Discovering The Lost Tarot - A Preview + Mini Reading
It never ceases to amaze me the projects that pop up on Kickstarter, and it seems that this really is the go to method to get an indie deck published these days. I can certainly see the appeal of wanting to test a market before putting something to print. In addition, raising extra money in theory will help you up the quality and features of said product, so that's a nice added bonus for the campaigns that get that far.
The Lost Tarot is another such deck that's hit my radar and that really instantly appealed to my sense of aesthetics. It is both rich in design and story and appears to leave no detail unturned. To give you an idea, here is the image of the world and the card backs which I absolutely love - look at that gold!
I've recently had the pleasure of chatting with Hans Bauer; screenwriter, photographer, producer and now tarot deck creator, and he graciously sent along the images for the 22 Major Arcana and 4 Aces so I could showcase them here. Yes - it's a majors-only (+ 4 aces) deck for the time being with the idea that a full deck is to come. With that being said, I think it's worth mentioning that there is still plenty you could do with a majors-only deck - especially one as lush as this. Here are some ideas:
Treat it like an oracle, adding a splash or layer at the end of a larger reading.
Use it to address your soul's journey with a three card Past-Present-Future spread i.e. What stage of the journey am I leaving? What stage of the journey am I in? What stage is on the horizon?
Aesthetically, these would make lovely altar pieces. I like to talk about working with tarot, especially the Major Arcana, very consciously and altar display is a lot of that. What I mean is, I will select a card to invoke a particular attribute or state of mind for example, The Sun for optimism or The High Priestess for Intuition.
If that isn't enough to convince you, let's take it for a test drive, shall we? I've set up a little pick-a-card below and using the theme of the soul's journey, I want you to close your eyes, take a deep breath and think about where you've been and where you are. When you're ready, you will select the card you're most drawn to and this will represent a lesson you're currently being tasked to learn and overcome. I'll put a more detailed interpretation below the images.
When you have your card selected, scroll down further to see the results!
Card 1 - The Tower: Your current soul lesson is all about learning to let go when there is nothing left to cling to. The Tower, unlike death, doesn't let us stealthily dodge change. The Tower disrupts and discards on its own accord and trying to grasp at those fallen pieces would be futile. The lesson here is to allow and know that what is coming apart was not yours to begin with. There is greener grass waiting to grow beneath the rubble, so make no attempt to reconstruct what is braking or broken.
Card 2 - The Sun: With the summer solstice just passed in the Northern Hemisphere, the lesson for your soul is quite similar to the natural state or cycle we find currently in nature. Now is not the time to hide or shrug away. Instead, it is time to acknowledge what it is that brings you joy and unabashedly pursue this with optimism and rigor. Even if you see no clear path, even if it defies logic or other people's standards or opinions, pursuit of bliss is the only way.
Card 3 - The Wheel: There are natural cycles and patterns at work in your life, and your soul lesson at this time is to understand how they are either propelling you forward or holding you back. This is neither about luck or karma in a moral sense. This is about looking at the themes that are being highlighted for you now, which you have seen repeated in the past, and beginning to break whatever cycles you find yourself in. Unless you acknowledge this honesty and objectively, The Wheel will forever spin until you make intentional movement against the grain.
I hope you've enjoyed your mini reading and having a look at these gorgeous cards. It's definitely not a minimal/modern deck - this is full bodied and rich. I don't have a preference either way as both styles hold space in my collection with the caveat that they must be done right. And while I can't sample the physical cards, I have hopes that the printing and card stock will be taken seriously, making this a high quality piece to add to your collection. There is also a really fascinating backstory which you can read more about on the Kickstarter page along with a full showing of all the cards you'd be investing in. Have a look and if it speaks to you, help bring it to life!
Julia