JMD's Reading the Marseille Tarot- Chapter 1, Introduction

swedishfish612

We talked about that a little in our eye-rhymes group. For now, I keep the card whichever way it comes out when I lay them out. For reasons I can't explain, I see the upright swords as positive and the ones pointing downwards as negative. They just "feel" that way to me. I haven't thought as much about the coins, but I just read them however they turn up. I do "fix" my cup cards if they come out upside down, though. Weird, lol.
 

jean bosco

I've also paired the trumps using my Piatnik. I just wrote down what came to my mind first when looking at the pairs without any afterthought. Interesting what comes up, and I'm sure it wouldn't be the same things next time...

XI La Force - I Le Bateleur
skill in the realm of the belly/inner powers - skill in the outer material world

IIX Le Pendu - II La Papesse
what can't be hidden anymore and therefore must be faced - what is hidden/can't be seen

L'Arcane XIII - III L'Imperatrice
let go - hold onto things/build up things

XIIII Temperance - IIII L'Empereur
feminie principle, symbiosis, connection - masculine principle, hierarchy, structure, division

XV Le Diable - V Le Pape
how things are - how things look on the outside

XVI La Maison Dieu - VI Lamoureux
when we take off our rose tinted glasses (disillusion) - when wearing rose tinted glasses

XVII Lestoile - VII Le Chariot
who, what we are in our heart - our persona in society
or: goals of the heart - goals of the mind

XVIII La Lune - VIII La Justice
what cannot be understood - what can be measured and understood

XVIIII Le Soleil - VIIII L'Hermite
when you know you can't (or don't want to) do it alone - when you try to do it alone

XX Le Jugement - X Laroue De Fortune
some long for reconnection - when they had enough ups and downs, struggle


dancing_moon, I copied the numbers and names from your post, I hope you don't mind. ;) THX
 

swedishfish612

jean bosco, I like your list as well, especially Letoille and Le Charior.
 

dancing_moon

Thanks for your comments, swedishfish. I didn't think of the Swords that way, something curious to contemplate!

Jean, I don't mind. :D I loved reading your connections, they gave a bit more depth to my understanding, that's for sure. And it's great to see so many Piatnik users/fans here. :D
 

Rose Lalonde

Trumps paired (Madenié)

These pairs are just based on which cards looked visually similar to me. (jmd mentioned other possible pairings, and I ran with that a couple of times before I jotted down some thoughts.)

Le Mat - VIIII L'Ermite
Setting out on your own, you want to get away from the irritations of home, but at some point you turn around and look back on where you came from.


I Le Bateleur - XI La Force
No matter how skillfully you can avoid and deflect, eventually you have to face this problem directly.


II La Papessa - III L'Imperatrise
Learning from the past, you equip yourself to successfully handle the future.


IIII L'Empereur - V Le Pape
Once you gain confidence in your own experience, you can go out and share what you've learned.


VI L'Amoreux - XX Le Jugement
A choice opens up new possibilities, but decisions have real world consequences.


VII Le Charior - VIII Justice
Move straight toward your goal; don't be knocked off balance by anything that tries to distract you.


X La Rou de Fortune - XXI Le Monde
Recognizing that ups and downs, praise and blame, etc. come and go, you can live in the world without being pushed around as much by either.


XII Le Pendu - XVI La Maison Dieu
When you have no control over a situation, be prepared to accept the difficulties you can't avoid.


XIII -- XV Le Diable
Everyone has to start over sometimes, and everyone has thoughts and behaviors they don't like about themselves.


XIIII Tenperance - XVII L'Estoille
If you're not using it yourself, you can put it to use where it will do some good.


XVIII La Lune - XVIIII Le Soleil
If you're caught up in strong emotions, remember where you are right now.
 

jean bosco

Rose, I really like how you paired the trumps what you picked up, very insightful.
 

dancing_moon

Wow, Rose, this is a really creative way to look at them! :thumbsup:
 

Rose Lalonde

jean b, dancing_moon - Thanks. I've enjoyed reading yours and SF's, especially when I take a card and put 3 meanings from the moment/pairings side by side... like Le Jugement: 'it's not over until it's over,' 'earned reward', 'some long for reconnection'. It gives me more shades of meaning. :)
 

swedishfish612

Wow, great stuff, Rose! I'm going to do this sometime this week. Even though I'll post the new thread today...this is good stuff!
 

surpeti

These pairs are just based on which cards looked visually similar to me. (jmd mentioned other possible pairings, and I ran with that a couple of times before I jotted down some thoughts.)

Rose, your pairings read like fortune cookie fortunes! Very direct--I like that. I was inspired to try the alternate pairing strategy JMD mentioned--laying out I-X from right to left and then reversing direction for the row above, so X and XI are paired, IX and XII, etc. I also paired Le Fou with Le Monde. As JMD points out, our minds are equipped to find meanings in any combination. I used my Noblet.

Before going to the pairings themselves, I noticed directions of gazes. In the bottom row the gazes seemed to jump out at me. Le Fou is gazing away from everyone. L'imperetrice is surrounded by onlookers: La Papesse and Le Bateleur on one side and Lempereur and Le Pape on the other. Then Lamoreux have it in minature, as the two women gaze at the central male figure. Le Chariot looks at Justice, but she looks straight at us. Lermite looks at Roue de Fortune, and the small figure on top of the wheel looks slightly away (same direction as Lermite).

The top row is different. We have Le Pendu as the center of Force, LaMorte, and Lemperence's attention, but after that each card seems self-contained. The two small figures in Le Diable look at each other, the figures in La Maison Dieu aren't looking at anyone, Lestoille looks at her jugs, and in the next three cards the various figures are looking toward the center. Then in Le Monde, the figure looks out at us or slightly back toward the previous cards.

For the pairings:

Le Fou and Le Monde: Le Monde encircled, Le Fou without boundaries; both have animals nearby

Le Bateleur and Leiugement: It's as if Le Bateleur is visualizing the horn of the angel and the whole scene above (the horn blowing into his head) while he works a cheap trick in the market square.

La Papesse and La Lune: Still waters run deep. One feels how much is happening behind the utter stillness of La Papesse's facade.

Lemperetrise and Le Soleil: The sun shines down on the fertile earth. The spirits of her future children are near her.

Lempereur and Lestoille: A ruler needs a guiding light.

Le Pape and La Maison Dieu: When things fall apart, we need a strong spiritual presence. Le Pape is between the supplicants and the wrath of God, Dies Irae.

Lamoreux and Le Diable: The parallel composition is striking. The central figure and figures on either side turned toward him. The women clinging to the man rhymes with the ropes tying the figures to the devil. Both the devil and the angel are naked and have wings. Le Diable seems more aware than the angel though--the angel is blindfolded while the devil has multiple faces, multiple eyes.

LeChariot and Lemperence: Both look left. He is more encumbered, surrounded, while she is free, in the open. She has wings, he has horses. She looks like she could move at any time, he on the other hand looks like he has a bureaucracy to deal with. Yet he is the one who seems to want to move, while she is content to pour from one jug to another (or to connect two jugs with a current of water?).

Iustice and La Mort: Both are implacable. Both are representative of a higher law than any we make or bend. We face both. Reminds me of the Egyptian belief that after death the heart is weighed on scales against a feather and needs to be lighter than the feather to attain heaven.

Lermite and Le Pendu: Their heads are almost touching. I wonder what transmission of thought is taking place between them. Both are singular and definitely alone, in isolation.

Force and La Roue de Fortune: What is most striking is the contrast between the helplessness of the figures on the wheel and the very focused, directed force displayed by the woman in Force.