The Mary-El Tarot, 2nd Edition

As a Schiffer product, the cardstock isn't the best (but if you're an avid tarot collector, this isn't news to you). The glittery silver edges, though beautiful, also leave residue on my hands when I use it. Even though the production quality isn't on par with other tarot publishers, the actual artwork and guidebook are absolutely worth it. Marie White has done something truly special with this deck. If you like in-depth "study decks", this is a must-have.

I own 42 Tarot and Oracle decks and use them all frequently but the Marie-El has been a game-changer for me since I purchased the 1st edition a few years ago. This has been my preferred deck from the time I first unwrapped it. It speaks to me like no other deck has and the book!! The book is like attending a Western Mystery School. You will get a profound education in the tarot if you read the myths and symbolic lessons the author shares. This 2nd edition offers some serious improvements. The cards are smaller, not coated with the old plastic that peels, easier to shuffle, silver-gilt, and borderless with a few changes to 4 cards - see the pics attached. The book is refined and the traditional meanings have been removed - which I never used or wanted, so compelling are the author's meanings. The box is shorter, more in line with other boxes so it fits on my shelf easier. I am not over the Moon for the new Hierophant, 3 of Swords, Judgement, or High Priestess designs - probably because I have bonded with the old, however, they are extremely well thought out and explained in the book, which alone is worth the price in my opinion. This deck has and still does stand head over tails from all other decks. If you like the Tree of Life, Alchemical sort of flavor of this deck, for me a second runner up would be The Night Sun Tarot.

What a beautiful deck! Sturdy box. Guidebook is large with color photos of the cards in full size. High quality book. Good stock. Easy to shuffle . Cards no boarders. Artwork is colorful and so imaginative a “journey through an abyss”. Its style is everything. Thoth, RWS & Marseille. This is a deep deck with a feeling for shadow work. Not a deck for young readers nor for beginners in my estimation. I’m sure this deck in all its prints have homes in many collections.

I have had at least 10 decks over the years. I read for my own pleasure, my own development, and growth. I find I can resolve issues, calm myself by reading the tarot.That said- I only read with decks I connect with- and when the connection goes, I usually give the deck away- I have given away the voyager deck, I gave away the ruhrig tarot.The Mary- el tarot feels holy. It has haunted me since I opened the box. This is an intuitive deck- the accompanying book is deep, and connects the dots to the artist’s interpretation, and artwork. This deck doesn’t have many symbols, and it would be a stretch to connect the images to any of the three traditional tarot teachings- I don’t need it to, the care of the artwork invokes a very deep meaning.This isn’t a feel good, positive deck- that is to say this isn’t a beginning to heal and accept yourself deck. This is a deep healing, duality not as light and dark , but more of the balance- we encompass all duality.There is a good deal of nudity, but w/o sexualization. There is some dual sex images hat could shock, but found them so gracefully depicted that any un-ease was charmed away.If this deck sings to you at all, please follow your heart, it is a very beautiful deck.Mine arrived in perfect health, nary a hair out of place.

First of all, I've read and seen the reviews of this Second Edition of the Mary-El and I kind of assumed the deck I received would also be damaged and in bad shape when it arrived to me.Luckily enough, my deck came just fine. The paper band *did* break and the cards were lose at the bottom of the box that held the deck, but all of the cards were in excellent shape (no creasing, no chipping, no weird indents) and so I feel really lucky that I got a deck in good shape. Of course- that should not be the case- ALL the decks should have been in good shape. But I was surprised at how happy I was with the deck I received.As far as the changes made, I am pretty happy with them. Which is why I am giving four stars. I wanted an improvement on the first edition, and I got it, so I can't dock stars for the deck not being ABSOLUTE PERFECTION. All Schiffer (the publisher) said was the deck was going to be matte stock and borderless with a full color guidebook and that's what I got, so docking stars because it's not what I consider perfection seems unfair. Marie White gets five stars and Schiffer gets one.I HATED HATED the gloss that Schiffer had on the first edition, and the cards were WAY too big for my hands. Trimming them make the edges thicker, so while they were more workable for me, shuffling was always hard.These new smaller decks shuffle much nicer, the images quality is good, and I can finally use the deck the way I've always wanted to.I like the "sort of" matte finish, although I WAS expecting the same treatment that other Schiffer decks have gotten (that velvet-y matte thin cardstock that is durable and looks beautiful and shuffles like a dream no matter how large the cards are) and was bummed when it turned out to be just regular playing card stock that "regular" decks are printed on- sort of a satin finish. But it's still better than that original thick uber-gloss that the first edition had.The new guidebook is lovely. The full color is a great touch. I bet they probably didn't do the ultra-matte high quality cards because of the money they invested in making the guidebook full color.One thing I don't like- the giant font size of the card titles. That could have been made much smaller. It really does compete in an unfavorable way with the images on the cards. And I wish they had vignetted the images a bit at the card edges, as many other borderless decks do. It just makes the images "pop" more when they are borderless.I am happy with the changes. They didn't quite meet all my hopes and dreams, but I am VERY pleased with how workable this deck is now for me after wanting to really just use it (riffle shuffle, hold it in my hands, really get it "broken in") since I got the first edition. It feels like a brand new Mary-El experience to me, so I AM happy. I just wish that Schiffer had just gone the extra mile with this beautiful deck and gave it the cardstock and design it deserves. But that's on Schiffer- their quality has always been a little "meh" because they treat card decks like they are intended for display or gift giving rather than actual regular use so their quality NEVER has been very good. I'll always equate Schiffer and Red Feather with less-than quality as far as decks go, so that's why I can't really be too surprised that this deck wasn't given the treatment it deserved. Maybe someday...