Cbd Tarot De Marseille

How I love this book! The author's gentle style instills confidence that you can really read the cards through careful observation and intuition of the pictures and the way they appear in a spread rather than memorizing a list of symbols. Through concrete examples of readings, illustrated using simple layouts of an early Marseilles deck designed by Camoin which the author updated and reprinted, he shows you how to use the cards to tell a very personal story. How the cards and figures relate to one another, colors, shapes, lines, expressions of the human figures and who/what they might represent in your (or a querent's) life, is so freeing-- you can do a reading almost right away without memorizing a thing, though Ben-Dov emphasizes that the more you use the cards the more they will become inbued with meanings derived from successive readings, which will enrich future readings. He does offer, in the second half of the book, meaty sections on each of the cards with both traditional symbolism and his own reflections, which you can use in whatever way you want. To me, they are examples of a way of seeing which will no doubt enrich my own readings but more than that, they inspire me with confidence that what I "see" is perfectly valid. These offerings are a help, but you don't feel locked in to them. Be forewarned that this deck does use a version of the French Marseilles deck, which does not show character figures for most of the minor arcana. Also, be aware that in some cases, Ben-Dov's interpretations will be very different from what other authors might say, especially if they are describing a non-Marseilles deck. For example, I did a personal reading recently with the Rider deck which included the 8 of Cups. On that card, there is a clear image of a figure holding a pilgrim's staff walking away from 8 neatly stacked gold cups. Traditionally, this card is described as walking away from wealth or success. In my own reading, to me it represented abandoning past ideas of what was important (hence the "gold" of the cups), things I had sacrificed for others which had seemed "right" but placed great limitations on my life; and turning toward something more spiritually significant for me (hence the solitary figure and pilgrim's staff). In the Marseilles deck, this card features only 8 cups with a flower/leaf design intertwining them, and Ben-Dov's interpretation is "Involvement," i.e. involvement of friends or family in a relationship or life of a couple, extended family, many people at a feast, people interacting or interfering, etc. In short, without a human figure, all we have to go on is the cups, and instead of symbolizing wealth or success, for the author they symbolize feasting and human interaction. But again, his own interpretations are suggestions, or possibly come from a different tarot tradition. As far as I know, we don't have any books written at the time the Marseilles decks were originally produced to tell us how the French in the 1700s interpreted the cards. I use the Tarot de Marselles de Pierre Madenie, which is similar to the author's deck (the CMD Marseilles Deck for Camoin-Ben Dov) and I like it much better. The colors are less bright and more antiquated-looking, the lines are less bold, and to me these less-defined features leave it more open for interpretation. It looks and "feels" old and so makes me feel linked to people from the past. But any Marseilles deck would work with this book. If you use a non-Marseilles deck, you will be able to use his method, but not all of his suggested interpretations, as the images will be different in many cases and suggest different meanings. I don't usually do readings for others, mainly for myself, but the author gives excellent guidance on every step of the process of giving a sensitive reading for another person. Great book!

I became interested in the CBD Tarot de Marseille after reading Yoav Ben-Dov’s brilliantly written book, “ The Marseille Tarot Revealed: A Complete Guide to Symbolism, Meanings & Methods.” This tarot deck is what is known as the French School of Tarot and focuses heavily on symbolism, holistic interpretation, and spontaneity. Although this deck—like many others—includes a small guide, I encourage everyone to purchase the above book in addition to this tarot set because Ben-Dov goes into extreme details not just about the deck, but also about the French School’s methodology. This is a high quality deck that is an honest reproduction of Conver’s 1760 deck. I realized=ze that there are quite a few Conver reproductions on the market, but Ben-Dov is a fantastic analyst, so I definitely knew even before I ordered this deck that it would be 100% reliable. Many tarot decks are produced by gaming corporations, but the author took special care in reproducing this deck using the same images, researching and applying the correct coloring, and etc. so, while I perhaps could have saved a few dollars on a different Conver deck, I know that Ben-Dov is a tarot reader that I can rely upon for this tarot’s accuracy, whereas gaming corporations are more interested in making profit. This deck is made of heavy duty material using bright colors. I love the feel in my hands, and I believe many psychics will feel the same. I absolutely recommend this product and I guarantee that it will be used my me on a daily basis.

Though you wouldn't know it from the publisher's description, The Marseille Tarot Revealed: A Complete Guide to Symbolism, Meanings & Methods is a fancied up reprint of this book, itself an instant classic for reading the Tarot de Marseille (TdM). The Open Reading is self-published, and straightforward when it comes to production quality. The two versions are substantively nearly identical. The MTR polishes the text some, omitting typos and adding some images of the CBD Tarot, a modern restoration of the Nicholas Conver TdM completed under the author's care. I understand that the paper copy of MTR is glossy, with color images, compared to the plain paper and greyscale images of the original. Both editions have color images in the Kindle versions, which is what I purchased. You don't need both books, particularly in the Kindle version. You can decide which you prefer based on cost and production values. On to the substance. Both books are wise, gentle, and encouraging. They cover a broad range of material. The main premise of the reading style advanced by Ben-Dov, and many others steeped in TdM interpretation, is that the Marseille Tarot is best read in an "open" manner that is receptive to imagery and resonance present right in the cards in each draw, rather than through applying preset meanings to individual cards, or positions in a spread. Rather, the cards are read holistically, as they relate to each other, the reader, querent, and the present moment, without conceptual overlays, which, however insightful, nevertheless interpose a layer of separation between reader, querent, and cards. Ben-Dov skillfully presents a concise but informative background of the history and styles of tarot cards, describes the environment of a reading session, and the mechanics of his proposed style for reading TdM. He then goes through the entire deck with illustrations of how to mine the images and cultural associations of each card for meaning. While he does provide discussions of each card, he makes clear that they are not meant to become a system to memorize and apply mechanically. Instead, they are meant as a guide to what the "open reading" approach makes possible--"that the cards are a visual tool that works directly on the unconscious layers of our mind." Ben-Dov provides examples of actual readings that demonstrate the dynamic and open-ended nature of this reading style. The author also makes clear that this reading style can be applied to tarot other than the Marseille, even though it reaches its full potential with that style. As always, people differ, so not everyone will resonate with this approach. In my experience, compared to "system" based readings which I used for years, this reading style is more sensory, even poetic. Readings feel very immediate and powerful to me. Images that seem to be rather naive in execution, and simple almost to a fault, slowly unfurl their complexity and beauty as one develops intimacy with the cards. For those interested in learning how to see the Marseille Tarot deeply, you would be hard pressed to find a better place to start than either this book or The Open Reading. The Open Reading's approachable style made it an instant classic when it was first published. Other books in line with this approach are The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards (whose author Ben--Dov credits as his own most significant influence), Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism , Reading the Marseille Tarot by Jean-Michele David (available through Lulu online), and MARSEILLE TAROT: TOWARDS THE ART OF READING . I cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone interested in this open" style of reading associated with the Marseille Tarot. A visit to the author's website, cbdtatot (dot) com, is also very helpful. Yoav Ben-Dov generously provided more informaiton and free printable images of the deck he restored for personal use. His deck, also self-published, went out of print shortly after his passing, but is expected to become available again.

Before I had ordered this deck I didn't know the man - a very accomplished scholar who just recently passed away, cbdtarot.com - Not only is this the best Tarot deck I have seen on the commercial market in while, I argue that it is the best Tarot De Marseille outside of France. It is up there with Jodorowsky's TDM, most likely because he used to study with Jodorowsky with his famous psychomagic group in the 80s, the one that Moebius was apart of. The card stock and presentation is fantastic, the box a little better than the usual. He meticulously copied the origional deck from the 1700s down to the exact lines using the original paintings and decks and just made it more vivid. There is also an extra card he added into the deck, a blank card for meditation and, actually it's for whatever you want. Personally I have been with Tarot for 10 years, which is not long, but you see everything that's out there in that amount of time - This deck is perfect - the man - did I mention he was a physicist, a doctor and a teacher at some of the most prestigious universities - he knew exactly what he was doing. And the book he wrote, I believe it's called Tarot an open reading, is about a revolutionary way of reading tarot if you practice such things. Also he was involved with a group that uses tarot and other image cards as a healing therapy, which is also revolutionary - started by a woman in Israel and is spreading around the world currently. He wrote the first book about tarot in Hebrew. I just wanted to let you know a bit about this great man before your purchase. About the deck - it is everything a great TDM should be. I hope they keep producing it, but they may not, as he died in 2016 at 59 years old, too young and the tarot community definitely has suffered a loss. Recap: beautiful and accurate deck, good shuffling ability, easy to handle, good size, extra card, sturdy box - worthy of any serious collection and worthy of everyday use. I recommend it very highly. Thank you for your time. - Sal

This is one of the best Tarot Books I have ever read. Dr. Ben-Dov writes authoritatively yet humbly; he answers my questions yet leaves me wanting to read more, simply because he writes as someone who is a reader, as someone who loves the Tarot as much as I do...and he's undeniably a darn good writer. We in the English - speaking Tarot de Marseille world have long hungered for a comprehensive how-to book about our preferred deck. Now we have it, not to mention its companion, the lovely CBD Tarot deck. Of course the book may be used with any Marseille deck, and even RWS or Thoth deck lovers could benefit from the Open Reading method. Now to the specifics: he describes the open reading method before getting into his explanations of "the card meanings," since the point of open reading is looking at the overall picture the cards make. Are there common colors, repeated objects, more than one ace/eight, etc? In other words, we look for patterns and impressions before trying to recall memorized "meanings." Next, he outlines suggested meanings for the structural elements within the cards, e.g. number and color. Of course, later in the book, he does give suggested meanings, but they are always built upon the items in the cards themselves, rather than some external esoteric "correspondences." Thus, by the time we see his suggestions, we understand the underpinnings, and we are free to interpret the cards in the moment. This aspect of his reading style reminds me of Enrique Enriquez's brilliant Tarology method. In sum, I join a long line of Tarot lovers who say things such as "I can't remember getting this excited about a Tarot book in years," because I haven't. Not since JM David's "Reading the Marseille Tarot" and Alejandro Jodorowsky's "The Way of Tarot" have I read a Tarot book with such consuming enthusiasm. Even if I weren't a Tarot de Marseille fan, I could use Dr. Ben-Dov's approach. In other words, this book is one of the true essentials that every TdM lover, or any Tarot lover, should have. It's just that good.

I was excited to learn how to read Tarot de Marseilles. If like me, this isyou goal, this may be a book to put on the "Later" list. Yoav Ben Dov has a lot of nice suggestions and observations on effective reading in general. It's also in a nice readable style. But - and this is important to me - his style of reading is not a traditional method or a historical way of reading Marseilles. It is a method developed by his teacher Jodorowsky. If learning that method, with Ben-Dov's adjustments and improvements is what you're after, this is for you, and that's a great goal. It just wasn't my goal, and I would have liked if that were somehow made more clear in the title or description. If you'd like to know how to read Marseilles Tarot like everyone reads it, you'll need a different book. I'd suggest Holistic Tarot by B. Wen. There's a nice appendix that shows numerological ideas about what each number from 1 to 10 means, so one can use those if reading Marseilles. There are also a couple youtube videos showing the Pips as Majors method.

[FINAL EDIT: This is the chattiest deck I’ve ever met! Start a one-a-day card habit and be prepared for a conversation over several days full of insight on whatever is going on in your life. Might want to keep a jounal; Amazon has some beautiful ones available and what the heck, treat myourself to a fountain pen, too. Tarot with style Since everything is a sign, “Wild Hares” (cards that fall out during shuffling) don’t go back into the deck. They are incorporated into the simple spread.. BTW, you might consider the author’s and this reviewers advice not to riffle the deck. Whatever other advantages not riffling offers, the alternate, more leisurely method works better on these stiffer cards. Just a thought.) I have been comparing the TdM and RWS and, without taking anything away from the latter, I believe the TdM is a franker depiction of the Western Mystery Tradtion. There are wonderful motifs and visual echoes. Look at le’Bateleur on the left of la’Temperence. Separated at birth? Take in all the details.] My first Tarot deck was a Tarot de Marseille when I was a kid playing around. Later, I got "serious" and obtained a Rider Waite Smith deck (and various clones) and studied with BOTA. At 60 years of age, I consider that behind me and am more interested in Tarot as a creative spark and tool for psychological self-examination. I am not impressed with the forced correspondences between the Tarot and various popular esoteric systems. So, probably influenced by Meditations on the Tarot (the two-volume German edition of which can be seen on St. Pope John Paul II's desk in a photograph) I decided to look into the Tarot again: the Tarot de Marseille. Also, I have spent time in Marseilles and it has a certain charming and mysterious ambience, or at least I thought so. I wanted an authentic TdM and the Ben-dov deck is a clean reproduction of the 18th Century Convers deck. I have read of TdM decks that deliberately retain “mistakes.” There are subtle oddities, to be sure, but nothing too eye-catching. One example is the strange way the book held by La Papesse seems to cast a shadow that blurs our perception of the material world. For whatever reason, the trumps, especially, sometimes combine two separate realities The old images, freed from the imaginations of Waite and Smith, are remarkably fresh today. The cards have clean details and vibrant (if limited) colors. They seem to speak directly to me, rather than as a mere collection of disparate esoteric lore. They appeal more to the subconscious than the conscious intellect, in my opinion. Who is this Le Bateleur fellow? Well, what's he look like? A street performer, a sleight-of-hand artist, possibly a cheat—the man who invented three-card monte! He's a far cry from the adept in the RWS deck, striking a painfully obvious esoteric pose. And, yet, is there more to him than meets the eye? That's for you to find out by spending some time with him. Put him on your left of Tenperance. The writer of Meditations on the Tarot (probably the essential companion to any TdM deck) finds plenty to say about him, but does not spill the soup. If you're unfamiliar with the TdM, the pip cards aren't illustrated in the way they are in the RWS deck. That is both liberating and a source of initial confusion. They aren't even sort of suggestive of meaning as in the Thoth deck, according to my ancient recollection. [Edit: this is not entirely correct. Since this review was submitted, I do find clues, although they are often subtle. To take one example, the Four of Swords seems to show a large, cut-off and bent branch protected by the familiar curved swords. This is a nice fit for the typical RWS meaning. The vines and leaves and poppy pods (?!) often seem to provide clues. Another example is the Three of Cups which seems to visually echo two not-shown hearts from the Two of Cups: one small, another much bigger. Ben-Dov’s book on the TdM is useful in this regard, if you don’t mind “cheating.“ The above two examples came from his book, I believe, but I fill at least a couple of pages with observations when I take a turn with a random card each day. I don’t do divination, if it matters, if one means seeking to know the future. At my age, I don’t want to know!] So, unless you want to throw traditional meanings to the wind and go with open ones, a familiarity with RWS is probably useful. (The LWB does include diviniatory meanings, although there are some departures from what you might be used to.) [ANOTHER EDIT: The preferred method for TdM seems to be more intuitive, i.e. the “French School.” Noting where figures are looking, tiny details and even “printing errors” that are striking, and so forth. On the other hand, the French school often uses only the trumps. I will probably never entirely escape the RWS LWB nor do I want to and they will probably color my TdM meanings (it’s all baked in). Where I have departed I did so long before (“journey by water” anyone?) I think it is only fair to point out that the GD at least possessed (whether it was used I can’t say) a very complex layout that I believe was fairly intuitive and incorporated the way a figure (upright or reversed) was looking. In other words, if you like nothing better than to throw LWBs to the wind or, rather, value their tradition, you shouldn’t let the absence of pictorial pips keep you from this marvelous deck. Each pip is different in detail and once you get to know them, you’ll probably find cues to RWS—the brain is amazing at stuff like that. I think everyone eventually learns that when you throw down three cards they tell a story—and it might not have a lot to do with traditional meanings.] The beautiful thing about the Tarot is that there is probably no one right way to use them. I can't comment on other TdM decks, but the quality of printing, the cleanness of the lines, the vibrancy of the bright colors, the quality of the card stock, and the authenticity made this one just what I was looking for. [PENULTIMENT EDIT: These are some pretty stiff cards that are difficult to riffle. In fact, today, I had a freak "riffling accident" and managed to crease a card, which requires a deck replacement. Oh, dear, Amazon is going to be tired of my edits, but in all fairness, I remembered I was trying to riffle on a slick glass surface. I am confident that had I tried the same on a surface with a little friction, perhaps cloth, I would not have had my cardastrophe.]

This is a modernized version of the Tarot of Marseilles which complements the creator's book on tarot. Dr. Yoav Ben-Dov earned his PhD in the Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics from the Sorbonne in Paris. He updated the Conver deck to be easier to read and to appeal to contemporary sensibilities. It works best with his open reading system, which is both more intuitive and analytical than the English system that relies on fixed meanings for cards and their positions in the spread.