Hi Di,

I'm not sure if this is 'off-topic' or not, but I too started working on a new Tarot deck. Unfortunately I'm not gifted at art like Jeannie is, so my 'deck' is far more of an 'idea' than an actual production. In fact, I have no plans to actually finish this deck on my own mainly because I don't have the artistic ability.

However, on the topic of "updating" some of the meanings of the cards, this is actually a large part of my incentive to create a new deck.

The biggest change that I've made is to change the suit of Swords into a suit of 'Quills' (writing pens).

My reason for this change is partly personal, but has also been driving by my studies into pagan folklore as well. Swords are a symbol of Air, and Air is the symbol of logic, reason, and communication. I personally believe that the sword became associated with this symbol partly because people who had the most powerful armies also had the ability to spread their logic, reason, and communication, throughout the land.

Another reason that swords might have been associated with Air is because many people find logic and communication difficult. Especially in terms of "decision making". So swords became a suit of trials and tribulations. They also became a 'bloody mess'

It was all just too negative for me. To me, Air (logic, reason, and communication) are wonderful beautiful things that we should celebrate and we should view decisions and communication opportunities rather than as 'obstacles'.

So I have an agenda to change Swords into a far more positive and optimist suit of 'Quills' (the Quills representing the idea that when confronting these kinds of problems start WRITING! or communicating. That's the idea behind the Quills.

The "meanings" would still be very similar to what they had meant in Swords. In other words, they would still represent the same situations in life, the only difference is that they would respresent a more positive outlook on approaching those situations.

Symbolism is the key to Tarot, so if a situation can be depicted in a postive light, why not do so?

I also personally feel that Pamela Colman Smith put her own depressing view onto the suit of Swords when she was hired to paint the Rider-Waite deck (which became the most popular deck)

But then again, Swords are a weapon, there can be no doubt about that. This is why I would like to change Swords to Quills.

That would take me from being the King of Swords to being the King of Quills.

Although that's not my motive.

I have many other changes that I have made to the deck as well (even though I haven't actually created the artwork for it yet).

I did start to sketch out the Fool card. My deck is based on the "Inner Child" so I depict the Fool as a baby.

I am not proud of this 'artwork' as it is a very crude sketch I creaed in PC Paint that came with Windows. But I do like the overall idea.



Every card would have this same border. The lower left is Earth (or Pentacles). About midway up the left vine border you see a 'blue' fairy who is pouring "pentacles" out of a golden pot and the pentacles are getting larger as they fall to Earth.

(I would like to do this artwork far better. Like I say this is just a rough sketch of an idea)

The upper left corner of every card contains the Sun which represent Fire which is represented by the suit of Wands. The wands are shown as flares spiraling off the sun.

The upper right corner show the element Air which was Swords, but I now portray as Feathery Quills.

The lower right corner represent the element Water which is Cups (or Chalices). (there are cups floating in the sea)

This is the Fool, card number zero. The fool is depicted as a baby. The baby has one foot on a cliff and the other foot dangling in the air just over the edge of the cliff (the cliff and mountain are not shown in this rough sketch). The child has his trusty companion dog with him which is a standard symbol in Tarot and has a story behind it as well.

I also adorned the baby "Fool" with a magician's hat and a magic wand showing that the human spirit has the ability to create from birth even before the human has a clue that it is indeed creating its own reality.

The other thing that I truly wanted to drive home with this Fool card is that, at least in my deck, the Fool represent innocence more than anything else.

My deck is designed for good spirits, by the way.

I see no reason to embrace hostility at all. Let hostile people find their own deck.

I've also changed up some of the traditional meanings of the Major Arcana as follows.

Hierophant changed to "Guru" (or personal mentor)
The idea here being that a Guru doesn't necessarily need to have anything at all to do with religion

Wheel of "Fortune" renamed to Wheel of "Opportunity"
the idea here is that we should seek opportunties to explore and not simply wait for 'fortune' to come our way.

Justice changed to Creativity.
The reasons for this are rather long-winded

Hanged Man changed to Hanged Fae
Because this is a metaphorical cerebral hanging

Devil changed to the Horned God
Again lots of explanation required for this one

Judgment changed to Enlightenment
Because it's not a judgment at all, it's a realization

That's pretty much it.

If this was 'off-topic' I apologize. But it was about Tarot cards.

Abra, have you made any other cards besides the Fool?

Those are good changes in names and interpretations. I wish you would complete the deck.

I prefer the traditional symbolism because it is more ingrained in the subconscious. Also because life is not always a bowel of cherries, that's what makes it interesting. Life is not all 'good spirits.' There is the dark and there is the light. If you ignore the dark, you cannot find the balance. Its like ignoring a problem that needs to be solved.

I have spent a lot of time learning the traditional meanings and developing my own system, and I just want to improve on that rather than try to learn or invent a new one. That would be like going to college for three years to become a lawyer and then decide to switch to becoming a doctor. I'm not that smart, I need to focus on one thing at a time until I get it right, then move to the next.


I read on the Internet that a person would have to be crazy to design a tarot deck. I guess I am triple crazy now.. I've done three so far. I may even do another one.


I have another major arcana deck in the works that is almost finished that I will be giving to people who purchase my E-book on how to make your own tarot cards. They will get the designs free and they can print and laminate them at home. It will be a 24 card major arcana deck.

these are beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JB - I think your idea of melding cards is a must and using the traditional formats will probably make your deck more appealing. I really do like the artwork. I think the art often draws a person to it and if a reader feels drawn to the deck, I think they do a better job.

Abra - I am quite taken by your creative updates. While I like keeping the idea of the tradition behind the readings, I do believe we need to add more modern elements - it just seems to help new readers relate to current events. People like JB who have a strong background in the tradational cards are probably quicker to translate in more modern terms. But new readers would likely be more drawn to a modernized deck with more modern connections.

Does that make sense? It does to me - but I'm hungry and the dog is driving me nuts - I think she's telling me (the cards say "take me out".)

I hope both of you JB and Abra will keep us updated on your project.

I got extremely inspired by all this Tarot talk.

I decided to desing my own deck, at least conceptually.

As some of you noticed, I am a jokester. As all of you noticed, I say strange things. As some of you misakenly think, I am out to displease the whole world. As some of you understand me, I keep on churning out my own humour.

So please think of my modernized Tarot deck in the spirit I designed them.

The Dredge – woman bending over needlework; converse half, man filling out income tax forms.

The Telepath – TV and radio waves coming out of the mind of a man; converse half, woman’s hand raised heals the blind.

The Geek – Man in horned-rim glasses and a pocket protector; converse, a woman reaching into ‘fridge.

The Doctor – Woman with long head and long nose, looking closely at a child through a stethoscope; man doing lower intestine mirroring.

The Teach – Man with dark beard and hair, drinking cup of mix of tea and coffee; woman looking over her glasses, gray hair.

The Lover – Woman: Too much make-up, short skirt. Man, tall, dark and handsome, extremely confidet and self-contended smile, maybe horns growing out of his scalp.

The House – House broken in; converse, same house remodelled by the insurance company.

The Visitor – Woman, about thirty, looking angry. Converse, man greeting his old class mate.

The Rag – man, playing piano. Woman, looking angry.

The Shyster – Baby, on the throne. Converse, dog pulls owner out the door at end of leash.

The Pirate – Man, looks like traditional pirate. Woman, leaning over man, while his wife is breastfeeding their baby.

The Jokester – Face of Palin; Face of Joe Clark, P.M. of Canada for eighteen days.

The Afterlife – late night bar, empty but for one man dancing neck-to-neck with himself; converse, seventy-seven virgins not letting a man alone and constantly pestering him.

The Almighty – The portrait of Dr. Clark Davidson, Minister of Health, UK. The portrait of Monica Lewinski.

The Priestess – Tammy Faye Bakker. His Holiness, Puncius XXXXXXXXXXVII. (Eighth-century pontiff.)

The Roadmaker – Engineer man surveying. Female hitchhiker.

The Rainmaker – A cherub with knees crossed and looking needy and worried. An old woman and her cup of coffee.

The Chalice – Alice Chains. See Hal ice his airplane.

Great group of cards Wux! They would be fun to do. I have an idea for a deck called "The New World Order" deck. It would star world leaders and politicians. The "Tower" is a picture of 9-11, which was actually a very symbolic event in the matrix.

I agree, only adding that it was a very symbolic event in the other matrix as well.

A personal card reading about my tarot card project:

Also: How do you like my card back?





1: NINE OF CUPS (My card shows a man who has rubbed a lamp and released a magic genie. He gets his wish. Behind him are ten cups on a shelf. The genie reaches out from the vapor and takes hold of something real with her left hand as she manifests from the fog into the real world.)

At the personal level, the Nine of Cups indicates contentment with the way things are. The nine of cups is known as the wish card. In the past position, it is an energy of having gotten what you want and feeling very pleased. For me, it is a feeling of being pleased with what I have created in my tarot deck.

Nine of cups:
having your wish fulfilled
achieving what you desire
obtaining your goal
getting what you think you want
having your dream come true
feeling satisfied
indulging in a little smugness
enjoying the situation just as it is
feeling pleased as punch
getting the results you hoped for
feeling all's well with the world
being contented

2. JUSTICE: (My card shows justice, a woman, standing on the world in front of a pair of scales. She is holding her left hand over her heart to shield her emotions, and she wields a sword in her right hand to defend her cause and the enforce her justice.)

Justice, is the action of karma - cause and effect.

Sometimes Justice is a signal to do what needs to be done. A time comes when responsibilities must be accepted, and accounts settled. The past will continue to haunt you if you do not recognize your mistakes and make amends for them. You will need to weigh matters carefully and perhaps make important decisions about your future course.

handling the situation
doing what has to be done
preparing for a decision
weighing all sides of an issue
setting a course for the future
balancing all factors


determining right action
choosing with full awareness
understanding cause and effect
accepting the results you created
seeing how you chose your situation
recognizing the action of karma
knowing that what is makes sense
making connections between events


3. TEMPERANCE: (My card pictures a woman mixing a potion for a soldier. It could be a love potion or one for good health.)

To be temperate is to show moderation and self-restraint. In a world full of enticing indulgences, it is often necessary to find the middle ground. Sensible, maybe, but also a bit boring? The energy of Temperance may seem unexciting on the surface, but it is the calm of a hurricane's eye. All around are swirling winds, but in the center is a still point that brings everything into balance.

In readings, Temperance can represent a need for moderation, especially when extreme cards are present (such as the Knights). This card can also indicate a need for balance. In conflict situations, Temperance suggests that compromise and cooperation are vital. Look for any opportunity to bring opposing parties together. In fact, to temper can mean to modify by adding a new component. By combining and recombining, we come up with the ideal mixture or solution. Temperance is the card of good health in all areas - physical, mental and emotional. When illness or dis-ease is a concern, Temperance holds out the promise of vitality and well-being.

gathering together what is needed
joining with others
consolidating
finding the right mix
creating synthesis
getting it all together

Amazing deck from what I have seen. You do great work. Really digging the work on the back.

Wow Wux - fascinating. I always wanted to be trend setter but with all you people to compete with - I'm glad I never go serious about it. I actually like you ideas though, it would take some of the tension out of a reading anyway.

Wow - JB, and you were worried about too detail in your own handpainted deck. Apparently you need the detail, so don't let too much of it go.

Interesting topic.

I like the back of your card.

As they say, a truly good-looking card is just as good looking from the front as from behind.

There are many other ways of taking the tension out.

Hoo, boy, you shouldn't have brought this up, Redy. Now I have to go and find a block of ice to sit on.

You see, this is my time of the month. (Please don't ask for an exlanation. Let it be sufficient to say that my "time of the month" comes up twice or three times a month, maybe four, if I'm lucky. What with the diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, old age and too much brain.)

My cards:

After making a few decks I have decided that I am going to just sell the printed sheets and let the buyer laminate and cut them. Its a lot of work and too expensive for me to purchase enough laminate sheets to do even 50 decks.

I want to get back to designing cards, I don't want to spend my life in the production department.

So I print them on double sided matt brochure paper and I have adjusted the color in Acrobat professional so that the printed cards look just like they did on my computer screen including color, contrast, etc. They look awesome!

The biggest problem in printing these cards is getting the back printed on the other side so that they line up. If your printer is off a tad bit, they will be off center. So I made the backs a bit larger so they would bleed past the cutting line.

Another option I am considering is selling a digital package of pdf files that you can just print yourself. That way, you can print more than one deck. But before I do that I am going to have to make sure I have my copyright registered.

I would suggest to print a multiple of cards on a sheet, and their backs on the same sheet. Then cut them with a paper cutter concentrating on the backs to be uniform.

This way the face may be off-center, but it's not so crucial for the reading as to make it impossible for the reader to tell the cards from the back.

Of course you could always re-visit my first suggestion, and make the card backs unique, so the future of people will not be so haphazard, but instead, the reader can have some say in how the lives of customers will unfold.

That is an excellent idea. I have been concentrating on cutting the fronts first and hoping the backs line up. The only drawback would be the title and the numbers on the fronts which are at the top and the bottom, but the problem I have been having is the side cuts. I will try this as a solution. I have got them lined up pretty good now but it has been a real pain.

As for making the card backs unique, that is not going to happen. What card readers want is a card back that looks the same reversed as it does right side up so they can't even tell if a card is in the reverse position.

I would never want to 'have any say' on how the lives of any customers will unfold. That is entirely up to them. Besides, I always let the person I am reading pick the cards for the reading.

Well then, there is your problem solved.

Your customers will never know what card is what even if the edges are not straight.

If you are still worried: Print and a cut a new deck for every customer. Make them pay for your expenses. Give them the cards after the reading. They shall be ecstatic, and will recommend you to lots more potential customers. You could raise your prices to cut back on the demand for you. (Assuming elasticity of demand vis-a-vis pricing.)

You are so funny. If I lived in a big city that would probably work and people would love it.

I finally did figure out how to line up the front and back. They look awesome.

Wux, ask me a question and I will do a reading on in.

I did a reading for You WUX.

All I can say is don't give up on hope. Look for the positive. Accept what is and make the best of it. Resistance manifests unhappiness and pain.

The cards are just beautiful Jeanniebean. Makes me want to learn about tarot instead of just having readings done.