The Major Arcana

[Fallen Angel_Messiah Of Black Roses]

Hey, anyone else kind of intrested in the Major Arcana? Not to do any spooky weird cult things... Just kind of intrested in them?

The Fool
The Magician
The High Preistess
The Empress
The Emperor
The Heirophant
The Lovers
The Chariot
Justice
The Hermit
Wheel Of Fate
Strength
The Hanged man
Death
Temperance
The Devil
The Tower
The Star
The Moon
The Sun
Judegment
The World

 

[digi-kun]

Oh, you mean the Arcana Force cards?

Sure, it would be interesting, but it's not likely that they'd get created judging on how they work, coin flip could work i guess, but meh

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Actually, Digi, I think he's talking about the cards that the Arcana Force set are based on: The original Major Arcana tarot cards.

To answer your question, Fallen, while I've always been a fan of cheesy horror movies and vampires, werewolves, and the like, I've never really liked the major arcana, mostly because the whole premise is kind of idiotic. Nobody can see the future without supernatural help, so if you use those cards and actually get a correct prediction, it's either dumb luck or some spirit is helping you out. And when you're getting help from something supernatural that you can't expressly identify, you're in trouble. As J.K. Rowling said (through the mouth of Mr. Weasley), "Never trust something if you can't see where it keeps its brain."

Plus, I'm an evangelical Christian, and God expressly forbids witchcraft or sorcery of any sort, mostly because according to Christian theology, anyone who performs actual sorcery has alligned themselves with the devil. So yeah, that pretty much puts a damper on any interest I might have had.

 

[Frostweaver]

Spoke what I was planning to say for myself XD;

But let's exclude that... because I play YGO and that got plenty of witchy magical things XD; Even if I view them only as pretty pictures to look at and stuff, I still don't find them overly interesting, because all the cards chosen seem pretty... well can't say random, but there's not any interesting stories linking all of them to form a legend. I'm baptized, dead-conservative old-prick type of christian, but I still consider the greek or norse mythologies as interesting stories to read, just like Harry Potter. However, the major arcana just don't move me at all o_o;

(except of course, the pretty pictures to look at for the minor arcana for some good publishers of the deck XD; )

 

[Scarlet Weather]

But let's exclude that... because I play YGO and that got plenty of witchy magical things XD; Even if I view them only as pretty pictures to look at and stuff, I still don't find them overly interesting, because all the cards chosen seem pretty... well can't say random, but there's not any interesting stories linking all of them to form a legend. I'm baptized, dead-conservative old-prick type of christian, but I still consider the greek or norse mythologies as interesting stories to read, just like Harry Potter. However, the major arcana just don't move me at all o_o;

I don't see how playing YGO is actually affiliated with magicy-junk. It's a children's card game, for crying out loud.

Anyway, I'm pretty much the same way. The only remotely interesting thing I saw in the Major Arcana was a manga called Tarot Cafe, which I eventually stopped reading because it began to look suspiciously like a yaoi manga. (Scary...)

And yesh, the Major Arcana is basically something that kind of grew out of original playing cards, since they were first used as fortune-telling devices, I believe. The Major Arcana is also kind of annoying because you can't do anything with it outside of fortune-telling. I mean, they're cards and you can't even play card games with them! And what, pray tell, is the purpose of cards if not to play children's card games?[/spam]

 

[Frostweaver]

To stop ancient civilization from feeling very bored, thus stopping them to use dark magics and kill people <3

honestly, i never knew that these cards grew out of original playing cards o_o; did they?

 

[Alter Ego]

Meh, I'm pretty sure that was the Minor Arcana, since those have four suites with thirteen cards each (Wands, Coins, Cups, and Swords). I'm pretty sure the majors came from somewhere else, but I can't recall. :3 Anyways, I've done some quick research into it since I wanted to use the tarots in an RP of mine, so yeah I know them. Oh, and my dad got a bit of a watered-down set from Sweden as a curiosity. We did one reading each, but just for laughs. And besides, we're all shameless atheists in my family so we're probably damned anyway... But ACC: it's not really a matter of extreme coincidence. You see, the major arcana always encompass a vast array of different traits (and always deal with the big picture), so it's highly likely that some of them will apply to you, and the minor ones are worded in very general terms (Such as: you have met or will meet someone who has this and this kind of personality but may or may not show it). It's basically the old oracle trick all over again; make a vague statement and let the person receiving the prediction make the connections (Thus making them believe that the cards predicted them right, even though they themselves are making the prediction fit). Personally - and not being dampened by religious restriction - I find the arcana interesting, not because I think they can actually predict the future but because someone has crammed so much symbolism into such a small space. It's not there in some of the original sets, but in the original illustrations every detail in the card's picture was important for the interpretation.

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Eh, I don't see why playing with tarot cards would be any more damning then any other sin...

Yeah, still don't get the Arcana. I mean, they're basically crazy cards that make self-fulfilling predictions, which are usually subject to change. Symbolism can be found in a multitude of places outside the arcana, so I really have no reason to become interested in them either way. (Besides, my grasp of symbolism outside one or two Biblical instances is completely appalling.

Anyway, let me point out that religious "restrictions" don't usually "dampen" my interests. If I were an atheist, I'm fairly sure I wouldn't like the major arcana anyway. I play YGO, I read Harry Potter, I'm a big fan of classical mythology. Certain people in the faith might not like this, but when it comes down to it, they're nothing but a card game and some stories. As Frostweaver said, the arcana isn't really all that entertaining, symbolism notwithstanding.