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| Posted: Thu Jan 31st, 2008 04:43 pm |
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AdamMcLean
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I just found the Soulworkers Tarot by Heather Pedley, published in the UK. It appears it has just come out.
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| Posted: Thu Jan 31st, 2008 08:44 pm |
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2nd Post |
gregory
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The website says the cards are "unlike any others". Well, leaving aside that I should hope so too; I don't want to be seeing a clone of a deck I already know - why are they; what makes them SO special ? Seriously.....
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| Posted: Thu Jan 31st, 2008 11:28 pm |
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ahclem
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gregory wrote:
what makes them SO special ? Seriously.....
Well, the ebay listing says that, "The images are given to her from divine beings who reside in the non-physical, or spirit worlds."
Given that she claims copyright for the images ("All Rights Reserved"), I'm guessing that the intellectual property laws must be a bit different in those worlds.
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| Posted: Thu Jan 31st, 2008 11:32 pm |
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| Posted: Thu Jan 31st, 2008 11:50 pm |
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skad1
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God, I love this forum.  No matter how stressed out I am, I can get a good laugh here!   
By the Way, her 'special beings' are skinny things that are obviously not of this world, they'd need more leg than that in our gravity. But I don't know what other world they'd be from  The world of wanna be artists who found an easy way to make money???:pz
I keep trying to put that funky question mark in, but all I get is the . I wonder what 'devine being' is interfering in my post?
Just a note, my bosses last name is Devine, and I am writing this at work. (as I nervously look over shoulder) These icons really show it up that I'm not doing real work!:shock:
Last edited on Fri Feb 1st, 2008 12:10 am by skad1
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| Posted: Sat Feb 2nd, 2008 03:27 pm |
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Papageno357
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OMG I missed this gem
LMAO!!!
good one Ahclem
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| Posted: Mon Feb 4th, 2008 04:04 pm |
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7th Post |
AdamMcLean
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I received my copy of the Soulworkers Tarot today. I think it is easy to be unkind about a deck based on the person's motivation and inspiration. After all, it is just a matter of language. Some people might see their inspiration coming from their perception of a spiritual world, while others might say they are resonating with the collective unconscious, and others will say they are inspired by their dreams - it is all the same in the end.
I found the Soulworkers Tarot quite original in its conception of some cards. For example the two female arcana of the High Priestess and the Empress, present the forms emerging out the landscape. The Devil is rather original with the figure of a little devil trying to pull the central figure off of the straight chequered path into a ravine. The Tower is quite unusual, with a large rectangular block of stone, like a standing stone, being split by a bolt of lightning so that only one section falls away. The Moon is also rather fine with three moons in the sky and the two dogs baying at the moon moved to one side, so that the central figure of the crab in the sea is given prominence.
I really find the artwork of this deck quite appealing. It is a little bit reminiscent of the artwork style of Joelle Balle's Le Tarot d'Or.
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 Last edited on Mon Feb 4th, 2008 04:07 pm by AdamMcLean
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| Posted: Fri Feb 8th, 2008 10:40 pm |
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8th Post |
OnePotato
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Her art is reasonably sweet.
I think it's nice.
If I were to nitpick, I would take off points for the typeset "The" in the titles. It's completely out of character with the handwritten portion, and throws the whole thing into looking like it's too insecure to just go with the whole "handmade" thing....
And of course, amateur attempts at homegrown "marketing" can so often lead to problems...
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| Posted: Sat Feb 9th, 2008 12:11 pm |
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9th Post |
AdamMcLean
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OnePotato wrote:
If I were to nitpick, I would take off points for the typeset "The" in the titles. It's completely out of character with the handwritten portion, certainly is a strange feature
This certainly is a strange feature.
And of course, amateur attempts at homegrown "marketing" can so often lead to problems...
I am not sure this is a marketing strategy. She seems to be someone convinced of her psychic abilities. Often such people are quite serious and not at all cynical and manipulative. There are those who use this idea of channelling as a way of giving their work some spritual authority, while others, and I suspect Heather Pedley is in this category, genuinely see their work being guided by some spirits.
I just tend to look at the resulting work and see the artist's source of inspiration or way in which they saw themselves creating the piece as adding to the background for the work.
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gregory
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Whatever her reason, it does seem a pity; it is out of place... I wish she had done them in the same font as the rest.....
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Papageno357
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AdamMcLean wrote: I am not sure this is a marketing strategy. She seems to be someone convinced of her psychic abilities. Often such people are quite serious and not at all cynical and manipulative. There are those who use this idea of channelling as a way of giving their work some spritual authority, while others, and I suspect Heather Pedley is in this category, genuinely see their work being guided by some spirits.
I just tend to look at the resulting work and see the artist's source of inspiration or way in which they saw themselves creating the piece as adding to the background for the work.
but the art establishment IS cynical, manipulative and predjudiced, hence, your frustration with their dismissive attitude towards Hermetic art in general. Marketing and perception is more than half the battle......
edited:
I will say, however, that the artwork is charming and has a very Alice in Wonderland sort of quality to it that makes it rather endearing...........
Last edited on Sat Feb 9th, 2008 01:12 pm by Papageno357
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OnePotato
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AdamMcLean wrote: OnePotato wrote:
And of course, amateur attempts at homegrown "marketing" can so often lead to problems...
I am not sure this is a marketing strategy. She seems to be someone convinced of her psychic abilities. Often such people are quite serious and not at all cynical and manipulative. There are those who use this idea of channelling as a way of giving their work some spritual authority, while others, and I suspect Heather Pedley is in this category, genuinely see their work being guided by some spirits.
I just tend to look at the resulting work and see the artist's source of inspiration or way in which they saw themselves creating the piece as adding to the background for the work.
I did not mean to sound like I was suggesting she was cyncal and manipulative!
Just that one should consider the context of an ebay ad as a venue for discussing one's spiritual guidance. Everything in there is "promotional" by nature, and takes on a certain "advertising" color that may not be intended. It can put some people off, even if it draws some others in.
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ahclem
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I was so going to resist, but since the thread seems to be alive again...
AdamMcLean wrote:
I think it is easy to be unkind about a deck based on the person's motivation and inspiration. After all, it is just a matter of language.
Since I imagine that this was directed at least partly at me, I'd like to make clear that my intention in making the snarky comment above was in no way meant to be unkind about the deck. Admittedly, the card Adam originally posted doesn't appeal to me, but neither do 1000+ other decks I've seen examples of. Different strokes, and all that.
But as far as her claims of communication with other non-physical worlds are concerned, I beg to disagree that it is "just a matter of language." These are claims she is making in the service of establishing value for her product and convincing people to give her money for it. Those of us who are collectors may not care what she claims about it, but she is obviously targeting a market that she hopes will buy it because of those claims. If you encountered an advertisement for a Ford pick-up truck that claimed, in all seriousness, that you should buy it because it gets good mileage, is reliable, and that the design for the engine was channeled to their engineers by the Norse god Odin, would you dismiss that as "just a matter of language?"
Some people might see their inspiration coming from their perception of a spiritual world, while others might say they are resonating with the collective unconscious, and others will say they are inspired by their dreams - it is all the same in the end.
Well, most people would agree that dreams exist and that people can take inspiration from them. The concept of the collective unconscious is a bit more controversial, but at least credible. But to judge Ms. Pedley's perception of the spiritual world, and, more importantly, from it her motivation, one needs only visit her website.
There you will find that she has established a business selling all sorts of woo-drenched merchandise. All supported by her claim to be in direct communication with a specific divine being by the name of Daniel. She will be happy to share the divine insights Daniel has to offer, as soon as you pay $20 to become a member of her site, As she puts it:
When you join the members area of the site, you will have access to all this information (for no additional charge).
In other words, after paying to get access to the information, you will have access to it without having to pay more.
And what does Daniel (and Ms. Pedley) suggest you need for a happy healthy life (all conveniently available for purchase on her site)?:
- Frequency Essences ($44.00 for 250ml):
Our Frequency Essences have been "charged" with a specific spiritual formula, a bit like a powerful energy code. If they are sprayed around the energy field (aura), or onto the body they act like a magnet, drawing in positive frequency and holding the energy there - long enough for it to make a difference and change the way you think and feel.
- Jen Fe Plus Weight Loss Patches ($140 for a month's supply)
- Castor Oil Packs "charged with positive frequency"
In addition, she sells a range of "herbal supplements" to treat everything from Rheumatism to Multiple Sclerosis (since I can find no evidence that Ms Pedley has a medical background, I can only assume Daniel is a divine doctor). She also offers the "SOULWORKERS DAILY PLAN FOR MAINTAINING GOOD PHYSICAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING" which, just coincidentally, requires just about everything she sells on her site.
Snarkiness aside, giving what is essentially medical advice based on the supposed insight from a non-corporeal delusion is a far-from-harmless activity.
So no, I wasn't being unkind about her deck. But I was definitely being contemptuous of her "motivation." It's pretty clear to me what her inspiration is.
(Although to be fair, she does state that "Ten percent of the profits from this site go to the British Red Cross to help support disaster areas around the world." So, if true, she does get points for that.)Last edited on Sat Feb 9th, 2008 11:57 pm by ahclem
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debra
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I'm astounded to see that a Divine Being would channel images that are so .... cuuute!
Cute, cute, cute.
I would anticipate more elevated imagery. What with Divinity being so Sacred and all that.Last edited on Sat Feb 9th, 2008 11:30 pm by debra
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| Posted: Sun Feb 10th, 2008 01:23 am |
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Papageno357
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stop stop ....please somebody make ahclem stop..... I'm passing out LOL LOL.......*gasp* *Oxygen Tank* ;)
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| Posted: Sun Feb 10th, 2008 09:57 am |
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16th Post |
AdamMcLean
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What I do know is that I bought the Soulworkers Tarot for GBP19.50 ($39) including postage which includes a paperback book with the set of cards. I hardly think this is an exploitative price. The images that Heather Pedley has designed for her deck are in some cases quite inventive and original.
I had thought that other people might like to buy this newly released deck, and thus I posted out a message about it. This thread, however, seems to be articulating a rather negative view on the Soulworkers Tarot and its creator. I see this as rather unjustified. The Soulworkers Tarot is a worthy addition to my collection. I think it unfair to present the creator of this deck as exploitative, as the price at which she is selling her tarot is really low.
Many people practice alternative therapies, and charge for their services. I myself have no belief in such therapies and will stick to conventional medicine, but a large part of the populaton does believe in such things, and these are a part of the tapestry of our society. One cannot dismiss people if they set themselves up as healers. Some people genuinely believe they have some special knowledge or power in this area. It is surely not a criticism of an artist, that they have some irrational beliefs. If that were so then, any tarot designed by a believer in some irrationality would be criticised. We cannot surely be selective, and say that people who believe in paganism, or kabbalah, or buddhism, etc are okay, yet criticise someone because we do not particularly resonate with their brand of irrationality. We must accept such irrationality as one of the driving forces behind artistic creativity.
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| Posted: Sun Feb 10th, 2008 10:46 am |
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17th Post |
debra
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AdamMcLean wrote: We must accept such irrationality as one of the driving forces behind artistic creativity.
Hm. This is an interesting idea. Perhaps we could refocus the discussion.
I wonder if it's true--that irrationality is a driving force of artistic creativity. (This is not intended as a challenge to you, Adam--I'm just thinking about the idea of the "driven artists" whose grand obsessions, demons etc. goads them on to greater heights etc.)
I'd love to hear what the artists on the forum think of this idea and their own experience with irrationality as a motivator to creative work.
I'm starting a new thread.
Here: http://www.tarotcollectors.com/view_topic.php?id=285&forum_id=3
Last edited on Sun Feb 10th, 2008 10:50 am by debra
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| Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 12:44 pm |
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truelighth
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Well, I for one, ordered the Soulworkers Tarot. I think the art is nice and so I wanted it in my collection. I most definately like that Devil card!
I see the deck seperate from the author and the whole Soulworkers thing though. I have met too many people who are so much in the spiritual world or claim to be, that I have become a bit sceptical there. Especially when a deck is channeled by guides or so. Also the website, well... personally, I would stay far away from this woman when looking for help with my health. It reeks too much of money and profit. Or self-delusions.
The deck itself is nice though... and well, there are plenty of other decks that were promoted for money means or made just to make money. I mean, US Games has published plenty of them . So why judge this one? Or this person? If people use their minds, they wouldn't fall for it. And they could just see the deck for what it is, a piece of art.
Last edited on Thu Feb 14th, 2008 12:45 pm by truelighth
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29th, 2008 07:30 pm |
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gregory
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Well - I did finally buy this. I don't like the rubbish that comes with it, especially all the self-promoting leaflets and I still don't like all the hype there was on the site. But the deck itself is indeed worth having as a deck. I shall just ignore the rest !
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goldenweb
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I've been reading through a few old threads - how times have changed since this one. It seems that claiming mystical or dream inspiration, visions or a fascination with tarot since birth is standard marketing practice for a set of tarot cards these days, and sorting out the genuine from the strategic pretty much impossible. Not that it matters I guess - it's whether the art speaks that counts.
What interesting discussions we used to have - it would be sad to think everything has been said.
 Last edited on Sun Dec 2nd, 2018 06:38 pm by goldenweb
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