New Deck Interview - Gothic Tarot of Vampires

I received a new deck, The Gothic Tarot of Vampires, done by Lo Scarabeo. It is a bit darker than I would usually choose, and the artwork is not what I am usually drawn to, but I have wanted this deck for some time, and upon opening it I did this spread that is all the craze over at Aeclectic, FireRaven's New Deck Interview Spread. It looks like so :

****** 5 ****** 6 ******
********** 4 **********
****** 3 ****** 2 ******
********** 1 **********

1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic? Six of Swords. In this deck, there is a small girl holding the hand of a woman. They make their way through treacherous landscape. This deck can help the inner child connect with the grown up, and they will take turns leading each other through the darker parts of the psyche.

2. What are your strengths as a deck? Two of Swords. Two figures bust through a glass window, taking a huge leap of faith. They have no fear. This deck will get straight to the point, and I can trust it (which of course really means myself as I read with it).

3. What are your limits as a deck? Seven of Chalices (Cups). Seven figures gather together to be photographed. With my ever growing collection, because I do like to collect decks whether I read with them or not, this deck is in danger of becoming just another face in the crowd. Because of its' dark theme, I may not choose it often enough for a true relationship to form.

4. What do you bring to the table - what are you here to teach me? Ace of Swords. The male figure is agonizingly stabbed through the gut with a cruel blade. This deck will help me deal with pain directly, rather than prolonging it.

5. How can I best learn from and collaborate with you? Nine of Wands. A woman bends over to tenderly kiss her long time love, as their younger self looks on from a photograph. I will have to invest the time and care into this deck that it deserves to reap the rewards of a rich and long lasting relationship.

6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship? XIV, which corresponds to Temperance in most decks. This card does not look much like the traditional angel pouring water though, *grin*. A man stands in the rain, which is washing the blood away from him. He cries out. This deck will cleanse me psychically, though it might not always be a pleasnat experience in the moment.
The base card from the reading was XVIII, which is The Moon in most decks. A woman is seated before a mirror, face buried in her hands, distraught. Her reflection, however, shows a different self. This one is stronger, and surrounded by spirits eager to help. If I trust my intuition and look for the help that is available, I will suffer less is the message.

The lack of Pentacles in this reading tells me that this deck will not deal very much with my physical self. The plethora of Swords tells me that it will help me deal with some painful, darker issues.

Overall, this looks to be a very readable deck. I cannot, of course, simply forget the "book" meanings of cards, but I read these purely intuitively, and that is always a lovely experience!




These images are from The Gothic Tarot of Vampires for Lo Scarabeo.