In contrast, the meanings in other decks are particularly difficult to decipher, like the infamous Thoth tarot developed by Aleister Crowley, notorious for his involvement with various cults and experimentation with recreational drugs and so-called “sex magick." Completed in 1943, the Thoth deck was illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris and incorporated a range of occult and scientific symbols, inspiring many modern decks. As Wolf explains, "with the rise of the divination market in the 20th century, more liberties were taken, and the imagery evolved into increasingly personal artistic statements, both in content and style of execution."
与这些知识相比,塔罗牌上的其他意思是很难解读的,比如说1943年Aleister Crowley发明的著名的透特塔罗牌,就像综合了各种宗教祭仪和嗑药后的效果,被称作“性感魔法”,它的插图来自Frieda Harris女士,使用了一些神秘学和自然科学中的符号,它影响了后世的塔罗牌的风格。Wolf对此这样解释:“二十世纪占卜学兴起之后,其风格越来越自由化,那些图案本身的风格和对其的解读都带上了更强的个人风格。”
But to balance such arcane decks, there are divinatory cards that offer little room for interpretation, like “Le Scarabée d'Or"or The Golden Beetle Oracle, one of Wolf's most prized decks. "It's just fantastically bizarre. There's a little window in the lid of the card box, and when you shake it, the beetle appears, and points to a number,” he explains. "Then you find the corresponding number on a set of round cards, with beautiful script text on them, and read your fortune. Can you not imagine standing in a Victorian parlor in France, consulting the Golden Beetle? It was like performance art."
卡牌占卜越发神秘化之后,又出现了一些提供较少想象空间的占卜牌,比如“Le Scarabée d'Or”或者Wolf最喜欢的“金龟子牌”。“它独特而有趣,牌盒上有一个小小的洞,你摇动它就会出现一只甲虫,指向一个数字。”他解释。“然后你在一堆牌中找出这个数字,上面写着一段揭示你未来的隽永的句子。想象一下维多利亚时代的你坐在法国的客厅里向金甲虫问卦的场景,那是一种艺术。”
The Art of Divination Cards
The Golden Beetle deck, circa 1860. Photo courtesy Bill Wolf.
1860年的金龟子牌]