Suit/Element attributions for contemporary use of Marseilles decks ...........

[Rusty Neon]

In the case of modern tarot decks, I'm still tied to the Golden Dawn suit/element attributions.

Swords - Air
Cups - Water
Batons - Fire
Coins - Earth

.... Rusty Neon runs for cover before jmd and Diana arrive. ....

However, in the case of the Marseilles (and other early tarot decks), I'm tentatively starting to think that, even for our 21st century usage, other suit/element attributions may be more appropriate to the deck iconography and original cultural milieu.

One of the traditional associations for the suits is to the four societal categories of medieval society:

Swords - Nobility
Cups - Clergy
Batons - Agricultural
Coins - Merchants

In that order of ideas and following Alain Bocher, the following suit/element assignments might arguably make more sense. Differences from Golden Dawn assignments are underlined.

Swords - Nobility - Air (e.g., because swords cut through air)

Cups - Clergy - Water (e.g., because of the watery associations of baptism)

Batons - Agricultural - Earth (e.g., because agriculture is about the cultivating the earth)

Coins - Merchants - Fire (e.g., because coins are forged in fire)

My thanks to Alain Bocher's book for those suit/element associations. The association rationale are my fault, though.