Tarot is a system of symbols that embody a full range of human tendencies. Tarot is the Shakespeare of cards. When you play poker, you are playing with Tarot. No one can actually pinpoint a historical origin of Tarot, but there is evidence of connections as far back as Ancient Egypt.

Vs. System is a Trading Card Game that features super-heroes who embody a full range of human tendencies. Vs. System cards, like Tarot cards, contain a meaty helping of symbolic information. They have numbers, which run deep in symbolism. They have good and evil archetypal attitudes and situations. They can be creatively linked to one another into stories or concepts. They actually can be used like Tarot.

I have always wanted to create a Marvel Comics Tarot deck to be sold in Borders alongside the other fabulous versions of this timeless classic. Thanks to Vs. System, I actually have the human connections to pursue this possibility. In the interest of fair play, I will include DC Comics in my pursuit... although they will surely need to be seperate sets.

If you guys want to play with me, and learn a little Tarot at the same time, here's what I need. Help me decide which characters would fit each card. We will start at the beginning, since the Major Arcana of Tarot is arranged that way. You need to tell me which Marvel and which DC character most embodies this personality type. I'll post a new card each day.

Number Zero: The Fool

The fool is not as stupid as he looks. He is blessed. He is talented. He has the whole world in his hands. His problem? He doesn't really care what he does with it. He follows the bluebird of happiness right off the edge of the cliff. But like all Corny Action Movies, he doesn't die when he falls. In fact... he persists in his folly until he becomes the wisest of all.

What superhero does that remind you of?

Kinda sounds like Plastic Man, especially during the Morrison run on JLA. I did a couple of Tarot readings with my Yugioh deck a year or so ago...Change of Heart was a great spooky card to flip over.

The Fool symbolises the start of a journey or path.

It would have to be a one or two drop version of a major character.

Are we going with just characters or with any VS card?

The Fool could be a search card as it a choice of path.

I say anything goes... although my original idea was to choose Comic Myths of any kind - not just Vs. System cards. I'm sure there are some obscure characters to fit the Minor Arcana that have not been made into cards yet.

And, for anyone who hasn't made the connection yet, this entire line of partying ties in to this article: http://www.metagame.com/vs.aspx?tabid=46&ArticleId=4472

Natch,

Stu

LOL read that this morning and completely missed the connection. DOH!

If you are seriously considering this it is probably best to stick to VS cards for the moment as I believe that has the best chance of being realised. The cards already exist. They could merely be repackaged or actually given new text boxes.

The real challenge is to make the Tarot deck competetive if actually played as a VS deck...

I think the Magician would definately have to be Dr Light, probably the 3 drop.

He represents the male power of creation. Let there be light!

You are a sick, sick man. I love it.

I think the biggest trick will be convincing Marvel and DC that they could sell "Pagan Evil Anti-Church Immoralist Seeds of the Devil" to little kids. Although... the Tarot market is prolly big enough to support it. I seriously see no chance of re-packaging or re-designing Vs. cards into Tarot theme decks... but what the hell. I'll ask.

Well, not to get too metaphysical, but here's my take.

The symbols on the cards represent what you want them to. Each of these metaphysical objects is a reflection on you, not any external arbitrary assignment. (Oddly enough, this is one reason why I hate internet 'readings', since it doesn't rely on any inner evaluation of the symbols, but rather just a database lookup).

The two 'sets' I'm most familiar with are Tarot (which Amy was big on) and the Futhark (which is sort of my specialty). Generally speaking, each of the 'sets' represents the journey of the soul. I like to think of them as verbs more than nouns, but that's just my personal thing.

Where am I going with this? Who knows. But I guess what it comes down to is the only thing that matters is what the card/character/symbol means to you, rather than to anyone else.

That's why like anything else, study is so imporant. Once you take enough time for your brain to get past the 'definition' part of the symbols, it gets a chance to get to the 'fun stuff' and into the subconscious.

Of course, that being said, ,y personal interpretation is that the Fool is a symbol of new beginnings, innocence and naivety.

For DC, I think Plastic Man hits it right on the head. I think he's sort of the perpetual fool (though he's never really on a journey in search of anything).

Marvel's a bit tougher, but I think I would actually go with Peter Parker during his short 'wrestling' period. Of course, we don't really have a card with that image. I guess Twist of Fate might work, but I'd rather have one with him in his 'wrestling costume', completely oblivious of the world around him.

Frankly, you might even be able to go with an entire Spider-Man tarot deck with moments out of Peter's life, although the later cards might be trickier if you're not too familiar with Peter's recent storylines

Ramble off...

Truer words were never spoken. When my students ask me how I got so good at it, I say: Read 21 books of interpretation, then figure it out for yourself.

A good contender for the Fool would of course be Longshot!

He can reveal your path to you and help you on your way but he is just the begining and you need to follow the path to find victory. Or something...

I'm quoting that so people see that I didn't start it. It works for me, he never quite knows what the hell he's doing in the books.

Tangent: What card did Geordie Tait use for the banner in the article? I don't remember seeing that guy anywhere.

Mobius Chair, I think.

Edit: Yes, definitely.

In your last article?

Thats the mobius chair on the left isnt it?

Cool cool. Thanks, twice. It is the Mobius Chair. It also displays one of the most fun parts of my Monday morning. (I will confess that I wait with baited breath on Sundays at midnight for it to pop up.) I never know what card he is gonna riff on in the banner until you do. It often serves as an oracle in itself... now I get to google around and discover all the cool myths surrounding that particular piece of furniture to see what wisdom I can apply to my daily grind!

I love this life.

The High Priestess could be represented by Nightvision. This allows the Fool to use his intuition and perhaps reveal a secret or two that will help guide him.