Moongold
I really like the idea of looking at the Marseilles in suits and I have the suit of Deniers on the table before me now.
It is interesting to look at the coin itself, remembering what Diana has said in another thread about the Ace being important in the consideration of the whole suit. That comment is consistent with the Kabala as well as other frameworks for looking at energy in Tarot. The Aces are located in Kether and are pure energy. One way of understanding this is to see how differently the energy is represented pictorially throughout the suits. Should we be calling these cards Aces or Ones?
The Ace of Deniers is quite beautiful. Even though it represents Earth it is full of light, perhaps like an earthly sun. My sense of colour is imperfect There seems to be a flower with four petals in the centre of the Ace resting in a bed of yellow and surrounded with a circle of yellow/orange rays for want of a better word. . The impression is one of light and growth as though we are seeing what the earth can provide more than what the element itself is. Maybe that in itself is significant. Four very simple flowers grow symmetrically from the central coin. The primary colours are red, green and yellow. So although we know that earth is grounding, it is not prosaic but full of life, colour and energy.
The coins in the Ace and the Two are similar but then the energy changes the form. As one looks through the pips, the varying configurations of flowers appear and the other uniting symbols are also different. It will be interesting to discover what these differences in themselves mean. I notice that in all the suits the configuration of flowers is different.
However the coins are very different now. There is more brown and orange in them and the patterning is different. Another interesting observation is that the coins held by each of the Courts is unique. This perhaps shows how each player in this uses the energies of the suits uniquely.. The overall impression is of light, however, and this throws a completely new perspective on Earth for me. It also gives the Marseilles much more power as an interpretive tool than I thought it had.
The Roy de Deniers seems fairly matter of fact and in control of things, his hand is placed casually on a symbol of the suit balanced on his knee. He does genuinely look as if he has authority and is relaxed with it. His left elbow is resting on a cushion of some kind with a pattern on it.
The Reyne is a fascinating woman. She holds the coin right before her eyes as if she is acknowledging the significant position of Queens in the Tarot. They have executive power and this Queen is saying Yes…I know this by holding the coin so dominantly. As her role is uniques and different, so is the coin which symbolizes it. And her hand of authority is strong and sure. You know this Queen will accomplish what she has set out to do. Just as an observation, this reyne de Deniers is very elegant in her whole demeanor, which adds to the power of the image.
The Knight is extremely interesting. His coin has different patterning but is as large as that of the Queen. Now who vests the Knight with authority – the King or the Queen? I’d be interested to know. It is an intriguing question, particularly if one thinks of Camelot. Because the Knight is on a horse, I get the impression that he is active in the suit – that he actually does things and is quite significant.
And here is the Valet. He has two coins, one in his hand and one on the ground. What does this mean? His denier is most like the King’s and he wears a hat similar to the King. Does this mean his service is mainly to the King? Whereas the Valet de Baton has a huge, unhewn Baton, one doesn’t get the impression that this Valet de Denier has been entrusted with energy in the same way.
It will be interesting to look at the other suits in a similar way, perhaps just to start with. I realize that these thoughts perhaps belong in a Journal but maybe others can also see something in doing this.
Moongold
It is interesting to look at the coin itself, remembering what Diana has said in another thread about the Ace being important in the consideration of the whole suit. That comment is consistent with the Kabala as well as other frameworks for looking at energy in Tarot. The Aces are located in Kether and are pure energy. One way of understanding this is to see how differently the energy is represented pictorially throughout the suits. Should we be calling these cards Aces or Ones?
The Ace of Deniers is quite beautiful. Even though it represents Earth it is full of light, perhaps like an earthly sun. My sense of colour is imperfect There seems to be a flower with four petals in the centre of the Ace resting in a bed of yellow and surrounded with a circle of yellow/orange rays for want of a better word. . The impression is one of light and growth as though we are seeing what the earth can provide more than what the element itself is. Maybe that in itself is significant. Four very simple flowers grow symmetrically from the central coin. The primary colours are red, green and yellow. So although we know that earth is grounding, it is not prosaic but full of life, colour and energy.
The coins in the Ace and the Two are similar but then the energy changes the form. As one looks through the pips, the varying configurations of flowers appear and the other uniting symbols are also different. It will be interesting to discover what these differences in themselves mean. I notice that in all the suits the configuration of flowers is different.
However the coins are very different now. There is more brown and orange in them and the patterning is different. Another interesting observation is that the coins held by each of the Courts is unique. This perhaps shows how each player in this uses the energies of the suits uniquely.. The overall impression is of light, however, and this throws a completely new perspective on Earth for me. It also gives the Marseilles much more power as an interpretive tool than I thought it had.
The Roy de Deniers seems fairly matter of fact and in control of things, his hand is placed casually on a symbol of the suit balanced on his knee. He does genuinely look as if he has authority and is relaxed with it. His left elbow is resting on a cushion of some kind with a pattern on it.
The Reyne is a fascinating woman. She holds the coin right before her eyes as if she is acknowledging the significant position of Queens in the Tarot. They have executive power and this Queen is saying Yes…I know this by holding the coin so dominantly. As her role is uniques and different, so is the coin which symbolizes it. And her hand of authority is strong and sure. You know this Queen will accomplish what she has set out to do. Just as an observation, this reyne de Deniers is very elegant in her whole demeanor, which adds to the power of the image.
The Knight is extremely interesting. His coin has different patterning but is as large as that of the Queen. Now who vests the Knight with authority – the King or the Queen? I’d be interested to know. It is an intriguing question, particularly if one thinks of Camelot. Because the Knight is on a horse, I get the impression that he is active in the suit – that he actually does things and is quite significant.
And here is the Valet. He has two coins, one in his hand and one on the ground. What does this mean? His denier is most like the King’s and he wears a hat similar to the King. Does this mean his service is mainly to the King? Whereas the Valet de Baton has a huge, unhewn Baton, one doesn’t get the impression that this Valet de Denier has been entrusted with energy in the same way.
It will be interesting to look at the other suits in a similar way, perhaps just to start with. I realize that these thoughts perhaps belong in a Journal but maybe others can also see something in doing this.
Moongold