Mary-El Tarot WorkShop
Mary-El Tarot: 30-Day Deep Dive Workshop
This month, I’m doing a deep, immersive dive into the Mary-El Tarot! A new addition to my collection that I’ve never worked with before. Instead of memorizing the guidebook, I like to get to know a deck by combining it with other art forms: fragrance, music, literature, and film. It helps me explore the deck intuitively and creatively.
Mary-El Tarot Deck: https://a.co/d/j2pwsJG
Fragrance: Poltergeist by Heretic
To begin, I anointed the deck with a sample of Poltergeist by Heretic Parfum. While it’s too intense for me to wear personally, I love the scent! Herbaceous, smoky, and deeply mysterious. It smells like a damp forest at dusk, which fits the energy of the Mary-El perfectly. Now, whenever I open the deck box, I’m instantly transported into a dark, mythic underworld.
Scent is an essential part of my tarot practice. It adds a sensory layer that deepens the emotional and spiritual experience.
Poltergeist Perfume (anointing scent) https://hereticparfum.com/products/po...
Poltergeist
Part smoke, part wood, and all wild magic. Poltergeist is a blend of sexy galbanum, wormwood, rich ambers, and scorched birch tar for an otherworldly fragrance
Music Playlist
I’ve also curated a playlist of songs that match the vibe of the Mary-El artwork. I spent time researching artists whose music captures the emotional, primal energy of this deck. You can listen along on Spotify or Apple Music, links are included below.
Apple Music: / mary-el-tarot
Companion Reading
For this journey, I’ll be reading a book alongside the deck; something thematically or archetypally aligned.
Women Who Run With The Wolves Book: https://a.co/d/38DR7n5
Women Who Run with the Wolves
As I read, I’ll occasionally pull cards, reflect on the imagery, and take notes on any connections or ideas that surface. This is not about academic study…. it’s a slow, intuitive process of letting the cards enrich the story and vice versa. I’ll reference the guidebook, but only as needed.
Weekly Films + Character Spread
Each week, I’ll also be watching a film that resonates with the deck’s energy. Before the movie, I’ll pull a Character Spread (which I’ll explain in the next entry). The goal is to intuitively read the character or themes in the film ahead of time, then watch the movie and reflect afterward. What did I get right? What did I miss? What new insight did the film bring to the reading?
Using the same spread each week helps me see how the deck’s artwork communicates across different stories.
Final Thoughts
Over the next 30 days, I’ll continue pulling cards, reading, reflecting, and watching films. It’s a relaxed, artistic way to bond with a new tarot deck…and I’ll be documenting the process as I go.
If you’d like to join me, you can grab a copy of the Mary-El Tarot (it’s mass-market and widely available). Links are below. I’d love to share this journey with you.