What an amazing assortment of beautiful backs this month! Left clockwise: Nemeth Tarot (by Jonasa Jaus), Oracle of Visions (by Ciro Marchetti), The Mythical Creatures Tarot water colored version by Baba Studio, Broken Mirror Tarot Marseille Edition, and The Ravenswood Academy The Swords Women Tarot

It is time, I think, to try my hand at the dreaded pip and Marseille decks. I have to be completely forthcoming, I do not have a traditional Marseille deck; but I have several pip-ish decks with Marseille meanings, and one deck which uses Marseille meanings but has fully illustrated images that correspond with a myth (hello beautiful Nemeth!). I personally have struggled with pip decks because I do rely so much on imagery to guide my readings and understanding of the cards. I’m not exactly a subtle person, so these aren’t the decks I tend to reach for. Lets see if I can fix that by getting acquainted with this month’s cards!

My one oracle deck this month is my old and trusty Oracle of Visions deck. I don’t have a Marseille based oracle, or really an oracle of numbers (yet!) BUT this one was really calling to be picked up with the rest of the beautiful decks. This was my second oracle I purchased and certainly is one of my most used and I think it spoiled me concerning what most oracle decks are all about. This one in particular is really dense, multifaceted, and I will say, it’s not really a “nice” tempered deck!

The other four decks, the Swords Woman, the Broken Mirror Marseille, the Nemeth, and Mythical Creatures are all stunning Marseille-esque, 10/10 cardstock, gorgeous decks that sit on my shelf collecting dust. I do have a few historical pip decks, but those are for another month. On to the draw!

Ooftda! Well, for a month of learning pips, there aren’t any pips to be seen. Boo.

Okay, so lets start with the oracle, we have 25, titled Misleading Illusion, Confusion. What appears like magic is simply the magicians slight of hand. There’s a tick at play, but it only works when you’re looking the right (wrong) way. What false perspectives do I have? What is misleading me to think one thing and it’s another? Oh boy!

Interesting! Our swordswoman Nawi, from the Mino military unit of women in Dahomey. She looks ready to win a battle and her key words (Providence, War, Triumph) agree! Interesting we see war references. Traditionally the Chariot also means self discipline and will power, progress and accomplishments, but in this card (an also the next) it appears like we are heading out to the fray rather than returning from it.

The Broken Mirror Marseille spat out two cards, The Chariot again (in case I didn’t get the memo the first time) and the King of Staves seeming to protect the back of the Chariot rider. The Chariot seems like he is directing his horses onward, his flag held aloft. The horses are still yet, so we are at the cusp of an adventure. Behind the rider is the natural born leader full of confidence and vigor, the King of Staves. He waits patiently at his pavilion in the rose garden, ready to attend and use his might and words.

Just these four cards already I see the need to stand up for what I hold as truth and address the lies that come my way; while it may feel like a battle, and I must treat it as such, I also have to keep my wits about me and use my fiery, confident and diplomatic side. I have to do the hard thing. Not all battles take place on the field.

This Two of Cups (or in this deck II de Cunchas)[Future Stacy would like to point out that past Stacy not only had never used this deck before this draw, but also was on the struggle bus with Covid -brain and realized after hitting the publish button that the Cunchas suit is actually pentacles and NOT cups which would explain much of the ensuing confusion; in any case with traditional Marseille the two of pentacles can have meaning as correspondence, gifts, financial partnership, or a secondary partnership–so read with The Lovers I’d think of these two cards indicating making a business choice based on passion!] is the only traditional pip card I drew, and ironically it is from the illustrated Marseilles deck, the Nemeth Tarot! The referenced story is Galina Pitos de Ouro, or, (after quite the amount of digging) the story of the Golden Hen and her seven chicks. There seems to be quite the variety and local variance of this story, but the tldr version I came across is a Moorish princess wished to marry a man and her father forbade her and also enchanted her to become a chicken, but she had SEVEN golden chicks (like Ouro, the metal, gold). At night she’d escape with her chicks. There are references to the constellation Pleiades (which apparently is sometimes referred to the hen and chicks), harvest, tides, flowing water, and luck. Which seems like a positive read on the card but then there’s the gnarly looking snake twisting around the hen and chicks–is it protecting them or planning to harm them? What is illusion and what is really happening? It reminds me of the ouroboros or the endless snake eating it’s own tail, also, OURO!

And then, we end with The Lovers. While there are cards that do feel VERY similar to the RWS, I do have to admit from reading Mahony’s accompanying book to this deck, and just absorbing the beautiful artwork, this particular card seems to have a heavy emphasis on choosing the hearts desire against common wisdom. Neither the knight nor the mermaid can adapt to the other’s environment, so how ever can they over come their situation? There is a head and heart conflict, of which neither choice offers happiness.

Oh boy oh boy, what a tumultuous monthly reading! There is trickery afoot, and I’m called to bring it to light using all my means, but then I will also have to decide, follow my love and pay the consequences (and maybe get turned into a chicken), or follow wisdom which warns me away. But then again, are things really as they seem? Mysterious!

How about you? What do the cards say is in for you this month? Do you read Marseille? What do you like about the system?