So another exercise from the Tarot Playbook: this one is called "Scratch and Sniff" and it is about engaging with a card with your senses, beyond the usual 'what do you see?' approach.
Sound
Bells - this Magician makes me think of the ringing of small bells; actually, a particular set of bells, the ones used during a Catholic mass while the priest is uh, doing the whole communion wafer ritual (I never paid attention when I went and I almost always went to church that was not in English so I don't know a lot of the proper terms for things). Bells, and chanting perhaps. The sizzle of a firecracker being lit, preparing to explode into brilliant color. The sound of a camera flash.
Smell
Incense burning. Frankincense, specifically. The smell of smoke from a just blown out scented candle. Strong smells, concentrated around the magician, the altar. Perhaps too, a splash of some kind of perfume.
Touch
The magician is exquisitely smooth: the feeling of silk, of really high thread-count bedsheets. Smooth and soft, but also cold. There is no warmth here, from the silk, no comfort. Smooth and cold so that it almost feels wet, slick, thought it is not. Cold and silky and perfectly pressed, devoid of wrinkles or creases. Like his robe, like the altar-top, polished and shined, cold metal to the touch; and his mask, too.
Taste
Wine, served chilled. Rich but not quite sweet enough to be truly tasty. Perhaps some kind of exotic liqueur, the kind the makes an impression when you pour it into a class, the kind that you have to drink slowly, rolling the taste around in your mouth and you aren't quite sure what to make of it, whether you like. A touch of anise and the way it ever so slightly burns as it goes down your throat.
Or perhaps coffee - not the kind here, in America. No, turkish coffee, or syrian coffee, whatever you want to call it. Served in tiny cups, black and incredibly bitter and strong. Thick with the grounds. You drink it in some cafe surrounded by the smell of cigarettes and shisha, vaguely nauseated but quite awake, drink the black and the grounds too, and try to ignore the aftertaste.
Bells - this Magician makes me think of the ringing of small bells; actually, a particular set of bells, the ones used during a Catholic mass while the priest is uh, doing the whole communion wafer ritual (I never paid attention when I went and I almost always went to church that was not in English so I don't know a lot of the proper terms for things). Bells, and chanting perhaps. The sizzle of a firecracker being lit, preparing to explode into brilliant color. The sound of a camera flash.
Smell
Incense burning. Frankincense, specifically. The smell of smoke from a just blown out scented candle. Strong smells, concentrated around the magician, the altar. Perhaps too, a splash of some kind of perfume.
Touch
The magician is exquisitely smooth: the feeling of silk, of really high thread-count bedsheets. Smooth and soft, but also cold. There is no warmth here, from the silk, no comfort. Smooth and cold so that it almost feels wet, slick, thought it is not. Cold and silky and perfectly pressed, devoid of wrinkles or creases. Like his robe, like the altar-top, polished and shined, cold metal to the touch; and his mask, too.
Taste
Wine, served chilled. Rich but not quite sweet enough to be truly tasty. Perhaps some kind of exotic liqueur, the kind the makes an impression when you pour it into a class, the kind that you have to drink slowly, rolling the taste around in your mouth and you aren't quite sure what to make of it, whether you like. A touch of anise and the way it ever so slightly burns as it goes down your throat.
Or perhaps coffee - not the kind here, in America. No, turkish coffee, or syrian coffee, whatever you want to call it. Served in tiny cups, black and incredibly bitter and strong. Thick with the grounds. You drink it in some cafe surrounded by the smell of cigarettes and shisha, vaguely nauseated but quite awake, drink the black and the grounds too, and try to ignore the aftertaste.
4 comments:
Interesting exercise with some unique sense associations made. So looking at all the sense perceptions together, what would you say about the Magician?
great question!
I guess on the whole, I seem to associate this magician with...things that are showy, flashy...not just power but intentional DISPLAYS of power...and things that are strong, high quality, effective but not necessarily comfortable or comforting...
Fun exercise, well done, and we all know you will ace the semester.
You mentioned below being frozen by so many options. I always think of that when buying toothpaste. Dozens of choices at base all the same.
the vote of confidence is appreciated :]
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