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Nigel Jackson (1)

Auteur de The Call of the Horned Piper

Pour les autres auteurs qui s'appellent Nigel Jackson, voyez la page de désambigüisation.

18+ oeuvres 452 utilisateurs 4 critiques

Œuvres de Nigel Jackson

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Sacrum Regnum II (2013) — Contributeur — 10 exemplaires

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This is a book on "Traditional" witchcraft folklore, not Wicca. The book deals with the Old World pagan practices of "cunning-folk" (at least so far as we know). Specifically, the book deals with the male aspect or "horned gods" of pagan belief systems, gods such as: Herne the Hunter, Cernunnos, Pan and Loki as well as their various aspects, regional name variances and lesser gods and creatures associated with them. The book is a treasure-trove of witch-lore. Though the author admits from the start there are few "cold hard facts" (like most of history) as much of it was carried on by oral tradition, and much of what was recorded has been destroyed or disguised by Roman invaders, and later, Christian missionaries. We can only piece together a rough picture through surviving works and artifacts. That said; many age old legends, such as the legend of Tubal-Cain, have remained fairly intact. Names may change, but the fables basically stay the same.

Jackson's book is loaded with fascinating practices, incantations, artwork, and rituals. The rituals are not meant to be precise recreations of ancient witchcraft rites (after all, many of the practices were recorded by those who were antagonistic towards them); rather, they're meant to be modern interpretations of the age-old practices to the best of our ability. Jackson insists practicing them "in the spirit" is more important than simply mimicking practices that once had very real motives and meaning, practices we couldn't possibly fully understand or relate to in the modern world.

My only gripe with the book was the typos. This is common with Capal Bann books. One section describing the dying of human bones (red) by using various pigments read, "iron peroxide was often employed". Obviously they meant "iron oxide", or rust. Publishing houses need to quit relying on Spellcheck as their sole editor.
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Signalé
Dead_Dreamer | Jan 12, 2010 |
“The prophetic light blazes timelessly at the heart of Sufi way, for Sufism transcends all the outward forms of religion—it pervades them as their eternal essence and yet preexisted them all. Sufism is the subtlest and deepest core of universal truth, the purity of the all-pervading and traceless gnosis.” – From the Rumi Tarot companion book

I pre-ordered the Rumi Tarot from Amazon.com with great anticipation, especially since I’ve used Rumi’s poetry for contemplation for several years. As I began to read the well-researched and detailed 294-page companion book, my heart sank. The first 31 pages are a dry, meticulous discourse on Sufi theology—including the liberal use of dozens of unfamiliar Arabic names and terms. In fact, I think Sufi Tarot would be a better name for this box set. (Incidentally, Sufism is the mystical arm of Islam).

After slogging through, I concluded that those 31 pages were, in my opinion, unnecessary. I became encouraged when I got to the section on the seven chakras, but the information was unorganized, out of vertical order (either up or down, 1-7 or 7-1, would have been fine), and, in two cases, the chakra title/number wasn’t even mentioned. Despite being quite familiar with chakra teachings and theory, I couldn’t make heads or tails of two of the chakras, even after considerable re-reading and examination!

And to give you an idea of how the first 31 pages read, here’s an example of a chakra description. (Incidentally, I can’t figure out which chakra it’s referring to since the Third Eye and Crown Chakras were discussed elsewhere):

“The Alam-i-Mithal or Alam-I-Khayal is the world of images, or imaginal world, the mystical ‘isthmus of similtudes’ that exists between the sensorial and unseen realms is also known as Hurqalya, the ‘earth of the emerald cities’ Jabalqa and Jabarsa, the ‘cities at the end of the earth’, the ‘earth of visions’ or ‘intermediate Orient’. This is the sphere of imagination wherein, according to the seventeenth-century Islamic mystic Muhsin Fayz Kashani, ‘spirits are embodied and bodies are spiritualized’…”

That said, the explanations and insights for the individual cards of the Rumi Tarot are more accessible, appealing, and spiritually illuminating—as are the upright and reversed meanings provided by Mr. Jackson.

Uncharacteristic of Llewellyn decks, the card stock is incredibly flimsy and low quality. After only taking out the Rumi Tarot cards a few times to scrutinize and scan, the corners began wrinkle, flake, and—in some cases—actually bend upward, exposing white card stock beneath.

Had I saw card samples online beforehand, I would have definitely reconsidered buying it, especially since the ornate borders, background, and quotes from Rumi’s Mathnavi hog most of the card, especially the Minor Arcana. In fact, the central imagery of the Minor Arcana measures (approximately) a mere 1 ½ x 1 inch!

It’s obvious that Mr. Jackson has taken great care with his intricate paintings, and the Majors and court cards are lovely. However, as I said, the double borders, moss green background, and quote banner overshadow the painstaking artwork, especially with the Minors.

Featuring a simple, delicate, reversible symbol on the backing, the cards of the Rumi Tarot measure 4 ½ x 2 ¾ inches with a matte finish. The box set comes with the companion book, white cardboard box for storage and a black organdy pouch.

Personally, I don’t feel that the Rumi Tarot makes for a good divination deck (and certainly not as a beginner’s deck!), but it would make a wonderful contemplation tool for those inspired and nurtured by Sufi mysticism. Mr. Jackson brings an innovative perspective on the cards, as well as an exhaustive treatise of Sufi theology.

(To see 16 images from this deck, including the chipped corner, visit http://janetboyer.com/Rumi_Tarot.html)

NOTE: In yet another "sour grapes" comment from this deck creator (the first being in response to my review of his Medieval Enchantment Tarot), Nigel Jackson began whining on an TarotForum.net thread, and posted this (only) to my review of the Rumi Tarot on TheTarotChannel.com:

QUOTE: 'All of a sudden a great ass sticks its head out of the stable and braying like an old crone says "this work is poor"....

Mevlana Djalal-Al-Din Rumi

(Mathnavi III 4227) END QUOTE

So you may want to keep Nigel Jackson's tone and spite in mind when considering if this deck is for you...
… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
JanetBoyer | Jun 6, 2009 |
This is one of my favorite decks. It is a little large for small hands (about the size of the Goddess tarot). The art is different on some of the cards, which is intriguing for those who are most familiar with RWS imagery. My favorites in this deck are the 3 of Swords and the Moon. The artwork incorporates elements of illustrated & non-illustrated minors. The associations are Swords=fire and Wands=Air. Justice is VIII and Strength is XI.
 
Signalé
lkrough2 | 1 autre critique | Feb 10, 2007 |
Nigel Jackson is apparently a noted artist and mage--i wouldn't know--i do know that this is a beautiful tarot.
½
 
Signalé
rampaginglibrarian | 1 autre critique | Jul 3, 2006 |

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Statistiques

Œuvres
18
Aussi par
1
Membres
452
Popularité
#54,272
Évaluation
4.1
Critiques
4
ISBN
29
Langues
2

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