The Mary-El Tarot

First of all, I have to give this deck 5 stars no matter what because the artwork on this deck is just art gallery worthy. Not in a long time of Tarot have I seen a deck as beautifully done in an artistic way as I've seen this deck... with that said... I first saw this deck online and thought "hmmm what a great deck for my friend." She got the deck and showed it to me. I, thinking I have enough decks and was quite content in my current ambition of whittling my deck collection down; thought when I see this deck in person I could probably control myself because after all I have my favorites already (Inner Child Cards, Thoth, Touchstone Tarot, etc.). So she shows me this long tobacco/cigar type of box and I nearly fell of the chair. We both agreed with how well Schiffer knows how to present their decks (so much so that I'm considering buying more Schiffer divination sets). It has a sturdy magnetic closure, its like getting served a fine cigar to you as one opens it. So when she opened the box I basically peed my pants... It never fails, but whenever I buy a deck based on online images I am always disappointed when I see the cards in person. Never are they as vibrant as what they seem to be online. BUT THIS DECK IS A RARE EXCEPTION. .. OMG so extremely beautiful!! If in any other reviews I've said the artwork of a deck is beautiful, I was lying because this one is exceptionally beautifully balanced color and clarity to the art... its so art gallery worthy... its so rich. So that was my OMG moment, I'll talk more about the cards themselves HOW IT READS: It may be overwhelming for some people... the artwork as its a little bit of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust feel to it crossed with the rogue of Mad Max. Some of the images may be controversial (like the Heirophant as its a nun breast feeding two huge alien heads) and there is a lot of nudity of a hermaphaditic nature. So its not uncommon to find a human form that has breasts and a penis. There are also a lot of beautiful serene cards of kids that are of pure form (no confusion of sex with the kiddie cards). There are nice images of strong animal totems found throughout the deck too (Water Tiger for Temperance) not to mention beautiful scenic pictures with no human/alien/animals (4 of disks, a winding wooded path that leads one through the mountains). Its a very empathic deck. With that said it doesn't read like your regular RW or Thoth, etc. Its a combination of all. You may not always infer the meanings of the cards from the pictures, which makes one realize you have to be more intuitive with this deck at times. The LWB details the history of the Kaballah and other tarot traditions and gives you insight in her vision of the card. So the card meanings provided is RW, White's take, Thoth, and other traditional forms with a blended history of the Kaballa. So you can read this deck in any way you intend to. I prefer reading the cards according to White's interpretations as there is much more depth and accuracy. Her meanings tend to touch on the abyss... the stuff that blends the reality of the situation with the psychological aspects of the situation which often gets hidden in an average reading. I find this deck accurate... and gives insight you've never gathered before. OVERALL The deck is so beautiful I hate reading with it because I don't want to destroy it despite having a pretty solid cardstock to boot. I tend to look at the cards and long for that distant galaxy or planet where all of these people or messengers in this deck may come to speak from. Because the meanings can be unique, its not the first deck I jump to for a quick read.. .but if I want to gain a 3rd perspective, its an awesome deck. It also predicts well, I've had a good predictive streak of runs with this deck. Due to the nature of the artwork, it may make some people squeamish, or make them relaxed, or make them let go of all preconditioned thoughts. It makes you let go of judgement as the images and forms are soo different you learn to look at the images through their spirit more than their outward message. If you were to look at each person in your life more from the viewpoint of spirit then you will understand what it is the universe asks of you spiritually than of corporeal directions in life... as the universe is both of these things and more... see this deck turns you into the philosopher you never thought you could be. I think this deck is worth everyone buying just for the quality of artwork alone. It has a new way of relating to the nouveau tarot world that I think it will be the next major deck (RW, Thoth, Voyager, now this one).

Given the hundreds, nay, thousands of tarot decks available today, it's difficult to find the wheat among the chaff, but this is a serious tarot deck. I would go so far as to say that this is a legitimate work of art. This is NOT a unicorns and white light, superficial deck. Ms. White has created a system of her own. Her Qabalistic and astrological attributions differ from most decks available today, but in her well-written and comprehensive book, she sets forth her system in such as way that it fits into a cohesive, profound whole. This goes to show that one needn't follow the Golden Dawn, Crowley, Wirth, Levi, or Spanish attributions blindly. Not only are her attributions meaningful, but her artwork is just that: true art. There is not one hint of the Photoshopped, Botox-like expressionless Ephebes and Barbie dolls so prevalent in modern decks; conversely, while she provides images that are disturbing and dark, they always possess an integral and complex beauty, giving her cards through what Aquinas would call "integritas" a life of their own. To be sure, there are breathtakingly lovely images to be found, too, such as the cards of Justice, Judgment (breathtaking and blood-red phoenix), and the Two of Swords. It's just that their beauty is complex and often quirky, à la the face of la Giaconda herself. Furthermore, there is a "fearful symmetry" to her lavishly-illustated pip cards: for example, each Ace displays some aperture through which the essence of the suit may enter the appropriate world. This deck promises many years of fruitful study. Truthfully, only time will tell whether this deck will approach such classic decks as the Noblet TdM, the Wirth, Falconier, Brotherhood of Light, Waite-Smith, Wang, or Crowley decks. Yet it is the first deck in decades that has such gravitas and sheer brilliance of execution. Well done!

This is one of the most wonderful tarot decks I have come across. I am so thankful to Marie White for producing this deep, profound translation of the tarot. I do not resonate with RW translations, I have been stunned to find that in the tarot world there is as much dogma as in any fundamentalist religious group. I had read that Marie wanted to create a balanced Tarot. and after working with this deck for a short time I realize what she has done, is break away from the duality theme that permeates RW tradition. Rather than the good/evil archetypes that dominate tarot world. she has drawn images that show much more depth. balance as she says. light and dark balanced, male/female balanced, yin/yang balanced. What a refreshing, illuminating deck this is. Perfect for newcomers to tarot. I am discovering that it seems hard for many folks used to RW translation to let go of that dogma to see a more balanced approach to the the cards. Deep, deep cards, This is a tarot deck that one can explore for long long time and never reach the end of it. Love, love, love this deck. It is helping me separate from my own illusions. Such a profoundly helpful deck, esp. for those who want to move beyond duality mindset.

Ce tarot est puissant, il reste exceptionnel. Il n'est pas simple d'utilisation et je conseille de travailler en intuitif. Le livret est riche mais difficile à traduire. Très varié en traditions et cultures. Les illustrations sont très belles je l'ai adorent et ne ressemble à aucun autre.

Este Tarot me encanta. Las ilustraciones son verdaderas obras de arte llenas de significado y permiten una conexión intuitiva muy rica. Las cartas son algo grandes, pero permiten apreciar bien cada dibujo. Incluyen un libro-guía redactado por la autora, que explica a detalle la simbología y sugerencias adivinatorias de cada una de las cartas, es un excelente trabajo de investigación de símbolos, arquetipos, mitos y leyendas de varias culturas, que se siente que ha sido realizado con gran esmero y dedicación (además del trabajo artístico, que por sí solo ya es destacable). Los dibujos no siguen las tradiciones populares del Tarot (Marsella, Thoth, Golden Dawn o Rider-Waite), sino que proponen una simbología propia con una energía muy agradable. La caja es de cartón grueso y tiene un diseño muy bello con cerradura magnética, aunque es algo grande, le da al Tarot y al libro un lugar especial que, en lo personal, me gusta mantener tal como fue diseñado, pues he visto en Reviews externas que otras personas prefieren guardar el mazo y el libro por separado. Tanto por el trabajo artístico, la información que brinda y las posibilidades de lecturas que pueden dar las cartas, este Tarot es sin lugar a dudas uno de mis favoritos.

I am a tarot collector and artist. I purchased these cards after watching people rave about them on YouTube, call me over suspicious, but I have begun to doubt some reviewers who just seem to rave on about all decks they have been 'gifted'. Don't get me wrong there are many genuine people who make videos and some I trust implicitly but you know what I mean about niggling doubts. Anyway, I don't review hardly anything but I just couldn't help but write and support this deck. It is stunning, profound and genuinely something special. If you have doubts about some of the images (I did, the naked Fool and the odd alien babies on the Hierophant) don't be put off. When you hold the deck in your hands it feels right. It's kind of shocking but that's the point, this woman can really paint, I mean REALLY, paint and her composition and use of colour is beyond inspiring. You will react to these colours and images exactly how you are meant to. You are meant to feel uncomfortable and odd about the Hierophant just as you are meant to feel the purity of the 'true self' in the 8 of disks, or the soul resting in the 8 of wands. This is the difference so many people can't seem to put into words. There isn't one image in which artistic composition and colour hasn't been very carefully considered to make the viewer experience the essence of what the card is telling you. She really is a modern day William Blake, and I hope she gets recognised beyond her deck as someone very special. The fact her original art is selling for as little at £500 is frankly criminal. Go buy it and hold artistic genius in your hands. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. Go buy her art and make her famous. We need Marie White in the world of art as much as tarot. If you harbour even a tiny desire, to paint your own tarot (I guess many tarot collectors do, like me) then definitely buy the deck to see how it should be done.

El trabajo de Marie White te deja sin palabras y sin respiración. Me encanta la carta de La muerte en esta baraja, es bellísima. Las pinturas desprenden fuerza, poder, profundidad, se mueven en la lámina. Encuentro que es un tarot muy espiritual y que llega al alma. El libro que acompaña lo veo una pequeña joya. La única pega que le pongo es la editorial Schiffer, que hace las cartas tan brillantes que se pegan las unas con las otras al barajar. El tarot es totalmente reversible y se puede leer sólo por intuición pero ya he dicho que el libro merece ser leído. Lleva la estructura del Tarot de Marsella. Hay a gente que le desagrada las interpretaciones que ha hecho la autora sobre las cartas pero para mí es especial, creo que cada Tarot tiene que ser leído como lo creo el artista para realmente conectar con su esencia y crear un fuerte vínculo con él. Me ha dado lecturas maravillosas y para mí es una obra de arte (sin exagerar). Estoy enamorada de este Tarot, ¡qué le vamos a hacer!

Ich kenne keinen Tarot-Kenner, der nicht früher oder später über dieses Deck stolpert. Manche können es nicht leiden oder finden einige der Karten „gruselig“, bei anderen ist es eine kurze Liebe, bei wieder anderen wird es zum Dauerbegleiter. Ich finde, dass man sich irgendwann auf der eigenen Tarot-Reise mit diesem Deck auseinandersetzen muss. Man muss es nicht lieben, man muss es nicht mögen, aber wenn man es verstanden hat, dann ist das auf jeden Fall ein großer Zugewinn für jeden, der sich mit dem Tarot „in die Tiefe hinein“ auseinandersetzen möchte. Dies ist kein Anfängerdeck. Ich habe im Zuge der Neuauflage des Decks, das Ende Mai 2019 mit vier neuen Karten erscheinen wird, das Begleitbuch noch einmal gelesen. Es gibt hier einige Rezensionen, die bemängeln, dass man anhand der Texte zu den Karten diese nicht verstehen könne. Ich finde, dass dies nicht stimmt. Jedoch braucht es Vorwissen, das man als Anfänger mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit nicht hat. Es braucht Vorkenntnisse in Numerologie, Kabbala, 4-Elemente-Lehre, Alchemie, in den verschiedenen Schöpfungs- und Göttermythologien einschließlich deren psycho-logischer Interpretationen, Entwicklungspsychologie und über Teilstrecken auch Kenntnis der Philosophie der Renaissance, einschließlich der Kenntnis des Aufbaus des Tarot de Marseille - ich würde fast behaupten, dass Mary White ein illustriertes Marseille-Deck intendiert hat - Kenntnis der platonischen Vorstellung von der Seele und ihrer Wanderung und allerlei anderes „esoterisches“ Wissen. Das kann man sich auch alles aneignen, während! man mit dem Mary El Tarot arbeitet, wahr. Und ich will niemanden abhalten, der sich in dieses Deck verliebt hat. Aber für einen Tarot-Anfänger scheint mir der erforderliche Wissensumfang eher ein Hindernis. Dieser will die Karten meist erstmal kennenlernen und kann es kaum brauchen, von Anfang an mit derart viel esoterischem Spezialwissen bombardiert zu werden. Ich habe diese Texte als Anfängerin jedenfalls nicht wirklich verstanden. Heute ist das Meiste – zumindest kognitiv – nach Text recht gut verständlich und nachvollziehbar. Bei diesem Deck braucht es eine Bereitschaft, sich auf das Unbekannte einzulassen, auf das Seltsame, das scheinbar Groteske, das Gebrochene der menschlichen Erfahrung in all seiner Schönheit. Man muss sich darauf gefasst machen, dass man nicht alles mit dem Verstand verstehen wird. Es braucht Neugier auf die ungewöhnliche Bildwelt und Neugier auf sich selbst in der Interaktion mit dieser Bildwelt. Vor allem aber braucht dieses Deck Zeit, um zu reifen und verstanden zu werden. Das geht nicht über Nacht und auch nicht in einer Woche oder auch einem Monat. Wenn dies alles gegeben ist, dann kann man mit diesem Deck zu sehr berührenden, tiefgehenden, transformierenden seelischen/spirituellen Einsichten gelangen. Die Qualität der Karten lässt - wie immer bei Schiffer - zu wünschen übrig. Ich habe mir vor kurzem eine zweite Ausgabe der 1.Auflage gegönnt und es hat drei Anläufe gebraucht, bis ich ein Deck hatte, bei dem nicht eine bis mehrere Karten stark beschädigt waren. Ich bin gespannt, ob die neue 2.Auflage endlich mit diesen Mängeln Schluss macht. Vielleicht geschehen ja auch mal bei Schiffen Zeichen und Wunder?