After purchasing his first Tarot deck in 1973, Mark McElroy began terrorizing other neighborhood nine-year-olds with dire and dramatic predictions.Today, he calls Tarot "the ultimate visual brainstorming tool," and shares techniques designed to help others ask better questions, see more options, and achieve their goals.
He is the author of Putting the Tarot to Work, Taking the Tarot to Heart, What's in the Cards for You?, and the new I Ching for Beginners (all Llewellyn). He is also the author of The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Tarot (Que).
Mark holds a B.A. and M.A. in creative writing and composition from the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi. He has more than two decades of experience as a public speaker and corporate trainer. He has written, produced, and hosted classroom, video, and online training for some of America's biggest companies, including SkyTel, MCI, Office Depot, Staples, and many others. Today, he works as a writer, voice actor, and creativity consultant; samples of his work are available at www.hiremark.com and www.tarottools.com.
Mark lives and writes in Mississippi, where he shares a home with his partner, Clyde, and two cats, Tiger and Lilly.
Davide Corsi is a prolific illustrator of tarot decks. His most popular decks include Ghost Tarot (9780738743530) and Tarot Draconis (9780738739427).
Summary:
The Tarot of the Elves creates a new and different world. And yet,
we humans still relate to the inhabitants of this fantasy realm.
This innovative deck explores and conveys the archetypal meanings
of the cards through story. McElroy spins an engrossing tale in
which we both lose and find ourselves.
In-Depth Review:
The figures on the earliest Tarot cards were no doubt inspired by
the popular medieval "triumphal processions"--parades that taught
moral tales to the watchers. By mimicking these archetypal parades,
Tarot decks also told stories. These were not new stories, but ones
that were familiar to everyone of the time.
While the stories of the Greek and Roman gods may not be quite as
universally familiar to everyone as they were in the 14th century,
most people understand the archetypal story of the hero's journey.
The hero's journey is the most commonly recognized story in Tarot
decks. One strength of this approach is that people know the basic
story. One weakness is that because it is archetypal, it is very
generalized.
Until recently, many decks told the same archetypal story simply
dressed in different clothes. The stories were still general and
could be applied to any situation. In some cases, they depict
slightly different or more specific faces of the archetypes. But
since they are not set in context (like a story), they are harder
to learn.
The more recent narrative decks, such as the Tarot of the Elves,
also tells a hero journey story, but it is specific story. There
are specific actions, specific characters, and specific
ramifications. In short, the stories provide context and
consequently two very great benefits. The first is that the cards
are easy to learn. You read the story and when you see the picture
on the card, you know the part it plays in the story, and
consequently, the meaning of the card.
The second benefit is that the story also allows a clearer
understanding of the nuances in meaning. For example, the
archetypal idea of Strength as a card has many facets. In the Tarot
of the Elves story the Strength card shows the main character,
Albrerich, fighting with an evil machine that contains a magical
sword that Alberich needs. In this case, Alberich must overcome
something by his force and his will and by doing so gains a great
reward.
The images on the cards can be powerfully evocative and beautiful,
such as The Empress, Temperance, and the 5 of Wands. The High
Priestess shows a murdered High Priestess on the altar. Tarot
expert Barbara Moore wrote this about it: "The High Priestess from
the Tarot of the Elves is probably one of the most controversial
images in Tarot. Many people were appalled and had a very strong
negative reaction to this card. However, people don't have a
problem associating The High Priestess with the Greek goddess
Persephone. She was kidnapped by Hades, the god of Death, and taken
to the underworld to live--kidnapped, taken from her family and a
life she loved to live underground. She was, in a sense, dead.
Without the experience of her death, the joy and power of her
consequent rebirth could not have been. Many initiatory experiences
recreate a symbolic death. We find them in most mystery religions,
many modern Pagan and shamanic traditions, and even in the
Protestant full immersion baptism. Study, a function of The
Hierophant, comes first, followed by experience or the initiation.
There are things, truths of the universe, which cannot be learned
by study; they must be experienced and death symbolizes a strong
transformational experience. And despite the calm, peaceful
demeanor of most High Priestesses, I cannot imagine that such a
death is easy or clean. For this reason, the pain and the immediacy
of this card draws me in, even as it does, as it is meant to,
repels. It speaks of the experience that comes before the calm and
the knowing."
This deck could be used very well by a beginner who read the book.
The story is a great way to remember card meanings. For a study
deck this is a wonderfully creative and challenging work.
Deck Attributes
Name of deck: Tarot of the Elves
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
ISBN (deck only): 9780738711713
ISBN (book only): 9780738711720
ISBN (deck and book kit): 9780738711737
Creator's name: Mark McElroy
Brief biography of creator: Mark has designed many Tarot decks and
written many books on the subject, such as the Da Vinci Tarot, Mona
Lisa Tarot, Lo Scarabeo Tarot, Bright Idea Deck, Putting the Tarot
to Work, and Lucid Dreaming for Beginners.
Artist's name: David Corsi
Brief biography of artist: David also did the art for The Vampires
Tarot of the Eternal Night.
Name of accompanying book/booklet: Tarot of the Elves
Number of pages of book/booklet: Book: 160; Booklet 63 (14 in
English)
Author of book/booklet: Mark McElroy
Available in a boxed kit?: Yes. It has the deck and full book.
Reading Uses: General.
Artistic Style: Computer generated fantasy
Tarot, Divination Deck, Other: Tarot
Does it follow Rider-Waite-Smith Standard?: Yes
Does it have extra cards?: No
Does it have alternate names for Major Arcana cards?: No
Does it have alternate names for Minor Arcana suits?: No
Does it have alternate names for the Court Cards?: No
Alternative decks you might like: (The following have similar
art)
Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night
Gilded Tarot
Legacy of the Divine Tarot
Other narrative decks:
The Jane Austen Tarot
Mystic Faerie Tarot
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
