Merllin deck

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 14 Nov 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Shadow Wolf	14 Nov 2003
I just received the Merlin deck in the mail, I've barely had a chance to look at it, but I love it already !!!!!

fairyhedgehog	15 Nov 2003
Hope you'll let us know more when you've had a chance to look at it properly :) It's one I keep getting tempted by but havent' bought as yet.

Mystic Zyl	17 Nov 2003
I just got the Merlin deck and the art work on the Majors and Court Cards is GREAT, done by M. Gray. But.......................this author is WRONG, Stewart has changed the order of the Major Arcana ( like the Fool is the 7 th card or something like that) and destroyed the entire meaning of Tarot Tradition. I would be careful about learning anything from this deck's author. Stewart was out for the fast money. This is the only deck I regret buying!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought about selling it on Ebay, but morally it would be wrong to put this trash back on the market. What if a person not knowing tarot gets this deck and starts to learn from it?

Kiama	17 Nov 2003
I agree with Mystic Zyl in his.her concern that a beginner would pick up this deck: to do so would confuse the hell out of them! However, if I remember correctly, there was a reason Stewart changed the Majors round, not just 'fast money'. I believe he was using the Tarot to explore the Celtic worldview (if there really is such a thing.) And so, he changed some Majors round. I am forever doing this, and many people on Aeclectic explore various subjects through the Tarot. We've done readings for fictional characters, historical characters, we've turned the Majors into film stars, legendary heroes, smells, foods... What was the purpose of it all? To expand our knowledge of either the cards or the subject we attached to them. Maybe this is what Stewart did in this deck? He simply came to a different understanding of the cards through a little personal exploration. The Major Arcana's numbering system has been changed many times throughout Tarot History. If I remember correctly, it started out without one. Many on Aeclectic see the Fool as the beginning of the Majors, and the World as the ultimate goal. My friend Diana sees the Magician (oops, sorry, 'Le Bateleur') as the first card. Some hard-core Kabbalists see the World as the first card in the Majors and the Fool as the ultimate goal. RJ Stewart just happens to see the Fool as number 7... Maybe it works for him, who knows? Having said that, I don't like this deck at all. (It's the Majors I can't get over.... 4 Fish. Yep, says alot to me... :() Kiama

Mystic Zyl	17 Nov 2003
Yes, I am just too old school. That is probably why I did not get a good first impression. Hey, just when I think I have partially learned the system, someone wants to change it, lol. I hope I did not offend anyone, it is only one opinion. If this deck brings comfort to other readers, I am happy for them.

truthsayer	17 Nov 2003
rj stewart is very heavy into the celtic and faery world. if you really want to get into his deck, reading some of his books and participating in his yahoo chat group would probably help. he also does workshops in ireland that i would love to attend. i have been a member of his group for at least a year and i still don't feel confident enough to speak in the group. my advice? don't give up on the merlin too quickly. study it and read whatever you can that pertains to the order of merlin. i think that it's like a druidic order that stewart is into. he also has a website you should check out to better get into his head. i think but am not certain the addy is: http://www.dreampower.com

Kiama	18 Nov 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Mystic Zyl I hope I did not offend anyone, it is only one opinion. If this deck brings comfort to other readers, I am happy for them. No you didn't offend anybody! (Certainly not me!) I guess it's just that I have seen so many really bad decks over the years that are far worse than even the Merlin that I don't see it as badly as most people do. (Royal Tarot anybody? *Yuk*) Though I am very interested in getting hold of RJ Stewart's Dreampower Tarot. But every time it's on ebay, somebody outbids me... :( Kiama

Mystic Zyl	18 Nov 2003
Truthsayer, thanks for the information. I am glad Stewart did not publish this deck for fast money. I guess I am bitter because I spent $15.00 for the deck and book that I will not use and I could have spent the money on another deck. I will use the deck for one purpose, to show students the difference in decks. I still love the art work on the Major Arcana and I hope Miranda Gray illustrates more cards, sad she did not do the minors.

ros	22 Nov 2003
I feel good now. I gave this book & deck to a friend a year ago. She has brought it back because she never had time to look at it. Now I'll put it away & not feel so bad after the comments on here because I don't get it. Thanks!!!

Marion	22 Nov 2003
It is a lovely lovely deck. But I find the re-numbered majors very jarring. Odd in a way why that is so annoying, but I have put the deck away in a baggie for posterity.

All Is One	24 Nov 2003
Well, sometimes it depends on our experience and our expectations. The Merllin was given to me by my sister who bought it in a secondhand shop. I had only used RWS and its clones, and then I had spent over 30.00 on the Enchanted deck set that year (1996) so I had been in a period of major renewal of interest and had been reading on correspondences, and other things in the esoterica line. I had had so little new deck exposure that this deck was a challenge to me. I read his mini book (not LWB - the one in the bookcase box with the deck) and I tried his spread - the four rays. I had a hardcore group of people I read professionally for and I began getting a whole new level of readings with this deck. It related to them in a way the RWS deck and clones did not. It challenged me to use intuition and numerology and astrology for the plain pips too. I have been planning to get the three of serpents tattooed on the back of my neck for years now, but facing motherhood, doubt new ink will happen (lol) I have worn my deck nearly through, so if anyone wants to trade or sell their Merlin - the deck I got was missing some of the 'wheel' cards that illustrate connections between worlds. I would love to get a full deck. The Merlin was oop last time I tried. Want the Dreampower very much, and have had no luck, as Kiama said. PM me if you would like to sell or trade - I have quite a few new decks I am eager to send on their way.

Shadow Wolf	07 Dec 2003
I really enjoy this deck. I just got it a few weeks ago and I really haven't had the time to do too many reading with it, but the few that I did were so accurate that it was scary. I guess the renumbered cards don't bother me because I still have to use the book to look the up anyway !! And I've learned that each deck has a slightly different slant on the meaning of the card.

northsea	20 Apr 2004
I would like this deck because of Miranda Gray's art. :) On the other hand, the Majors could be unnumbered to avoid dissonance for people who like the standard order. Also, I could do without the keywords.

The Merllin deck thread was originally posted on 14 Nov 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.