Why TdM is Unique?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 26 May 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

jumptothemoonyea	26 May 2005
Some time ago I acquired Ancient Tarots of Marseille. In a strange way I was drawn to it. There is something in this deck I cannot describe. Something unexplainable, unique (?). What is it? What is it, that makes Tarot de Marseille unique? The poll questions are random options to help lift the veil. Thank you.

Fudugazi	26 May 2005
Tarot de Marseille is unique because... * there isn't a single card you can single out to say- don't like this one (you like the deck or you don't, but not individual cards) * it's an ancient wisdom that seems to deliver its message with just the right touch - light when you are oppressed, hard when you are deaf, encouraging when you are having the wobblies... * you can see a world in a single card. Short spreads are the norm and tell more and more deeply than many a long spread with other decks, not matter how lovely. * it speaks, it has many voices, it argues and has all sorts of repartee. It even flirts, sometimes! It is French, what do you expect ;) ? * it is full of secrets and discoveries and jokes (some hidden, some obvious) and irreverence and bawdiness and seriousness and love and questions and mystical paths... *it accepts all the theorising one wants to lay onto it - and yet eludes all categories: it is Christian, Heretic, Crypto-Jewish, Kabbalistic, Bardic, Chaldean, Troubadour, Milanese, Occitan, Parisian, neo-platonic, Catholic, pagan....and still it has the last laugh! * in the immortal words of Sir Edmund Hilary when asked why he had wanted to climb Everest - "because it is there". It exists. That makes it unique.

Little Baron	26 May 2005
I like it because it is uncomplicated visually, I like antique decks and also, it hasn't been interfered with so much - decks like the Hadar stay as close as possible to the original format. And it works! LB

stella01904	26 May 2005
MM ~ I like the roughness of it that so many people think is ugly. It's honest, it's real. It was a labor intensive thing to make, originally, it's got substance. A lot of the modern Tarots are too slick, like eye-grabbing magazine ads. Marseilles is sly but not slick. There's a difference. Also, it's the common man's deck, not some gold plated thing made for the Lord High Emperor of Extorting Peasants. I think it has a bit of an authority complex, which is a GOOD thing. BB, Stella PS Also everything Helvetica said so wonderfully...

jmd	26 May 2005
...I'm just glad to see that no-one has chosen one of those options :D

Rusty Neon	26 May 2005
jmd wrote: ...I'm just glad to see that no-one has chosen one of those options :D Drat! I missed that one when I was voting. :)

Emeraldgirl	27 May 2005
I just like it can't explain why. I used to really dislike it but that was cause I'd only ever seen the really garish coloured decks that came in the cheap sets that were always accompanied with a book that had RWS pictures in it I know go figure. But then it all changed when I joined AT and started to read the threads on the TdM and see some of the more "refined" decks and gradually the age, the symbolism and the general beauty of the decks won me over.

WolfSpirit	27 May 2005
I voted "one of the oldest decks" which is why I bought it, I wanted a historical deck to study. I'm attracted to it in some ways, but all the good qualities mentioned in the list also apply to some (although not all) of my other decks, so that is not unique for TdM. It is probably the purest form of tarot but that is not really an argument for me to use it - I am just as happy with a non-tarot oracle deck if it works for me.

Rosanne	27 May 2005
Hmmm I havn't voted yet because I wish to know which 'Tarot de Marseille' is the unique one? :D ~Rosanne

Satori	27 May 2005
Umm, jmd, I admit to choosing because you say so...and I was being facetious. Inevitably, I think we all end up being drawn to the TdM. For me, it was certainly inevitable. Joining this forum and seeing the remarkable level of scholarly study around it was astounding. I was hooked from day one, and even tho I acted blase about it I was eager to own my TdM. Having said that it is not my first choice of decks, ever. I don't find it beautiful, but I do find it full of intrigue. I like a good mystery, and the TdM is all about mystery. I like what Helvetica says and I agree on every point.

Eco74	27 May 2005
I've referred to the TdM as "crude" and unfortunately this term has caused some confusion as to what I mean by it. When I use the word "crude" in description of the TdM, it is NOT in any way charged with any meaning of beauty or lack thereof. It is a term I use to describe the style of the artwork though, and in my opinion it really is artwork through and through. The style is "crude" in that the detailes are deceptively simplistic, and a "roughcut corner" so well describes what a more chisled and polished corner would have. It's in a way the same charm that can be found in a childs drawing where the leaves of the trees hide the boughs and in them, hidden by the green, can be anything.. And when you are properly in tune, you can see beyond the leaves and the images come to life. That is what makes me love the TdM. The raw energy, the near explosive force of the clearcut images, still raw around the edges, holding such creative energy that I can't help but be hit by it as it shoots off the card, into my eyes and beyond.

raeanne	27 May 2005
Hi all, I selected "Other" because I feel each and every deck is unique. ToM is historical but there are other historical decks as well. It is an honest deck but I just don't think it is any more unique than any other deck.

stella01904	27 May 2005
raeanne wrote: ToM is historical but there are other historical decks as well. MM ~ Not like TdM! :D BB, Stella

mythos	27 May 2005
elf wrote: Umm, jmd, I admit to choosing because you say so...and I was being facetious. . I admit it, I was soooooooooooooooo tempted to mark the 'because jmd says so' box for the humour value. I didn't ... I had one of those most unwelcome, unpleasant & infrequent moments of seriousness. In the future, please stop me ... I'm trying to cure myself of this very worrying tendency. mythos

BlueLotus	27 May 2005
I voted for In it simplicity laws of Life are encoded It is not exactly beautiful but it is classical and says much about our spiritual journey throughout life in a simple but clear manner.

similia	28 May 2005
Since I am away and cannot read the hate mail, I will say because they forgot to illustrate the minors }) Also classic is romantic :)

Fudugazi	28 May 2005
similia wrote: Since I am away and cannot read the hate mail, I will say because they forgot to illustrate the minors }) Since you are away and can't get into an argument with me, I will say you are wrong. The minors are fully illustrated. Or is it only drawings of people that count as illustrations? (and since you are away I shall answer myself: no) ;) })

The Why TdM is Unique? thread was originally posted on 26 May 2005 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.