Mary-El Tarot Review
By Marie White
I waited years for the release of this complete 78 card Tarot deck. I mean an anticipated, excited about, anxiously checking-in-on the author every couple of months sort of waited.
Extraordinary Body of Tarot Work
I had stumbled across Marie’s work online at a time when she was marketing her self -published Majors- only deck. I promptly ordered one and began enthusiastically sharing it with my Tarot students as an example of a tarotist with an extraordinary artistic/interpretative gift. It was difficult for new readers to recognize and appreciate its originality and that may still be the case. You need to be reasonably familiar with the Tarot to appreciate the scope, originality and depth of sensitivity of this deck.
When I opened my new, complete deck I was not disappointed. My first reaction was a huge sigh of relief. Marie managed to hold onto artistic control in the publication of this extraordinary body of work.
The cards are somewhat larger than average and the artwork throughout was stunning. You must see the Sun and Moon cards especially. How they complement and respond to each other’s oppositeness is one of the most breathtaking artistic renditions I’ve seen done of these two cards. But this is only a snippet of the cards that thrilled me to see and read. After a few years it remains a mainstay on my reading table.
Her Tarot Artistic Interpretations are Explained in a Rich, Easy to Read Text
What was a delight and surprise is Marie’s accompanying book! The rationale for her artistic interpretations are given in rich, yet easy to read text. For example, The Knight of Disks begins with a quote from Buddha, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
Further on, she describes the Knight of Disks, “The Hanged Man hangs from the tree and the Buddha sits at its base and the Knights all ride forth to the corners of the kingdom to solve the mysteries of man’s happiness and fulfillment in life. This card is the manifestation of them all into earth, the idea that here and now, in the present, in your life, you have all you need to feed your self and soul, that whatever it is that you seek is not out in the clouds but here in the heart. You are home.” (p. 162)
If you know the Knight of Disks, you recognize how appropriate and yet unique this interpretation is and if you adhere to Buddhist philosophy you’re going to love her associations and interpretations even more. This is a set I put on my recommended reading list for both introductory and intermediate students of the tarot.
I give this deck a must have for any Tarot enthusiast.