Essay talk:A Magical Primer For Children
Elseware 11:19, 8 Nov 2004 (GMT): Suggestion, how about moving the chat to Talk:A Magical Primer For Children and using this page for stuff in the "authoritive voice".
Good idea!
So here's the idea. The Harry Potter Generation are soon-enough going to be teenagers. When they're fourteen or fifteen and the topic of magic comes up in schoolyard conversation the simple cut of "What you mean like Harry Potter? (general laughter)" is the likely way of the world.
But there's a seed here, an essence. Children are inherently able to see, and indeed perform, a lot of magic. I feel personally that the time is ripe to attempt to make some materials available to them which would help.
Elseware 02:09, 9 Nov 2004 (GMT): (speaking as co-user, not as administrator!) I'm not sure about giving kids a modified version. My view on this is that the most useful thing might be to build some of the basic patterns, simplification rather than teaching an untested formula to the most impressionable. Making changes to the tree is one thing, teaching it to kids. I'm not sure it's wrong, just putting up a discussion point. A childrens tarot is an interesting idea, but I think the thing to do would be to list all the symbols you wanted to take from each card and work them into the new design. For example, I believe the two horses/sphinx pulling the charriot are probably related to the pillars of mercy and severity, love and will, rationality & emotion. Losing 'em would be a pity.
Ganesh The Tree of Life Before The Fall, without Malkuth and without the shattered Daath is pretty well established. The Golden Dawn uses it, and I got it from, I think, Israel Regardie. Can't find a good reference online, but it's out there.
Now, is it suitable for a tarot deck? I don't know. It's an enornous conceit to try to magically mould *OTHER*PEOPLE'S*CHILDREN*. But if it was me, when I was a kid... hrm. I'd want somebody to have tried.
I do think you're right about the standard images conveying a lot of meaning also. However, do five year olds, or eight year olds, relate to a Chariot? I *know* that kids of that age think of the Bicycle as an enormous step in personal freedom, in responsibility, in *reach*. There's a trade off between working in the traditional symbols, and in adapting the system to be more within the reach of a child.
See the main page for some more card ideas...