'Wayang Tarot' takes a traditional look into your future<\/p>\n
The \"Grim Reaper\" may not be a familiar figure to Indonesians.
\nBut ask them about \"Batara Kala\", and they will tell you a story
\nof a beastly giant who takes a bite out of the sun and moon thus
\ncausing the eclipses.<\/p>\n
Batara Kala is a wayang purwa (shadow puppet) figure. He is
\nknown as the evil son of Batara Guru (God) and was born out of
\nthe lust of Guru and his wife, Dewi Uma. It is said that Kala is
\nthe Kama Salah or a product of mistaken sexual desire. He is
\npictured as an ogre who only consumes human beings.<\/p>\n
The philosophical significance of the story is that a child
\nshould be born out of the pure love of a man and his wife, not
\nout of lust. Reduce the philosophy to size, and we have Batara
\nKala as the Grim Reaper (card XIII) in the Wayang Tarot deck.<\/p>\n
The Wayang Tarot written by Ani Sekarningsih, a Certified
\nTarot Grand Master (CTGM), is \"a journey into self-appraisal\",
\nbased on the philosophy of the epics the Mahabharata and
\nRamayana.<\/p>\n
The wayang is a series of puppets depicting the figures in the
\nepics, with the exception of wayang orang which consists of human
\ndancers. The stories are taken from the Mahabharata and Ramayana.<\/p>\n
The wayang performance is used to educate people about
\nhonesty, bravery, self-confidence and basic wisdom. Now and then,
\nthe wayang is also played as a tool for political propaganda.<\/p>\n
The performance is normally held all night, and is very
\npopular in Java and Bali, according to The Wayang Tarot Manual, a
\nbook accompanying the leaflet that comes with the Wayang Tarot
\ndeck.<\/p>\n
Ani Sekarningsih is the first (and only, to my knowledge)
\nTarot Grand Master in Indonesia. In 2001, she received the
\nhighest acknowledgement from the Tarot Certification Board of the
\nAmerican Tarot Association.<\/p>\n
Her affection for the tarot inspired her to create an
\nIndonesian tarot, with the images of the wayang figures. Ani said
\nthat the wayang was no longer popular among modern people, thus
\nshe wished to preserve the art.<\/p>\n
\"The idea came to me in 1986. I want to introduce the wayang
\noverseas before it disappears, so non-Indonesians can also be
\nintroduced to the art. Hence, The Wayang Tarot Manual is written
\nin both English and Indonesian,\" said the author of several
\nbooks.<\/p>\n
In the Wayang Tarot deck (costing Rp 265,000), the name of
\neach wayang puppet or character appears at the bottom of each
\ncard.<\/p>\n
The card's meaning is written in Indonesian on the left side
\nof the card, and English on the right. The manual, which is also
\nboth in Indonesian and English, explains each character briefly.
\nFor instance, Rama & Sinta (card VI, known in most other decks as
\n\"The Lovers\") are the king and queen of Pancawati.<\/p>\n
The manual is also filled with useful things for beginners,
\namong them: basic meaning, basic comprehension of the Major
\nArcana, tips for reading the Celtic cross, procedure of tarot
\nreadings and code of ethics.<\/p>\n
But I found the quality control in the production of the cards
\ndisappointing. There is a card missing in my Wayang Tarot deck:
\nno Bagong (card number 0), instead I got two cards of Batara Kala
\n(card XIII).<\/p>\n
The publisher, Grasindo, said that I could get my Bagong, if I
\ncame to their office. Fine. If I lived in another country, say
\nSouth Africa, would they still ask me to pick the card up at
\ntheir office in Jakarta?<\/p>\n
However, the images in Wayang Tarot are somehow less spooky
\nthan those on, say, the Tarot of the Death or Vampire decks. Card
\nXIII with Batara Kala (with the key word: Alteration instead of
\nits famous title, \"The Death\"), is not as scary as the \"Angel of
\nDeath\" in many decks, such as in the Rider-Waite Tarot.<\/p>\n
All wayang images in her deck are different from most wayang
\nsold across department stores. They are produced without the
\npakem (source book for the Javanese shadow play stories). Ani
\nsaid she wanted to use \"genuine\" wayang which followed pakem
\naccordingly.<\/p>\n
Luckily, Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubowono X
\npermitted her to use his antique wayang collection as the images
\nfor her deck.<\/p>\n
\"I am very proud of that collection. Wayang's philosophy of
\nlife, that is presented in my 78 cards is a way to preserve an
\nimportant aspect of Indonesian culture,\" said Ani.<\/p>\n
As with most of the ritual treatment of sacred objects in the
\npalace, Ani's photographer had to perform rituals or ceremonies
\nwith ritual offerings. Each wayang required a separate ritual
\nceremony.<\/p>\n
One morning, he did not pay homage to the wayang -- then an
\nunexplained misfortune happened. His films were damaged, for some
\nunknown reason. After that he never forgot to pay homage to the
\nwayang dutifully.<\/p>\n
Ani set up http:\/\/groups.yahoo.com\/group\/clubtarot\/ on Sept.
\n14, 2000. The group discusses tarot from A-Z and currently has
\n209 members.<\/p>\n
People can post their comments in English although all the
\nmessages are written in Indonesian. Any tarot-related questions
\nwill be answered by other members or by Ani herself. One draw
\nback though is that the majority of its members are \"silent
\nmembers\", yet it's still interesting to join this group.<\/p>\n
Ani also posts some useful tarot-related website links as well
\nas a daily tarot. She also does tarot reading for Female Radio
\nlisteners (100.2 FM) at 7 p.m. daily.<\/p>\n
If you're interested in learning more about Wayang Tarot, just
\nclick http:\/\/www.tarotwayang.com\/, in English and Indonesian.<\/p>\n
Even if you think that it is too complicated for you, you may
\nstill like to buy it for art's sake. After all, each card is a
\npiece of artwork, which makes them a perfect souvenir. -- Susanna
\nTjokro<\/p>\n
Note: Wayang Tarot is sold at Gramedia Bookstores.
\nClub Tarot will hold a tarot conference in Bali, from Oct. 8 to
\nOct. 11 2003. The fee is Rp 200,000 which includes a tarot deck
\nand T-shirt as well as lunch and snacks. If you are interested in
\ntaking part in the event, either as a participant or as a
\nsponsor, you may contact: (021) 750 1702. Dial the same number to
\njoin Ani Sekarningsih's tarot class.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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