My first Marseilles deck finally arrived

Essence of Winter

Because I wasn't sure whether I would take to the Tarot de Marseille (Rider and Thoth being my favourite decks), I decided to go for Fournier's Tarot de Marseille as I was able to buy it brand new for £5. Purists might object to it on the basis that it is a recolouring (although I suppose the same can be said of Grimaud) but it does use the authentic lines of the Conver deck. The changes in background colour don't bother me but if I take to the Marseille style, I can always get something more historical in future.

I'll begin experimenting with it to-night. At this stage, I'm not sure whether I'll go with the Rider meanings that I have come to memorise or go for the intuitive approach.
 

Chrystella

Hey there. I just recently purchased my first Marseilles deck too. I got the Pierre Madenie 1709. I've only ever read with RWS so this is a new experience for me also. There are a few books on my reading list that deal with with the Marseilles. You might be interested in these as well.

The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards Paperback by Alejandro Jodorowsky
Reading the Marseille Tarot Paperback by by Jean-Michel David
Tarot - the Open Reading Paperback by Yoav Ben-Dov
 

Essence of Winter

Hey there. I just recently purchased my first Marseilles deck too. I got the Pierre Madenie 1709. I've only ever read with RWS so this is a new experience for me also. There are a few books on my reading list that deal with with the Marseilles. You might be interested in these as well.

The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards Paperback by Alejandro Jodorowsky
Reading the Marseille Tarot Paperback by by Jean-Michel David
Tarot - the Open Reading Paperback by Yoav Ben-Dov

Thanks - I'll have a look at those. I have heard of the last one on the list, which seems to be well recommended. I'll probably get that one first if I do get a book.

I had a look at the Pierre Madenie:

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/marseille-pierre-madenie/

It's an interesting looking deck. I can really see the appeal of historic decks.
 

Abrac

My first Marseille was also a Fournier. It's a nice deck, good choice. :)
 

3ill.yazi

Hey there. I just recently purchased my first Marseilles deck too. I got the Pierre Madenie 1709. I've only ever read with RWS so this is a new experience for me also. There are a few books on my reading list that deal with with the Marseilles. You might be interested in these as well.



The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards Paperback by Alejandro Jodorowsky

Reading the Marseille Tarot Paperback by by Jean-Michel David

Tarot - the Open Reading Paperback by Yoav Ben-Dov


I highly recommend all three books. I'd suggest reading them in reverse order of the list. Ben Dov is the best for jumping from RWS with. David is amazing, and Jodorowsky is very idiosyncratic but fascinating.
 

Essence of Winter

I did my first couple of readings with the Marseille and I must say, it works much easier than I thought it would. The meanings jump out at me with a really strong feeling that comes from a deeper level of intuition than I am used to with other decks. I think it wouldn't have been as easy if I hadn't been using the Thoth first, however, as that really changed the way I was able to read having started out with the Rider Tarot.

Now I have to resist the temptation to collect more Marseille decks.
 

Eremita90

Well, don't pay too much attention to purists. :) The Fournier is a nice deck. Personally not my favorite among the TdMs, but not intrinsically worse than many other packs. As for the books, I must confess I haven't been able to take away anything useful from Jodorowsky, but I do recommend Ben-Dov and JM David. These books are quite different, but they are both gems.
Of course one of the advantages of pre-GD tarot decks is that they potentially allow you to create your own system, so they can really be satisfactory tools.
Enjoy :)
 

Essence of Winter

Well, don't pay too much attention to purists. :) The Fournier is a nice deck. Personally not my favorite among the TdMs, but not intrinsically worse than many other packs. As for the books, I must confess I haven't been able to take away anything useful from Jodorowsky, but I do recommend Ben-Dov and JM David. These books are quite different, but they are both gems.
Of course one of the advantages of pre-GD tarot decks is that they potentially allow you to create your own system, so they can really be satisfactory tools.
Enjoy :)

Thanks. I do really like the Fournier - it is a nice size that makes shuffling easy and feels right. I also like the pattern on the backs. I think if I go for other Marseille Tarots, I will choose carefully paying particular attention to the designs for the Minor Arcana as it is imperative that I should be able to work with them. I have the Prediction Tarot deck, which is a Marseille-style deck rather than a 'true' Marseille, and I can't work with the Minor Arcana at all:

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/prediction/
 

BSwett

I adore that deck! I have many Marseilles, but will always go back to my Spanish Fournier!