Marselles System Card Decks, I Question?

[Tomsde]

I've recently ordered the Ancient Italian Tarot and Anchient Tarot of Lombardy. In a similar vein I own the 1JJ Swiss and The Prediction Tarot decks. Many of these decks have "non reversable" backs and the design of the pips wouild lead me to believe in many cases it would be difficult to be able to tell if a card was right side up or reversed as the pattern is the same no matter which way you place the card. Are these decks typically read without reversals? I have a book coming that give reversed meaning for the majors at least; I don't know about the minors since I don't have it yet; but it is a non Rider Waite Smith system from the blurbs I read. Can anyone shed light on how they would typically read a layout and place the cards down on the table?

I am a student of RWS system, therefore I'm accustomed to reversed cards and reversed meanings; but at first glance this seems a bit different.

 

[Gavriela]

Check the Marseille forum, especially a couple of threads where Mel explains a lot of his system - I quite like it, and it makes sense, but you're correct - it is NOT Golden Dawn material, and reversals don't come into it.

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=101507&page=1&pp=10

and this is a good one:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=101981

Enrique's written a lot about his art and eye rhyme methods, too, which you can find somewhere in the exchange thread - there are a series of threads.

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=99638&page=1&pp=10

There are six other threads, all with similar titles, so it shouldn't be that hard to search the rest of them. I think you'll enjoy it - Marseille is a whole different trip, and I find it far less cluttered than GD - though I quite enjoy the GD's kabbalistic magical mystery tour, too.

 

[Tomsde]

Thanks for your advice, I will check them out his evening when I have more time.

 

[Teheuti]

Many of these decks have "non reversable" backs and the design of the pips wouild lead me to believe in many cases it would be difficult to be able to tell if a card was right side up or reversed as the pattern is the same no matter which way you place the card. Are these decks typically read without reversals?

The oldest divinatory tarot meanings are from Etteilla—who eventually created his own deck. He gave reversed card meanings and most followed his lead. 19th century authors generally recommended inking a mark at one end of the "nonreversable" cards to show their upright orientation.

 

[magpie9]

The oldest divinatory tarot meanings are from Etteilla—who eventually created his own deck. He gave reversed card meanings and most followed his lead. 19th century authors generally recommended inking a mark at one end of the "nonreversable" cards to show their upright orientation.

That really bothers me. I really dislike the Ettieilla meanings--soooo fortuneteller-ish--and had hoped there was an actual older & authentic historic system for Marseilles minor's meanings. I get the impression that just using a GD system on Marseilles cards isn't 'done'.....but if you consider Etteillia a bunch of malarkey, what else is there to do?

 

[Tomsde]

Could the type of pips we see in the Ancient Italian Tarot, ones that don't have an obvious upright or down style been done that way because people also used the deck for card games, like our modern playing cards? I was just wondering as I know Tarot decks have been popular for games as well.