Bardon and Tarot

["Alan Cook" <fish_studios@...>]

Dear Friends,

Not strictly Bardon related, but I think possibly relevant. I've 
recently become interested in Tarot once again and have gotten my 
hands on Paul Foster Case's "An Introduction To The Study of Tarot". 
Case founded the Builders Of The Adytum and I was under the 
impression that the BOTA deck was what he used in his books. Now 
that I have looked at it, he actually recommends that the student use 
the Waite deck. My first question, if anyone knows, is the Waite-
Rider deck the same as the original Waite deck? It claims to be, but 
I would just like to be certain. I also found a few images of the 
BOTA deck and it is quite similar to the Waite deck.

The BOTA deck is in black and white, leaving the coloring of the 
Trumps to the student. Their reasons for this seem valid, but is it 
truly necessary? Given that I cannot get a BOTA deck but I can get a 
Waite deck, I was wondering what those that have studied the Tarot 
think.

Now for the Bardon part. Bardon's image of the Magician and Emporer 
are radically different than that of the Waite deck. Although, all 
of the symbolism seems to be there. I'm not saying that one is right 
and the other is wrong, but is one better than the other? The 
symbolism, for me, seems to expressed better in Bardon's images. Yet 
we have only three and a possible (and likely) candidate for a 
fourth. So if I used Bardon's images, I would have to mix the Tarot 
deck. Is there any harm in this? Or would it be more profitable to 
use cards that were designed under the same (what's the word...) 
philosophy?

I know that which ever Tarot more clearly presents the meaning to me 
is the best to use, but it seems that mixing philosophies would 
present problems in it's study. And Case also suggests the Waite 
deck and his analysis and comments are for those specific images, so 
I suppose for studying his Tarot works, that deck would be the best 
to use.

I'm sure this seems like random thoughts strung together, and that 
may be partly true. But I wish to study the Tarot as a Bardonist, 
with a Bardonist philosophy. So... any help?

All Will Go Well,
--Alan