Unboxing The Green Glyphs Collection
over 1 year ago – Fri, Oct 14, 2022 at 02:16:24 PM

Over the weekend I filmed an hour-long unboxing video of the entire collection! I talk about the creation of the art and my thoughts behind the themes that unfold throughout each deck. If you've got questions about the collection they may be answered here:

Also, if you're curious about the behind-the-scenes of creating the collection I posted a quick video yesterday breaking down the process in six phases: 

Lastly, if you missed it, I also created a video on the making of the rune dice, it's a fun short 1-minute ride: 

Charms and Chimes?
over 1 year ago – Fri, Oct 14, 2022 at 08:35:05 AM

I've spent the last few days developing stretch goals and finishing up new cards (like the extra rune cards for an upcoming stretch goal!). But in the meantime, I would love to get your feedback!

I actually created a set of charms as a prototype item for this campaign. For some reason, it was one of the first things I thought of as a stretch goal, so it seems serendipitous that it was mentioned several times here without me bringing it up. 

I spent a while working with the manufacturer on the CNC art trying to get it right. When we got the actual charms they were a little.. I dunno lackluster? I think they're a little small and some details were lost because of the size. I also planned for them to have clasps to be attached to a bracelet or necklace, but I think that it is doing too much and they can exist as little trinkets on their own. 

I do think it would be neat to have a set of charms and trinkets to use as another method of divination (and would pair well with the casting cloth). 

Maybe there's something here? What do you think?

Secondly- chimes! I love wind chimes. There is a chimes card in the oracle inspired by the wind chimes at Arcosanti, AZ made by Paolo Solari. There's something about chimes that feels like it fits in with this project. I'd imagine them engraved with glyphs from the decks with a beautiful patina. But maybe I'm just daydreaming...I've done less research on this item, but again I would love your feedback! Comment below :)

This is the part in the campaign where things naturally start to slow down, so please keep sharing the project with your communities so we can hit as many of these free stretch goals as possible!

Hope you all have a great weekend

James

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jamesreads/green-glyphs-tarot-runes-oracle-and-lenormand-decks

Stretch Goal Reached: Free Oracle Print!
over 1 year ago – Thu, Oct 13, 2022 at 11:55:08 AM

We hit $350,000 and have now unlocked our first FREE print! 

After taking a poll on a previous update, the most highly requested (by far) was a print of "Enoki"! 

This 5" x 7" screenprint on rainbow foil paper will be free for all pledges that include an oracle deck. This means if you have a box set the print is included in the box set now! It will be one free print/oracle deck. So if you have 2 oracle decks in your pledge you will get 2 free prints.  

If you don't have an oracle deck in your pledge but you would like a print of Enoki, you will now find it as an add-on item for $10. 

I'm excited to offer prints in this campaign. Prints are a large part of what we do here at the studio. I wish there was a way to implement larger prints into this campaign - I think some of the cards from the tarot deck would make really cool 16" x 20"+ prints, but alas shipping a deck and a large print together is a...bad idea. So we are stuck with these smaller sizes (at least for this campaign). 

I do want to make a note here that rainbow foil is extremely easy to scratch, and the amount of foil showing in this print makes me...nervous. Quality is extremely important to us and we will do our best to keep these in mint condition (they will be protected in sleeves in the packaging) but small scratches may occur.

Thank you all for your continued support during this project, your feedback has already made it into something I wouldn't have been able to dream up on my own. There are still 3 weeks left in the campaign and so much time for it to continue evolving!

Closer Look: Lenormand
over 1 year ago – Thu, Oct 13, 2022 at 11:54:55 AM

We're approaching our next stretch goal for a FREE oracle print! Maybe it'll happen tomorrow? Maybe it'll happen today?? In the meantime, I wanted to do a closer look at the Green Glyphs Lenormand deck for those of you who do not already own one! 

I filmed a very long in-depth unboxing video yesterday of the entire collection. I'm working on editing it now and will upload it on youtube shortly. I'll post the video here as well so you can get an even closer look at all of the decks in the project.  

The Green Glyphs Lenormand deck is what started it all. 

If you are a backer of the 2019 campaign thank you again for being here. You are probably versed in the art of reading Lenormand by now, but if you want a refresher continue reading below!

If you’re new to Lenormand, the rest of this update is for you. 

Lenormand is, at its heart, an oracle deck. Its origins can be traced back to 1800, but its popularity has only recently peaked. Lenormand is comprised of a set of 36 pictorial symbols that can be used to tell a story and offer insight into the future.  The Grand Tableau, which incorporates all 36 cards in the deck, is where the genius of Lenormand lies. 

Reading the Grand Tableau can take several hours as you will have to spend time stringing the symbols together and weaving a story. It can tell you so much from so many different angles that you can easily get lost in the intricacies. It may sound intimidating now, but once you become familiar with the meanings of the symbols, you will find it incredibly intuitive. Lenormand works best when asking about specific events in the future, but can also be used to give you a general overview of what’s to come. 

Why are there playing cards inset on the Lenormand cards?

This was the first question I had when I looked at a Lenormand deck. In short, it reveals an underlying system that allows you to read the cards in an even deeper manner. The inset cards also create links between certain cards. You’ll notice that there are no 2s, 3s, 4s, or 5s in the entire deck. The cards begin at 6 and go up to Aces. It’s based on the 16th-century Piquet Playing Card deck (with 6’s added), which is still popular today. 

You can also use the inset playing cards to “count the pips” and answer yes or no questions. I go into this more in the guidebook. Reading the inset cards isn’t necessary or required to read Lenormand, but it does offer a little more insight. 

Where did Lenormand come from?

Lenormand’s true origin is still not entirely known. It was partially inspired by the Game of Hope, a German card game, but also was found to have links to the symbolism found in coffee ground readings. The name “Lenormand” is actually somewhat of a misnomer. Although the cards were named after Marie Anne Lenormand, a prominent diviner that read for royalty in the late 18th century, she never used this specific set of symbols. 

Why are these 36 cards what they are?

These 36 symbols were likely taken from daily life in the 18th century. Their universal nature means that they’ve stayed flexible and even now reliably describe the spectrum of human experience. Compared to most other forms of cartomancy, Lenormand is concise. At first, some cards may seem random and outdated, and they are. You might be like me and feel like these symbols don’t accurately represent your life-- not everyone is heterosexual, gender-conforming, or religious. Social norms have come a long way since 1799. So, if you would like to edit your deck to better fit you or your querent’s life (the one asking the question), you can substitute the following cards for their like-numbered cards. Just make sure you have a total of 36 cards when you are doing a reading. Keep the cards you are not using in the box--you’ll want to switch them depending on the reading: 

Why do the cards have numbers?

The numbers on the cards correspond to the order of the Houses of Lenormand. Rider is the first card in the deck and Cross is the final card. This is always the same. The 1st house is the house of the Rider. The houses come into play when doing a Grand Tableau reading, which will be explained more in the guidebook!

In short, Lenormand is a very intuitive system of divination. It's fun to read and offers a breath of fresh air from the Tarot system. There's just so much to Lenormand that is impossible to get into this update, so I will leave the rest for you to discover in the guidebook once you receive your pledges :) 

Stretch Goal Reached: New Satchels!
over 1 year ago – Wed, Oct 12, 2022 at 06:26:32 PM

We hit our stretch goal at $300,000 this morning!!

You'll now find these new satchels as an add-on option. You can buy them individually OR as a set for a discounted price. Each satchel is sized to fit the corresponding deck. Individual satchels are a $12 add-on, or you can get the set for $40. If you want to add the satchels you can select "manage my pledge" and it will bring you to the add-on menu!

Our next stretch goal at 350k will be for a free rainbow foil print of one of the Oracle cards. Which Oracle card do you want to see made into a print? Morning glory? Gazebo? Enoki? Let me know!