Eden People demonstrating use of Jesus Cards

Eden People – shuffling the deck

I was pleased to see the Eden People at the Ambient Picnic (this year part of Celebrating Surrey Festival). Ambient Picnic regulars, they were all that remained from when the Ambient Picnic was a free festival, a festival once worth attending.

It was a very hot day and I was very grateful for the fresh pineapple they were handing out. They were also the only people handing out free drinks in bio-degradable cups!

My eye was caught by Jesus Cards (aka Jesus Deck), lovely gilt-edge cards in a box, used in a similar way to Tarot cards. Each card had a simple quote taken from one of the gospels.

I was shown how the cards were used, plus we engaged in a very interesting discussion. Ironic that we had lengthy discussion on the biblical context of each card. Why ironic? Although I was being shown how the cards are used as one would use Tarot cards, the cards were originally designed to illustrate and promote discussion on aspects of the life of Jesus.

The Jesus Deck was designed as a set of playing cards by the Rev Ralph Moore in consultation with various Scripture and Theology Consultants. With the pack is a set of instructions for games and a description of each card. The cards themselves are an attractive set of playing cards well presented in a black box with the words Jesus Deck in gold block writing on the cover. They are divided into suits according to the gospels and contain pictures of events or stories form the life of Jesus.

Eden People also had Angel Cards which I guess would be something similar.

If the Catholic Church is at one end of the religious spectrum, then Eden People are at the other. An informal collective of free-thinking followers of Jesus. Like Santiago in The Alchemist by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, they listen to their heart, follow the signs, are in contact with the Soul of the World.

Synchronicity: I walked to the festival along the River Wey then along the North Downs Way, dropping down to Loseley Park. On my way there the lovely scent of elderflower, on my way back in the gathering dusk the lovely scent of honeysuckle. As I passed St Nicholas Church I saw they were to have two talks on The Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (7-30pm in the evening on Tuesday 6 and 13 of July 2010), a medieval pilgrims route. A route that had fallen into disuse until Paulo Coelho wrote of his pilgrimage in The Pilgrimage.

Synchronicity: One of the stalls had a copy of The Valkyries on display!

Also see

Narcissus and the lake

Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

The Cross

Pilgrimage to Aylesford Priory with the Knights of St Columba

The Jesus Deck

Prayer is something that happens to you

The Grand Inquisitor

Gospel of Thomas

Tags: Christianity, Eden People, Jesus, Jesus Cards, Jesus Deck, religion, spirituality, tarot