Making the Transition from RWS to Marseilles decks

[Flavio]

Thank you all for your comments, the world of Marseilles seems exciting today! is great to know one person can handle both Tarot traditions without converting to a particular one, just a matter of disconnecting for a while, I think all the numerology learn for Marseilles can help in other Tarot decks.

The book I refered at the beginning of the thread is very inspiring, loaded with interesting information and useful spread and reading techniques, I've been unable to put the book down it has helped me understand how the pips work and their images. Thank you again

 

[Sophie]

thanks eco, I've already been reading along at that forum but I'm much to ignorant to comment there

Flavio and Wandking, I have been reading RWS and Thoth-type tarot (not to mention the offbeat Mythic) for 7 years. A month ago I got my first Tarot de Marseille deck. As Diana and Eco say, it's a new language, with a different grammar. But it's fun and I'm finding it is stretching me. You have as much right to jump in an enjoy the learning as anyone else! You will find that interpreting pips that don't have figures on them (they are illustrated, but not with people), really gets your imagination going, as well as pushing you to you ask - now, what does 9 really mean? What 's the relation of this card with the Hermit? How do these flowers and bâtons (or swords, or coins, or cups) all fit together on this card, why are they arranged that way, how do they fit with that next card where the flowers point that way. etc. etc. I am looking much more at the cards now, and it is also helping me with non-TdM cards, because I pay more attention to what's on the card and how it fits with other cards. My only regret is this one: why didn't I do this sooner?

BTW, Flavio, I am also working with Jodo's book, which I enjoy for its mystical side. He's occasionally a bit eccentric in some of his interpretations (he refuses the notion the the 2 in Tarot is about duality, says it is about gestation and added an egg to the Papess card he re-created with Camoin), but if you have other sources of study - or if you have some knowledge of symbology generally - it's not a problem, and his views do make you think. Personally I enjoy the parallels he draws between TdM and Eastern philosophy (taoism, buddhism), which demonstrate the universality of many concepts and symbols found in the Tarot; and his details of parts of the image on any given card (e.g. the hidden egg of XXI - Le Monde, the eyes on the knee of XV-Le Diable, etc).

One of the things I am most enjoying discovering in the TdM is the extended use of numbers.

 

[Flavio]

BTW, Flavio, I am also working with Jodo's book, which I enjoy for its mystical side. He's occasionally a bit eccentric Camoin)

I think eccentric is a word that suits Jodorowsky very well anyway he's quite respected in Mexico because of his books, movies and even one of his plays ran for 10 years... now many people here thinks he left behind all his life because of Tarot, they aren't aware all the job behind him.

but if you have other sources of study - or if you have some knowledge of symbology generally - it's not a problem, and his views do make you think.

That's what worries me a little bit... in Mexico there is no tradition on teaching Marseilles, so the only way to learn it would be from books, I also hope to get some help here during the "digestion" of the Jodorowsky book.

One of the things I am most enjoying discovering in the TdM is the extended use of numbers.

Yes! that's interesting and very useful, the lack of scenes with people in the pips really makes you look for another resources, another thing I'm enjoying in this book are the relationship between the female-receptive/male-active card pairs and how he connects it to the psycology... really stimulating for the mind indeed.

 

[Sophie]

in Mexico there is no tradition on teaching Marseilles, so the only way to learn it would be from books, I also hope to get some help here during the "digestion" of the Jodorowsky book.

You'll find absolutely HEAPS to learn from in the Historical threads here, and also in the Let's Marseille reading section. That's how I am doing much of my learning, a good balance to Jodo's wonderful book. Several Marseille sites now have English sections as well, though as a Spanish speaker you probably can manage to understand a lot of French (I manage Spanish )

 

[maria42airam]

Since I'm seeing a few people that may be interested in joining our Lets Marseille! reading circle, how about if we do another round of Triangle Tango for part 13?

This is a group of three people, each drawing one card in turn as part of a spread, then discussing the entire reading as a group. I found it very educational.

If there is interest, we can start up the thread. The actual readings probably won't start until after the New Year since there is a thread going on right now.

The previous Triangle Tangos can be perused here:

Lets Marseille! Part 5: Diana's experiment! a reading circle

Lets Marseille! Part 7: "Triangle Tango!" (a reading circle)

The reading circles journal is here: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=32995. Post #2 explains the general philosophy of the reading circle, and post #3 has some links and suggestions for reading with the Marseille.

And, for those that may be interested but do not have a deck, there are scans of the Hadar here: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=32939, as well as links to other Marseille decks.

 

[Sophie]

Since I'm seeing a few people that may be interested in joining our Lets Marseille! reading circle, how about if we do another round of Triangle Tango for part 13

My, you are full of energy this end of year, Maria! You can count me in. I should probably put my name down in the Let's Marseille, and I have another reading to do first, but it sounds very useful - and good fun too.

 

[Little Baron]

I have "Ancient Tarot of Marseilles" with the name Nicolas Convers on the box...

Hi Wandking

This is the deck I am using when partisipating in the Marseille threads. I was using the Grimaud but have become very warmed by the colours in the ATM and am enjoying reading with it. I am quite busy working through home at the moment and moving about a bit so I havn't partisipated much at AT recently. However, when I next do, that will be the deck I will be using. I hope you join us with yours.

Flavio, hope you enjoy starting out with the Marseille. I have found my transition to the decks very rewarding. I havn't looked back, hehe.

Yabs

 

[Flavio]

I am quite busy working through home at the moment and moving about a bit so I havn't partisipated much at AT recently. However, when I next do, that will be the deck I will be using. I hope you join us with yours.

Flavio, hope you enjoy starting out with the Marseille. I have found my transition to the decks very rewarding. I havn't looked back, hehe.

Hi Yabs! haven't seen you lately, this expalins everything. I'm already enjoying the journey into the Marseilles world

 

[maria42airam]

Since I'm seeing a few people that may be interested in joining our Lets Marseille! reading circle, how about if we do another round of Triangle Tango for part 13?

This is a group of three people, each drawing one card in turn as part of a spread, then discussing the entire reading as a group. I found it very educational.

If there is interest, we can start up the thread. The actual readings probably won't start until after the New Year since there is a thread going on right now.

The previous Triangle Tangos can be perused here:

Lets Marseille! Part 5: Diana's experiment! a reading circle

Lets Marseille! Part 7: "Triangle Tango!" (a reading circle)

The reading circles journal is here: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=32995. Post #2 explains the general philosophy of the reading circle, and post #3 has some links and suggestions for reading with the Marseille.

And, for those that may be interested but do not have a deck, there are scans of the Hadar here: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=32939, as well as links to other Marseille decks.

Let's Marseille! part 13 - Triangle Tango is beginning in the Let's Marseille sub-form: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=35765

This is a great round for beginners and advanced readers of Marseille decks.

New members are always welcome!

 

[firemaiden]

Wandking, Flavio, et al, right now, there are a serious of wonderful threads on reading with the Marseille, thanks to jmd, called "How may it be read". In these "how may it be read threads" I am learning how to garner meaning from the relationship of the flowers and vines to the patterns of the suit implements. For example, if you look at the 7 of deniers, we discussed how the top three coins make a triangle, and the bottom three make a square - then we say the triangle is divine, and the square represents the earthly plane. Vines from the square below are embracing and encircling one of the coins in the triange, and so it becomes a sort of union, or as jmd put it, a descent of the spiritual into the material, or the union of spirit and matter, or soul and body. He always finds a way to find something ex-rated in the images... (she said, hoping to spike everyone's interest.)

The more time one spends pondering the relationship of the flowers/vines and suit implements, the more they begin to feel like full scenes, as our imagination fills in the blank spaces, connects the dots. I could have sworn that seven of coins had a glorious landscape with a sunset and a meeting of earth and sky... (oh thank you jmd, now I know what I am going to paint!)

Wandking, there is no way you could have known - but you walked into a little bit of a trap with your question on how to read the Marseille pips without pictures, because this is an old battle which has raged on Aeclectic for years (one day we argued about "illustrated versus non-illustrated pips" and then people said no, they are all illustrated, so the battle got renamed "scenic versus non-scenic pips", then we said, no they're not pips, pips are part of an orange, and on and on... (and each time we had these battles many people were thrown into Aeclectic's jail for miscreant posters) so anyway, now the issue has become a bit of a joke and/or a sore point to many, depending upon their perspective. You'll have to forgive my colleagues, they know who they are ... *firemaiden rattles keys to the jail*