Mary-el tarot update

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 02 Jul 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

FearfulSymmetry	02 Jul 2004
Hi! I thought I would let Aeclectic members know that I have added some new cards to my deck after a very long wait. You can see them here: http://www.mary-el.com/10s.html They are based on the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse, plus the usual suit element and number stuff. There is a lot of info about them in the journal on my website, but it doesn't seem to be working right now. Here is a comparison to the Aces: http://www.mary-el.com/10sandaces.html Thank you all for your endless support! (Ravenswing, are you out there? my emails to you keep bouncing back!) Marie Mary-el Tarot wwwmary-el.com

tao51	02 Jul 2004
I love the boderless pictures! They feel like you could just walk into the picture. They are dramatic and moving. Wow!--Tao

HudsonGray	02 Jul 2004
Nothing warm & fuzzy here! I'm going to have to adjust my interpretation of the 10 of Cups & Pents I see. I really like the 10 of Sword connection. Doesn't get much worse than that! You know, for a second I wondered why that jet airliner was coming out of the clouds behind the 10 of Cups...funny what the eyes see! Thanks for the update, it's been a long time since the last new cards were put up.

Chronata	02 Jul 2004
oh my my...these are incredible! I have always felt a connection to the four Horseman...and I feel my connection to your deck grow with each new card that is revealed! Thanks so much for the update!

Cerulean	03 Jul 2004
Hope things are going well. Looking forward to your next editions....whenever you have time. Regards, Cerulean Mari

FearfulSymmetry	03 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by tao51 I love the boderless pictures! They feel like you could just walk into the picture. They are dramatic and moving. Wow!--Tao Thanks Tao!! Of course these are just digital files, I don't know what kind of border they will have when commercially published. My limited edition decks have a small white border. I wonder if there is a reason more borderless tarot decks aren't produced, is it hard for the printers to get them to line up exactly maybe, making cards end up cropped or with portions of other cards slivered on the sides? Marie

FearfulSymmetry	03 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by HudsonGray Nothing warm & fuzzy here! I'm going to have to adjust my interpretation of the 10 of Cups & Pents I see. I really like the 10 of Sword connection. Doesn't get much worse than that! You know, for a second I wondered why that jet airliner was coming out of the clouds behind the 10 of Cups...funny what the eyes see! Thanks for the update, it's been a long time since the last new cards were put up. It took me a minute to see what you were talking about, the sword right? LOL Never crossed my mind! Maybe I should refine that part of the image a little better. It is a little less clear because it is a last minute add-in. I had another kind of sword there but then found a translation of what kind of sword it was supposed to be per Revealations. Not a huge deal, but that kind of sword, or large knife, is associated with sacrificial use and I thought it was a good shade of meaning to retain for this card, especially since it is at the end of a cycle, a 10. Marie

FearfulSymmetry	03 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Chronata oh my my...these are incredible! I have always felt a connection to the four Horseman...and I feel my connection to your deck grow with each new card that is revealed! Thank you Chronata!! They were really interesting to work on! Just reading about all of the different theories people have on their meaning was great. Then seeing them from the tarot perspective was doubly great. I can't wait until I have the whole deck done and I see how they work out in a reading, should be interesting. Marie

FearfulSymmetry	03 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Cerulean Hope things are going well. Looking forward to your next editions....whenever you have time. Wow Mari, thank you! Things are going great, thanks:) Marie

VGimlet	03 Jul 2004
I liked them a lot, but I wanted to think about the cards for awhile before I made any comments. Beautiful, and very evocative of the meaning of the tens for me. Thanks for the update. :)

FearfulSymmetry	03 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by VGimlet I liked them a lot, but I wanted to think about the cards for awhile before I made any comments. Beautiful, and very evocative of the meaning of the tens for me. Thanks for the update. :) That is totally understandable -they are a little different from the usual 10s, but they are ultimately based on the same thing - a number and an element. They just differ in presentation. Thank you! I am glad you like them! Marie

laura_borealis	03 Jul 2004
I've been admiring your work for a long time. The tens are nothing short of amazing.

FearfulSymmetry	03 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by laura_borealis I've been admiring your work for a long time. The tens are nothing short of amazing. Thanks Laura!! Marie

baba-prague	03 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by FearfulSymmetry Thanks Tao!! I wonder if there is a reason more borderless tarot decks aren't produced, is it hard for the printers to get them to line up exactly maybe, making cards end up cropped or with portions of other cards slivered on the sides? As far as I know yes, it can be hard to guarantee that the cards are cut exactly, and even tiny slivers of something else at the edges would look ugly. Of course, it's possible to get around this by very slightly extending the picture size. On the other hand we have chosen to use borders on both decks, simply because we like them and feel they add a "frame" to the picture - but it depends so much on style of course. I think these paintings are fabulous, although I honestly am not sure how I would read the non-Swords cards. Please can you tell us a little more about why you decided on the Horsemen for the Tens? It's unusual - and also very interesting.

FearfulSymmetry	03 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by baba-prague I think these paintings are fabulous, although I honestly am not sure how I would read the non-Swords cards. Please can you tell us a little more about why you decided on the Horsemen for the Tens? It's unusual - and also very interesting. Hi! Thank you! I am not sure what you mean by non-sword cards, can you clarify? About the 4 Horsemen, I decided on them because they are such strong iconographic symbols of the end of the world; they emmanate out from heaven and mow down the world as we know it so we can move on to the next world. They numbered in 4 and had all kinds of interesting symbolism, the swords and crowns, colors and numbers. I thought they were a great metaphor for the end of a cycle as the 10s are. If I remember right the idea came to me as I was researching some other destructive gods for the 10s like Shiva and Pele. Marie

Fulgour	03 Jul 2004
Do you ever see the transitional tens relating to the mutable signs, or magical card number one?

FearfulSymmetry	03 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Fulgour Do you ever see the transitional tens relating to the mutable signs, or magical card number one? Hi Fulgour, Astrology wasn't one the the main considerations I have used in this deck so while it appears from time to time and is definitely related to a lot of the concepts, there is no set system or associations that go througout the deck. The same would go for the 10s. I can see how the mutable signs would relate to the 10s but it's not really something I think about :/ By magical card numer one do you mean the Aces or the Magician card? Yes I would relate them to both of those! The relationship would be that I see the 10 as being exactly the same as the 1 only it is defined. Like a pizza sliced into 10 pieces, 1 pizza, 10 pieces but still the same thing. So in describing the Aces or the 10s or the Wheel of Fortune or the Magician, you are describing an aspect of all the others. I hope I answered your questions, if not I'll give it another shot:) Marie

HudsonGray	03 Jul 2004
"It took me a minute to see what you were talking about, the sword right? " Yep, the angle of the tip reminded me immediately of the front of a Boeing 747 or something. Course we just got back from seeing Farenheit 9/11, which probably had something to do with what I saw in the picture subconsciously. It was only for a second, then I realised it was a sword.

Fulgour	03 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by FearfulSymmetry By magical card numer one do you mean the Aces or the Magician card? Yes I would relate them to both of those! The relationship would be that I see the 10 as being exactly the same as the 1 only it is defined. Yes, I love your answer. Tarot ever draws us to one point logically, and then leads us intuitively to the next.

Xarokys	04 Jul 2004
These are incredible! I love the idea of using the 4 horsemen for the tens. I think its a very evocative image for an end-of-the-cycle card. I can hardly wait for this deck to be published. I have the limited edition and its one of my favorites.

zachlost	05 Jul 2004
Marie, You rock - and you KNOW it :) I've been watching your work for a long time now, and each time you continually blow me away with your designs and re-interpretation. Keep in good health and I look forward to your next "release" :) - Zach

Ravenswing	05 Jul 2004
... you have exceeded expectations. It seems to be your trademark. fly well Raven

M-Press	06 Jul 2004
Hi there! i have to say that I never commented on your work yet, and I truly feel ashamed (although I have put a link to your site in my site, ages ago... i guess that says something...) I really REALLY admire your skills of creating a solid, authentic form, your colors and your personal flavor to the Tarot. Yet, it takes me time to get to your images, because they touch uncomfortable places, which only means by the way that they are most powerful. I will keep looking out for them, and promise to explore further the way I react to them! Good Luck in your future work-I know this is getting somewhere GOOD! ;)

The Mary-el tarot update thread was originally posted on 02 Jul 2004 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.