Hi guys! I am strugggling with the Crysalis as my deck of the month right now and am DELIGHTED, to see people discussing it.
Here is a post from my Tarot blog, that sort of shows, where my mind currently is:
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JUNE 10, 2015 BY MI-SHELL
Crysalis Crystallized:
Crysalis Tarot:
I received the Crysalis Tarot as a present a few weeks ago and had been looking forward for some time to look at it and work with it. Finally that time came
I was quite sure, that I would like this deck; it features many Animals and Nature in the Minors – and yes, I quite like the Minor Arkanas.
But I do have quite a few problems with the Mayors.
Here is the first and biggest:
Merlin
Merlin as the Hero/ Fool and a “divine Child” as the Hierophant!??
Now in her website,
http://www.chrysalistarot.com/
the deck creator talks at lengths about, why she made that choice and it sounds all plausible enough, but for me personally, it just does not work.
It is a mayor stumbling block.
I however could live just fine with an androgynous Divine Child as the Hero/ Fool and wise old Merlin as my Hierophant!
And so my very first act with this deck became to exchange and re-position these 2 cards and change the wording on the cards.
Done!
Happy now?
Well Let’s see:
Oh, what is That???
2 Ravens as the Magician?
OK: Hugin and Munin – – and Odin’s Eye is on Igdrasil, the Tree of Wisdom. OK, that is different, but I like it!
Iffff only there were more cards like this, abstract, making you think, but sadly, this one is a stand alone one – at least in the Mayor Arkana. – Leaving through this deck as a whole however, the Raven card come across as if one of the Minors by accident got stuck with the mayors.
Next we have a Sorceress, a young girl with flowing tresses sitting by a cauldron.
Isn’t she a bit young to already BE a Sorceress?
The LWB introduces her as Morgana Le Fay. Morgana certainly is ageless, but to portray an archetype like her as a teen in a Gypsy outfit?
Sure, there is a Crow with her. Sadly my Crow has a printing mistake – there is no colour on the paper, where her head is …… To me that also points to > no Power<
A few years ago I had a very powerful vision about Morgana Le Fey an I think because I “have seen her”as a lady in her 40ties, beautiful, decisive and wise, gathering the souls of fallen soldiers – of our time- I can not see Morgana in the image presented on this card. My bad.
Next in line is Gaia, the Empress – when she was about 11 years old.
Iffff this one were pregnant now, a crime would have been committed.
Can I live with Gaia’s pubescent innocence?
She does have a cornucopia of abundance with Birds, Snails, Cacti, Butterflies and Flowers around her.
I will have to look towards the little Mouse on the bottom of the image to find an answer to the questions I would liked to ask a more mature Gaia in her womanly/ motherly power
Next is the Green Man as the Emperor! Yaaaaay! I like him!
A wonderful Archetype overlooking the Wren, the king of the Birds in Celtic lore and legends, and his nest.
Remember, in MY deck Merlin comes next, as the Hierophant. The image I quite like and the Cat, a being that can have 9 lives and 9 wisdoms is befitting more for a Hierophant than a Fool. I personally had Merlin figured more as a “dog man”, but – what do I know… I will have to ask him about that
Merlin and “Murseka” also appear in the Lovers card! Together with an array of other Animals:
Rabbit – fertility
Owl -wisdom
Stag – virility
Sheep – sacrifice
Horse – the Journey
And last but not least the Lovers themselves beneath a mighty Tree of Life.
Again VERY young people are shown.
On is a girl for sure.
The other?
Could be either.
I do like that.
But how would a guy, a male reader like this card?
Maleness is represented by good oooold Merlin and the Stag.
Would that be “enough”
How would a gay guy feel, when neither lover is shown as clearly male?
All of a sudden a voice in my head says:
“This is a girly girl deck!”
I am stunned!
I start to loooook through the images of the Mayors to find strong male archetypes. Charterers that show maleness – maybe even just a little “sex-appeal” for good oooold me and other woman readers – and for the guys that love guys…..
In the Mayors I am finding – yes, Merlin, I know
and the Green man as well as Herne the Hunter in the position of the Chariot. He looks like a shaman Elder with his white goat face –
Papa Legba as Strengths is sort of in his 40ties and so the only guy in the Mayors that is shown as fully human and NOT a grizzled Elder.
He is also a lonely character, a Vodoun/Voodoo Llwa among mostly Celtic archetypes…… Some of his cohorts however are to be found in the 3 of Mirrors
While having written all these somewhat critical words a biiig nasty thunderstorm came up and bloooows out the hydro= electricity supply to the house!!
= the wrath of the Gods and the deck creator – so I better stop for now.
To be continued ….. in better weather, when the Gods cooled down a bit!