A Labour of Love

A small portion of the 78 Tarot Cards

Two years ago I started the project of creating my own tarot deck.  I had the vision of each card being a handcrafted shrine. But I did not want to just emulate the traditional tarot decks based
on the teaching of the Order of the Golden Dawn or Rider-Waite. I wanted to share and highlight my own understanding based on my own experiences.  I saw that this could be a vehicle
for sharing my own teachings and mystical insight into the hidden secrets in religion and the new age.

I took time out from offering classes and retreats through my wisdom school, The Temple of Mary
and I closed my shop on Etsy.com. I packed away my paints and canvases and focused solely on creating this deck.

Ace of Vessels
The New Human
www.hergracesacredart.com

And what a labour of love it was.  I loved each and every 

moment of it.  The process was to collate the

many stories of Mary, gathered from folktales,

legend, metaphor and myth, Bible stories

and apocryphal books such as the Proevangelium

of James.

Each shrine consists of a small wooden shrine which contains the miniature diorama of the part of the story that I am depicting.

Card XV Our Lady and the Stag
COURAGE

Through the years I had become a committed
spiritual pilgrim and travel at least once a year
to a sacred site in the world;  especially places
where the Divine had manifested into the physical.
During my travels I collected many bits and pieces
and especially vintage and wonderfully kitsch
(some of them) religious statues.  I wanted these
for my hand crafted shrines and this became a
mission in itself.  I had to make two extra trips to
Europe to source statues and I have spent hours
on the internet buying up these little figurines.

Maria Bambina, Vessel of the Suit of the Distaff

The Tarot deck has 78 cards :

22 Major Arcana cards which are the main archetypal cards followed by the Minor Arcana which are separated into the four suits.

Well, all 78 shrines have been completed!

And my studio have been taken over by them.  All my books and display areas

have been taken over by the shrines.  

This is but a small portion of the shrines and only one wall -

they cover three walls

My vision is to publish the deck with a small accompanying book.

And then to rewrite this book over time into a more expanded version.

So now the next part of this Labour of Love is starting.

If you are interested in following my journey and
learning from my mistakes,
please follow my blog
Higher Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck

I will be offering the deck for sale in my online
shop The French Madonna
and I will offer special pre-publication offers
as well.

And I am working on some unique jewellery pieces based on the cards in the deck.  I have started with Card XVIII Stella Maris, traditionally The Star.

XVIII  STELLA MARIS, Mary the Star
Higher Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck

Each pendant will be accompanied by a Tarot Card and its meaning and interpretation, packaged in a special tin or presentation box.

Visit my blog at The French Madonna Sacred Altars

If you would like to stay up to date with my journey and the Higher Mysteries

of Mary tarot deck, you can subscribe to this blog in the side margins

where it says "Follow by email' or you can become

a follower on Google Plus.

I am also on Instagram where I update regularly.

blessings

Hettienne