virus: Re: virian tarot

Ken Pantheists (kenpan@axionet.com)
Sat, 28 Sep 1996 13:38:24 +0000


I think I may have missed an installment of the virus digest.

This new tarot thread sounds gresat, and I love the idea of making a
virian tarot.

This is a good way to spread the awareness of memes and the idea that
this awareness can be immediately beneficial.

A few thoughts based on the last several postings.

In response to David:
"I believe the same as true when we are presented with a random set of
symbols (as in a tarot, or palm or psychic reading)"

I totally agree with your post, but would nit-pick one thing.

In the case of tarot cards-- the symbols are not random, the method of
accessing them (shuffling the deck) is. The symbols are what a jungian
might call part of our universal subconscious.

(Which is in itself a questionable construct.)

The symbols allude tou a unniversally known language of the subjective.

Skeletons, serpents, lightning, fire in the hearth, grain in the field--
All of these have pretty universal meanings to most humans.

I must confess, I still don't understand the debate over whether tarot
actually predicts the future (like some kind of time machine). I think
the concept has risen from some of the charlatons (sp?) who infect
people with the idea that the unknown is scary and "Pay Me" to see you
through it. In which case it is that specific MEME that should be under
attack. (IMHO)

Drakir: You are an amazingly complex person. ;-)
"I'm very open to new ideas, and the supernatural phenomena theories, as
none of it has been disproved yet.But I must confess to being sceptical
about Tarot, as this isn't really in the same league"
You produce interesting memes.;-)

Here are some of the features I would like to see in a virian tarot.

A virian tarot deck would have to be free of the charlaton's meme. It
would be a private experience--- people would do their own readings at a
website or at home, for example. The deck would help readers identify
the memes that they are infected with, how those memes help or impede
their ability to see their way clearly through the situation in
question, and help the reader formulate a course of action (for
themselves) through introducing positive, more efficient, life
fulfilling memes.

Tall order, but this is, after all, a church of Virus.

I like KMO's list:

I have gone through a list of the traditional tarot and have found cards
that have primal meanings-- hard to translate or alter.

eg. Justice
The Fool
The Hermit
The Lovers
The Sun
The Moon
The World
Judgement
The star

Our list, so far, is more abstract than these.

Are there contemporary symbols that contain these ideas?

For example: The Moon has a different meaning now that we've been
walking all over it and sticking flags in it.

What about Black Hole?

Irrationality
Degeneration
Transformation
Creation
Nebula
The Internet
The Simulacrum

All of these could be major arcana

KMO
The homunculus is a perfect idea/symbol when considering the replication
of ideas--- Another Major Arcana?

Minor arcana:

We need the equivalents of:

Cups
Coins
Rods
Swords

And titles such as King, Queen, Knight, Page

How about

CEO, Executive Officer, Manager, Assistant Manager??

This sounds like a great project.

-- 
Regards
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Ken Pantheists                 
http://www.lucifer.com/~kenpan           
Virus Theatre                   http://www.lucifer.com/virus/theatre
TooBa Physical Theatre Centre   http://www.tooba.com
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+