tarot of mermaids study

WanderingStar

if anyone out there is using this deck, i'd like to add my recent research here.

I've had this deck for the past few years, actually used it exclusively at times even, and have found myself stumped when relating their meanings to the traditional RWS written by the authors i have learned about the tarot from in the first place.

so after a disconnection from my readings, i finally decided to sit down and do some good old fashion research, i'm an art historian- attracted to the field because of the rich symbolism in art throughout history. there are numerous resources published on symbolism and psychology within tarot cards specifically, and i have begun to analyze each of the cards in the tarot of mermaids. i've gotten through the majors, the cups, swords, and pentacles and am working through the wands. of course there are a few here and there that stump me, and i'll have to go through some other resources to get a general feel for the power that card has within a reading.

my strategy is to first consider the artist's intentions when creating. mermaids are creatures that are half marine life and half human which are featured primarily under the ocean. the ocean is of water: emotions, their fish tails refer to the way fish are sensitive to the vibrations and energy in the ocean lending a level of innate knowing or keen intuition (think of the ways dolphins and whales communicate with their own through sounds and inaudible frequencies, think of migratory patterns, even the way fish form into schools-- like mackerel fish who swirl together to create the appearance of a large and enduring mass they are threatened by sharks and other predators)... so the mermaids are part fish, thus strongly connected to way their emotions drive them into action. one suit, the swords, features the mermaids with reptilian tails to indicate the "if anyone out there is using this deck, i'd like to add my recent research here.

I've had this deck for the past few years, actually used it exclusively at times even, and have found myself stumped when relating their meanings to the traditional RWS written by the authors i have learned about the tarot from in the first place.

so after a disconnection from my readings, i finally decided to sit down and do some good old fashion research, i'm an art historian- attracted to the field because of the rich symbolism in art throughout history. there are numerous resources published on symbolism and psychology within tarot cards specifically, and i have begun to analyze each of the cards in the tarot of mermaids. i've gotten through the majors, the cups, swords, and pentacles and am working through the wands. of course there are a few here and there that stump me, and i'll have to go through some other resources to get a general feel for the power that card has within a reading.

my strategy is to first consider the artist's intentions when creating. mermaids are creatures that are half marine life and half human which are featured primarily under the ocean. the ocean is of water: emotions, their fish tails refer to the way fish are sensitive to the vibrations and energy in the ocean lending a level of innate knowing or keen intuition (think of the ways dolphins and whales communicate with their own through sounds and inaudible frequencies, think of migratory patterns, even the way fish form into schools-- like mackerel fish who swirl together to create the appearance of a large and enduring mass they are threatened by sharks and other predators)... so the mermaids are part fish, thus strongly connected to way their emotions drive them into action. one suit, the swords, features the mermaids with reptilian tails to indicate the "uroboros-like" quality of the serpent-- that asian symbol of the dragon or snake eating its tail, it's like a never ending cycle of rejuvenation of thought constantly cleared and renewed, like the way the serpent sheds its skin. we connect as the tarot card reader to this intuitive part of the mermaids, their fish or serpent side that allows them to know through innate feelings/vibrations.

then we have the human side of the mermaids, that is the part to which we connect as the observer of a reading, the cave man part of us who is driven by essential physical needs, food, power, mating, anger, lust.. all those primordial qualities that inspire our actions. combined we have our mermaid, the blend of actions driven by feelings and thoughts.
Again referencing to the ocean landscape, some scenes are under water, others are on shore, even on islands out to sea, the symbolism behind this is the give the reader insight into which part of the mermaid is driving the scene/meaning in each card. in addition, time of day and shades of sunset, sunrise or twilight are lending to the place in the mermaid's (fool's) journey they are at, like if the sky is dark, she is lost, if it is an unearthly color we must we feel like we are in an unearthly presence like in the high priestess, or background colors within a "structure" sometimes shown in the majors, are emanating from the major entity represented. other things like clouds and their type, dark or fluffy, the sea-- is it dark and choppy, warm and serene etc.. these are all DECK specific.

the research comes into play with the symbols. the reader's intuition comes in when we pay attention to the body language and facial expression of the mermaid on the card. details are so special in this deck, like when the cups or swords are shown cast aside in two's, it is a direct reference to the initiated relationship they are traveling through, like in the five of cups, five of swords and seven of swords for example, there are two swords or cups sitting together in union, while the other swords or cups are in a separate part of the card grouped together.

traditional symbols in tarot are rich in this deck. mountains: this is true to it's symbolism within the tarot, mountains are in scenes where there has been a challenge the mermaid (fool or minor whatever) has faced, overcome and now appears in this card to remind us the lesson that has learned through the adversity she's faced, will stay with her indefinitely, that knowledge earned through experience is permanent, it's like a little nugget of wisdom which enlightens the mind of that simple fool (who is uniquely shown only in body, there is no background in the fool).

other symbols, boats= usually in difficult cards like the 5 of cups, 6 of swords...boats are in these cards to remind us that the action the mermaid is taking has been driven by a difficult emotion she is trying to leave behind.. and in these two examples we see the mermaid's back, again an indication what we are seeing in this card will soon be in the past as she is moving on.

flowers= there are many sea flowers, seaweeds, whatever you want to call them, but they are lovely red aquatic plants and they do indicate the beautiful rejuvenation that can be found if our hearts and minds are open, also a *promise* in the Death card, of the newness which WILL COME beautifully (beauty is important with flowers), and in the death card there are thorns around that rose but the sea flowers are just soft and lovely.

crowns= clarity of thought, in some of the majors it indicates an exceptionally intelligent mind, and in the royals we see the queens and kings wearing them because they have earned this higher knowledge of wisdom through their journey seen in aces-10's.

fish= there are fish all over these cards, however i have seen a handful where the fish are a bit larger than the standard "decorative fish", and it is usually a red fish. for example there is a fish in the ace of swords, which also features two symbols previously mentioned (the flower and the crown) so here our ace of swords features the fish to remind us that this new idea which comes from clarity of thought and the attitude that approaches the idea with an open heart, the fish is present to indicate this new idea or whatever the ace is representing, is also born out of creativity and an ability to control and use emotional inspiration.

need i go on? yes, but i just want to introduce what i am focusing on in this study. i will continue to describe the specifics of each card, how the story unfolds for each mermaid in her suit and how we can learn to identify our mermaid's body language and the signs/symbols/imagery interact with the cards around it to enhance their meaning or enlighten us by showing a side of that card we hadn't considered before.

okay, hopefully i can share all my research here :)
 

Hemera

Thank you, I found this an interesting post. I used to use this deck earlier but I found the nudity and pointy breasts just too annoying. If I want to use a Mermaid tarot deck today I will pick my Undersea Tarot by Frank Fradella. I find it more beautiful and gender neutral. There is nudity but it´s more natural IMO.
The Mermaids and many of the symbols (boats, fish etc) are the same in both decks, though, so I found your post interesting in that respect.
 

WanderingStar

Hi Hemera,

thanks for the response! I've actually read a lot of reviews from people who were turned off by the same elements you were, like the nudity and exaggerated/idealistic female forms.

Well I'm glad I could at least provide some insight into some things in your Undersea Tarot, I'll have to take a look I'm intrigued to see how the meaning behind these ocean specific symbols relate to the scenes in other decks of the same theme.

:)