Learning the TdM Minors

[1kimrising]

Hi, I was given a new deck of tarot cards as a gift and I love them, trying to reintroduce myself back into readings but the deck I received I am having a hard time learning, for instance the Minor Suits, I cannot tell which way the card is upright or reversed (the pictures are almost exactly the same on top and bottom) I do not mean to sound stupid. Its the Tarot De Marseille by Mary Packard. Any suggestions? Please.

[Papageno]

Hi, I was given a new deck of tarot cards as a gift and I love them, trying to reintroduce myself back into readings but the deck I received I am having a hard time learning, for instance the Minor Suits, I cannot tell which way the card is upright or reversed (the pictures are almost exactly the same on top and bottom) I do not mean to sound stupid. Its the Tarot De Marseille by Mary Packard. Any suggestions? Please.

For help with Tarot de Marseille questions....specifically regarding reversals, go to this section of the forum:

viewtopic.php?f=127&t=2749

for advice on other TdM questions about reading the pip cards, go to this section:

viewtopic.php?f=127&t=2764

commentary in that thread by Charlie Brown is helpful.....actually most of Chas. Brown's commentaries are generally very useful.
Regarding advice for reading TdM, he states:

"Another piece of advice that I always give to folks starting out with TdM is to read majors-only. Not only is it the most common way that the deck is/was read in Europe, it also is the most effective way to break you out of the habits of RWS/Thoth reading. Majors only with very mundane questions in the way to go."

[Joan Marie]

Any suggestions? Please.

Hi and welcome to the forum!

I moved your post to the TdM Study groups area. Please feel free to ask any and all TdM related questions here.

[Charlie Brown]

Hi there.

Most TdM readers don't use reversal and, those who do usually don't try and reverse the symmetrical cards. Cups and odd number swords cards are obviously reversable.

There's no single way to read the TdM pips, so as you develop your practice you'll need to make some decisions. A writer like Ben-Dov follows modern Anglo-American practice and tries to assign singular meanings to each pip. More common, I think, is to marry number and suit symbolism within the specific context of the question. Yet a third way is known as "pips-as-majors" and treats each pip as a sort of mini-major applied only to the specific domain of the suit.