New Book on Marseille Tarot by Camelia Elias

Yes, I've been reading her blog, too. I think, for me, the draw is that very tension you speak of, kalliope, between belief and irreverence. That kind of view is a real one because it allows for all the ambiguity inherent in the human condition. The Absolute might live in the cards, the gods and our expectations (are the three very different?) but it has less of an obvious place in the actual such that the actual might be seen as the Absolute distilled into something digestible, manageable, compassionately measured out into a ratio fit for human experience. When I read her material I feel the underpinnings of this. The place between knowing and not knowing is really not different than the place between the breath. If you've ever spent anytime in that place you know it for the unfathomable ongoing Question that it is.

And she disseminates it with humor, anger and a reverence for beauty which is to say the symmetry of Mystery we're all participating in and as. As I read the cards I'm becoming very aware of how much Merleau-Ponty's gorgeous observation that...'my body is the awareness of the gaze of the Other' is a factor in my own experience with the cards. They become the Other such that my own body comes alive beneath their gaze, all the senses are activated as I allow the cards to see me. It becomes an equal exchange. Elias's book affirms this experience for me in a way that is both oblique and to the point.

This is another interesting series of sentences...

"But speaking for myself here, I could, in fact, say that pushing the narrative-of-the-self agenda in a poetic way has taught me one valuable lesson, namely, that knowing myself has consequences for the way in which I also know my place. How to know your place has now become a primary aim in my teachings." pp. 32

I find this a skillful and astute approach, if sober, but I bristle at its confines, at the sense that we have the kind of perspective and overview of Place to begin with. And yet, this also feels like an infinitely practical and humble portal. Okay, nuff said for now. The poet in me could run with this book...

Oh, you enablers. I just ordered it. To be fair, her blog did me in as well.

It's been a couple of months since I read it and the thing that sticks with me is her emphasis on a "poetic" style of reading. It seems very close to how I like to read using metaphorical language as a way to open up new vistas in a difficult reading. It can take an interpretation that seems very dry and narrow and break it wide open in a more colorful. imaginative way. Also her statement that she considers the Lovers a "nasty" card, since the "head" and the "heart" are at odds. I see her point!

Astraea said:

Elias refers a couple of times to her Middle European ancestors in the same breath that she's talking about the "cunning folk" approach to cards, so she might have been attempting to describe a generic order of natural wisdom, but - considering the sophisticated tone of the rest of the book - it struck a dull note for me. That said, in her long-ago website (now consigned to the Wayback Machine), Dawn Jackson also used the word "cunning" to refer to innate ways of knowing (especially in relation to herbalism), so perhaps the suggested association between Elias' "cunning folk" method and Hedgewytchery are not far off the mark. I was glad to see that Elias credits Jackson for being a formative influence on her own methods, though (for me) that section of her book was not its high point.

For those who wish to read Jackson's work directly, it is still available as a three-part tutorial here: http://web.archive.org/web/20080210083822/http://www.hedgewytchery.com/cartomancy.html.

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I just finished the book, and while it is overall an amazing read, and I will likely reread it for further digestion, this was an element that troubled me. Not for the Hedgewytchery itself --I'm fascinated now and am studying that site-- but that sometimes she will make reference to this and other traditions and not really explain it enough to my satisfaction.

Don't get me wrong. I think she is brilliant, and the book should be part of everybody's library who are into the TdM. But it reminded me of a music class I once took from a master jazz musician, where we left completely impressed by the teacher's skill, but a little unclear how to get from where we were to where he was. I would have liked more background on where her card interpretations come from, what tradition, or how she came about it.

But she comes across as very strong and talented and opinionated. But a little mysterious, considering she comes from a very "down to earth" orientation.

Will need a re-read. I don't think I'd recommend it as one's first book on the TdM. For that I'd probably suggest Jean Michel David or Yoav ben-Dov.

3ill.yazi said:

[snip] ... it reminded me of a music class I once took from a master jazz musician, where we left completely impressed by the teacher's skill, but a little unclear how to get from where we were to where he was.

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I think that you have identified what it is when we see a leader -- one who takes what they have learned and runs with it without looking back. Who takes the tools that have been given and no longer needs instruction. Leaders in any field can tell us what they did and how they go about doing what it is that they do but only we can apply that knowledge to our own lives.

And no amount of excess of study will help to achieve their excellence; we're doomed to find our own way and our own excellence, using the help and guideposts we encounter in our own paths. You have to grab what you can and run your own race.

That's what I appreciate in Camelia's writing and perspective; and to mix metaphors, she's fled the nest and flies where she may, without looking down.

As a student of Camelia's and a fan of the Marseille tarot I must say that this book is a wonderful addition to any Marseille reader's collection. It utilizes the cunning folk method of keeping it simple and down to earth, how to pragmatically and proactively read cards to uncover our blind-spots and shows us how magical the cards can really be.

The use of 'Cunning Folk' is meant to mean an innate form of anecdote. One that doesn't generally follow a school of thought but rather an instinctual way of getting your point across by utilizing what you have and only what you have. I don't see it as a buzzword at all because while she does incorporate low magic in her practice she doesn't necessarily subscribe to anything belief system. She often says she doesn't believe in anything and magic or reading the cards isn't about believing in anything. The use of 'Cunning Folk' is meant to mean the ways of the wise. That wisdom that came from storytelling and observation of simple and natural things like the changing of seasons or simple analogies.

I also see her ambiguity in explanation as a way for us to embrace our own thinking and stories that we come up with. If you follow the bare basics of what the cards present and not impose anything whether cultural or whatever you can justify your reasonings with merit without anyone wondering where the hell you came up with so and so. Like Enrique Enriquez she follows poetics so if you sit with her readings you're bound to see how she came up with her conclusions. The point isn't for all of us to end up with the exact same reading but if you use what's presented on the cards with common sense you should have similar themes.

A lot of what's presented in the book is actually pulled from her blog (some even word for word) so if you're still unsure about getting the book you can take a look at her writings. Her blog is called Taroflexions on Wordpress. In my opinion the blog and her book go hand in hand and I encourage you to read the comments on her posts as well.

For those interested in a more practical approach to reading cards refraining from any esoteric baggage this is the book for you. It can even be used to read playing cards. This book is great for any experience level and nothing is required except an ability to utilize analogies and poetics. If you're a tarot reader I don't think you'll have a problem with that

And to continue on the theme of enabling, this book has inspired me to learn more about fortune telling with playing cards.

Because I need to learn another system. :-/

Just got mine along with some other books

I've just read through this entire thread and got enabled and ordered. But I have also been reading her blog and like the style of writing she uses. Looking forward to getting this book.

My book came. It's a lot more detailed than I realised. I really like the way that she pulls all of the cards of a reading together so they relate to each other instead of stand-alone cards.

I'm not sure it is a book for a complete TdM novice (like me) but it will be a welcome addition to my small stack of TdM reference resources. I particularly like all the sample readings she does and then explains the readings, she mentions things I would never think to look for like the way a figure is facing or how many red or black cards there are. Her system is very detailed but makes sense.

I've been working a lot on the numerology but with her system of using the cards, the numerology is just a small part of it. I am enjoying this book but have bookmarked so many pages to go back to, it looks like the book has grown little plastic tags.