So You Think Marseille Decks Are Ugly?

[@thewavesofyoursoul]

I loved this so much thank you for sharing Kelly😍 I have been diving head forward into marseille this month and been using the estrella tarot which I love so much and my good old cheapy grimaud. Indeed like you said it is so much easier to have one traditional deck for study and one more modern one if we like that for practice. I think as french people we are blessed with more different mass market options now. Two I don’t have that I am considering getting are Le feel good marseille which is a super gorgeous modern take and the sweet tarot de marseille which is more cute so I’m super happy we are seeing more and more options of take on the marseille decks😍

[@lilpinkbear]

I have been eyeing both of those modern Marseille decks up recently, they're on my wishlist. I love the buggy eyes of the Sweet Tarot de Marseille. I have also have the Tarot de Marseille Reviste on my list for a long time, the one by French tattoo artists Frederic Agid. I hope you are enjoying your dive into Marseille. The water is pretty fine! Thank you for watching lovely. xx

[@thewavesofyoursoul]

@@lilpinkbear ohhh le marseille revisited looks so good too! It’s just a shame the minors are more regular pips than marseille shapes with the flowers etc which I find right now more difficult to read but maybe with practice ? Right now the florals and traditional shapes are my crutch haha. Thank you so much for your videos lovely I always enjoy them xxx

[@lilpinkbear]

@@thewavesofyoursoul Agreed, that's why I've held off on buying it. I have to admit, I do enjoy plain old pips but read more with a combo of just suit/element/number in that case. The Marseille with their floral elements really do lend themselved nicely to open reading. On saying that, lately I have taken to reading more with just the Trumps and then adding in the pips for extra info, so the more stripped back plain pips are less of an issue in that case. I'm always up for Marseille chat online if you ever what to nerd out over it! xx

[@AuntyKsTarot]

Oh I’ve been eyeing the Estrella.

[@thewavesofyoursoul]

@@AuntyKsTarot it is delightful I can’t recommend it enough 😊I think the creator is planning a new edition soon so that’s exciting !

[@musingsbymascha]

Just beginning to watch and I'M LOVING THIS VIDEO, Kelly! Surprise!!! Me loving a TdM Video?? What a shocker, right??? 😍🤣🤩😂🥰 I'm one of those people who found TdM so very charming (and immediate MINE) from my first encounter with it, and my tarot friends only got my obsession after two years of my TdM studies, they are now very much in love with TdM!

[@lilpinkbear]

It's so great to see so many people getting into Marseille decks. And that there are more and more Marseille deck options popping up everywhere. Thank you for watching Mascha. xx

[@Angelica_672]

Great suggestions! One I found recently was on a channel called Elisa’s Magickal Space. She made a diverse Tarot de Marseilles deck. The video can be found here on KZbin.

[@lilpinkbear]

I saw someone mention that one somewhere the other day, I must check it out! Thank you. :) Edit: (initially replied late at night and wasn't fully getting across what I was attempting to say, d'oh!) Check out the video by Elisa, I meant. I've have now watched it and ordered a copy of the deck. Thank you for letting me know the creator had done a walkthrough. I'd only seen the few preview cards on MPC when this deck first came to my attention a couple of weeks ago and hadn't yet gotten around to searching out more info on it. I had meant to mention it in this video with along with Ash Estrella's and Tom Benjamin's but it skipped my slippery squirrel brain by the end. Thanks to your comment, some other folks have seen it and have also already ordered copies! YAY! :)

[@WaterChildTarot]

Thank you for sharing this info! I didn’t know about her deck but I watched her walkthrough and I love it!

[@Angelica_672]

@@WaterChildTarot You’re welcome!

[@AuntyKsTarot]

Oh I just got this deck and I love it.

[@WaterChildTarot]

@@AuntyKsTarot I appreciated your Unfair Comparisons video and when I get my copy I’ll be making a VR as well. That was so helpful!

[@TheMiewmiew]

Thanks Kelly....All wonderful decks ! I have the Tarocchi 23 deck and LOVE it .....the facial expressions and colour palette !!! A brilliant open reading deck. Thanks for sharing your gorgeous collection and helpful insights into the strengths of each deck that I found really helpful. 💕

[@lilpinkbear]

I LOVE the facial expressions on the Tarocchi23 as well as that gorgeous peachy/pink tone. I'm glad you found this helpful, thank you for watching Ann. x

[@MarleneTheresa]

Thank you so much for this. I just got 2 TDM decks. You have them both. ❤ I plan on doing a proper study next year but I can tell I’m going to fall down the rabbit hole!

[@lilpinkbear]

Ooh, which decks did you get? I hope you enjoy your trip down the rabbit hole, I certainly have! x

[@malinericson4065]

OMG! The dinosaur deck was so cute!😍 Thank you for showing all this wonderful and charming decks.// Love and light from Sweden 🙏🏼❤️🇸🇪

[@lilpinkbear]

Isn't it just the sweetest?! I mean, dinosaurs AND tarot, yes please! x

[@GoodJourneysTarot]

Great job! I pulled one of my pip decks out to use this week when I saw the title pop in my notifications yesterday.

[@lilpinkbear]

Kismet!

[@the_hermits_cave]

Oooh this was fun! I really like the look of the Tarot Archetypal 😍

[@lilpinkbear]

It's a really cool deck. :)

[@AuntyKsTarot]

It’s very cool out I struggle to shuffle cuz it’s tall but too narrow to corner to corner.

[@thefoolsjournal]

I haven’t even watched yet, but I heart this.

[@lilpinkbear]

Hehe ;)

[@AuntyKsTarot]

My struggle with TdM is how much harder it is to find a BBIPOC deck (beyond tokenism). I’ve got a few (Le tarot archtypal, multi marseille and diverse marseille). Idk about tarot sirene it’s diversity seems low. I’m waiting for Estrella to re come out. But shipping to canada plus indie prices. I always said the art was ugly until I had a diverse TdM in traditional style. Maybe I just thought the white supremacy was ugly and I am always disappointed white tarot readers also don’t find the white supremacy ugly.

[@lilpinkbear]

Hiya! Thank you for stopping by Aunty K. Hard agree that the white supremacy in the tarot is ugly, and all the issues that it brings as a result. I see wonderful and interesting things being done with the RWS style system/decks with regards to improving it. My hope is that we'll see the same with TdM as time goes on; more diverse and inclusive decks, including age, body type, ability, and queerness on top of the much needed inclusion of people of the gloabl majority in the cards. I don't know if we will ever be able to fully 'fix' the problems with it, and we definitely should never forget them, but we can keep pushing for it to be better. Maybe a whole new system/style of tarot will evolve out of it. It's story continues as long as folx are working with it, and that's an exciting prospect. I have the Diverse Marseille on its way to me, I'm sure it will become another well loved and used deck for me. I can totally understand the issue with prices, especially on the indie deck front. I definitely have cut back on overseas purchases for the same reason. Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment. x

[@shinymarigold9782]

Me - I don't read Marseille, I don't need any Marseille decks. Kelly Bear - ::shows a bunch of beautiful, diverse, and fun Marseille decks:: Me - ... >_< ::sigh:: ::adds learning Marseille to the to-do list::

[@lilpinkbear]

Oh dear. I don't know whether to apologise or say "you're welcome"....oops! Which was your fave/pushed you over the edge?

[@adamarie8292]

LOL 😂😂😂.....yup that is Kelly Bear for you! I can make an analogy of planning to go into a store to buy ONE thing and coming out with TEN! (Regardless the intense mental conversation and the chanting inside your head "only buy ONE thing")

[@Jo_-_-t.a]

Last year Aunty K showed the Tarot Archétypal and I went looking for it immediately. I was (still am but Dec/Jan had me replenishing) on a low buy, so found a 2nd hand version for a few £. I Love This Deck. It inspires hilarity and joy, I hear music tracks when I pull from this deck. EG. Baby I'm a Star by Prince = Knight of Wands. Its like the wand is animated and is floating saying "love your enthusiasm, only it's this way" . I do not have a traditional deck beyond Maria de Celia (prob butchered that, sorry) as yet, never say never. Even then, I've done my last enibriated mod on it. The raging colonial set ups on trad decks, put me off. they are displayed in the books when I study. I'm good. I think all of the marseille lovers are commenting... 😂

[@lilpinkbear]

Isn't it stunning?! I love that you have songs popping into your head with various cards. I love the colours and the graphic nature of the cards. It cuts straight through the bs and right to the point. And that's a fair point on the trad deck front, I know folks mileage may vary with them. most books have pictures at least. Ben-Dov's book has bloody masisve colour pictures, which is really useful for study. I think I am going to pick up a copy of the Diverse Marseille next. I only heard about it a week or two ago and meant to mention it in my video but it slipped my mind in the end, which I'm annoyed at myself for. This is why I should try and always have written notes to follow just in case (and even then I've been known to miss things). Curse my squirrel brain! Thank you for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts. :) x

[@Jo_-_-t.a]

​@@lilpinkbear I haven't watched the whole video as yet. Life be life-ing. However the Diverse Marseille along with Tom Benjamin's Marseille, both attemp to represent global majority, are on my list to attain. Only these last few months alone there has been a veritable buffet of Marseille with feeling decks to choose from! Another deck I am loving is the Moonlit Hermit, an analogue collage with paper cut art on a black linen background. Is chef's kiss. To be fair the majors are TdM esq and the minors are general pip arrangements. I'm not mad about it. Your video has inspired a whole conversation about tarot and I love it. I just need to manifest IRL people to have these conversations with because commenting on videos with long essays is not it! Appreciate anyone who reads my written brain dumps. Your doing Goddess work. 👊 😅 x

[@lilpinkbear]

@@Jo_-_-t.a It's so great to have this Marseille buffet, long may it continue and improve! Om nom nom nom. I ordered a copy of the Diverse Marseille after watching the full walkthrough. I had been holding off seeking out a proper look at that deck as I've recently had an influx of books and decks, so I was trying to avoid overwhelming myself. But after seeing the creator's video I was like, "shut up and take my money!". Lol. I've seen the Moonlit Hermit and I can't tell how I feel about it. It's both appealing and then also not to me. One of those ugly-pretty decks maybe? I sure can appreciate the amount of work that went into the analogue collage, the patience to cut out all of those wee peices? I could never! I am always happy to read brain dumps and comments essays, it's part of the fun of You Tube. Getting to connect with folks from all over the world and discuss the things that tickle our pickles, how cool is that?! So always know you're welcome to chat with me here. I hope you manage to find some IRL people you can have tarot chats with too, as that's always a lovely thing be able to do. xx

[@DNS-FRANK09]

Tarot de Marseille is the fit deck I ever bought ❤❤❤ love it ❤️ I think Marseille Deck system is so versatile and helps a lot with intuitive readings ❤❤❤😊

[@lilpinkbear]

I agree, it took me so long to come around to even trying Marseille but once I did, well, I was hooked.

[@adamarie8292]

Awwww, sadly I am not there yet...still hoping I get to that next level in my development

[@Jo_-_-t.a]

My thing about the diversity in traditional decks is the historically there was great diversity in 15th/16th Century in Europe, before this time and afterwards, roughly when these decks were created. Especially within the European Courts. Yes there was the Crusades, they were coming off the back of the Greko Roman foolishness. Things like the Franco-Ottoman treaty meant for a lot of diversity in France and especially in Marseille where these decks were mass produced from. Peoples from as the Far East and down into northern Africa. By then though we were 1,500 years into the ideology that to gain and retain power you needed hegemony of thought, word and deed. The Abrahamic religions are MASTERS at this and tarot production was a tool of it. Nothing is created in a vacuum, right?

[@lilpinkbear]

100%! All of that trade and travel had people from all over mixing with everyone else. Even here in my home of London, going back millenia, which makes it richer and better for it. People forget that. "By then though we were 1,500 years into the ideology that to gain and retain power you needed hegemony of thought, word and deed. The Abrahamic religions are MASTERS at this and tarot production was a tool of it. " Indeed! And as you say, tarot production was a part of that and yet they may never have been created without all of the interactions and exchanges. Never a vacuum. (I'm currently reading Flornoy's book and he gives a bit of history of the cards at the beginning which was super interesting, though I cannot conmfirm the voractiy of the claims as I am not well versed in such things as it stands).

[@AuntyKsTarot]

All this ❤

[@Tdiva-Elly]

Ace of cups is definitely my favorite card in Tarot de Marseille.

[@lilpinkbear]

It's definitely up there with my faves too. I really enjoy the way so many of them look like big, fancy houses.

[@georgastrophel5811]

I've never thought of the TdM as ugly, but I was terrified by the numbered Minors, I thought I would never get to learn how to read with them. So I bought a Waite - Smith. Eventually, I found that the Waite system needs more stuff to learn, apart from the meanings, numerology, etc. So I've returned to the TdM and I can say that I cherish it.

[@lilpinkbear]

There's just something so refreshingly straightforward (in a way) about TdM that I adore. I am so glad you are enjoying it too.

[@shaunaraetarot]

The dinosaur one is so cute 💚💚💚

[@lilpinkbear]

Isn't it? I love it so much.

[@papermoontarot4219]

Some great decks, thank you! I adore my Tarot des Aux Arcs and Tarot Noir. The Rose Tarot from Nigel Jackson is another interesting take on Marseille. Is Tarot of Musterberg considered Marseille--cause I love that one! Thanks, Kelli.

[@lilpinkbear]

Oh, I'd forgotten all about The Rose Tarot until you mentioned it here. It's a rather lovely looking deck, I like the colours. The Musterberg would not be considered a Marseille style deck because the arrangement of the pips is not in keeping with the tradition. Thank you for watching Nancy. x

[@oona4611]

I'd love to get a marseille deck, and this video had so many pretty ones! Do you have any resources for numerology in tarot to rrcommend?

[@lilpinkbear]

Hello! I don't know of any specific tarot books on numerology (I've not checked, so it may be worth having a look). I gathered my numerology info from various deck guidebooks and tarot books, as well as looking up the numerology of various systems such as pythagorean, biblical, Chinese etc, then used what felt right for me. Ultimately, it doesn't matter which system you use, only that you find one that you like/works for you and that you are consistent with it. I hope that helps a bit? Let me know if you have any other questions. :)

[@polishfolkwitch]

I thought I successfully made myself get over Le Tarot Noir but now seeing it again I can't take my eyes off it. I'm done 🫠😆

[@lilpinkbear]

Ooops.... #SorryNotSorry, hehe. I feel like this deck totally fits your vibe. I'm considering getting another copy at some point and keeping it un-trimmed because I now read with so few cards at a time that the size is a non-issue for me (and I have since learned how to side-shuffle larger decks).

[@tarotgraphe]

facsimile tarot also offer some great tarot de Marseilles ;)

[@lilpinkbear]

Oh cool, I've not heard of them. Thanks for the heads up.

[@elineeugenie5224]

I liked this one so fast😛

[@sherrimclain1561]

maresille decks are elegantly beautiful

[@lilpinkbear]

I agree, some of them really are rather lovely.

[@emmaythegray]

This was great - I’m easing my way in with the Squid Cake. For the decks that are in French, is there one you find has the best book for study? I’d love to try to do a good part of my marseille study in French 😍💕

[@lilpinkbear]

Hi Emmay, You may have these English books already but I'd say Untold Tarot by Caitlin Matthews if you want to jump straight in, it's a very quick, straightforward and accessible read. I also really like Yoav Ben-Dov's Marseille Tarot Revealed. As for French texts, I couldn't say, as I do not speak/read French unfortunately. I am currently reading the English translation of Jean-Claude Flornoy's book but it is VERY different to the way I read. I'm only partway in, so can't comment further on it at the moment but I will discuss it in a video once I have finished it. I also have a translation of Paul Marteau's tarot book but I've only dipped in and out of that one, it is very dense and wordy but it is about 100 years old, so that makes sense. Again, I will report back when I get around to reading it in full. Sorry I can't be of more help on the French book front! x

[@emmaythegray]

@@lilpinkbear no worries thanks for the detailed response . 💕💕💕

[@Tdiva-Elly]

You made me get the dinosaur marseille! So adorable!!

[@lilpinkbear]

Hehe, ooops! I hope you love it as much as I do. x