Tarot of the Time Being

Dublin Core

Title

Tarot of the Time Being

Subject

Poetry
Art

Description

79 cards + a 207 page, softcover companion book in a flimsy cardboard shelf box. The deck is inside its own cardboard tuck box that fits inside the larger box. Note: The information on the back of the box indicates that the book has 212 pages. Technically this is true, but the page numbering ends at 207.

The cards measure 2.75" wide x 4.75" long.

The cardstock is thin and flexible, with a smooth, semi-matte finish.

The card back design is non-reversible.

Two versions of the Lovers card are included; one is titled Lover (singular) while the other is titled Lovers (plural).

No numbering appears on the cards themselves, but according to the companion book, Strength is VIII and Balance (Justice) is XI. La Mat (The Fool) is 0. Many of the majors have been renamed in the book; for example, Death is called the Wildcard.

The suits are Flame, Songs, Spirits, and Earth. The book does not state specifically how these align with traditional suits; I'm running on the assumption that Flame=Wands, Songs=Cups, Spirits=Swords, and Earth=Pentacles, but I could be wrong.

The court cards are Fool, Witch, Queen, and King.

The minor arcana are--honestly, I'm not sure how to classify them. They aren't scenic. They aren't pips, in that no suit symbols are depicted. They are illustrated, I guess, but a more apt description is that they are art cards. They don't bear any distinct resemblance to traditional tarot cards.

The companion book provides a poem for each card as well as a description of each card. The poems are written by the artist/poet Steven J. Kilbey, and the descriptions are written by author K. P. Buk.

The book includes very little information regarding divinatory use of the deck.

Someone who enjoys using oracle decks may be able to read with this deck, but otherwise, my advice is to skip this set.

The set was published in 2015, but much of the poetry appeared in previously published collections and have earlier copyright dates.

Note: This set has some of the flimsiest packaging I've ever seen. The cardboard shelf box is very thin and easily crushed. The tuckbox for the cards is likewise quite thin.

Creator

Kilbey, Steven J. (artist and poet)
Buk, K. P. (author)

Publisher

Batten Down the Hatches: A New Muse Press

Date

© 2015

Format

79 cards

Language

English

Type

Other

Identifier

ISBN 9781495162879 (appears on the back cover of the book)
ISBN 9781495139819 (appears on the reverse of the title page inside the book)

Citation

Kilbey, Steven J. (artist and poet) and Buk, K. P. (author), “Tarot of the Time Being,” The Osborne Tarot Collection, accessed March 29, 2024, http://tarot.zerosummer.org/items/show/397.

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