Often I feel that all these various tarot decks which exist, rather get into your way than support working with the card meanings, most often due to the fact that they are personal interpretation of something which can stop your free association and even guide you into a wrong direction whereas the classic cards have the tendency of leaving all rivers open.

There are cards I feel are beautifully crafted and at some point in the past I thought I could not continue if I would not own these specific cards. But once I had them I would find rather quicker than later that it was nothing but a stumbling block and pushing me very obviously into one specifically path and I don’t like boundaries like that. Thus all these beautiful packs will gather some dust but pulled out when the need for some change is around and if I want to trigger some new ideas.

I don’t know if the same thing will happen once the gorgeous Mary-el Tarot will be released for purchase, but there is something unique about this set which touches me and which I think truly inspiring.

She seems to have moved her blog to an WordPress installation at TarotsMyth where you can follow her journey of creating her tarot set.

Since the last time when I had checked in she has moved far ahead, there are only a couple of 8’s and the 9’s of the Minor Arcana left and then a huge journey seems to be coming to an end. It is also fascinating to see that her daughter before Kindergarden completed her own, full set of Tarot cards - to keep at it for 100 cards at that age is very impressive.

Maybe only another artist can understand the amount of work that goes into each and every card, I do not know. But as I have worked on 3 interpretations of a single minor card myself, I do know how challenging it can be to condense down into some visuals the tremendous depth any such card can hold as a concept.

Next to the huge amount of commitment it takes to create a fully painted Tarot set, her art is stunningly beautiful. It wakes memories of Klimt and Art Nouveau and Art Deco but also Wicca’s and Mystery.

Even though I do not know if I’ll ever want to work “Tarot” with these cards, they are exquisite and high standard cards with a lot of symbolism to discover and to treasure - an aesthetic world I am looking forward to being able to buy.