I recently celebrated my birthday (March 7th), and the day got off to an interesting start. I woke up at 2 in the morning (2:17 am, to be precise), having recalled a dream that featured Tarot de Marseille.
While dreaming about Tarot has been nothing new for me over the years, the fact that I recalled this particular one at this particular time is worth noting.
Just as I recently celebrated my birthday, I also celebrated my 20th anniversary reading Tarot. I got my very first Tarot deck (Crowley Thoth) in February 1999. So having a Tarot-related dream on the heels of that milestone makes it significant in my eyes.
The ISIS Version of Tarot de Marseille, my first foray into the world of Marseille-style Tarots
Also, I picked up Tarot de Marseille at the end of last year (December 2018), so dreaming about this particular system—as it is still somewhat new to me—is also worth noting.
Here’s the dream, as I recorded it in my journal:
3/7/2019
2:17am
Dream Title: Reading Tarot de Marseille
I’m doing a reading with Tarot de Marseille (TdM). The reading is going into several different directions, with cards in horizontal rows and vertical columns on the table.
I’m talking aloud, either to myself, or to someone “off-camera” (out of view).
I have a lot to say about Page of Coins, which is in my hand.
While I wasn’t able to recall the other cards in the reading, the one standout was Page of Coins, which I found most interesting, as one of my meanings for it is a reader of cards.
After jotting down the dream in my journal in the dark, I found that I couldn’t go back to sleep. After some time, I got up, the dream still on my mind.
I thought I’d ask Tarot de Marseille about the dream; with deck in hand (CBD Tarot by the late Dr. Yoav Ben-Dov), I posed this question to the cards: “What do I need to know about my ‘dream reading’?”
Laying out five cards in a line, I drew Page of Coins, Knight of Swords, Ace of Coins, Magician, and 7 of Cups.
When I read a line of five cards, I look to the center card first, as it’s the focus of the line, the central issue.
Ace of Coins is a card of news and messages, as it can indicate a letter or some form of written correspondence. So, I took this to mean that the dream was a message that contained something of value (Coins).
Ace of Coins can also suggest a new phase, chapter, or experience (Ace) with a resource (Coins), and Tarot de Marseille is still somewhat new to me.
And Ace of Coins can symbolize a diamond ring, suggesting commitment and engagement. So, Ace of Coins could be saying the message is focusing on the commitment being made with a new resource, one that will be “engaging.”
I then look to the cards immediately flanking the center card to tell me more.
Knight of Swords, to the left of Ace of Coins, said to me “taking action on an idea or information,” keeping with Ace of Coins being news or a message.
And, visually, he’s moving away from Ace of Coins, bringing to mind the expression “taking an idea and running with it.”
Magician, to the right of Ace of Coins, is the only Major (Arcana card) in the line, and his presence bears significance (Majors highlight important issues and events).
Magician is a card that talks about skill with one’s work, as well as work performance.
And he’s looking right at Ace of Coins; the pair suggests working with a new resource—engaging with it.
Also worth noting is that Magician and Ace of Coins are both “1” cards; Magician is one of the Majors that governs the Aces, which adds a special emphasis to Ace of Coins. One is a number that can mean initiation, beginning, start/starting point, origin and originality, and refer to the individual and individuality.
And this brings to mind that I was the only character in the dream (if anyone else was there, that individual was out of view).
The outer cards offer another dynamic and can suggest a possible outcome to the situation brought to the cards.
On the far left is Page of Coins, the only card I was able to recall from the dream—and it was the one in my hand. The fact that this card appears in the line validates the dream; I always say “you just can’t make this kind of stuff up.”
As I said earlier, Page of Coins can mean a card reader. It also can refer to a student (I call it the “student and scholar” card), so it can refer to my being a student of Tarot de Marseille.
Pages can also be messengers, and I refer to this one as being the bearer of valuable information (Coins).
There’s an interesting dynamic to note with Knight of Swords moving from Ace of Coins to Page of Coins; he’s the bridge between the two cards. The impression I get is that the news or message from the new resource (Ace of Coins) moves quickly—racing its way (Knight of Swords) to the student working with the resource (Page of Coins); this is the dynamic between Tarot de Marseille (Ace of Coins) and myself (Page of Coins).
And the Page is holding a coin (could it be the Ace, delivered by the Knight?), looking at it intently. Also, there’s another coin on the ground, next to his foot—possibly suggesting untapped potential and a value yet to be discovered (more than meets the eye, perhaps?).
On the far right of the line is 7 of Cups. One of the meanings that immediately came to mind for this card is “improving a relationship.” With Ace of Coins + Magician meaning “work with a new resource,” 7 of Cups says that relationship improves as a result.
7 of Cups is also a card that talks about “second chances,” which can imply repetition. Page of Coins + 7 of Cups can be read as “valuable information that’s worth repeating,” that the line of cards is reinforcing the valuable message of the dream, giving that Page of Coins turned up in both.
And 7 of Cups is a card that talks about the development of one’s spiritual side/nature, and dreams are one avenue to that.
I wanted to delve a little more, so I first asked about any underlying influences to the “work” I’m to do with TdM, and placed a card under the table of Magician (table symbolizing work and activity); the card I drew was 9 of Swords.
The 9 is a number of gain/attainment, and Swords is the suit of information/communication, so 9 of Swords can mean “gaining and/or attaining information.”
And it’s interesting to note the tip of the sword piercing its way through, getting to the Magician.
It’s as if the pair is saying, “Gaining and/or attaining information to work with,” like TdM is offering a “tip” to aid in my becoming more skilled with the cards.
I then wanted to place a card before the Page, asking what more could be said about any news/messages connected to this card, and I drew King of Swords.
The Page is now facing a person; King of Swords can represent a single, unmarried man, so he could be a significator for me (given that I’m single and never been married). With that in mind, we now have the Page, the bearer of news, holding up the coin for the King to see.
And I did have the Page of Coins card in my hand in the dream, looking at it.
Symbolically, Kings represent mastery, and King of Swords would then mean mastery of an idea or information. King of Swords + Page of Coins could then be read as, “Learning to master the information given in news and messages.”
And I thought that would be a good stopping point, else the reading go in several different directions, as its dream counterpart.
Overall, I got the impression that both readings—in my dream and in waking life—were in agreement, in stating that Tarot de Marseille could become more prominent in my Tarot study and work going forward.
What a way to start my birthday, wouldn’t you say?
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