Getting into the Marseilles Tarot Thing
So, I kinda fell into the Marseilles Tarot, wasn’t really looking for it. I’d seen other tarot decks, you know, the ones with pictures on every card telling a full story. Easy enough. But then I saw this Marseilles deck somewhere, maybe online, maybe a picture in a book, can’t recall exactly. It just looked… different. Starker, older. Intrigued me.
First thing I did was get myself a deck. Didn’t go for anything fancy, just a standard reproduction. When it arrived, I opened it up and honestly, my first thought was, “Okay, what am I supposed to do with this?” The Major Arcana cards were cool, quirky illustrations, definitely old-school. But the Minor Arcana, the numbered cards, the pips? Man, they were mostly just symbols – like, four cups, seven swords, ten coins. No scenes, no people doing stuff like in the Rider-Waite decks. Seemed kinda blank.
Figuring It Out Bit by Bit
I figured I couldn’t just guess, so I got a couple of basic guidebooks. Didn’t want anything too mystical or complicated, just the nuts and bolts. I started simple. Laid out the Major Arcana cards one by one. Just looked at them. Tried to get a feel for the characters, the vibe. The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess… they have a certain look in the Marseilles style. Less polished, maybe more direct.
Then came the hard part: those pip cards. The books talked about numerology, about looking at the patterns the symbols made, the colors, the flow. So, that’s what I did. I’d literally just sit there with, say, the Five of Wands. Okay, five sticks. How are they arranged? Is it balanced? Is there tension? It felt less like reading a story and more like… pattern recognition? Or maybe like interpreting abstract art.
- Spent a lot of time just comparing cards. Like, how does the Two of Cups look next to the Ten of Cups?
- Tried shuffling them, which felt different too, maybe because of the cardstock or just my perception.
- Focused on simple spreads. Three cards. Past, present, future kind of thing. Didn’t jump into anything massive.
Trying Actual Readings
Doing readings for myself felt awkward initially. I’d lay out the cards and stare at them. Sometimes connections jumped out. The way a figure was looking from one card to another, or the way the lines on the pip cards seemed to point or block each other. Other times, it was just… cards on a table. I learned not to force it. If nothing came, I’d just pack it up and try another day.
I found looking at the card interactions was key. It wasn’t just about Card A means this, Card B means that. It was more about how Card A and Card B looked together on the table. Did the swords point towards the figure in the next card? Did the coins seem to be falling or stacking up? It forced me to use my eyes and intuition more, less relying on memorized meanings.
What I Reckon Now
I’m still getting the hang of it, definitely not an expert. But I get the appeal now. It feels very grounded, very practical in its own way. It doesn’t hand you the answers on a plate like some decks seem to. You gotta work for it, look closely, piece things together yourself.
It feels less like fortune-telling and more like a tool for thinking, or seeing things from a different angle. The lack of detailed scenes on the pips forces your brain to fill in the gaps, connect the dots based on the question you asked and the surrounding cards. It’s a bit rough around the edges, that Marseilles deck, but I kinda like that. Makes it feel more real, somehow. Still practice with it when I get the chance, still learning.
