789

Libretto

4 6
di
Istruzioni

4 6
4 6
123 Published by Duck Soup Productions,
87 Western Avenue, Waterville, Maine 04901
 h
“To Her Who is Pure Being, Consciousness, Bliss.
As Power, Who Exists in the Forms of Time and
Space, And All That is Therein, Who is the Divine
Illuminatrix in All Beings.”
—A Tantric Prayer
h
“Ah, how dark
Thy long-extended realms, and rueful wastes,
Where naught but silence reigns and night, dark night.”
— Robert Blair, The Grave.
 Legend.
`
The Family THORN: Are they monsters, or merely
Doomed Romantics? Are they, indeed, a blood family,
or a loose gathering of individuals brought together
by circumstance and sympathy? All we know is that
they enter the history books as early as 1597, and
that members of the “family” survive tenaciously
to this day; how they live and what their fortunes
depend upon remains a mystery to the world at large.
While certain individual members of the
Thorn family played defining roles in historical
Western Europe, today the Thorns keep largely
to themselves, venturing only rarely beyond the
gates of the ancestral estate nestled in the thickly-
wooded Bavarian foothills and known to outsiders as
Thornholme. That the estate lands are believed to be
uninhabitable, and that the crumbing manse which
is its main structure is sometimes half-submerged
in black water during the flooding months of Spring,
only contributes to the general bemusement of the
locals.
The rare visitor to Thornholme invariably
notices the uncanny resemblance that certain family
members bear to the subjects of portraits hanging
in the family galleries, portraits painted as much
as two and a half centuries ago. This has led to
speculation and theories of inbreeding, although more
serious historians soon learn that the Thorns are
astonishingly long-lived. Indeed, a close examination
of the family graveyard will reveal no stones that
bear dates more recent than 1897, and that many of
the names carved into them by long-dead hands are
identical to those of Thornholme’s current occupants.
A carving that hangs above Thornholm’s entry
hall details the family coat-of-arms, which features
a rampant gryphon beneath a bat-winged clock
face, these two features engulfed in flame. Beneath
this, inscribed across a tattered banner, is the Latin
motto “Mortui sunt autem tempus non erit senex in
civitate hac nocte!” Loosely translated into English
the meaning becomes even more vague: “There’ll Be
a Dead Time in the Old Town Tonight!”
At great risk to life and limb, Duck Soup
Productions approached the family Thorn and
persuaded its matriarch, Grandmama Hobnail Thorn,
to license the family tarot pack for the edification
of Tarot users and collectors the world over. This
unique pack, which has been in use by Thorn family
mystagogues for generations, is said to have been
created by a “previous” Grandmama Hobnail in 1706.
It offers unique perspectives, wisdom and symbolism
that are sure to be welcomed by modern practitioners
of the art.
All other travelers are advised to steer well clear
of Thornholme, as visitors rarely return from beyond
its black gates. It seems, as certain of the locals
would have it, that The Family Thorn is always
looking for new blood.

— Prof. N. Newton Ironwood,

Department of History,
Miskatonic University,
ARKHAM, Mass.
 Please Note:
Readers are encouraged to use this booklet as a
guide only, and to develop unique interpretations
based upon their own instinctive inner knowledge.

Major Arcana.
`
The Major Arcana cards for Crooked Way Tarot are
not numbered, a deliberate device which will allow
experienced practitioners to place the "Strength" and
"Justice" cards in whatever position they wish. For
beginners and for easy reference, numbers for the artist-
preferred arrangement are provided below.

No. 0: The Fool: The spirit of embarkation, of beginning,

of innocence about to be lost, of all potential embedded in
the present moment. The dog seems to be thinking: Is that
Fool really going to get into that carriage?
No. 1: The Magician: Emotional, Philosophical, and
Intellectual dexterity. Mastery of the elements, and of the
mind, body and spirit.
No. 2: The High Priestess: The Enchantress of the Moon
and the Collective Unconscious. Keeper of the Mysteries.
Intuition. Also known as Diana, The Seer.
No. 3: The Empress: Leading Lady, fertility, Richness of
Life. Creativity. Potential.
No. 4: The Emperor: The Decider. Authority. Direction.
Purposeful Nature.
No. 5: The Hierophant: Keeper of The Flame. Tradition,
history, education. Hard-learned wisdom.
No. 6: The Lovers: Choice in Future Affairs. Union of
Opposites. Duality. Suppression of the Ego.
No. 7: The Chariot: Your Ride is here. Accomplishment.
Swift Success. Self-control.
No. 8: Adjustment: Balance. Clarity of Mind. Justice.
Acting from a position of intellectual detachment.
No. 9: The Hermit: Isolation for the specific purpose of
purification. Introspection. Wisdom. Inner Light.
No. 10: Wheel of Fortune: Serendipity. Controlled by
Chance rather than by Design. What goes around, comes
around. If upright, change for the better.
No. 11: Strength: Spiritual courage. Feminine strength.
Inner peace regardless of circumstance. The beast tamed.
No. 12: The Hanged Man: Abnegation. Willing surrender
to the unknown. Detachment from practical affairs.
Prophesy at a cost.
No. 13: Death: Transformative Influence. All things must
pass.
No. 14: Art: Inner purification. Unification of opposites.
The alchemical process at work.
No. 15: The Devil: Denial of the spiritual path. Addiction.
Wasted potential. All that is good held hostage.
No. 16: The Tower: Catastrophic forces charged with
substantial disruptive power; in its wake endowing the
atmosphere with energy that can be channeled for good
or ill.
No. 17: The Star: Transcendence. Renewal. Hope. Charity.
No. 18: The Moon: Vision. Collective Unconscious.
Liberation of the Inner Self. That land over which the
goddess presides.
No. 19: The Sun: Darkness dispelled. Bounty. Sunshine.
Happiness. Strong relationship.
No. 20: The Aeon: Rebirth. Ascension. The New emerging
from The Old. Putting the Past behind.
No. 21: World: Wholeness Achieved. Completion.
Journey’s End Fulfillment. Enlightenment. Evolution.
 Court Cards.
`
Just as the suits over which they rule, the members of
the Royal Families have Elemental Associations:

KINGS: Air - The Intellect.

QUEENS: Water - The Heart
KNIGHTS: Fire - The Spirit
PAGES: Earth - The Hands.

When these elemental associations are combined with

those of their respective Suits, a wide and clear range of
personality types are revealed.

STICKS - WANDS - FIRE

King of Sticks: The Creative Intellect. Decisive, given

to action, but capricious. In his positive aspect he brings
light and intensity into a room; in the negative, he is more
likely to strike you with a bolt of lightning.
Queen of Sticks: The Creative Heart. She is passionate,
yes; but she has a secret and is given to rash decisions in
the heat of the moment.
Knight of Sticks: The Creative Spirit. She burns for that
which lights her soul.
Page of Sticks: The Creative Hand. Resourceful and
dedicated to a fault. New ambitions, beginning to
manifest.

SKULLS - CUPS - WATER

King of Skulls: The Feeling Mind. Quite a decent

sort, though quite the emotional type; not given to
intellectual conversation. A true Old-Style Doomed
Romantic.
Queen of Skulls: The Seeking Heart. In the elaborate
gothic novels that she turns out by the dozens, Romance
generally triumphs over Doom — unless it doesn’t.
Knight of Skulls: The Sympathetic Spirit. A True
Believer in The Cause, an eager listener… and something
of a gossip.
Page of Skulls: The Sympathetic Hand. Bearing messages
of great import from the subconscious mind.

PINS - SWORDS - AIR

King of Pins: The Intellectual Mind. Quite dis-

interested in practical matters, this is the semantic and
theoretical King who hates being bothered by anything
Earthly.
Queen of Pins: The Detached Heart. Cold and Indifferent
- unless you have something that she wants.
Knight of Pins: The Refined Spirit. Pure and noble of
character, and careful not to get her hands dirty.
Page of Pins: The Curious Hand, bearing notice of new
opportunities for learning or self-betterment.

PENTACLES - EARTH

King of Pentacles: The Practical Mind. Cunning and

clever with money, and with the physical comforts in
life.
Queen of Pentacles: The Connected Heart. Powerfully
attached to Home and her family.
Knight of Pentacles: The Grounded Spirit. Driven by
loyalty more than adventure.
Page of Pentacles: The Practical Hand. Bearing news
of Earthy concerns for Good or Ill; bills and windfalls,
weddings and funerals alike.
 Minor Arcana.
`
STICKS - WANDS - CLUBS - FIRE
The Suit of Creativity and Spirit

Ace: The mysterious spark of life. New passions or

projects. Creative fire unleashed.
Two: The moment of decision.
Three: The moment when carefully laid plans are about
to emerge from potential into actuality.
Four: Celebration of Completion.
Five: Internal or external conflict. Cousin Brindisi Thorn
went out all night walking like an Egyptian, but stayed
out too late.
Six: Victory; but at a price. Rising above. Lasting value
from what remains.
Seven: The wolf at bay; but unbowed and unwilling to
give up without a fight.
Eight: News of a pertinent sort arriving swiftly.
Nine: Facing the challenges of a harsh world with all the
courage your battered self can muster.
Ten: Oppression, burdens.

SKULLS - CUPS - HEARTS - WATER

The Suit of Emotions and Relationships

Ace: The flood of emotion, the gate of intuition.

Two: Union.
Three: Convergence. The renewal of vital forces.
Four: Denial of the intuitive and creative to the detriment
of the whole person.
Five: Self-indulgent regret that does not acknowledge the
good things in plain sight.
Six: Connection to the past, elegy, ceremony.
Seven: Delusion, desire, too many choices, false
aspiration.
Eight: Leaving behind that which does not benefit you.
Nine: A collection of Good Things. Contentment. Living
harmoniously with one’s shadow-self.
Ten: Familial love, long-existing connections, purity.

PINS - SWORDS - SPADES - AIR

The Suit of Intellect and Education

Ace: The Sharpness of Intellect. The Lightness of Being.

Two: From darkness, aspiring to light. From conflict,
aspiring to balance. Seeking completion.
Three: Regret.
Four: Rest and renewal.
Five: Opposition and conflict, self-defeat.
Six: You are being guided.
Seven: The time for an audacious maneuver is upon you.
Eight: Confinement, containment, constriction; but with
the means of escape to be found within yourself.
Nine: Angst, night-terrors; specifically, the burden of
mortality. Remember you must die.
Ten: A disaster testing your ability to cope.

PENTACLES - DIAMONDS - EARTH

The Suit of Practical and Earthly Matters

Ace: Creation, stability, security, grounding, earthly

powers.
Two: Alignment with powers larger than yourself.
Three: Aspiration, application, Great Works. The duty
of humanity to create a reflection of itself in Civilization.
Four: Acquisitiveness, materialism, selfishness.
Five: Alienation, disconnection, poverty of the soul in the
midst of riches.
Six: Patronage; and the symbiotic relationship between
giving and receiving. Also, the danger of giving too much
of yourself.
Seven: Digging deep, but to what effect? Unrealized
potential. Ineffective efforts.
Eight: Life emerging through art; craftsmanship.
Fruition. Authority and capability in one’s work.
Nine: Security, inner comfort against the harsh outer
world.
Ten: Legacy.

Reading Spreads.
THE
`
GOTHIC ARCH SPREAD.

I.
F. G.
E. H.

B. C.

B. C.
A. D.
B. C.

A: Your Father's Influence.

D: Your Mother's's Influence.
(According to the Querent's wishes, the above-mentioned
two cards can either be drawn randomly from the deck, or
selected by the querent from the unshuffled deck.)
B: Foundations of the Past: Emotional, Spiritual,
Physical (stacked top to bottom).
C: Foundations of the Future: Emotional, Spiritual,
Physical (stacked top to bottom).
E: A PERSONAGE who will have some impact upon the
question.
F: AN EVENT that will have some impact upon the
question.
G: THOUGHTS and CONCERNS raised by the question..
H: EMOTIONAL ISSUES related to the question.
I: The Querent in her final state: the best that can be
hoped for based upon all the other cards in the spread.

THE
`
HEART OF THE MATTER SPREAD.

A. A.

A. A.
A. A.

A. B. A.

A. A.

A.

(Note that the outcome of this spread depends on the

possibility of a reversed card; and so for this spread to
be effective, the cards must be shuffled in a manner that
allows for this possibility to occur. )
In this spread, card B predicts the outcome or probabilty
of the issue brought into question. If the card is reversed,
the anwer is No, or Unlikely. If the card is uprright, then
a positive outcome is assumed. Cards A surrounding the
outcome are all Personages, Influences or Emotions that
affect the Outcome as represented in Card B.

THE
`
TOMB OF THE ANCESTORS METHOD.

Separate the 16 Court Cards from the pack and set the
remaining cards aside. Then shuffle the Court Cards and
lay them out. FACE DOWN, in the pattern represented
above. This is the Tomb of the Ancestors. With your mind
on the Question, let your secondary hand hover over the
graves. Try to sense which three of the sixteen cards are
the warmest. Turn these three up. These are the three
ancestors who have answered your call, and who have
advice for your situation.
Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white;
Nor waves the cypress in the palace walk;
Now folds the lily all her sweetness up,
And slips into the bosom of the lake.
So fold thyself, my dearest, thou, and slip
Into my bosom and be lost in me.
—ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON
 is conceived and designed by
Douglas Thorns jo

Printed in China by @WJPCC

ISBN-13: “Salty Tears” Edition: 978-0-

ISBN-13: “Noble Blood” Edition: 978-0-

Crookled Way Tarot, deck designs, text, and all original

material ™ and copyright © MMXIX Duck Soup Productions
All Rights Reserved
If you enjoy working with this deck, then you
are certain to be interested in the many other
fine tarots and oracles from

www.tarotbyducksoup.com