Surrealist Tarot - MJS Tarot

If you’re wanting to use tarot to tap into your unconscious to discover what hidden factors are driving your behaviours then what could be a better match than the Surrealist Tarot? When you consider that according to the accompanying book, ‘Surrealism was born essentially as a rebellion against the dictatorship of rationality …’ this deck is designed to take you to places other decks don’t. To look at the Surrealist Tarot and read it based on card titles alone and in reference to “typically this card features ….” is obviously possible but what a missed opportunity that would be. This deck almost begs you to leave rational thought behind and come on a journey that encourages you to embrace the creative potential of your mind. Here, magic and new depths of understanding await.

The Surrealist Tarot Cards

All that being said, it took a while for me to find my way into this deck and longer for me to feel ready to write about it. Just as I grasped something the meaning would escape me and so I felt unprepared and unqualified to write this review. In other words, I’d missed the whole point of the deck. I was trying to rationalise something that doesn’t want to be rationalised. You can obviously argue that all decks work like this but the Surrealist Tarot takes creative leaps to the extreme.

And yet, as I sit at my desk surrounded by the images that will be incorporated into this review, the messages, ideas, understandings and insights feel so tangible. I feel like each card is calling for my attention. It almost feels like they’re reaching up and tapping me on the forehead. If you think that sounds strange then you and I agree. But, it also feels wonderful, liberating and powerful without being overwhelming. As urgent as it feels, there’s also the sense that “it’s okay, you’ll get to me when you’re ready. We know.” Now I have a fair few decks, but never have I experienced these sensations. I keep pausing to ask myself if this is disconcerting or scary in any way and the simple answer is – no. Something in me feels alive.

On the 2 of Swords pictured above, indecision reigns supreme.

Am I

the instrument or

the metronome

with the ability to see

and do nothing

more than go back and forth,

back and forth,

vacillating pointlessly

completely unaware of my true

north.

I also wonder is that snake skin or fish scales, or maybe a dragon, or do I need to dive into the emotions I’m trying to shed? One thing’s for sure, being pinned to the past will make reaching for a decision harder. What from the past is clouding my ability to bring stability and order to my mind and thus my life? Somewhere in these questions lies the answer.

The Knight of Swords suggests the way forward. I might need to crack a few eggs to get my point across but he tells me that in the end we both know it will be worth it. Peace is possible even though I wonder if the white bird is a seagull rather than a dove. But then again no-one can ever question a seagull’s determination so maybe that’s more apt after all.

Someone with an in depth understanding of art styles or a willingness to learn more will no doubt draw so much from the link to Dadaism too. My knowledge isn’t sound enough to elucidate this but I will say that the basic understanding a quick Google gave me has shed so much light on a situation I began wrestling with this morning. It is no coincidence I’m sure that these are the first two cards I have chosen to write about. Nor is the fact that I felt compelled to put them together. I now also understand the role these reviews play in the overall intention of this site. I love that if you’re willing to ask the question, the answers will always find you.

In the accompanying booklet, each of the Major Arcana has been given an additional name that is generally associated with an existing surrealist painting. V The Hierophant, in the book titled The Pope, is called The Great Liberator. I’m assuming that is in reference to Rene Magritte’s painting, The Liberator, (yes me and Google are in partnership on this review), and I love all that is insinuated through that association. Viewing the two paintings alongside each other adds yet another layer to an already multi-layered card.

Each Major Arcana card write up also includes a quote. For The Hierophant it’s, ‘I forced myself to contradict myself so as to avoid conforming to my own taste’ (Marcel Duchamp). I definitely did that when I decided to buy this deck. A quick flick through my previous reviews will confirm as much. Yet, as out of place as steak on a vegan diet as this deck appears in my collection, I’m enthralled by it and have since sought out other surrealist decks. To date Japaridze Tarot and Dreamkeeper’s Tarot now call my place home.

I do wonder why The Hierophant is listed as The Pope in the book and yet not on the card though. No doubt this is intentional, but why? To encourage directly looking at our faith and the mechanisms that drive it maybe? The fairy like figures, especially the larger one in the upper left of the card feel highly relevant. Is her body positioning suggesting she has she just become aware of the skeleton giving structure to various beliefs and recognising what it is that keeps us tethered to them? And what other associations can be drawn when V The Hierophant is considered alongside IX The Hermit?

The book reads, ‘IX The Hermit – The Eye of Silence – Escape from the masses and retreat into the inner timeless truths …’ This is followed by Andre Breton’s quote, ‘No truth deserves to remain exemplary.’ What stands out to me is the tie in with the eye on the 2 of Swords and the egg shell on the Knight of Swords. How differently both are positioned.

I could include every card in this review because I find them all fascinating. They really do take my thinking to places no other decks have.

I could write in depth about each of the cards pictured above but I won’t. Although, I do look forward to exploring which stories want to emerge when I do. For now I will just say that in XII The Hanged Man I’m reminded of Pinocchio and what we think or want to believe versus the perceived reality. Does it all come down to how we frame things and how much importance we attach to our emotions. I’m familiar with the phrase about ignoring the elephant in the room. Is that the relevance of the whale? It was one of the first things that came to mind for me. Or does it go much deeper than that? What does whale represent symbolically? That is normally my go to question when I see animals in tarot cards? Strange not to do so here, or maybe it really isn’t.

And, how does it all relate to the 7 of Pentacles and the sense of the brain over-riding the heart? Am I putting my “back” (the vertebra) into something my heart knows isn’t serving me?. The book suggests ‘The very force used to save time actually wastes time.’ I see ploughing ahead because logic suggests you should. The heart is stifled and so we go on “killing ourselves” (the cigarette) for nothing.

Then, for so many reasons, I’m drawn to the Knight of Wands also pictured above. I love its simplicity and yet it says so much to me personally. For example, by putting your creations out for all to see you give birth to the real you. Also the idea of having the back bone to stand by what you believe in is hard for me to ignore.

In complete contrast, the 10 of Wands is completely overwhelming. When I look at it I don’t know where to start. That’s the nature of these cards for me. It’s not just what’s actually contained within the images that speaks to me. It’s that the emotions, thoughts, ideas and sensations they bring to the surface are so powerfully felt as well.

Now I’m not sure what the 9 of Cups will mean to others but I love this card. It reminds me of the first time I found myself surrounded by jellyfish while out on a paddle. It was otherworldly. Beautiful. Peaceful. Magical. This card takes me straight there. The ease, the grace and how I felt when my wish was fulfilled on another paddling trip when I was lucky enough to experience it a second time. And how awesome is the VIII Justice card? This review could go on forever but I won’t let it.

Instead I’ll move on to the cards themselves. They are physically easy to work with. I bent one almost completely back on itself and whilst it initially stayed quite bent, when I straightened it out again it slotted back into the deck as if nothing had happened. At just under 6.5 x 12cm they are ever so slightly smaller than some other standard-sized decks which adds to the ease in shuffling. The semi-gloss card stock does too.

The Surrealist Tarot Book

The book is a typical Lo Scarabeo booklet – 63 pages long but only 18 of those are in English. The rest are in either Spanish, Italian or Portuguese translations. Nevertheless I enjoyed reading what I could. Too much information may have proven a hindrance with this deck, but it would have been interesting all the same.

The additional nominations mentioned in regards to the Major Arcana is continued with the Minor Arcana but not through the Court cards. You could spend days working through the titles to find the paintings they align with and I believe it would be an interesting and valuable enterprise. However, I find just considering the cards through the lens of the title is a great starting point.

Spreads

Only one spread is included in the booklet:

The Surreal Vision (8 cards)

The reason given for this is in keeping with the surrealist philosophy. As such, ‘One should favour the freest possible form of reading.’ I understand that but I find with so much going on it can help having something to ground myself to. Besides, in my readings I start off tethered to card positions but once that’s done I reconsider the spread without any positional constraints to see what else comes to light. I find this gives me the best of both approaches. I understand this isn’t for everyone and that’s fair enough.

I’m sure I don’t need to say that I’m a fan of this deck but hey I’m a fan. I really didn’t expect to be and I have to say I really love it when that happens. I added this deck to my collection to push me out of my comfort zone which it did indeed do. But along the way, in some unexplainable way, it placed me very much in another one. I can’t say I love the art style but I can say that I love the way it speaks to me.