u/igorukun

I just started tarot reading (through Cats Rule the Earth) and for me, this deck was absolutely perfect. It was visually simple, easy to interpret, intuitive, very easy to understand reversals. My issue with the deck is that for me, its energy is very "no nonsense" but I wanted a second deck for gentler, softer readings for friends who might need a different energy than the feline one.

I ended up getting the Tarot of the Divine, which is GORGEOUS - love everything about the cards, from the reversal-friendly back to the gorgeous colours and mythological narratives.

The problem is that the art style is TOO colorful, not super intuitive and clear, and somehow I feel this deck wasn't even meant for reversals. I often do Celtic Cross readings with my Cats Rule the Earth, but with Tarot of the Divine, even a basic 3 card spread feels too much, and it feels mentally/physicallt exhausting to read.

I can't really return it anymore, and there is no one for me to sell it to. I really want to open up to this deck but something is blocking me. How do you deal with decks that are gorgeous and you love the art, but they feel like a chore to read?

I recently bought Cats Rule the World and I fell in love with it as it checked all the boxes for me. Only problem is sometimes I find it too whimsical.

Here is what I'm looking specifically:

* Gender neutral imagery (no men or women, no sapphic/femme art);
* Clear, VERY intuitive design (I don't need to memorize all card meanings, it's evident by the illustration);
* Reversible back (I use reversals in my readings);
* Slightly less whimsical than Cats Rule the World but not dark;
* Cards that use the RWS system;
* Tending towards modern design;
* No renaming of suites (Club, Pentacles, Swords, Wands) or minor arcana (Page, Knight, Queen, King)

What would you suggest? Thanks!

As someone who is not from the US, is there an obvious symbolic, political or cultural reason for mentioning those two places in the context of In Times of Dragons? I can enjoy the album just fine without the knowledge but I feel that knowing "why" would paint a clearer picture for me.

No Tori Amos album has reached the perfect blend of being simultaneously accessible and at the same time dense and inscrutable as In Times of Dragons.

Lyric wise it might be her most direct album, but she still infuses the lyrics with enough poetry that older fans will have a field day deciphering meanings.

Sonically, this album is overproduced but I mean this as a high compliment. The bass, drums, guitar sound delectable and the piano/harpsichord/organ sound just in every song.

Tori has always been rock n' roll-informed and this album oozes with the energy. It sounds too familiar. But because it's Tori, it also sounds like nothing ever made before.

There's both consistency and quality here, in levels I haven't seen since perhaps Night of Hunters (and even it suffered from being very niche - your enjoyment depends a lot on how invested you are in piano and classical music).

I don't know, my first listen of ITOD was whelming, but the more I listen to it, the more enthralled I am. Once you get used to Tori's more mature voice you realise just how well she played to its strengths and how she sounds... natural. Her emotion flows effortlessly. I know many fans have conflicting feelings about her mature voice but there's a level of comfort you only attain when you stop fighting against the limits of your register. Tori doesn't need to scream to convey emotion, her tune never sounded so natural and better imo.

I know many people here might disagree but I honestly think this is her best album yet, and if the muses have more to reveal to her in the future, I look forward with excitement. If she decides this is her last album, I think it's the most beautiful singing farewell that an artist could ever have made.

What do you think?