The MerryDay Tarot deck, created by artist Louisa Poole, represents a distinctive blend of fantasy and reality within the realm of tarot divination. Released in 1997, this 78-card deck draws its primary inspiration from the Rider-Waite-Smith system while introducing imaginative twists that remove associations with formal religion and embrace multi-cultural elements. The artwork is characterized as colorful, detailed, and sumptuous, featuring dragons, beautiful animals, and elements of nature. It is designed to be accessible to both beginners and advanced readers, offering a unique perspective on traditional tarot meanings through altered imagery and card names. The deck integrates themes of the four principal elements, seasons, and numerology, providing a holistic tool for spiritual guidance and introspection.
Understanding the MerryDay Tarot Structure
The MerryDay Tarot adheres to the standard 78-card structure but modifies the nomenclature and imagery to create a unique energetic signature. The deck is designed to be visually compelling, with keywords often printed at the bottom of the cards to assist readers in recalling meanings, though the rich imagery often speaks for itself.
Major Arcana Variations
The Major Arcana in the MerryDay Tarot features titles that differ from the traditional deck, reflecting a journey of learning and spiritual evolution. These changes are not merely cosmetic but suggest a specific narrative arc accessible to the user.
- 0 - The Fool: Retains the traditional title and represents innocence and new beginnings.
- 1 - The Apprentice: Corresponds to The Magician, signifying willpower, desire, creation, and manifestation.
- 2 - The Oracle: Corresponds to The High Priestess, representing intuition, the unconscious, and the inner voice.
- 3 - The Empress: Retains the traditional title, symbolizing motherhood, fertility, and nature.
- 4 - The Emperor: Retains the traditional title, representing authority, structure, and control.
- 5 - The Mentor: Corresponds to The Hierophant, focusing on tradition, conformity, morality, and ethics.
- 6 - The Lovers: Retains the traditional title, symbolizing partnerships, duality, and union.
- 7 - The Student: Corresponds to The Chariot, representing direction, control, and willpower.
- 8 - Strength: Retains the traditional title and numerical placement (8th card), signifying inner strength, bravery, and compassion.
- 9 - The Teacher: Corresponds to The Hermit, representing contemplation, the search for truth, and inner guidance.
- 10 - Lady Destiny: Corresponds to The Wheel of Fortune, symbolizing change, cycles, and inevitable fate.
- 11 - Justice: Retains the traditional title and numerical placement (11th card), representing cause and effect, clarity, and truth.
- 12 - The JourneyMan: Corresponds to The Hanged Man, representing sacrifice, release, and martyrdom.
- 13 - Metamorphosis: Corresponds to Death, signifying the end of a cycle, beginnings, change, and metamorphosis.
- 14 - Time Lord: Corresponds to Temperance, representing the middle path, patience, and finding meaning.
- 15 - The Tempter: Corresponds to The Devil, signifying addiction, materialism, and playfulness.
- 16 - The Tower: Retains the traditional title, representing sudden upheaval, broken pride, and disaster.
- 17 - The Star: Retains the traditional title, symbolizing hope, faith, and rejuvenation.
- 18 - The Moon: Retains the traditional title, representing the unconscious, illusions, and intuition.
- 19 - The Sun: Retains the traditional title, symbolizing joy, success, celebration, and positivity.
- 20 - Judgment: Retains the traditional title, representing reflection, reckoning, and awakening.
- 21 - The World: Retains the traditional title, symbolizing fulfillment, harmony, and completion.
Minor Arcana and Court Cards
The Minor Arcana in the MerryDay Tarot is fully illustrated, offering a storybook feel to the pip cards. The deck maintains the four traditional suits but enhances them with elemental and seasonal themes.
- Suits: Cups, Swords, Wands, and Pentacles (Coins).
- Aces: The Aces are depicted as Dragons, specifically an Air Dragon for Swords, a Fire Dragon for Wands, a Water Dragon for Cups, and an Earth Dragon for Pentacles. This imagery emphasizes the raw elemental energy of the number one.
- Court Cards: The hierarchy of the court cards has been reimagined:
- Elemental: Corresponds to the Page.
- Warrior: Corresponds to the Knight. There are specific Warriors for Spring (Swords), Summer (Wands), Water (Cups), and Earth (Coins).
- Queen: Retains the traditional title for each suit.
- King: Retains the traditional title but is associated with specific elements or seasons, such as the King of Air (Swords), King of Fire (Wands), King of Autumn (Cups), and Winter King (Pentacles).
Interpreting Key Themes and Meanings
While the MerryDay Tarot utilizes unique imagery, its core interpretations align closely with the Rider-Waite-Smith system, allowing for intuitive reading. The deck's companion literature, specifically the book Merryday Tarot Numerology Invisible Kingdom, provides deeper context for the symbols and numerological associations used in the deck.
The Journey of the Major Arcana
The renaming of cards in the Major Arcana offers a fresh lens through which to view the "Fool's Journey." For example, the shift from "The Hierophant" to "The Mentor" moves the focus from religious dogma to a more generalized guidance and teaching role. Similarly, "Lady Destiny" (Wheel of Fortune) emphasizes the personal agency and fate involved in life's cycles. "The JourneyMan" (Hanged Man) suggests a proactive quest for wisdom rather than passive sacrifice. These thematic shifts align with the deck's removal of formal religious associations, making the spiritual insights more universally accessible.
Elemental and Seasonal Influences in the Minors
The integration of elemental Dragons into the Aces and the seasonal/elemental attribution of the Court cards adds layers of meaning to readings.
- The Dragon Aces: Viewing the Ace of Swords as an Air Dragon emphasizes mental clarity and communication; the Ace of Wands as a Fire Dragon highlights passion and creativity; the Ace of Cups as a Water Dragon deepens the emotional resonance; and the Ace of Pentacles as an Earth Dragon grounds the reading in material reality and stability.
- Seasonal Courts: The assignment of seasons to the Court cards allows for timing and energetic quality assessments in readings. For instance, the Summer Warrior (Wands) suggests peak energy and activity, while the Winter King (Pentacles) suggests a period of harvest, rest, and consolidation of resources.
Navigating Readings with Keywords
A distinctive feature of the MerryDay Tarot is the inclusion of keywords on the cards themselves. This design choice is particularly beneficial for beginners or those who appreciate a direct prompt during a reading. While some readers may find keywords limiting, the consensus among reviewers is that the artwork is so evocative that it often overrides the text, allowing for intuitive interpretation. The keywords serve as a bridge to traditional meanings, ensuring that the core message of the card is not lost amidst the fantasy imagery.
Practical Application for Spiritual Guidance
The MerryDay Tarot is described as a "useable deck" suitable for both collectors and active readers. Its unique blend of fantasy and traditional structure makes it a versatile tool for various spiritual practices.
For Beginners
The deck is highly recommended for beginners due to the presence of keywords and the clear, albeit stylized, imagery. The removal of intimidating or overly esoteric religious symbols can make the practice of tarot reading feel more approachable and personal. The companion book offers guidance on memorization and understanding the card meanings, which is a critical step in developing proficiency.
For Advanced Readers
Experienced readers may appreciate the deck's creativity and the nuances introduced by the altered names and imagery. The "sumptuous" artwork can trigger new intuitive pathways and interpretations that diverge from standard meanings, enriching the reading experience. The connection to numerology, as detailed in the separate companion book, offers an additional analytical layer for those interested in the vibrational aspects of the cards.
Holistic Integration
The MerryDay Tarot serves as a bridge between visual art, intuitive reading, and numerological study. By incorporating the four elements and seasons, it aligns with natural cycles, making it a fitting tool for holistic energy balancing and personal growth strategies. It encourages users to connect with nature and their own inner wisdom through a whimsical yet grounded framework.
Conclusion
The MerryDay Tarot stands out as a unique and vibrant addition to the world of tarot. Created by Louisa Poole, it successfully reinterprets the traditional Rider-Waite system through a lens of fantasy, multi-culturalism, and nature-centric symbolism. With its fully illustrated minors, reimagined Major Arcana names, and elemental Dragons and Warriors, the deck offers a rich tapestry for divination. Whether utilized by beginners for its helpful keywords and accessible imagery or by advanced readers for its creative depth and numerological connections, the MerryDay Tarot provides a magical and effective means of exploring the self and the universe. Its removal of formal religious associations broadens its appeal, inviting a diverse range of spiritual seekers to find harmony and insight within its colorful cards.