Anyone like / dislike the Merryday?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 18 May 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Hedera	18 May 2003
I did a search on this deck in all the threads, it is mentioned quite a lot (especially in trade) but no one I could find mentions actually using it. Is it just a pretty face? You can see scans from all of the cards on the creator's website, but the artwork can look different iin real life (although I find it is usually better than in scans). It seems like an interesting deck, I was just wondering if anyone here uses it regularly. And the book? Would that be worth getting? It would be a pretty expensive set... Thanks! :)

Phoenix	18 May 2003
I had it and didn't like it at all. I had it for all of a week, and traded it off.

Hedera	18 May 2003
Hi Phoenix! Could you tell me what it was about the deck you didn't like?

Phoenix	18 May 2003
Well, I didn't care for the pictures, and I hated the way the cards were numbered. I only looked through it once, and put it away, so I can't really tell you much more about it. The the fact that I hated it.

truthsayer	18 May 2003
i find the art in the merryday to be lovely and interesting. elementals are a strong presence in the deck but i wouldn't call it an elemental deck. i keep the deck b/c it's unusual and collectible. i don't read with it. i have the book but i've never used it. the reason being that it's heavy in numerology and i'm not into numerology much.

WolfSpirit	19 May 2003
Maybe not many people use this deck because it is not easily available...I remember searching for this deck because I liked the artwork, I thought it was intriguing. But the only copies I could find were very expensive. I think the deck is oop ? I think I would still like to have it if I can find a cheap (well not too expensive) copy, but I don't want to spend a lot of money on a deck I'm not sure I can read with. I like it but not THAT much.

falconwing	19 May 2003
I tried to launch a "MerryDay-thread" but noone commented there *umph... I do work with the deck and I find it awfully "exact" when it comes to the results. The art is quite otherworldly, maybe a bit like the "Wild Spirit"-Tarot...but not exactly like it. Lot of Dragons, Elementals...and multi-cultural stuff. The book *ugghh...I have to admit, I skipped the big numerology-chapter, it looks quite weird and complicated. But the interpretations of the single cards and also the tables of references are quite detailed and worthwile for studying. One flaw is the paper-quality of the cards...I guess they won't "make it for a long time", the material is too thin. All in all I would recommend the deck to those who come along with a pagan background or those who are fond of dragons and the like. Falconwing

Kiama	19 May 2003
Well, I guess I'd better stick up for this marvellous deck a bit! Here's a link to my review of it, since everything I said in the review I stick to now. The book though is pretty boring... I'm not a big fan of numerology, so the numerology section was lost on me, but the explanations of what's going on in the cards was very useful. http://aeclectic.net/merryday/review.html Kiama

Hedera	19 May 2003
Thank you for your opinions everyone! The deck is readily available through the artist's website, I just heard back from them, they're going to see if it fits into a $5 priority envelope. I'm still not sure if I should get the book as well, though. I'm not too keen on numerology, usually, but this might get me started. Also, the rest of the book sounds more interesting. And I always like having the deck author's explanation of the symbology used, especially if it departs from the usual traditions. The set is rather expensive, though..... Kiama, your review played a big part in me wanting to get this deck! And seeing all of the cards, ofcourse...:)

Astraea	19 May 2003
I just ordered this deck -- it's available here http://www.astroamerica.com/t-merry.html. It is a bit pricey -- $24.95, which includes only a booklet. But I really liked what I saw on the scans, and I'm a tarotholic, and...

Lee	19 May 2003
Warning! If you order just the deck, there is NO booklet. There's only a fold-out card which gives a list of correspondences. If you want any sort of guidance at all about the author's interpretations of the cards, you'll need to get the book (I have the deck but not the book). Here's a good review of the book, by Diane Wilkes: http://www.tarotpassages.com/merrydayset.htm -- Lee :)

WolfSpirit	19 May 2003
Thanks folks for the links where the deck can be bought :D I did a search at ebay and bibliofind once and I saw very expensive offers (heaps more than $ 24.95) so I thought it was a rare deck. $ 24.95 is not cheap for just a deck but not really expensive either. I am not sure I will be able to read with this deck but I love it anyway, especially the elementals. Tower looks beautiful too. Aaahh, many cards are beautiful...

Hedera	19 May 2003
You can see *all* the cards, order the deck, and / or the book, on the artist's website: http://www.merrydaytarot.com/ :) :)

WolfSpirit	19 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Lee Warning! If you order just the deck, there is NO booklet. There's only a fold-out card which gives a list of correspondences. The book can be bought separately (it's not like those llewelyn boxed sets where the book is not for sale on its own). So if you started with just the deck and you miss some guidance, you can buy the book later on.

Astraea	19 May 2003
Thank you for this input and the links provided, Lee, Hedera and WolfSpirit. It might be helpful (indeed, necessary) to have the book, in addition to the deck.

Hedera	24 May 2003
Thank you everyone for your advice and opinions! I ordered the deck, and it arrived today - pretty fast! :) I've looked through it and really like it; great artwork (not the kind that looks well on a monitor, it is really fine and detailled), and I think traditional + intuitive enough to read quite easily. I want to use this deck for others, I think, I'm not sure why. I love all the little unicorns and dragons and leprechauns everywhere! If I have time I'll post a couple of reading offers this weekend.

Kiama	24 May 2003
Hi Hedera: Glad you like the deck! I woudl strongly recommend getting the book to go with it however... In the Majors there is an ongoing story, and without the book, you won't get to know the story, which to me is a shame... The story is so original, and it did give me great insights into the Devil, Tower, and Star. It also helped explain a few of the images better. Go on, get that book... You know you want to! }) Kiama

Hedera	24 May 2003
LOL, Kiama, I sorta knew that when I ordered the deck...... So I got the book at the same time. :D Have only browsed it yet, though. I'll probably skip most of the numerology. I like her approach, the fairy-tale aspect of it. I'm pretty sure I won't need the numerology to read with this deck. :)

falconwing	24 May 2003
Hedera, you are right...the deck itself is so suggestive...skip the numerology-section.. I do take some glimpses into the explanations of the cards sometimes..but the artwork of this deck is really well done, so the pics speak for themselves. All those tiny creatures everywhere, quite stunning, isn't it? Those guys who sell the deck are also very nice. They sent me a big hardcopy of the Towercard along...I like it a lot! If you are really about to offer some readings with the deck this WE....think of me *g...I could use some advice... Falconwing

Hedera	24 May 2003
Sure, I'd like to do a reading for you! :) I'll post an offer in the reading exchange thread, you can respond there if you like.

Astraea	24 May 2003
My deck arrived a few days ago, too, and I really like it (except that the card stock is very flimsy, as falconwing mentioned earlier in the thread). I wanted to buy the book, and went to Amazon to see if they had any used copies for sale -- they don't, but someone is selling a used deck for $174 and change! How can this be? :( It isn't hard to find or out of print. At any rate, I'm going to order the book from the artist's website.

Hedera	31 May 2003
Thought I'd do a little follow-up on this thread. Thank you to everyone who responded and helped me make up my mind! :) :) I got the deck a week ago and I've used it a *lot* in those 7 days. I've done 4 readings for other aeclecticans, which worked out splendidly, and I've been using it for myself as well. Even though I haven't really studied the book or the symbolism yet, I feel quite confident reading with the deck because all of the cards are very rich in meaning, and it is quite easy to 'guess' what the card means by looking at it. Apart from 3 or 4 cards the deck is fairly RWS-traditional in meaning. Yes, the cardstock is a little weird. I don't mind it, though: because it is stiff enough, I'm not afraid to shuffle or handle it (unlike that horrible, floppy stuff the Tarot of Transformation is made of). The cards will show quite a bit of wear pretty soon, I think, due to the thin lamination and because the borders are black, which always makes any little bit of damage much more noticable than white borders do. Again, I don't really mind that; I think this may turn out to be the deck I will (mainly) use in readings for other people (if I ever get to the stage of giving 'live' readings to people who are in the same room with me...;) ) and having a nicely weathered-looking deck may make me look a bit more experienced. :) I even sort of like the back: it's rather unusual, but to me it has a certain old-fashioned, haunted-castle kind of feel to it. I haven't tried meditating with the cards yet, but I think this will be my favourite deck for 'entering' cards, because of the detailed and spacious art. Only drawback really are the keywords and perhaps the numbers. Luckily, I'm getting much better at ignoring keywords... :D These are, as keywords go, not that bad, really, because there tends to be more that one keyword on each card (having more of them makes an individual keyword seem less 'written in stone'), and they tend to lend themselved to a flexible interpretation. Yes, I'm really happy with this new aquisition! In fact, I haven't even been looking for new decks to drool over in the last week... although I'm certain that is about to change! :D

WolfSpirit	19 Jul 2003
I just got the Merryday tarot today. I really like the artwork, some cards really look as if they are from another world like the Tower and the Moon. I did not get the book as I bought this deck at ebay and it was just the deck. I think I will try first if I really want to use this deck for readings before I decide on getting it (I am supposed not to buy any tarot stuff at the moment *grin* ). Looks like a very readable deck anyway. I am only sorry that there is so much info on the cards: suits and number (often twice), keywords, number for mumerology...if it did not have all that the pictures could have been a little bigger, some pictures have so much detail on them, it would be nice if they were a little bigger. For those of you interested in the book: at the website www.merrytarot.com you can now see a table of contents for the book and a few texts from it, I think it was not there before. I wonder if anyone has more interesting experiences with this deck :)

Molly	21 Jul 2003
Hi everyone! I have returned to the website again and again to look at this deck, and the only thing that turns me off is the same thing all of you have mentioned: the numbering and the keywords... I don't like how the white "labels" seem to detract from the lovely image of the card, nor do I like other people's keywords on decks, nor am I interested in numerology. I participate occasionally in a tarot email group and there was some discussion there once about actually cutting keywords off of other decks (I specifically remember Osho Zen being mentioned, among others). I think this was accomplished by hand with sissors - some people had round sissors they got at a hobby shop, in order to round the edges. So I was wondering if anyone here thought that the Merryday could be cut? I think a professionally manufactured deck like Osho Zen could be, but I don't know how the lamination/card stock is on the Merryday deck. It sounds a tad flimsy. Would cutting the deck yourself make it hard to shuffle or peel the lamination? I really don't want the deck if I have to look at the white labels... it would bother me *that much*... but if I knew I could just remove the offensive bottom part of the card, it would be worth the price of the deck and the work to do so, as I think the images are exceedingly lovely. Thanks for any input!

WolfSpirit	21 Jul 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Molly So I was wondering if anyone here thought that the Merryday could be cut? I think a professionally manufactured deck like Osho Zen could be, but I don't know how the lamination/card stock is on the Merryday deck. It sounds a tad flimsy. Would cutting the deck yourself make it hard to shuffle or peel the lamination? Unfortunately there are no extra cards so I can not try how it is when I cut it ;) Seems to me it would not be a problem though. Yes the cards are thin, but after reading about this at AT, they are better than I had feared. Must say I only have the deck for a short time, so it has not seen that much action yet...

Molly	21 Jul 2003
LOL, well thanks for the answer, WolfSpirit... what about you Hedera? You mentioned your deck is getting worn already... would cutting the deck cuz it to get worn quicker, in your opinion?

Ruby Red Slippers	21 Jul 2003
I love this deck, and I didn’t know hardly anything about numerology, and usually don’t like key words. Neither one have impeded me in using this deck and it has been right on…… Hedera was the one who was instrumental in me looking and then buying this deck, (you should get a commission for the sales LOL) I generally do not feel compelled to by book/card sets…however; in this case the book has been very helpful. Yes, it is overwhelming at first – too much numerology – but then initially I looked up her meaning of the cards. Gradually I have gone back to it and studied more about the numerical combos on the cards. Instead of being distracting I find that I am “stretching” my knowledge and intuition in a good way. I’m seeing more of the “depth & variances” of the cards and the numerous messages in each one. Even if this doesn’t appeal to you, the cards are beautiful and thought provoking and each read I do draws my attention to a different detail that seems to go “just right” with the reading. Ruby Red Slippers YES, I like them very much….thank you Hedera, a tarot angel in disguise :D

Hedera	22 Jul 2003
~blushing~ Gee, thanks, Ruby! :) I actually don't think the deck will wear as quickly as I expected. The black edges make it seem a bit more worn at first (because any slight scuffing shows up white), but the lamination/varnish seems to hold up quite well. The cardstock is thin, but rather stiff, so I'm not very worried about creasing the cards (like I am with the Mountain Dream, for instance). It would probably work quite well to cut off the edges of the deck, provided you have some way (like a corner punch) to round the corners again, otherwise the square corners would get dog-eared pretty quickly. As long as you do that, I don't think it would cause the deck to wear more quicly. The person I dealt with through the email-address on the Merryday site was really friendly and helpful, perhaps you could ask them directly for an extra card so you would have one to experiment on. I have to admit, I am becoming much better at ignoring, or seeing and aborbing and adapting keywords, because so many of my favourite decks at the moment (Thoth, Merryday, Healing, Parrott) have them. The numbers have never bothered me, I don't really notice them.

Little Baron	22 Jul 2003
I have never looked at this one before. Thanks for the prompt. I must say that I don't think it is for me but there is a lot going on there - probably good to meditate over. Really like 'Lady Destiny', 'King of Fire', 'Journeyman', 'Matamorphosis', 'Star', 'Moon', 'Judgement', 'Sun, 'WaterWarior' .... Maybe this deck is more 'me' than I thought. I like the fact that the art on the minors is in keeping with the majors. Thanks for that. Very interesting deck. Yaboot

The Anyone like / dislike the Merryday? thread was originally posted on 18 May 2003 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.