Tarot, the real deal : a journey through the Major Arcana of the Marseille deck
with Marianne Costa
Begins Wednesday, May 4th
Introduction
When Alejandro Jodorowsky, my root teacher and co-author in the study of Tarot, approached André Breton hoping to gift him a Waite-Smith deck in the early 1950s, the pope of Surrealism had a strong and unexpected reaction. In his introduction to our book The Way of Tarot, Jodorowsky quotes Breton saying:
"This is a ridiculous deck of cards. Its symbols are lamentably obvious. There is nothing profound in it. The sole valid Tarot is that of Marseille. Its cards are intriguing and moving, but they never surrender their intrinsic secret. One of them inspired me to write Arcanum 17."
As an ardent admirer of the poet, the young Chilean immediately threw his card collection into the trash, keeping only the one Marseille Tarot that was available at the time: the famous version published by Paul Marteau in 1930.
It is remarkable that Breton, an adept of games, saw the beauty and depth of the Marseille standard—an artisanal template for Tarot cards that can be traced back to the mid-16th century, itself derived from early Italian playing cards. The model was reproduced with minor variations throughout France, Switzerland, and Italy until the 19th century when the fad for playing tarot died down around 1850.
At about the same time, the European occult movement rediscovered and reinvented the Tarot, turning its timeless and objective wisdom into a series of more individual and subjective oracles such as the Waite-Smith or Crowley decks. Our purpose here is not to praise or criticize any specific version but to clarify that the Marseille model stands out as a testimony to the Renaissance worldview, including its affinity with Pythagorean numerology, Christian esotericism, and alchemy.
The profound value of the Marseille Tarot lies in its objective and humble nature: an immaterial architecture that summarizes the concrete, psychological, and spiritual structure of the human being, a point of encounter between our existential struggles and the laws of the Cosmos.
In this short series of introductory classes, we will approach the Major Arcana of the Marseille deck through the prism of symbolism and numerology applied to our process of self-inquiry, both in mundane and essential matters. Its sources will be explored, from Renaissance Italian paintings to sacred geometry and historical curiosities. It is recommended that participants have a Marseille deck—below, you will find a couple of options for decks I have published, but any kind of Marseille Tarot, historical or restored, will work. What we study is an art of seeing and the strong common structure that all Marseille Tarots share.
There will be space in the second part of each class both for theoretical questions and for shared readings. Between sessions, you will be given different kinds of exercises to practice. The aim of this first series of classes is for participants to embrace the whole structure of the Major Arcana and be equipped with a set of tools that will allow them to deepen their understanding of the Arcana and perform simple, efficient readings for themselves and others.
—Marianne Costa
Note: possible donation + service exchange avaliable on request
Our Schedule
4 Two-hour Zoom Classes
Begins Sunday May 4th 2025
Times: Sunday 11am PST (Los Angeles), 2pm EST (New York), 8pm CET (Paris)
Module 1: May 4
Module: May 11
Module: May 25
Module: June 1
Price: €260/200€/100€ Tiers
COURSE CONTENT
Module 1 - May 4th
An overview of the historical and pictorial sources of the 22 Major Arcana. The structure of the deck and the connection between Major and Minor Arcana will also be evoked, even though our main focus is on the Majors for now. The Tarot as an evolutionary journey. Basic elements for self-reflection with the cards: how do we interact with one card about one subject? Learning to see, from projection to intuition: exercises of observation and subjective/objective projection in the cards.
Module 2 - May 11th
The existential structure of the Major Arcana: decimal numerology. The Fool and the World as the inseminating couple supporting the two paths of decimal numerology. Study of the pairs that carry the same numerological energy. The Tarot as a journey of growth. Reading in pairs: understanding the concept of "fluid" and "stagnant" vs "positive" and "negative," and applying that strategy to enrich our readings.
Module 3 - May 25th
The Law of Three in the Tarot: from couples to triangulation. The Tarot, as a journey of love and attraction, reflects the essential law of opposite complementaries producing or being neutralized through a third element. This sub-structure is perceptible both in the drawing of different cards and through the study of the 7 couples of the deck, pointing us to an alchemical journey conceived like an octave.
Module 4 - June 1st
The secret of secrets: Tarot and the cosmic law, understanding the septimal numerology. Decimal numerology points to our existential destiny as embodied beings surviving, struggling, and growing on planet Earth. On the other hand, the 3x7 structure of the Major Arcana calls for the study of septimal numerology, which has never been satisfactorily described or explained in the extensive literature about Tarot. By applying a Gurdjieffian perspective and intertwining septimal with decimal numerology, we can understand the Tarot as a mandala that reveals our place in both the material and the subtle world—a map of our specific privilege and duty. Nothing "woo-woo" here, just a very solid structure that allows us to actually use this humble card game as a reliable inner map or system compatible with traditional spiritual paths.
About your instructor
Marianne Costa, born 1966, holds a M.A. in comparative literature and is a renowned Tarot expert. She has published several books translated in various languages, among which : No Woman’s Land (novel, Grasset 2004), The Way of Tarot (with Jodorowsky, Inner Traditions 2005, German edition Windpferd 2008) and Metagenealogy (France 2011, USA 2014, a study of family as both a treasure and a trap, also with Jodorowsky). She collaborates with institutions and museums as a symbology expert — most recently with the Guggenheim Collection in Venice and Accademia di Belle Arti in Palermo. Her last opus, an essay on Tarot’s history, symbolism and iconography Le Tarot pas à pas («Tarot step by step ») is already available in French, Spanish and Italian. Her polyfacetic carreer includes being a professional actress and singer, writing and translating poetry, novels and essays, and teaching groups worldwide in Tarot, transgenerational psychology and what she calls « healing fictions », an original technique that combine and surpasses therapy, self-development and artistic expression.
She is the translator of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poetry in French. Her base is in Paris and she has been a passionate tango dancer and singer for the last decade.
key Books by Marianne Costa
Le Tarot Pas à Pas/ El Tarot paso a paso /. – A comprehensive guide to understanding and reading Tarot in a structured way, this book also provides valuable historical context, exploring the origins and evolution of the Tarot. This book has not yet been translated into English. Available here: Le Tarot pas à pas (Éditions Trédaniel).
The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards – A classic book on Tarot, co-authored with the legendary Alejandro Jodorowsky, renowned for his revolutionary work in cinema and mysticism, and translated into many languages. Available here: Amazon link
Metagenealogy: Self-Discovery through Psychomagic and the Family Tree – Also co-authored with Jodorowsky, this book examines personal transformation through family history and symbolic acts. Available here: Amazon link
Marseille Tarot: Gold and Black Edition (Marseille Tarot, 8) – A visually striking edition of the Marseille Tarot, emphasizing its symbolic depth through a refined gold-and-black design. Available here: Amazon link.