Struggling with Mary-El meanings.

[Ishtar73]

Hi all. I am a seasoned tarot user though not a professional and I've only used them for self-exploration for a long time now (I am 47). In fact, I've recently come back to tarot and have been enjoying exploring decks I hadn't seen before. I came across the Mary-El and loved the artwork, so I purchased them. I still love the artwork, but when I read the book I struggle to understand many of the cards as I feel the meanings deviate significantly in some of them. I struggle most with the minor arcana.

I suppose I'm after other people's experiences with this deck and how they came to work with it.

[Charlie Brown]

I've looked at it a little and agree that the artwork is very striking. As I understand it, which may be a bit off, I think that she has her own particular system that lay behind the deck, which is why her meanings in the book seem divergent to you. I think that you just have to decide whether or not you want to dedicate yourself to getting inside her system or else just read the deck with your accustomed meanings plus some visual influence. The choice, of course, is yours. If you're just getting back into tarot though, I'd suggest starting with something that you're more comfortable with. Once you get your feet back on the ground it should be easier to branch out.

[Ishtar73]

Yeah that's sound advice.
I am usually comfortable with intuitive readings straight from the cards - I think I became hesitant when I started reading the book as I liked the artwork so much I really wanted to understand why she had painted them that way, but the book is less about the actual paintings and the subjects and tends to go off on an hermetic and symbolic tangent.....I think that puts me off. Perhaps I will just put the book away for now and use them however they appear to me.

[Papageno]

Yeah that's sound advice.
I am usually comfortable with intuitive readings straight from the cards - I think I became hesitant when I started reading the book as I liked the artwork so much I really wanted to understand why she had painted them that way, but the book is less about the actual paintings and the subjects and tends to go off on an hermetic and symbolic tangent.....I think that puts me off. Perhaps I will just put the book away for now and use them however they appear to me.

Sadly, I too gave up on this deck...it is highly idiosyncratic in nature....although I must admit the artwork is absolutely stunning. I remember many years ago, when she first introduced this project on the old AT Forum, and it was well received with great enthusiasm and anticipation.

In terms of reading the cards intuitively, without parsing the book.....I personally find the artwork difficult to navigate intuitively.

For instance, the Two of Disks......here is an image of a woman with two coins covering her eyes.

Some ancient cultures placed coins or other precious objects on the eyes or under the tongue of the deceased as tribute or payment for their passage into the after-life.
This is an historical/cultural factoid that interferes with my ability to properly read that card as the Two of Disks.....by whatever system you choose, whether it be RWS, Thoth, Marseille....whatever.

By the way, these customs are still alive and well in certain cultures.

For me, the only way to read this deck intuitively would be to purchase a paper cutter and remove the titles.....a practice which I personally abhor......even then, I think you would have to spend a great deal of time studying/contemplating the images on their own merit, before you could actually use this as a practical reading deck......but in this context, I speak for myself only.

In no way am I discouraging you from pursuing whatever course of action you deem necessary to make this deck work for you.
The artwork is EXEMPLARY and undeniably profound.

[Maskelyne]

For me, the only way to read this deck intuitively would be to purchase a paper cutter and remove the titles...

That's exactly what I did with my 1st edition. To me, both the cards and the book appear to be in the author's personal dream language. Neither align with tarot or other traditional iconographies; being told that this card is, say, the 8 of discs was just confusing.

For instance, the Two of Disks......here is an image of a woman with two coins covering her eyes.

Some ancient cultures placed coins or other precious objects on the eyes or under the tongue of the deceased as tribute or payment for their passage into the after-life.

Excellent example of how this deck eludes all attempts at conventional interpretation. The book says nothing about death; the coins represent eyes, a lunar one looking inward, and a solar one looking outward.

Excellent deck for contemplation and meditation, but not readable as tarot.

[Papageno]

..... the 8 of discs was just confusing.

I went to Marie's website and took a look at the cards.......after I Googled the 8 of Disks.

Interestingly enough, it didn't take me long (at all) to arrive at essentially the same or similar conclusions as others on an old AT Forum thread.....however, that's where I stop.

After looking through the entire set of Major and Minor Arcana cards, I decided just now, that this deck is waaaaaay too idiosyncratic for me.

There are many Minor Arcana cards that you might swear were traditional Majors, etc.......I like that term, "dream language".

My conclusion, yet again, is that based on the merits of the exquisite artwork and the amount of time and thought she devoted to completing this project, this is a deck that is worthy of intense study......very intense.....however, my focus right now is on learning computer graphics....which is fairly intense in itself........pixel by pixel......literally LOL

........which may very well lead to designing my own personal idiosyncratic tarot deck.....after I actually learn to draw.
The Mary-El eight of disks is actually a very appropriate card for me right now in that sense..... it illustrates the duality very well....I forget who on the AT thread said it was very alchemical in that sense.