Identifying upright from reverse cards?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 03 Sep 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

wevers	03 Sep 2002
I am using a tarot method that incorporates numerology in the reading......They recommend non-illustrated decks like the Oswald-Wirth or Marseilles. I tried the Oswald-Wirth deck and on the minor arcana suits of Wands and Coins, I can't tell the difference........Can anyone suggest a deck of this type that I can distinguish the upright from reverse with the minor arcana in all four suits???? The deck or I should say, the minor arcana should be non-illustrated.......Thanks in advance.... I'm currently using the Golden Dawn deck. Wally

Jewel	03 Sep 2002
What about the Marseilles deck? ... if you are OK with decks that are somewhat illustrated but not in full pictures I would recommend the Thoth, Gill or Cosmic Tribe (warning if nudity offends you stay away from the CT).

wevers	03 Sep 2002
Jewel, I've only looked at a couple of cards with this deck......Can you easily tell upright from reverse in all four suits?? Wally

Jewel	03 Sep 2002
Not with the Marseille. But you can with the other decks I suggested as they have backgrounds which evoke emotions. I call them "moody minors". They are not full illustrations, they do show the number of objects, but you can easily tell the reversed from the upright. These are actually my favorite kinds of decks these days. Hope this helps.

Phoenix	03 Sep 2002
You can try the Vision Tarot. It is a photographic deck with the Majors, Aces, and Court cards having peopel on them. The rest of the cards are regular pips. There is also the Visconti Tarots (Cary-Yale Visconti, Visconti-Sforza, Morgan-Pierpont Visconti, and Visconti Gold Tarots)

Trogon	04 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by wevers Can anyone suggest a deck of this type that I can distinguish the upright from reverse with the minor arcana in all four suits???? The deck or I should say, the minor arcana should be non-illustrated. Hmmm.... I'm not sure if this would be the answer for you, and some people might not think it the best way to go. But if you had a deck where you couldn't tell if a card was reversed or not (such as the minor arcana in the Tarot of the Marseilles) you could modify the cards a little. I think that simply taking a fine-point permanent marker (the "Sharpie" brand leaps to mind as they come in a variety of colors) and put a line or other mark in an appropriate color at the "bottom" of each of the cards which you're having trouble with. Then, in a layout, if the line is at the bottom of the card it is right side up - if it's at the top, the card is reversed. This is just what lept to my mind when I read your question. Of course, this depends on your feelings about "defacing" your cards in this manner. Trogon

Jewel	04 Sep 2002
Personally I think that is a very creative solution!

wevers	04 Sep 2002
It's ironic about the suggestion to physically mark the deck to show upright from reverse. I did just that with the Oswald-wirth deck rather than just not using it. I was just concerned that marking the deck might offend them or the querent. Sounds good to me because I love the look of the Marseilles deck. Thank you all for your input on this subject..........Wally

Jewel	04 Sep 2002
Wally, you should check out the Talking Tarot forum. There is a thread there that is all about drawing on your cards. The bottom line is that it is your deck and as long as you are comfortable with it that is all that matters.

jmd	04 Sep 2002
Marseilles deck pip cards can clearly be distinguished between upright and reversed, but those unfamiliar with the cards may find it difficult. Unlike the Wirth, the ornamentation on the Marseilles pips usually points to a clear difference. Having said this, there are exceptions, both in terms of individual cards, and the various Marseilles decks around.

toysgirl	05 Sep 2002
Wally, Monica Knighton's Tarot of the Dead has a Marseilles-style minor arcana which are 'reversable' in the manner you describe. The minors aren't illustrated in the sense that the RWS minors are illustrated, but they are unusual. The artist uses guns, pens, coffins and movie reels instead of the traditional swords, wands, cups and pentacles. It's a delightful deck, however, and the images online simply do not do it justice--it has a quirky charm that I adore and the colors are softer in person than in the scans. You can see more here http://www.nobordersstudio.com/ I bought mine directly from her on her website but I think she's selling them through eBay now. Do a search on 'tarot of the dead' (selecting the description & title). It's one of my favorite decks. Wicce has a nice review on it. -Stasia

The Identifying upright from reverse cards? thread was originally posted on 03 Sep 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.