If I could make my own Tarot Deck...what would it be?

 When I was about 15 years old, a band made a profound impact on my life and I have never shaken their hold over me...in 30 years.  What was so important to me?  What touched me and why?  Was it their sound?  Was it their looks?  I honestly cannot answer these questions.  But I can tell you that without a doubt...if I were to make a tarot deck, it would be about the Wisdom of Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith, Flea and John Frusciante.  It would be the Red Hot Chili Peppers Tarot.  The Cover would have the iconic Asterisk symbol in the red and black logo.  I am a believer in the classics...and this is one icon that needs no further explaining.  

How would I structure the deck?

After establishing the idea of the theme, in this case, the songs- I would set out to summarize the essence of the songs as I parcel them out into their own distinct card.  Imagery would of course help the general enjoyment and aesthetic of the meaning, but the most important piece would be the story about the song itself.  I suppose in some ways, this would mean that the accompanying booklet would be MORE important than the card itself. 

One problem though...I kind of hate having to interrupt a reading to refer to the meaning that accompanies an Oracle deck.  Developing a proper Tarot deck would suggest that I must use the original Tarot System and all the Major and Minor Arcana, assimilating each card to a feature of the band.  The Fool...the zero card.  That might be the early guitarist of the band who passed away too young.  He flew too high to the sun and left too soon.  The fool on his journey has no strategy other than exploration.  I think this direction would be an over-complication.  I would instead, simply create this deck as Oracle Cards.  It could have as many or as few themes as I found to give it.  Given the long history of their music, I might be inclined to do a 35-card deck.

What would those 35 cards represent?  I would want to capture the essence of the songs and find the deep meaning in them.  There could be "court cards" of significance, such as the band members, and former band members.  There could be cards of songs that are well-known and others that are lesser known.  There could be objects significant to the band or one band member.  There could be cards that reflect upon a significant performance or appearance in public.  I could definitely create 35 such cards!

Art

I am NO artist!  I can barely draw a stick figure for heaven's sake.  I do enjoy blending colors and making simple designs, but I would want to have a true artist create a cartoon-version of my vision for the 4 band members and various other cards.  

Immediate images involve a figure that expands across the card, maxxing out the available frontage of the card.  This would be Anthony.  His teeth very prominent, and his bare chest puffed out- arms extended as if a belly bump were imminent.  He would have a signature ball cap on...perhaps it is a Lakers cap?  The background behind the image would just be blue.  His pants- red like the Sloan Castle Tour in 2003.  The card would be called "Kiedis".  The description:  Live life your way.  

Anthony Keidis is a lover of art, music and sports.  Incorporating those concepts will bring his card to life. 

 When it comes to the other band members, Flea's card will have a similar feeling in color as Anthony's card.  He will be further back, so you see the stage, the floor in front of him and his whole body with his bass across him.  He will be playing it...with a trumpet strapped over his shoulder and some nerdy reading glasses with punked-out, multi-colored spiked hair.  This is how I see flea- A punked-out scholar!  Chad Smith will be wearing his overalls, standing leaning against a wall with drumsticks in hand, sunglasses on and his hair wrapped in a bandana.  John Frusciante will look like a gypsy hippie sitting on a hill under a tree, legs criss-crossed and friends gathered around.  He strums the guitar and the sun is setting.

Themes

Themes make the deck or break the deck.  The character cards are the easy part.  You have these four talented friends who have stuck together for the better part of 40 years.  How many of us can say we have worked in the same place with the same people for 40 years?  It's a HUGE commitment,  HUGE.  And they have had their difficulties and periods of separation.  I think I would hide some Easter eggs like they do at Disney World with the Hidden Mickeys?  But mine would be the hidden Navarros and Klinghofers!  There might be a card similar to a 5 of wands where John, Dave Navarro and Josh Klinghofer plus two other random guitarists just use their guitars as fighting tools in a giant stand-off to see who gets Anthony.  Another hilarious theme could center around Chad Smith and Will Farrell dueling it out (twinning) on drumsets.  The idea behind this one would be deciding who is the imposter in the band.

Beyond themes that center around the band members, would be some other significant things about the RHCP's such as the era of the socks and being bare before the audience.  Another might get into the dark side of addition.  Back in the 1980's and 1990's there was a strong leaning by the band toward Native American culture and customs.  This might be a theme that emerges.  Personally, I would need to accentuate the Band's LOVE of their fans by adding a card called "Fandemonium" in honor of their Photo Book of RHCP fans from over the years. Flea is a well educated musician and he along with bandmate Chad Smith like to work with youths in schools and encourage their love of music.  Maybe there could be cards that show the big brother/big sister idea of coaching and leading.

Spiritual essence

The MOST important part of these cards, is to capture the Spiritual essence of the band and their music.  These are found in the lyrics, written by Anthony Kiedis primarily.  Now, some of the lyrics are just silliness.  But even silliness has a purpose.  But some of the lyrics are more than my heart can bear, and they tear me open and leave me exposed.  I would want to capture these ideas the most.  There could be 3-6 cards each from the albums and these could represent songs of significance. Symbology will be very important here too.  Anthony does have some spiritual tattoos.  Flea has colorful hair. Chad changes very little, which in itself is highly significant!  John...well, John harmonizes and this would be a deeply spiritual card about detachment, adventure and reconnecting with friends after periods of absence.

The band has suffered a great deal of loss, as well as remarkable success. This all equates to a wealth of options for creating cards that reflect meaningful experiences in life.  These experiences will be at times familiar and relatable and at other times, a cautionary tale.  But in all ways, I truly believe they can be used to inspire, inform, relate and describe MANY experiences shared by people from all walks of life.  For this reason, I am beginning to think this is actually something I SHOULD create!

Why would these cards be important?

In 2012 I was going through some personal life problems.  At the time, RHCP's had just released "I'm with you".  It seems so ironic now...I'm with you.  It's only as I am writing this now, that I am even aware of the irony! I literally cultivated an inner world where Anthony Kiedis (I refer to him as AK) and I would communicate through his singing.  As I endeavored to find my truth and my rightful place in this world, I leaned heavily on AK's music to guide me.  I spent the summer in Florida with my sister, where I listened to the new album repeatedly, and journaled extensively about each song and what it meant and what I felt was being said in it.  I analyzed the instrumentation, the key the music was in, the modulations...you name it, I talked about it.

I guess AK and I have just been on a journey for so long now that it only seems right to pay homage to my inspiration and my guide (Don't tell Pedro Martinez!)

I will end this blog with the lyrics that get me most.

When will I know that I really can't go

To the well once more time to decide on

When it's killing me, when will I really see

All that I need to look inside?

Come to believe that I better not leave

Before I get my chance to ride

When it's killing me, what do I really need

All that I need to look inside?

-Anthony Kiedis (Snow)

~Lilac 11/2/22