tarot

It requires Perl and ImageMagick to run; it's mode of operation essentially being to composit card/tiles at appropriate places against a background image.

It is set up to be installed in /usr/local/share/tarot but should be fairly easy to customize.

Options

-deck=waite One default deck of card-tiles is currently shipped with rota, the Waite/Rider deck, which is so widely known as to be virtually emblazoned in the public consciousness of what a tarot deck should look like, and is widely available. I've customized this deck by providing each card with a translucent border, so that the background or a partially covered card will should through slightly.

Redundant options -deck=default, -deck=rider, or -deck=coleman are also supported via symlinks in the untarred distro. To add other decks options, simply provide another subdir e.g. /usr/local/share/tarot/deck/morgan-greer and populate it. Any of the historical decks (e.g. versailles) should be well lapsed into the public domain.

-table=cloudtop.jpg This is the background image, and should be exactly 1024x768, as no pre-scaling options are currently provided. Also in the distro you will find $BASE/table/template.jpg A future enhancement should be to seek the system's wallpaper repository. For now I just import appropriately sized backgrounds via symlinks.

(e.g. -table=kde : ln -s /opt/kde/share/wallpapers/default_blue.jpg ./table/kde.jpg

-layout=temple-star This default is also an original extension of the classic "celtic-cross" which increases the fills the screen nicely. For a less-busy screen layout try -layout=celtic.

-help I see an option which you will call in the future, if you choose to install rota...

Installation

The rota distro uses a tar-root (NPI) of /usr/local, so if you can do this:

	cd /usr/local
	tar xvzf rota.tgz 
	

everything, including symlinks: /usr/local/bin/tarot and /usr/local/man/man9/tarot.9 should be put their proper place. If you install to $HOME, bin, man, and share dirs will also be populated, but won't be needed (they only hold symlinks anyway).

A configuration block at the top of the Perl script is well documented, and should be fairly easy to modify if need be.

History

tarot-01a

CGI program using skillful placements (still available for view)

tarot-02a

Updated to use ImageMagick for my own system

tarot-03a

Made it useful as a generalized wallpaper generator

tarot-05a

First (alpha) public release. Implements -layout=star and provides manpage

To do

• -negativity option should be expressed as (percent-1);
  -negativity[=1] equivalent to -negativity=50; -negativity=0 == -negativity=off
• -layout=celtic still not implemented; it should be a doddle
• -mirror=5[%]; like -negativity, but causes some cards to be flipped horizonatally
• -animate
• -kde; should use KDE's obscure "use program to generate wallpaper" command (?documented where?)
• -table=glass : tile cards to transparent background
• -layout=arcenciel : a nicer, more minimal [less cluttered], wallpaper
• -significator=userphoto.png : user supplied photo for card[0]
• -fate='([\d\d?][CDHSA]){22}' specify reading to display

Licence

Whatever flavour of GPL you'd like.

Author

I am not a witch; nor do I mean to offend either Wickens or Christians (or anyone else, for that matter). I just like the imagery (and T.S. Eliot's obvious placement of the Coleman-Waite deck in Madame Sosostros's hands).

Please do not cast a spell on J. F. Cuff (honour@nl.rogers.com) or burn him at the stake either. Love potions, and those which increase one or more of {strength, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, constitution, charisma} or which restore {health, mana, experience, or ability}, three (non-ironic) wishes, or crossing my palm with silver, -- all greatfully appreciated -- as are papal dispensations and indulgences, blessed references, random miracles and/or acts of kindness, and/or universal peace.

But bug-fixes and improvements and expressions of good will are also welcome.