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Popular Culture Tarot Deck!

01:51 / 18.09.03

I have recently realised that both of the decks that I have are good for me to divine information from, however when attempting to explain what specific cards mean to other people I have problems and would like the viewer to gain instantaneously more relation to the cards. Looking at the Victoria Regina deck, which includes Oscar Wilde as the king of wands gave me the idea, what if we tapped our common resource between reader and viewer of popular culture?

Would it not be easier to explain Homer going over Springfield Gorge on a skateboard to someone as a representation of the Fool card? Keyser Soze as the mage representing his mercurial, changeable nature? Hugh Hefner as the Devil? Or even, … David Blane as *gasp* the Hermit?!?!

Who or what would you put in the major cards of this deck, what would each of them represent and what layout pictorially would these cards have. I’m looking for input here as I may make it as my final project for my degree and appreciate the collective input of all y’all, being more knowledgeable on such matters than I. Do remember I’m tryin to find a common ground, so no real obscure people out of Babylon 5 and the like.

Alternatively, do you just think this is a flawed idea with little merit?
Spill your gut reactions.
Cheers for your time
Pot.

02:37 / 18.09.03

Hmmm... I think as an analogy for those who want to access the understanding of the Tarot, this may be a worthwhile endeavor. However, such a task has to be done quickly, as Pop Culture shifts shape seasonally. You must make RULES, too. If you're doing this for self-gratification and fun, fine, go to town with whatever YOU think the most apropriate answer to "Nine of Wands" is. But if you want to make this for a certain kind of person or audience you should choose a sharp and small demographic that many people overlap into... like "people who watch MTV". And then choose the nine of wands as specifically seen from that view. I think an analogy Tarot could be done for anything, like men who work on cars, or women who shop only at Somerset Mall, or kids who watch Yu-Gi-Oh consistently. It's just making sure that each cards relates to every other card thematically.

Like i would suggest using Madonna Ciccone Ritchie for the High Priestess ..."Time, Change and You are all the same thing". And Carson Daly & TRL as the Heirophant... "all things must evolve". I'd even make Dr. Phil as The Aeon or Judgment. Hollywood works as both The Moon AND The Star. Trinity and Neo are a great The World. Hugh Hefner is more like Strength. I'd make Fred Phelps the Devil. I suppose I'm better at Major Arcana...

06:36 / 18.09.03

I'm afraid that the tower must be the WTC collapsing. It is so scary fucking close to both the image & the concept.

You'd need modern versions of cups,pentacles,wands & swords. Which roughly correspond to the alchemical elements of water, earth, fire & air. Preferable something "tool" like that can be used in the images.

Perhaps you make the major arcarna media and pop culter and the minor arcarna just normal modern people enacting the meanings of the cards. I like the idea of a photographic tarot but it's just too big a project.

10:26 / 18.09.03

Yeah, a photo Tarot requires all kindsa props and scenery.
I was thinking about this the other day, the problem is (as Chesed says) it gets dated so quickly. You need really famous people who will be recognisable some years hence. Like Buffy for Strength, say.

You could have the suits as modern equivalents of the suit symbols, for coins you could have credit cards, cups cans of soft drinks or latte's, wands keys, swords mobile phones or pens. As long as they symbolise the right ideas for the suits, modern symbols could be any common objects. The suits are only called what they are because they were common objects when the Tarot was originated- swords and staves, coins and cups, they're everyday items.

10:40 / 18.09.03

* coins = credit cards, it's a bit abstract. coins could still work today, maybe modern coins?
* cups = lattes, not sure that lattes bring the right mood for the suit.
* wands - keys, I like that, very simple and common item. Could use images of keyrings to good effect.
* swords = phones/pens. I like pens better, more basic item. phones have too much baggage. But I guess they are more pop culture and quite 'air'y

I found a silly picture I drew years ago of bart simpson as the Magican. The suits I used were

* swords - not sure (maybe tv guide)
* wands - tv remote
* cups - beer
* pentacles - donut

12:57 / 18.09.03

thanks for all the replys people, I do agree that even though the deck is based around popular culture it must have a timeless quality, However I feel that most of the characters suggested as so far do have that going for them.

It will take a damned long time to produce, but it is supposed to be a half a years work for my final media degree project combining photography, photoshop and DTP skills.

I'd kinda decided that it would be personalities for all the major arcana and court cards and whatever stuff I could find relevant for the basic suits, perhaps new versions of the Waite cards as I find them fairly descriptive to read from.

So far I love all the ideas

keep em comin
more later
Pot.

13:10 / 18.09.03

lattes reflect a cafe culture, you meet someone for a coffee, you come up for coffee, it's a social symbol. Beer works just as well but doesn't have the romantic connotations necessary to the suit as much.
Coins don't have the value they used to, but you could do the scenes more easily with them as props.
You could have the suits as Drinks (cups), Meals (pentacles), Computers (swords, air) and something for wands, to make the scenes easier (social scenes, family scenes, work scenes, activity scenes)
Wait, you could have the suits Work, Home, Love and Thought or something... nah.
I'm rambling, must stop now

13:28 / 18.09.03

coins as clocks??

14:09 / 18.09.03

Elseware: sadly true about the tower - I'd been working on a personal deck for a while when it happened and I kind of had to do it. Never did get the emotional fortitude to add the falling people. There's Rider-Waite block prints, and then there's news footage...

I've been using Big Time Events (and unknown/archetypal people) for major arcana, personalities for court cards, and songs/episodes/small events for the other minor arcana. Dunno how well that'd work for the original question.

I really like the suits ideas - I haven't gotten much beyond the major arcana, Cups, and image collection because I'm not sure what to do with the others. Woot. thanks for the ideas.

14:53 / 18.09.03

I've been sitting here thinking should I help? Should I wait? Personally, I think Rider Waite is THE definitive deck, and thus THE Popular Culture deck. But like I said before, making a deck that allows for more people to access it, I'm all for. But so you don't get hung up on "Swords" in pop culture, here's a primer from me to you:

Cups: Water: Compassion how does Pop Culture "feel" for its separate parts?

Swords: Air: Analysis how does Pop Culture "think" about its separate parts?

Wands: Fire: Volition how does Pop Culture collectively behave with volition?

Pentacles: Earth: Manifestation how does Pop Culture collectively manifest itself?

A lot of people will get hung up on the idea that since the Emotions are often attributed to Water, they must also be Cups and likewise with Body/Pentacles, Imagination/Soul/Wands, and Mind/Swords. The four elements are interchangeable as they each have several attributions that fit different purposes trhoughout the Tarot. Never think A=B=C! Try to remain thinking A=B because Z means X , and B=C because Z means X. It takes longer, but it helps maintain clarity.

10: Reality

9: Imagination: Dreams

8: Reason: Individual Truth

7: Emotion: Individual Love

6: Harmony: Individual Peace in Reality

5: Judgement: Social War

4: The Give: Social Work

3: Understanding: Universal Silence

2: Inspiration: Universal Change

1: Unity: EVERYTHING

I gotta go to lunch... maybe this'll help a bit(?)

20:32 / 18.09.03

I found a very cool popular culture tarot deck online a while back - check this out. It's all movie-related, very cool and lots of fun!

http://www.hollywoodtarot.com