Thursday, September 14, 2023

No need to update

 

Just a reminder:
When working with old decks like Lenormand, Kipperkarten, Sibilla, etc. there is no need to add cards in order to "update" them. Don't innovate, don't modernize, don't tamper. You can put the meanings in a modern context - the Rider can be your car rather than a horse - but leave the image alone. Everything is already built into the system. What goes on now went on then, albeit sometimes less openly. People are people.

They even said "fuck."


 

4 comments:

  1. 100%. This is something that genuinely bewilders me. All successful card systems survive because they encompass all facets of life. The Rider's breeches might be dated, but the core signification is as relevant today. Get acquainted with the deck, and you'll see how the breeches might be pants and the horse a car, but the visitors are still at the door.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, and if you change the horse, you lose the livestock interpretation and a few others. Any little bit of meddling causes problems.

      Delete
    2. Exactly; however, simple and twee the pictures first look, there is a lot there. Changing the Dog to Cat will cancel out the employee/colleague stuff. Sure, one of my cats will fetch. But she wouldn’t put food on the table. If the Garden is someone’s actual garden rather than an open public space, how can it talk of social networking or fraternities?

      I know some say there meanings stay the same — but if that is so, why don’t we just read 36 blank pieces of paper?

      Delete
    3. Why not take a hammer to a Swiss watch? Those cards are a fine precision instrument.

      Delete

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