Hi... I received the Gothic Tarot last week and love the artwork. I have noticed that whenever i do a reading with this deck, my candle starts flickering like crazy. There are tiny flames coming out of it. This happens only with this deck. Any idea what this could mean? Thanks..
weird experiences with the Gothic deck
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 Fyglia |
weird experiences with the Gothic deck |
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Posts: 17 06/03/06 2:21 |
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Madame Mara |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #1 | ||
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Nightstalker
Posts: 704 06/05/06 8:10 |
I'm not sure there's an easy answer here, fyglia. On one hand, I believe we are energetic creatures, and as such, we emit as well as absorb energy around us all the time. It could very well be that as you enter your meditational state for reading, you are emiting more energy than your resting state, and that affects the candle's flame.
But you mention it only happens with this deck, which makes the phenomenon a little more unique, I admit. Have you considered asking your cards why this is happening?  Might be quite interesting to see what Tarot's answer is. To thine own self, be true.
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Fyglia |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #2 | ||
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Posts: 17 06/06/06 11:39 |
Thanks Madame Mara for replying. This sort of thing happens only with this particular deck which is quite surprising.
I didnt think of asking the cards about it. I was so scared when this happened, that i literally packed my cards away. I will definately do a reading on this issue. thank you.. 
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Lygolas |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #3 | ||
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Denizen
Posts: 235 06/07/06 9:27 |
Quote: I can only echo Mara's wise advice above. The fact that the Gothic has empowered you so much by manifesting it's power through the candle should strengthen you. Embrace the "magic" before you, do not lock it away in the drawer. Let it take you where it will simply because this deck can, for it has indeed reached out to you and given you evidence of its bond. I wouldn't be putting it in a drawer, I would be wearing the print off the cards, sure that the candle flame is proving to me that this deck is very different. That this deck can speak to you more so than any other. Always, always ALWAYS remember: the power is not in the deck. Joseph created a beautiful landscape for us to work with, rich in art, in meaning beyond any deck I have seen to date. He instilled that depth in each card for our use, either purposely or guided by his genuis. But no matter how fantastic his art is, no matter how much the cards speak to you, THE POWER IS IN YOU. It is yours and you bring it to the reading. Grab onto it with both hands. Hold on to it with every fiber of your being. Fear not the magic the Gothic has awakened in you, but instead celebrate it, use it for yourself and others. Don't step back from this deck, step forward into the rich tapesty of the artwork. Don't hesitantly come to this deck, rush head long, blindly even, into it and see where it takes you. I know you will not be disappointed. I know you will get comfortable with your newfound power. And if not, you can always find Madame Mara right here. The Dark Mistress will not allow us to go forth into battle unarmed if she can help it.  Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?
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Fyglia |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #4 | ||
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Posts: 17 06/07/06 10:53 |
Thank you so much Lygolas for the lovely words. Someone told me that my deck was haunted which caused the flickering of the candle..lol.. That scared me even more.
But after reading your post, i feel like opening my deck and connecting with it on a deeper level. This deck has some kind of a strong energy which is very captivating and magical. I feel so much better and at ease now. Thank you..
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Madame Mara |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #5 | ||
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Nightstalker
Posts: 704 06/07/06 2:31 |
Grrr, that just bugs me, fyglia, what they said (as you know). See, *this* is the problem I have with superstious people and Tarot.
If someone is so superstitious that they believe ghosts are the reason behind anything we can't immediately quantify, qualify and therefore logically understand... they have NO business spewing their supertitious, fear-mongering messages to others. No BUsINESS!  Does a hammer become haunted if it misses a nail and hits the carpenter's thumb? Does my TV have a negative spirit inside when I can't get the channel I want? So why do Tarot cards become "haunted" the moment we notice other activities that happen around us during their use? Poppycock... puffnstuff... I can't use the words I would really use... so I'm reduced to shaking my head at those who choose to spread Fear instead of Understanding. Metaphysical knowledge will open many doors inside you, and the more you give to it, the more it will give in return. This has been my experience. I've had one reading (this was about 2 years ago) that I remember... it was a long-distance reading, and I was typing up the response for my client. For no reason (no windows open, it was winter, didn't push anything or jostle stuff on the desk) the kleenex box sitting on the desk jumped off. I mean it jumped. One minute it was there, the next minute... floor. Did it startle me? HECK YEA~! Did it frighten me into believing that because I use Tarot cards, a ghost had been "invited" into my home and was nearby? No.... I do not *discount* the fact that ghosts and spirits exist. I just don't blame anything strange that happens around me (and believe me, a lot of strange things happen around me on a regular basis) on a ghost. Believe in yourself, and know that those here are happy to support you as fellow Tarot lovers. To thine own self, be true.
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Lygolas |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #6 | ||
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Denizen
Posts: 235 06/10/06 12:00 |
I have waited a couple days to write this because not only was Mara dead on above, but because I have an unnatural protectiveness about this deck. The Gothis Tarot has become a personal issue with me. It is mine. Joseph created it for me. So when I read things like it's a haunted deck, I tend to lash out, sometimes, as you can read in other threads of this forum, very savagely.
Having said that, I took some days to consider how best to add to what Mara above comments. In truth. most of the Western culture is scared of the Tarot. They do not understand it, so they naturally run away from it. It does not fit in any way with the Christian mindset of "civilization" so it is already two strikes down in the count. These are the same people who have watched too many movies or television shows where the tarot reader turns Death and someone dies; where the turning of the Lovers means that they are fated to fall in love with the reader. They are so locked on their fear that they refuse to consider the tarot as anything but evil. Now introduce Joseph Vargo's artwork to the equation and they are ready to go off the chain nuts. Here they see gargoyles, vamoires, tombs, gravestones, basically all the things they deem to epiomize evil and they fall back to their religious roots: It's evil. It's haunted. It's (fill in the blank). This can also be true for those that read tarot. There are sooo many different decks with so many themes that it's hard for me to keep track. Angels, fairies, King Arthur, Care Bears, you name it, someone has created a deck around it. Then they look at the darkness of the Gothic and distain it's pure beauty simoly because they don't like it. And that is fair, I can accept that simply because I disdain their "Lord of the Rings" deck. Unlike my Dark Mistress, I do not have many decks of cards. When I started this journey not too long ago, I began getting different decks looking for something that felt right, something that talked to me. The RWS was a good training tool, but it didn't cut it. At one time I have 15 to 20 different decks. Then I found the Gothic. In the box, in my hand, it felt right. Taking them from their box and spreading them out over the table I got completely lost in the imagery. Without asking a question the cards began to speak to me of their promise to speak to me. Each card jumped off the table at me as I tried to take it all in at once. While there was no flickreing candle, there was the unmistakable communication with this deck that instantly put 12 other decks of cards in a drawer, and eventually in someone elses drawer. Now, I have but three decks: The Druidcraft Tarot (because I will always love the pagan theme even if I don't use them regularily), Madame Endora's Fortune Cards (not technically a tarot deck, but very useful at times as well as beautiful and elegant) and The Gothic Tarot. Note to self: order a backup set of both. After that. there is no darkness, no haunting in the Gothic or any other deck except WHAT THE READER BRINGS TO THE READ. A deck of flowers and candy can be dark and haunted if that is what the reader comes to the cards with. What is vital, most critical is what the cards say to me. What do they allow me to see? What do they tell me when I turn them over and how easy are they to use. I AM THE POWER. I am the reading them, not the other way around. They are cards, without intellect, without motive, without emotion. Those qualities or liabilities I bring to the table. And the short sightedness of those that will call the Gothic "haunted" is ignorant at best, at least from my point of view. I would caution you strongly not to heed such words, but instead use your feelings, your needs to dictate which deck you use, be it Care Bears, unicorns or The Gothic. Do not let anyone else dictate or persuade you in what your "tools" are, but instead feel your way through it. If you think the Gothic is haunted, then you be the reason you put them in a drawer. Otherwise, pull them out of their bag as needed and let them take your imagination, your POWER where it will. Dive into the richness of the Vargo art and let it show you possibilities and paths you never thought possible. Bury yourself in the magic and instead of making that candle flicker, blow the sucker out. Quote: Sometimes, it scares the living sh#t out of me. Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?
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MonolithGraphics |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #7 | ||
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Denizen
Posts: 381 06/14/06 11:45 Owner |
Great responses! Well, on the PRACTICAL end of things, I think I can safely say that a deck of cards (any deck) is not "haunted." Especially when one considers where it came from... let's consider the printing process... tree to pulp (bad for the tree, but...) then pulp to paper sheet... cut sheet, ship from paper manufacturer to printer, printer runs it through press using vegetable-based ink, cuts it, boxes it, shrinkwraps it. Um... let's see. Nope, no hoodoo going on there. Just a boring ole process of making stuff. We ship it from there and that's that.
Unless the postal service has some secret rite, which perhaps they do considering how inept they can be! Just kidding. Now, as for the candle... that's interesting! I am beginning an article on candle magic for the October issue of Dark Realms. I have more research to do, but some sources say that a flickering candle indicates a sudden change in finances or career. (No indication if that change is for the best or not, but change is change, something different, that's all). Perhaps you should ask the cards if any career moves are coming. Perhaps it's even time to take matters into your own hands and do something proactive like sending out a resume or whatever, that's if you really want change. Just an idea. Thanks for all this. Really gets my brain thinking in neat ways Christine |
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Lygolas |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #8 | ||
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Denizen
Posts: 235 06/15/06 11:35 |
But lets not discount the possibility that the U.S. Government and the Postal Service hasn't got some kind of secret rites.
And the men who hold high places must be the one's who start. Mold a new reality, Closer To The Heart.
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Fyglia |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #9 | ||
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Posts: 17 06/15/06 2:12 |
Well today i finally opened my gothic tarot once again and it felt AWESOME..
lol..But again the candle started flickering for a while. Whats wrong with the candle.. Guess it loves this deck more than me. I really do wonder about the candle flickering again. It still is. But today its pretty soft and not that loud like last time which was a bit scary. Any ideas?? I asked if the candle had any important message for me and removed a card and got the 7 of Cups. Now this card looks pretty scary. Any ideas what this could mean?? I then removed one more card as the message card and got 7 of Swords which isnt very positive either. two sevens.. Any help would be highly appreciated. thanks, Fylgia |
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Madame Mara |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #10 | ||
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Nightstalker
Posts: 704 06/15/06 4:08 |
Quote: I've pulled the cards from my deck to take a look at as well. My immediate impression when I read the 7 of cups was to smile. The Tarot, to me, is gently teasing you. The 7 of cups stands before our imagination, and we cast upon the void so many answers, so many things from our minds... things we wish for, things we fear. All these possibilities open, but they only confuse us... which cup is it? is the sentiment when looking at the traditional RWS image. Here, Pandora's Box is opened. What issues forth... this is the question to me. And more importantly, what do we *expect* to issue forth? That is... what do we *project* into the experience, pulling images and associations from our imagination, such as the specters that pour forth here. Sometimes I see minor cards as reflections of majors... here I feel like the 7 of cups echoes the Moon, but on a smaller level. In the light of the Moon, we don't have full illumination to go by, so our minds have to fill in the blanks for what lies in the shadows. So have you had to in this situation. On another level, the Tarot is asking you to examine these projections, and in doing so, discover more about yourself from what you see. The 7 of Wands? I always hear a note of frustration in his voice when I look at the Gothic deck. The RWS image shows a man fighting unseen enemies, he swings his idea (wand) at the disembodied ideas that fight with him inside. Here, in a more dramatic form, the 7 of wands bespeaks of the frustration and mental anguish that the card can connote. Quite frankly, says the deck, you've been beating yourself up inside with ideas about the issue (again, Tarot seems to be taking a gentle humor route, when you stop and look deeply... it's mirroring what you probably already know of this situation, but hadn't yet stopped to internalize?) To thine own self, be true.
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Lygolas |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #11 | ||
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Denizen
Posts: 235 06/16/06 12:50 |
Awww the beautiful sevens. (The wizard sits back in his throne and smiles as he strokes his chin)
Sevens bring to the table some very interesting qualities. The seven is a dreamer that needs to take care not to live in a fantasy world. Seven is so sensative that it is highly intuitive and even (wait for it) psychic. In the Cabala, seven is associated with the word "Victory". It tells us what we desire, what we are atached to, what type of people we form close relationships with. Sevens are a welcome sight to me. They bring me back to reality when I need them to, they empower me. Now forget all that. Move back to the cards as you see them. Go ahead, take them out again and look at them. I will wait.  With your permission, I will now cross-thread this post back to another post of yours. Quote: I assume you have another tarot deck. Do me a favor. Take out your other deck. Hold it. Fan out the cards and look at your favorites. Then just let your feelings go. What do you feel? What do these cards awaken in you? Now take out your new Gothic Tarot cards. Do the same things. If you are like me, the Gothic flared emotion in you. Strong emotion. Strong feelings. It's the magnificent artwork. It's the way your mind wakes up when you look at them, the way each card brings an immediate feeling. Maybe it's the image scares you somehow. Maybe it's because you are not comfortable with what the card is tryng to tell you about YOURSELF. Maybe you habe to walk through this mine field for a little while before you can get comfortable with all these new feelings. That is natural. I mean, your spirit, your emotions are making that candle flicker. Back to the Sevens. Briefly, the Seven of Cups is telling you to let go of your fear, your worries, your apprehension. As calmly as she that sits over the box, release all that baggage. Work your way into comfort and familiarity with your new found power. Embrace it. Hold it tightly. And do not fear anything expect having that candle stop flickering. The Seven of Wands is you really, really wanting to let it all go but you are stillscared of the candle and where that power is coming from. You still somehow think it's in the cards and cannot fuly accept it IS YOU. Your frustration is etched in his face, in the how he stands there roaring, screaming. You want to accept your place at the table. You want to understand fully all that moves around you now. But you still fight it. It's still too new and you are trying to take it all in. Reread Christine's post above. The cards are just paper and ink. Their power is in what it awakened in you. Their power is the richness of the pictures. Their magic is only what they allow you to see through your heart and soul. Accept. And know that we have all walked this path ourselves. Scared yet excited. Fighting to understand something we have never felt before. Trying to get comfortable with something new that empowers us. Hang in there and always remember you are not alone. And the men who hold high places must be the one's who start. Mold a new reality, Closer To The Heart.
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Fyglia |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #12 | ||
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Posts: 17 06/20/06 4:18 |
Thank you Madame Mara and Lygolas for your replies. Though the candle still flickers with this deck ( which will always be an unsolved mystery
), I dont feel any negative vibes with this deck. Its very postive and energetic. Guess im gonna be spending more time with this particular one. 
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Darkest Melody |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #13 | ||
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Posts: 117 06/20/06 7:42 |
Although I have yet to add The Gothic Tarot to my collection of decks.
I too, have numerous decks with which I do readings. My fav so far has been my Goddess Deck. I find some still wrapped in silk and wonder 'when did I pick up this deck??' In truth, the deck chooses it's reader, not the other way around. |
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Fyglia |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #14 | ||
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Posts: 17 06/21/06 2:55 |
{In truth, the deck chooses it's reader, not the other way around.}
I totally agree with you here. The deck definately chooses its reader. Thats why you feel connected to a certain decks only and not all. You should definately get the Gothic Tarot as it is worth every penny and has some kind of mystical energy to it which i havent noticed in any of my other decks. |
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Fyglia |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #15 | ||
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Posts: 17 07/24/06 11:00 |
Im so glad that the candle has finally stopped flickering when I read with his deck.
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Madame Mara |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #16 | ||
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Nightstalker
Posts: 704 07/24/06 12:52 |
As long as you and your deck are happy together, nothing else matters....
So glad the deck is speaking to you so well, it is truly an inspiring one to use with a unique language all its own. With terrible promises and delicious nightmares woven into my shimmering hair, I come to you... daring to shake loose my long, silken locks - how softly the deadly tendrils can embrace.
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Lygolas |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #17 | ||
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Denizen
Posts: 235 08/02/06 3:53 |
I don't know Dark and Evil Mistress. The flickering candle was pretty damn cool. I mean, you are right, as long as my sister is happy with her deck, all is good. But there is something to be said about making the candle flicker.
Way to stick with it Fyglia. I know how spooked you were at the start. Yet you worked your way through it and now the candle is still, mayhaps because you are at peace finally. Well done sister mine. "Remove the glamour that has shielded you from seeing the truth and then you will begin to breathe deeply once again." - A. Hall
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Umbrae Draco |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #18 | ||
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Posts: 10 10/14/06 11:48 |
Lygolas said, , In truth. most of the Western culture is scared of the Tarot.
Not true. In Europe, they still play the game (Tarrocchi, Tarrock, Tarot depending on which country youre in), there is no Ooooo Tarot is evil prejudice. The Tarot is Evil prejudice occurs in North America and somewhat in the UK. Go to Paris (France, not Texas), and visit La Sainte-Chapelle on the le de la Cit. In the main sanctuary, hunt down the gift stand. Look just right of center what do you see? Tarot cards. Most western culture is not scared of Tarot cards. Most of North America is fearful of Tarot.  As to candles guttering...I'd really do more research over a longer period of time, and different times of day (months and year) before I blame a particular deck. Mors ultima linea rerum est.
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Darkest Melody |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #19 | ||
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Posts: 117 10/22/06 1:52 |
I'm baffled, befuddled and confused.
Mine have misplaced themselves. We had our handfasting ceremony last evening. It was 3 of us in the room (I have utter trust in everyone there) We spoke briefly about the deck, I unwrapped them, rewrapped them, packed a goodie bag for the last guest to leave (checking to see if I didnt mistakenly send them home with her) got up this AM to do my daily card and 'Poof' nowhere to be seen. We were discussing her home and the fact that it's decidedly haunted (perhaps my cards wanted to see this firsthand?)(Maybe I'm supposed to visit the home?) (Ok, I'm not too keen on the latter explanation) Still searching for my cards, I do have the box them came in and inside it is the autographed top card. I think when I was bound yesterday I should have remained in such a state!!! DM I am Your True Darkness...
www.myspace.com/darkestmelody |
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Madame Mara |
Re: weird experiences with the Gothic deck | #20 | ||
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Nightstalker
Posts: 704 10/22/06 9:46 |
This works every time, I dunno why...
Stand in the room where they were last seen and Say Aloud why you NEED them back. Not why you want them back, but need. And in a week or so, they'll be back - usually somewhere you already checked. Try it and let us know~! "And the girl in the corner is ev'ryone's mourner
She could kill you with a wink of her eye..." - Calibretto 13 |
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