Storyline in pip numbers 'a la' Bursten

In my journey to better understand the minor arcana on the TdM, I got my hands on a small book by one of our Aeclectic Tarot Forum neighbors, Mr. Lee Bursten.
In his Universal Marseille Tarot book (LoS), Lee describes a very simple kind of number progression (which I personally don't want to call 'numerology') that I find an extremely helpful tool for one to craft their own meanings for the cards.
There are many reasons why I enjoyed this approach: It is flexible and leaves some good intuitive room to work with, It triggers creative thinking and exercises the storyteller's muscle, but most importantly, I believe It doesn't veer to far from the cards into external esoteric ideas in order to explain itself. I think that the light numerical story that it presents is easy to relate to and it feels very natural. The pips have always been numbered 1 to 10, so it is natively part of the tarot, and that progression ignites it's own meanings.
To make it very easy to understand, Bursten creates an imaginary suit and tells a short story on how this develops. His choice of suit is an egg beater, and the general meaning of the suit is cooking. So it starts with the idea of cooking some food, making a grocery list, adding spices, being challenged in the kitchen and finishing a delicious dish. He then encourages the reader to come up with their own story and combine this progression with one's keywords for the Tarot suits. You end up with a simple and effective start off point to interpret the cards!

So I wanted to start a thread here to share this kind of ideas. If anyone wants to add to this their own techniques along this lines, that would be awesome. They don't need to follow Lee's approach necessarily: any creative way of going about the pips is cool.

Here's my storyline:

The Imaginary suit is the Treble Clef: Music, performance, harmony.

Ace: The need to write a song
2: The original melody
3: Adding a harmony!
4: Laying down a beat. A groove. The song's metric.
5: Getting boring…. Need to add a key change
6: Harmony for the key change. Starting to sound real good!
7: Deep, instrumental solo.
8: Final touches. Editing, mixing and mastering.
9: Listen and enjoy! Dance, perform!
10: We're on a roll, let's write another song!

So if I take this list and apply it to, say, the Wands suit, and the question is about passion/seduction I would read them like this:

Ace: Interested in a particular someone
2: Finding their number, making a call or approaching them and starting a conversation
3: Initial chemistry! Interesting chat. A spark ignites!
4: Finding commonalities, setting a date. Solid and creative.
5: Awkward silence… wanna dance?
6: Good dancer! Having fun here!
7: The conversation gets deeper. Getting to really know each other.
8: Kiss, flowers, reciprocation. Energetic flames.
9: Full fire. Passion. Success (Whatever that means), adventure.
10: Next step. Commitment maybe; maybe the end of this chapter…

So, as you can see, this is a pretty flexible technique. It even leaves room to bring in the Major Arcana relationships, or to get deeper into the vast world of numerology, or the free-form intuitive reading. It works for me, and I hope it can help someone else out there trying to wrap their heads around the fantastic and beautiful TdM.

Peace,
B.

Just wanted to pop in and say that BSwett has done a fantastic job in creating a "storyline" for an imaginary suit, and he provides a perfect example in how that can help us to create a more intuitive, storytelling connection to the actual suits.

I've found that this is a terrific exercise to engage in, because it provides quick and invaluable results. Whether for someone just starting out in trying to make sense of non-scenic pip cards, or for folks who are old hands at it, I highly recommend this technique. And, if you wish, feel free to share the results here!

Many thanks to BSwett for leading the way with this thread.

Thank you Lee! I truly celebrate and appreciate your gift as a writer. More please!

Very handy Book, by the way.
Here is my storyline in da-da,da-da verse to teach a child about linear increase in suit cards.

The Suit of Frogs

A gaping wide- mouthed waddling frog
Thought team playing would be a slog
Until another froggie hopped his way
Now balanced, the pair can either fight or play.

A third landed cleverly from a sycamore tree
The team has growth and the energy of three
They need stability, and so still needing more
They search the pond for number four.

Another sees the team is ever slowly growing
Five is in , the balance is changing , not slowing.
“We need six for harmony “they all loudly shout
Up pops six, to see what the fuss was about.

“It is wise to get another Lily pad “ Seven intones
I can see philosophically that I will be all week alone.
“Positively not” shouts a little black number eight
I am stronger than I look, I carry a lot of weight.

A ninth croak from water calls “Is this a Morris dance?”
“I am perfection in a simple lily pad team leaping prance”
I’m Ten says a croak, two pads- five each way
“Oh dear” says gaping mouth one, “who are we going to play?”

~Rosanne

Awesome Rosanne! Love it.
I peeked at your tarot collection, didn't see any TdM's. Do you use them?

Ha! It has been some years since I updated my list.
Well I do not use Tdm-ish for reading, because for example, the Noblet feels like Tavern cards, with winks and nods built in.
I do use, non scenic suits a lot, Visconti, Soprafino,Mitelli, and some modern decks with pips.
The scenic cards like the RWS have a specific format, that do not always show that formula, like your imaginary Music suit does. I like the progression or process within the suit, that is how we proceed with anything i.e cooking.
Almost as if (I am not explaining myself properly) here it is...The Thoth bakes one kind of recipe always, and other scenic decks have a particular cake also, but the Soprafino pattern for example has any cake at all you wish to bake.
Get my drift?
I am enjoying your examples, because they widen the view. I am particularly enthused, always have been, of the idea that young ones can use Tarot.
~Rosanne

Rosanne said:

I am particularly enthused, always have been, of the idea that young ones can use Tarot.
~Rosanne

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That's great to hear. I have 2 kids as well, and i've wondered before if I should get them involved in Tarot world. I'm gonna wait 'til they come knocking on that particular door though.... At least the little one has learned to take care of his 'pokemon' cards after seen how I take care of my cards

That's a great topic I'd like to start elsewhere…

But back to your view on non-scenic pips. I absolutely agree; even though I fully enjoy RWS as well, the strength of the the TdM minors for me rests on their flexibility. And what's more, i like that 'taverny' feel. After all, I was introduced to the tarot many years ago, over some beers, in a dark corner of a bohemian bar….

Caveat: The Thoth. I think of the Thoth minors as scenic, just because there are not people in the view- does not negate their scenic-ness; for example some cards clearly depict a swamp lol, very creepy slimy place.

Flexible was the word I was looking for.
Sounds like the bohemian Bar was a very open place hehe....was it in America?
You see your influence has already impacted on your child, he looks after his pokemon cards (which do show Heroes and Villians after all).
I feel a sense of trickery in the Tdm, not sure I am been hoodwinked for example.
~Rosanne

Very nice job Roseanne. I especially like the rhymes!

That trickery or subversiveness is one of the things I like most about the TdM. For me, it reminds me to have a sense of humor and to approach it in the spirit of play.

Lee said:

That trickery or subversiveness is one of the things I like most about the TdM. For me, it reminds me to have a sense of humor and to approach it in the spirit of play.

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You may well be right, I tend to be a little too serious.
Take a riotous outlook today.

~Rosanne