Ludy Lescot Tarot Review
by
Elizabeth Tanous
The enigmatic author and visionary who created
the Ludy Lescot deck resides in the French Quarter of New Orleans, as is made
evident by the Gothic nature of this deck.
Not divinatory in the style of the Rider Waite, this introspective,
analytic deck is rather a narrative of the development and fusion of the shadow
self with the anima in Jungian terms.
The deck, in my experience, is best used to
process responses to situations in such a fashion that one grows in the process
of adapting to one’s changing circumstances, no matter how fraught with
peril. The illustrator, Patrizio
Evangelisti, brings the theoretical underpinnings of the deck to life by
reflecting the shadow self with imagery that is sexual, explosive and palpably
despairing. As we see, the
autobiographical nature of the journey through the Majors and the Minors is
typified by the illustrator’s use of stark black and white with shades of red
and violet. This coloration exemplifies
the conflict and tension that exists between the shadow and the anima, which
are associated also with the higher or “best” self and the subconscious.
While designed with a typical major-minor
arcana structure, these are personalities imbued with teachings for the
initiate. While the emotions of the
persons depicted in the deck are palpable and require experiential knowledge as
a referent, the LWB is essential to interpretation, as there are no reversals
and the meanings are radically different from those in the Rider-Waite. Notably the Tower card, typically a violent
overthrow of old and stagnant doctrine or dogma that leads to liberation, becomes
in the Ludy a leap of faith into a Kierkegaardian release of control that does
lead out of an abyss. Without this leap,
the querent is wearing cement boots of materialism that mire her down from the
spiritual aspects of life.
The packaging is subtle. The black box has faint mauve lettering
superimposed where one can read the words Death, Conflict, Desperation and
Life, with a solar cross in the O of Lescot.
An ankh, symbol of eternal life, is an interesting artistic choice as
many of the characters are vampiric, in the physical as well as psychological
sense. On the back of each card, we see
a male and female hand with the Latin inscription reading, “All things are
mortal; consequently, silent secrets live underneath the wounded soul. All things are thus.” The Latin inscription is not there as some
sort of homage to esotericism, but rather alludes to the truth the deck is
meant to expose.
By Ludy’s own admission, this deck illustrates loss
and the journey through and out of that abyss.
She references overcoming her own demons in order to cope successfully
with challenges in the future. Having
perused the Majors in order, it is apparent that while the Ludy is highly
personal, it is still rooted in the tradition of archetypes for the
majors. There are no titles on the
cards, but Roman numerals to indicate each card’s placement in the sequence. The traditional ties to the subconscious
elements, triggered by the visual personas of the Rider-Waite, become apparent
in a sampling of the majors.
In the Rider-Waite, Strength is personified by
a full-figured woman gently goading a lion into submission. Ludy is, or becomes, the lion, thus consumed
by the untamed wildness of the shadow self.
The LWB refers to Strength, a leonine female prowling on all fours, with
the statement “I am the beast. I am the
most beautiful and incredible thing you will ever meet.” Thus she embraces and integrates the self in
all of its constituent pieces. It is a
breathtaking card, rendered so well by the hands of the illustrator in almost
sepia tones.
The seventeenth card, the Star, evokes a
different response from that in the Rider-Waite. Although the woman in Ludy is at a pool of
water, both her hands are partially immersed, hinting at hidden truths and
memories she would perhaps rather leave undisturbed beneath the surface.
The Minor cards are more typically active than
those in the Rider-Waite deck. The Chalices
are highly descriptive of the emotional states as active and manifesting,
rather than a static expression of emotion.
The Pentacles are represented by a triangle
with a central heart. Notably, the Ace
features a coin with the All-Seeing Eye in a triangle being flipped into the
air by a male hand, while a bronze-masked woman gazes upon it with
contempt. The LWB admonishes us not to
mistake authentic relationships with those in which the relationship is an illusion
due to a contractual tit-for-tat based on artifice. In other words, love cannot be bought or
sold.
At this juncture, the deck evolves into an
autobiographical reflection on the peril of selling one’s integrity. Highly indicative of the astronomical cost of
devaluing a person for financial gain, we see the destructive force that the
material world can have on both one’s self and others.
In the suit of Wands, the art is far more
sensual and aggressive, emphasizing reflective communication rather than that
shared with another. The eight of wands
notably corresponds to and is a precursor of the Tower card. A young woman hurls herself up a set of steps,
between trails of skulls, to an opening where the sun sets over a castle in the
distance. Is she running from or toward
her fate?
As Swords are the suit of air and action, the
Ludy urges us to manifest thought into action.
This is the most portential aspect of the deck. Here the querent is urged to act on all that
has been simmering beneath the surface in the preceding suits. The LWB urges facing down difficult decisions
with a refusal to yield and in so doing, taking responsibility for one’s own
life.
No comments:
Post a Comment