Sometimes, the Laurel is strong in me...

[jducoeur]

I try not to be a snob. Really, I do.

But now I go to the homepage of the East Kingdom Soothsayers' Guild (which gives as a mission statement, "Its members explore and practice period techniques of divination.") -- and the picture on the front page features a Tarot spread. Not just that: a spread using a Ryder/Waite-style deck, in a typical modern arrangement.

*Twitch*.

Sometimes, it really sucks to know a little too much about the subject...

Comments

[mikekn]

Yeah, that one annoys me as well. So far I've resisted asking them about it (and tarot in general) because it's not an argument I want to get into.

It might be nice to do a history of tarot class at Pennsic, to help balance out the tarot reading classes I've seen there.

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

I recently was at Fenmere, and had almost that exact same *twitch*, as someone was talking about doing a tarot-reading class. I restrained myself from comment. Subsequent conversation showed that they were at least aware that it was a non-period usage, though that didn't seem to be slowing them down any.

[sjo.livejournal.com]

That's not being a snob. That's having an idea of WHICH CENTURY a particular card deck was invented!

Seems to me that if one is going to "explore and practice" something, one ought to know some basics about the tools of the trade. My opinion anuyway.

I think I'd twitch too, had I seen it. *twitch*

[jducoeur]

Part of the problem is that I'm strongly sensitive to tarot in general -- it's the only major form of divination invented *since* the Renaissance, but it's the one that everyone assumes is obviously period. And being a specialist in period games, and thus highly interested in the use of Tarot in their original use as playing cards, I'm very attuned to it.

(I'm fond of Tarot, and do readings myself from time to time. But I hate it when people who should know better say that it's period.)

But yes, the 20th-century-style deck and Eden Gray spread are the icing on the cake. I dearly wish they could at least show a Renaissance-style deck in the picture. They're not that hard to obtain any more -- I've got half a dozen...

[metageek.livejournal.com]

it's the only major form of divination invented *since* the Renaissance

Somehow, the notion of inventing new forms of divination strikes me as inspiring. Maybe I should create a form of divination based on networking. Let's see...take the past month's worth of the subject's email, generate the MD5, and use it as a key into Google...

...or maybe I need more sleep. :-)