Author Topic: The Brokeback Tarot Deck-Include Name of Card in Subject Line  (Read 73258 times)

Offline MaineWriter

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Re: The Brokeback Tarot Deck
« Reply #20 on: December 17, 2007, 12:41:10 pm »
I agree with your suggestions for the emperor, empress and Priestess.

But I really think The World should be Brokeback Mountain.
As for Death what do you think of the Eviscerated Sheep?  It's such a wonderful foreshadowing image.

I agree on both of those...good suggestions, oilgun.
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Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: The Brokeback Tarot Deck
« Reply #21 on: December 18, 2007, 07:07:40 pm »
Trouble is, I don't see many positive reading card members, but I see plenty of reverse-meaning cards:
I'm trying to bring myself up to speed on this by reading, and what I'm reading is that the cards signifiy aspects and their opposites, but it is not necessarily postiive and negative. For instance, Death could mean, well, death, or it could mean harvest.

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Offline ifyoucantfixit

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Re: The Brokeback Tarot Deck
« Reply #22 on: December 18, 2007, 08:19:21 pm »



     Thats perfect Lee. 



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Re: The Brokeback Tarot Deck
« Reply #23 on: December 19, 2007, 05:25:24 pm »
Thanks Janice. Here's that card, and you can see the scythe in Death's hands. According to the ancient legend, the sun was cut down on the winter solstice and there was merrymaking and a bountiful harvest, because the people understood the cycle of life. Death is a natural part of life and necessary to allow for the renewal of life in the spring.

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Offline Daniel

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Re: The Brokeback Tarot Deck
« Reply #24 on: December 19, 2007, 05:56:47 pm »
I managed to miss this thread when it began... As a collector and avid fan of the tarot symbolism. (I have just recently completed designs for a jewelry collection based on the major arcana). Also, since I believe my personal psychic gift is that of interpreter, I have devoted much of my time to the symbolic interpretation of the major arcana of the tarot and the ways in which that process (0 - XXI) manifest in the physical and fictional worlds.... 98% of the time in order

I believe it might be in my Memoirs of a Brokeback Mountain Priest or Meditations on Brokeback Mountain threads which really go into this process, or at least begin to.

0 - The Fool - Ennis

I know that Ennis has recently been lauded as the Magus, but in examining his character from the first time he appears with bag in hand, then pulling his coat on, I could tell that this story had much to say about the origins and destiny of this single character, who did not know what was about to happen to him, nor how it would come about.

I - The Magus or The Magician - Jack

The Magician is perceived as the one more in control of his environment - capable of basic survival among other skills (not to say that Ennis was not capable of survival skills, only that the particular skills that were to be used had previously been used efficiently by Jack). The Magician is a force of balance and equalization, demonstrating mastery of knowledge and environment, unlike the Fool who is often uncertain of his origins and his destination.

II - The High Priestess - Wind

This is a difficult one for me, since no female character exists this early in the film, but the high priestess represents intuition applied to a diversified world filled with fluctuations. In the film, we observed wind play across the screen in a variety of ways, engaging each character - guiding their vision and foretelling future events in subtle ways. A turn of a head to avoid harsh winds can reveal more to ourselves and those around us than we might otherwise have known was possible.

III - The Empress -  (Jack)???

Once again, no female character is present here to represent the Empress... but considering the fact that the Empress represents creativity and the ultimate of femininity, opposite and equal to the Emperor... perhaps the Empress and Emperor represent the creative force of Jack and Ennis again. Of course, nothing about Jack was feminine so this is a far stretch of the imagination.... though there is a role of submission and a role of agression - and I am speaking about an emotional perspective, instead of a sexual one.  Jack's intentional weakening and vulnerabalization of his own power in response to Ennis's presence (made more visible by the body language in the first few moments of their encounter) is perhaps a way in which the Empress's reality is brought into the picture.

IV - The Emperor - (Ennis)???

See above. In the almost exact opposite of Jack's opening stance, and supportive body language, Ennis closes up, crossing his legs at the heels and tilting his hat over his eyes, becoming firm and resolute in the face of all transforming principles, including the presence of Jack. This represents, I think, the masculine dominance that can be interpreted from the Emperor card.

V - The Hierophant - Aguirre

An embodiment of structured hierarchy and a representative of global order, Aguirre characterizes all of these forces into a single person. He who has power granted to him by a greater authority, and who is unafraid to use it. He imposes order and balances the Imperial Duo by providing the legal bonds for their unification.

( More to come....)
Why do we consume what we consume?
Why do we believe what we believe?
Why do we accept what we accept?
You have a body, a mind, and a soul.... You have a responsibility.

Offline delalluvia

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Re: The Brokeback Tarot Deck
« Reply #25 on: December 19, 2007, 09:33:29 pm »
I agree with your suggestions for the emperor, empress and Priestess.

But I really think The World should be Brokeback Mountain.
As for Death what do you think of the Eviscerated Sheep?  It's such a wonderful foreshadowing image.

Death doesn't necessarily mean death.  It usually means great changes.  The end of one thing and the beginning of another.  I thought instantly of the postcards because it began Ennis and Jack's relationship anew and it ended it as well.

Brokeback Mountain as The World is very good.  It can symbolize THEIR world.  But I chose Cassie, because Brokeback Mountain was too insular, too small.  Remember, Jack's words - "All we got is Brokeback Mountain, that's all we got..." (emphasis mine).  Brokeback Mountain was too small a place for Jack.  He wanted a life outside of Brokeback with Ennis.  So to me, Cassie represented the world, because she does represent marriage, new beginnings, opportunities, children, movement in society - IOW all that the world has to offer.

Offline delalluvia

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Re: The Brokeback Tarot Deck
« Reply #26 on: December 19, 2007, 09:34:54 pm »
I'm trying to bring myself up to speed on this by reading, and what I'm reading is that the cards signifiy aspects and their opposites, but it is not necessarily postiive and negative. For instance, Death could mean, well, death, or it could mean harvest.



You are right, not all reverse meanings are negative.  I didn't mean to imply that, my wording was bad.  But all the same, they can be negative, but not necessarily.

Offline Daniel

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Re: The Brokeback Tarot Deck
« Reply #27 on: December 20, 2007, 01:30:23 am »
Death doesn't necessarily mean death.  It usually means great changes.  The end of one thing and the beginning of another.  I thought instantly of the postcards because it began Ennis and Jack's relationship anew and it ended it as well.

Brokeback Mountain as The World is very good.  It can symbolize THEIR world.  But I chose Cassie, because Brokeback Mountain was too insular, too small.  Remember, Jack's words - "All we got is Brokeback Mountain, that's all we got..." (emphasis mine).  Brokeback Mountain was too small a place for Jack.  He wanted a life outside of Brokeback with Ennis.  So to me, Cassie represented the world, because she does represent marriage, new beginnings, opportunities, children, movement in society - IOW all that the world has to offer.


For XXI - The World, I chose.... the window
Why do we consume what we consume?
Why do we believe what we believe?
Why do we accept what we accept?
You have a body, a mind, and a soul.... You have a responsibility.

Offline Meryl

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Re: The Brokeback Tarot Deck
« Reply #28 on: December 20, 2007, 01:44:51 am »
I love all the different ideas about what symbols suit what card.  Just this one topic is like a mini-Open Forum.  8)
Ich bin ein Brokie...

Offline delalluvia

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Re: The Brokeback Tarot Deck
« Reply #29 on: December 20, 2007, 02:17:30 am »
For XXI - The World, I chose.... the window

Good one.

Cassie by a window?