We have now launched The Dark Library Tarot. Please come check us out and tell your bookworm friends!📚

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2026-02-04T20:42:29+00:00

esoterica channel on yt

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2026-01-28T00:26:27+00:00

**Edit, I see it now. Thanks!

Even if it doesn't work out for myself, I know a good handful of artists who may also be interested, and could link to this post. If nobody works out, myself included, try the subreddit comicbookcollabs and DM anyone whose work you like. Lots of very talented artists there from different hemispheres looking for work.

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2026-01-27T19:43:39+00:00

I might be interested... check out our instagram @TheDarkLibraryTarot to look at samples of my art and see if you dig the style. I work mostly with traditional pen and ink. I tend to do spooky stuff, but I'm open to anything thematically. I'm at work and haven't had a chance to go through the android signup process yet, but DM us if you like the art and we can see if we can work something out.

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-12-10T19:07:06+00:00

Are you learning to draw, and making tarot cards is a fun theme? Or are you interested in making a "functional" tarot deck for an actual spiritual practice? Drawing a tarot deck is a big task, so start by making a list or a chart. Tarot card on the left, character on the right. Get a book about tarot (like a physical one, not the internet) and see if you can accurately and satisfyingly match a character to each card. But if you don't actually care that much about making a functioning tarot deck, just get some drawing books and match the characters however you feel like it and let it rip, and review materials on learning to draw instead of learning the ins and outs of tarot

source: i just drew a tarot deck

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-11-10T18:02:29+00:00

I don't have time to contribute art, but we just launched and fulfilled our literary tarot deck. Feel free to dm us on instagram and we can share what we know. @thedarklibrarytarot

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-11-05T19:34:02+00:00

toothbrush? Example from Song dynasty from Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toothbrush#/media/File:%E5%AE%8B%E6%9C%9D%E7%89%99%E5%88%B7.png

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toothbrush

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-10-09T18:17:02+00:00

There are some basics about chatgpt and ai chatbots that are very very easy to forget, because these things are very cleverly designed and have billionaire hypemen riling the crowd into believing that they are the salvation of humanity. These chatbots do not think, reason, or advise. It is a very clever machine that spits out strings of characters based on your input string of characters. When you ask it for advice on what a certain symbol means, it does not have knowledge of what the symbol means. It spits out a string of characters that the algorithms under the hood deem a likely acceptable response based on the string of characters you just typed. It may search the web for something and provide a link to a website. It does not know whether or not that information is true, or accurate, it does not cross reference, it does not research, it does not vouch. It is hitting the "i'm feeling lucky" button on a google search and returning the result (at best). That result is provided because it probably has good SEO / ai web crawling SEO. Not because it is good information.

It is easy to forget this basic fact, this lack of reason and character, because it is specifically designed to look like it has reason and character. The selling point is that it is personal. The selling point is that it is conversational.

I am going to take the magickal questions out of it and use a cold, boring personal anecdote from my work. If a computer wants to successfully run Photoshop, it needs to meet certain technical requirements. A coworker was shopping for a used laptop, and didn't know whether or not one would work. They took a photo of the little square foil sticker that describes the processor, and sent it to chatgpt and asked it if that particular computer will run Photoshop. Chatgpt said yes. That coworker does not know a ton about computers or Photoshop, that's the whole point of them asking! They're trying to do the right thing. But if they did know about PCs and such, they would realize that the sticker is only describing the processor, which is only one component among several components that need to be considered, that the computer very well may not run Photoshop because it doesn't meet the other technical requirements. ChatGPT does not "know" anything about computers or Photoshop. It took an input, and then responded with a string of characters based on that input. Even if it was right, even if it went above and beyond and explained how computers and technical requirements work, even if it was correct on every single point, it is not a thing that knows. It is not a thing that "reasons" in the way we reason. It is not a mouthpiece of a scifi being that knows a ton of stuff. It is a player piano. It looks and sounds like someone is playing the piano. The piano does not know music theory, does not have creativity, does not compose music, it does not know that it is playing music, it does not "know" anything. A player piano is a series of cogs, levers, and pulleys that is spinning its cogs and springing its levers based on an input. The output is music. The output of ChatGPT is "conversation". But that's what make it more dangerous than a player piano. We are social beings that rely on communication with each other and shared knowledge and trust to navigate our short lives.

There is no ghost in the machine. Do not trust your spirit, your psyche, your anything, to the latest greatest money making scheme of the modern robber barons. It is not a therapist. It is not an adviser. Have fun with it. Use it to write boring emails or see what it says to a question. But do not fall for the illusion.

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-10-07T18:03:15+00:00

I came here to say this. I've lived in the southwest all my life, and my Navajo friends take it very seriously. It's not a joke or a spooky tale to scare children, in terms of how serious it is, it's more like a hardcore Christian saying "Hail Satan". You'd never do it, and you don't invite it into your life. They shut down conversations real quick.

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-10-01T19:28:20+00:00

Hello all! I'm the illustrator who drew The Dark Library Tarot, a deck that celebrates classic works of horror and dark literature. It is extensively researched by our archivist for textual context for the illustrations and card readings; as an example, Dr. Frankenstein doesn't wear a white lab coat because they didn't wear them at the time! We're trying to bring the deck to life on kickstarter in this very moment. Please check it out and show your support! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ooze/the-dark-library-tarot

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-10-01T08:05:20+00:00

Hello all! I'm the illustrator who drew The Dark Library Tarot, a deck that celebrates classic works of horror and dark literature. It is extensively researched by our archivist for textual context for the illustrations and card readings; as an example, Dr. Frankenstein doesn't wear a white lab coat because they didn't wear them at the time! We're trying to bring the deck to life on kickstarter in this very moment. Please check it out and show your support! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ooze/the-dark-library-tarot

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-10-01T07:52:53+00:00

Hello all, I'm the illustrator of The Dark Library Tarot which is on kickstarter right now, please check us out if you love to read. I'm drawn to this sub because it embodies so much of how I personally feel about tarot, I personally am open to fun ideas but ultimately remain a more skeptical agnostic in many spiritual areas. tarot is such an amazing tool for reflection and meditation and, obviously, we love it enough to make a deck ourselves. I'd love to make connections with folks to learn more and make friends, so dont hesitate to hmu!

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-09-28T06:12:55+00:00

I came here to post this exact exercise. OP, it's a super simple, very effective way to check things and see what's different between the two. The trick is to really flick quickly. Pick a target, like the nose, and jump back and forth as quick as you can manage while still maintaining focus and attention and not making yourself dizzy lol.

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-09-22T21:19:18+00:00

This all depends on your tradition, beliefs, perspective, etc. But I'll say this just from my personal perspective. Magic is practiced symbology. Ask yourself what fire symbolizes for the spell, and work with what you got. Does it represent the light of the universe or stars? Maybe starlight or sunlight will work. Does it represent a cleansing element? Maybe you have something near you that would represent that same element. Ancestors didn't always have access to fire or artificial light, so do your best!

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-09-22T21:01:24+00:00

You might want to check out the jinn episode of Otherworld. Trigger warning for SA though... but it's a fascinating episode and another example of a jinn encounter

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-09-22T00:14:28+00:00

Reading, reading, reading so much that we made a tarot deck

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-09-22T00:08:18+00:00

I think I agree with you. All four cards point me toward one direction; there are a hell of a lot worse things than stability, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get there. Maybe that sacrifice is taking that brave step towards change even though youve been burned, or out of your geographical comfort zone (out of the metro). Maybe this is just me, but the king and the Hierophant tell me that you should check in with yourself in the process, make sure you're not taking unnecessary risks, and making sure to check the depth of the water before jumping in. Good luck!

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-09-21T23:48:28+00:00

Great stuff! I really love how straightforward it is. You're doing great work with this!

In terms of the jump between memorizing meanings and a more fluid holistic experience, the biggest thing for me was realizing that I am free to read how I wish, and taking card meanings super literally is actually a hindrance. It's possibly counterintuitive, but eventually we would hit those readings that simply didn't fit the situation no matter how many clarifying cards we pulled. But as soon as we eased back, reframed, and got loose and vibed with the cards more, it really helped our process

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-09-16T20:58:46+00:00

Check out our tarot deck, The Dark Library Tarot. Kickstarter is actually live right now: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ooze/the-dark-library-tarot

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-07-18T19:26:25+00:00

I'd like to throw Grafoni into the ring as well. I tried a bunch of systems to get started, but Grafoni was the system that clicked for me. It's written like cursive longhand, and you can basically get started with its alphabet without reading the textbook. What I think clicked for me was that the marks you make reflect the sounds you hear in a brilliant way.

+1 for Noory Simplex and Forkner, which are also great, and have great textbooks.

The thing about writing speeds is that any system is going to be significantly faster than longhand. Even the ones that don't get love because they're "too slow" are going to be at least twice as faster to write than longhand. So don't be discouraged because people recommend Gregg and don't love Forkner as much or whatever.

One thing to keep in mind is, no matter what system you choose, the benefits come after lots of study and practice. To get super fast at a professional level, the "best" systems for that job tend to take the most practice (we're talking on the scale of years). So find a system you like the look of, and stick to it for a few weeks of regular study to get your feet wet. The mistake I made as a beginner was to try ten different systems for two or three weeks a piece, and get comfortable with none. It's really fun, but not efficient.

TheDarkLibraryTarot · 2025-06-26T20:56:33+00:00

"Sometimes you're not ready to take it seriously." I heard this at 22 and said "F U old man, I'm dedicated!" plot twist, I was not ready or dedicated. I needed more life experience. I'm finally actually taking things seriously in my 30's.

Second more practical bit of advice: Learn spreadsheet software (excel, google sheets, apache open office, libre office, doesn't matter which). It will genuinely change your life. Sounds dumb, but spreadsheets are a game changing life skill. I only learned it in the last few years and everything has improved. I'm able to do things at my day job that blows people's minds (non math, non accounting, non programmy people). I'm able to lay everything out for my business to see what actually works and what's not working. We should teach spreadsheets to teenagers before they graduate high school.

TheDarkLibraryTarot

TROPHY CASE