images to go with those keywords. that would totally miss the point of what, in my eyes, an oracle deck needs to be.
maybe i am being too pessimistic and too much of a spoilsport. if so, i’m sorry.
but i do think this idea of creating an oracle deck would benefit greatly if we could first start with an oracle reading circle/ deck of the week routine and share some of our readings and decks in order to create a more solid foundation for this project.
just my 2/5/10 cents....

the first thing that came to mind as a theme when i read about the oracle plan was: the journey within
so not a covid deck, but a deck inspired by the collective lockdown, that is providing us with the opportunity to discover more of our true self/selves, to unveil our hidden wisdom/potential/shadow self/selves
this idea was also inspired by working with melissae lucia’s oracle of initiation, my soul deck, the deck that i would take with me if i could only choose one. you can check it out here


http://oracleofinitiation.com/




this, to me, is the ultimate oracle. i don’t think we should try to create something similar, it is way too complex and intense, not something you can manage with a collective within a relative short timeframe. but we might aspire to something more than some haphazardly combined keywords and images connected to a random theme

btw kasia from tarot map has a lot of videos about amazing oracle decks and some great interviews with oracle creators

[Charlie Brown]

I think it's a little early to condemn the project to failure. I do agree, though, that our individual and collective levels of familiarity with reading oracles is something we should each and all keep in mind.

[Nemia]

Dear Stronglove, we need you here! I think the idea of studying oracle decks before creating one is very good. What does make an oracle good and useful?

[Joan Marie]

what bothers me about this brainstorm thread is that none of the participants seems to have a more than superficial knowledge of what an oracle deck actually is, what it is for, how it can be used, what different types of systems or cohesive structures there are to base a deck on, and most important of all: nobody seems to actually use them a lot (the oracle section on this forum has hardly any posts)

So strange. As I fell asleep last night I was thinking exactly this.

I definitely fall into this category of people not familiar enough with Oracles. As I was falling asleep my thoughts were that when I first suggested this idea, it was because I thought it would be somehow easier than doing a Tarot deck. I still do think it fits better right now but not for the reasons I originally thought. I still think an Oracle is, in a way, less constrictive creatively than a Tarot deck but I under-estimated the complexity of what it takes for one to really define itself, be useful and a powerful tool.

I was also thinking that, as far as I know (and I admit that isn't too far) there have been no "group" oracle decks. And I think we are now running up against the reason why.

I'm seeing this now as a massive creative challenge. In the best way!
This may prove a far more difficult project than a group Tarot deck.

I think the idea of studying oracle decks before creating one is very good. What does make an oracle good and useful?

Agree 100%.

I have started a new thread with this topic.

This "brainstorming" thread has I think served a fine purpose and brought out what is needed to start.
Many other fine ideas emerged, but I think stepping back to really examine Oracles is what we need to do right now.

With so many brilliant minds on this I know we can find our way together.

[Joan Marie]

the first thing that came to mind as a theme when i read about the oracle plan was: the journey within
so not a covid deck, but a deck inspired by the collective lockdown, that is providing us with the opportunity to discover more of our true self/selves, to unveil our hidden wisdom/potential/shadow self/selves

I think this is starting to incorporate a lot of the things people have been expressing up to now.

[Joan Marie]

but i do think this idea of creating an oracle deck would benefit greatly if we could first start with an oracle reading circle/ deck of the week routine and share some of our readings and decks in order to create a more solid foundation for this project.

I'm also very much down with this idea. I hope to see more people joining Deck of the Week with some Oracles. That would be great to see them and to see them in use.

Also with May fast approaching, would anyone like to host an Oracle Reading Circle? Please reply here or PM me if you are interested.

[stronglove]

what bothers me about this brainstorm thread is that none of the participants seems to have a more than superficial knowledge of what an oracle deck actually is, what it is for, how it can be used, what different types of systems or cohesive structures there are to base a deck on, and most important of all: nobody seems to actually use them a lot (the oracle section on this forum has hardly any posts)

So strange. As I fell asleep last night I was thinking exactly this.

I definitely fall into this category of people not familiar enough with Oracles. As I was falling asleep my thoughts were that when I first suggested this idea, it was because I thought it would be somehow easier than doing a Tarot deck. I still do think it fits better right now but not for the reasons I originally thought. I still think an Oracle is, in a way, less constrictive creatively than a Tarot deck but I under-estimated the complexity of what it takes for one to really define itself, be useful and a powerful tool.

I was also thinking that, as far as I know (and I admit that isn't too far) there have been no "group" oracle decks. And I think we are now running up against the reason why.

I'm seeing this now as a massive creative challenge. In the best way!
This may prove a far more difficult project than a group Tarot deck.

I think the idea of studying oracle decks before creating one is very good. What does make an oracle good and useful?

Agree 100%.

I have started a new thread with this topic.

This "brainstorming" thread has I think served a fine purpose and brought out what is needed to start.
Many other fine ideas emerged, but I think stepping back to really examine Oracles is what we need to do right now.

With so many brilliant minds on this I know we can find our way together.

thank you joan marie, you absolutely nailed it. again!
i really do think we can pull this off if we take enough time to figure out what we want and need in an oracle deck.
wouldn’t it be awesome if we could create the first ever collective oracle deck together?
will get some of my decks out to provide some examples of the different directions we can choose to take with this project, will post it in the new thread

[JulianneVictoria]

Sharing some suggestions I'm getting via facebook:

Kristine Gorman: 50 shades of quarantine? Levels of quarantine? Quarantine Epiphanies

Melissa Wotherspoon "The Toilet Paper Oracle - No Shit", Querent-ine Oracle, Each message could look like it's on a square of toilet paper - I'm not totally serious, but you said BRAINSTORM, so here we are

What about something like The Pot Luck Oracle, to compliment Button Soup?

[jobarghest]

Sharing some suggestions I'm getting via facebook:

Kristine Gorman: 50 shades of quarantine? Levels of quarantine? Quarantine Epiphanies

Melissa Wotherspoon "The Toilet Paper Oracle - No Shit", Querent-ine Oracle, Each message could look like it's on a square of toilet paper - I'm not totally serious, but you said BRAINSTORM, so here we are

What about something like The Pot Luck Oracle, to compliment Button Soup?

The cauldron-like, watery feel of that name is great! The only thing I might mention is that a Pot Luck is a term synonymous with the USA, as far as I know, it might make it harder to appeal internationally. Just something I wondered. Whenever I hear the phrase it conjures up confusing images of American grandmothers making beef stew and makes it difficult to relate to esoteric/tarot stuff- I'm not sure why (blame my weird subconscious lol).

[JulianneVictoria]

Sharing some suggestions I'm getting via facebook:

Kristine Gorman: 50 shades of quarantine? Levels of quarantine? Quarantine Epiphanies

Melissa Wotherspoon "The Toilet Paper Oracle - No Shit", Querent-ine Oracle, Each message could look like it's on a square of toilet paper - I'm not totally serious, but you said BRAINSTORM, so here we are

What about something like The Pot Luck Oracle, to compliment Button Soup?

The cauldron-like, watery feel of that name is great! The only thing I might mention is that a Pot Luck is a term synonymous with the USA, as far as I know, it might make it harder to appeal internationally. Just something I wondered. Whenever I hear the phrase it conjures up confusing images of American grandmothers making beef stew and makes it difficult to relate to esoteric/tarot stuff- I'm not sure why (blame my weird subconscious lol).

Ah, I wasn't sure if "pot luck" was only an American term. It actually means a gathering of people/a party where everyone brings a dish/food to share, and because no one really knows what there will be to eat or whether it will be delicious or not, it's anyone's luck if they will like what there is. I was thinking since the Oracle will be made of cards created by many others, like many contributing a dish to eat at a party, Pot Luck Oracle could be a fun name. But, not a good option outside of America (and maybe Canada).

[Joan Marie]

O.M.G.

This is either a horrible terrible idea or the best idea ever.
I think there is no middle ground.

Please look at this post, and comment there or, better here. (I put a link back to here for comments.)

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2772


Seriously, what do you think. Do not humor me. tell me what you really think, but give it a minute to sink in.

[reall]

ok, just to add some *oil to this Brainstorm I think it's important to have good summary basics of what we have here! JM feel free to edit this post way you feel fit!

lets start with basic facts!

imo All Good/Well known/Popular/used Oracle decks are either based on well known System (Lenormand,Kipper,Sibbila,Tarot etc) or Theme that serve as a glue for whole deck (ie cats, flowers, trees, animals, etc) & usually have general or special Topic they are meant to cover(i.e, love, past lifes, affirmations, etc)

so what we have here so far is:
1) We Are Creating Collective Oracle deck

2) that is based on *free system open to personal interpretation rather than some of strict well known traditional systems mentioned above

3) Topic we are trying to cover with this deck is sort of Advanced General Perdonal Developement Oracle Divination? it is meant to be used for consulting & reading a future for individual most common questions such as love job health etc but should cover general & global level divination & inquiry as well as help personal development & shadowork?

4) We are yet to decide if we are about to pick specific Theme But according to what we have here so far how about Oracle Visions Cards with scenes of what those visions could look like from Ancient time to present? like what you think how these famous Oracles know specific things & what will happen? let say they had visions (from blurry muddy feeling to crystal clear photo style!?:) imo this would cover all sorts of artstyles & work as perfect glue for whole deck!

Also what sorts of answers/messages would you like to get from these cards?

also here is short visualization practice for everyone to help you Brainstorm!

Imagine this: "one late evening you somehow ended up alone up in a awesome Victorian style castle. Wondering around you open a door surprised seeing old lady bent over a kitchen table, as expecting your visit she looks up and invites you to sit, saying there is something you need to know. You take step closer getting better look at cards in front of her, marveling it does not resemble anything you've seen before ( you know because you have been learning about this & other divination system before & have stash of decks &books at home!)

Lady says:"These cards have message for you,,," but before she is to elaborate, you say "oh! I know! I can see it clearly myself it's evident from card design!"

what did you see? how does this card look like? how can you tell its meaning & interpret with ease? What is the messahge this card have for you?





i'll also add regardless of 3) & 4) if cards are meant to be used for Divination/Prediction rather than *personal development affirmation or shadowwork, it would be wise to look at older models & decide will you include: subjects (such as Man & Lady & Child been most common?) & events & feelings, & ambient/setting (such as home, public, city, nature etc) other card group etc? (& if yes how many of each?)
also what sort of message should these represent? (personal, general, positive, negative etc?)

that's all i have for now! & my personal opinion as usual feel free to disagre & hope it gives your something to think about & don't be shy to share your ideas! anything is good as it can lead us to Next Best Thing!

All Best!
MyLuckyCard
reall/Irena

[reall]

What about something like The Pot Luck Oracle, to compliment Button Soup?

The cauldron-like, watery feel of that name is great! The only thing I might mention is that a Pot Luck is a term synonymous with the USA, as far as I know, it might make it harder to appeal internationally. Just something I wondered. Whenever I hear the phrase it conjures up confusing images of American grandmothers making beef stew and makes it difficult to relate to esoteric/tarot stuff- I'm not sure why (blame my weird subconscious lol).

What about Black Cauldron Oracle? we already have Soup,,, And it would also go well with Bohemian Gotic humor?:D

[reall]

Ok, if no one thinks Divine Oracle is Good idea!:)
Let's Get Back to Origin: Cat Oracle!;)
Inspired by ebay listing statements :"we have cats, but cats don't read cards!" Totally sound like lol they Could!:D

So What Would your cat tell you if it would know/be allowed to read your cards & what would these reading cards advices & tips be?;)